Amstrad CPC 6128 - Floppy Drive Advice

[gerald]

Ok I've just opened it. The drive part number is EME-157, which is the same part number as the 6128+ drive. The motherboard is PT NO Z70290, MC0020C, Copyright 1985, so nothing new here, but I'm pretty sure that I swapped the motherboard with one of my other machines, so I don't think that helps.

The label on the motor of the drive says "27Mar90N1", which is interesting. The 6128+ was released in August 1990. Maybe this was a late produced 6128 that picked up an EME-157 because they ran out of parts? Or maybe the drive was replaced and they had run out of the older drives at that time? I guess I should go and check the motherboard version in my other machine next...

Before I put this away again, is there anything anyone else wants me to check?

If you can figure the serial number of the CPC the drive comes from it would help getting a more precise date.
However you have to be sure all your part (drive/MB/case) are from the same CPC 

[Munchausen]

Gah, I just put it away again! I will get the serial number tonight.

The disk and case were together originally, the motherboard I think I swapped with my main 6128, which is also in storage, somewhere else. I only have 3 6128 machines in total, and one of them is my original which is easily identified as it has a 40007 instead of a 40010, so I know it isn't that one!

[CPC_Fan]

After finally getting the motor to work, it now sounds like a dying animal, "weeeooooooaaaaweeeoaaaa" and will not load disks at all anymore. So my questions are.


1) Can I take the power cable out the back of the floppy drive and leave it out so it has no power, while still using the external HxC?


2) If I can take the power cable out the back of the floppy drive, can I completely remove the floppy drive, or does it still need to be attached?


3) Is there a way of replacing the drive with the HxC as an internal, I have the HxC SD S Floppy Emulator SLIM


Thanks

I know that Craig has already answered your question Neil, but I thought that I would add that there is a guide/tutorial at the top of this section of the forum, on how to fit a HxC internally. I am not sure what model it refers to though?

[Munchausen]

 Ok, the serial number is:

544-8Z20656

This doesn't seem to match up with the serial number decoding scheme I've seen, so I don't know how useful it is!

[gerald]

Ok, the serial number is:

544-8Z20656

This doesn't seem to match up with the serial number decoding scheme I've seen, so I don't know how useful it is!

According to cpc serial numbers,¿How interprete the cpc fabrication?(I need french member).
544-8Z20656 : Korean fab 44, December 88, 20656th

Drive seems to young for this CPC !

[CraigsBar]

Sounds like an after market swap like mine then. A great mod this is too. Just remove the 12v lead as it is no longer needed.

[Munchausen]

According to cpc serial numbers,¿How interprete the cpc fabrication?(I need french member).
544-8Z20656 : Korean fab 44, December 88, 20656th

Drive seems to young for this CPC !

Ah, I missed the Z = December part.

So we still don't know how this drive got here. Looks like probably it was added later, but I'm surprised as the machine looks unused. If I get time I'll check my other CPCs tomorrow in case some case parts got swapped around, I did have the all apart together a couple of years ago, but I don't remember doing that. Kicking myself now for switching things about on this machine, but I never realised it was unheard of to have a 6128 that doesn't need 12V.