Re: Workpad Z50 unable to detect/use Microdrive ?

[Larry Stotler <larrystotler%gmail.com@localhost>]

On Mon, Apr 27, 2015 at 1:09 PM, Warner Losh <imp%bsdimp.com@localhost> wrote:
> I’ve had issues with micro drives on these embedded platforms not having
> enough power to work right. Never used the model you are using, though,
> so I don’t know if that’s what’s going south or not. While the spec says they
> should work, the early hand held devices, like the one you have, were
> notoriously underpowered, leading to many weird things when you tried
> to put generic hardware in.

I found out that the white label Hitachi Microdrives are "tru IDE"
drives, and won't work as memory devices.  A blue label drive is
required to use it in the Z50.  I was unable to get the white label
microdrives to work in my Thinkpad X21 either.  They work fine in my
Thinkpad T60p's Advanced Dock, evidently because the dock supports it.
Cheapest 6GB blue label Drive I found was $40 so I doubt I will bother
with it.

I will try to source a PCMCIA to CF adapter & see if that works.
Don't know if it will tho.  Tru IDE drives use DMA, which I doubt the
Z50 has the ability to do, PCMCIA or CF.

> Don’t have my Z50 anymore, or I’d give a spin...

I just picked up a second one.  I was hoping it had the 32MB RAM
upgrade because it came with the Dock & Serial Cable, but it didn't.
Oh well.  Spare parts.  Oh course, both of the adapters I have were
part of the recall, which I doubt they would honor anymore........