Atari 1040 STf floppy drive seems dead, can you help?

[Opelkadett1963]

Hi everyone! I just had the good fortune to pick up my first Atari computer, a 1040stf. I fixed several problems like the mouse not working (really nasty rollers) and the stuck knobs on the monitor.

 

However, the floppy drive seems to be totally dead. It never spins up, the head never moves, and I get no drive lights. I opened it up to confirm it is plugged in correctly. This is a "big eject button" ST as I've heard them called, with a Chinon drive. I have access to soldering equipment, a multimeter, occiloscope, etc, just not until a few days from now (I'm away from home ATM).

 

What can I do to get this working? Are there easy replacements? (I don't really want to hack up the case for a PC drive or gotek). I've attached photos of what it does at the moment.

Edited October 25, 2019 by Opelkadett1963

[ParanoidLittleMan]

Not 100% that drive self is what is broken. It may be that computer just does not activate drive.

In any case, easiest way is to replace drive and see ...

Atari floppy drives have little different pin layout than usual, newer PC floppy drives. So, if you can not get Atari compatible floppy drive - and that's not easy to find now, especially what works, some small changes are needed. Swapping lines 10 and 12 at floppy connector (easiest on cable) .

Or maybe forget floppy drives and get modern replacement - HxC or Gotek .

But test with real floppy drive would be good first, to be sure that drive is problem. I guess that finding some PC drive for it is not hard.

[Zogging Hell]

Is this the single sided drive belt version? Probably best changing it out if it is, as it will not work with double sided games/ apps anyway.

[Opelkadett1963]

I believe it's the double-sided drive, I took it apart and didn't see a belt, plus it has 2 read heads.

[Zogging Hell]

I suppose a recap (on the drive) might be in order if you really want to get it going. But I would also recap your PSU if you haven't done so already. Really though unless having the original is necessary I would probably go with Paranoid's advice.

[Bikerbob]

what is the model? I have multiplies of this same drive.. I have had 2 that were not working.. and now work.  Did this computer come to you never opened?? or have previous owners been in it.

 

In a megaST - which this drive is in sometimes.. the cable does NOT twist.. in other machines it might.. it will not do any damage to the drive -- but I will tell you.. you get no response at all if plugged in the wrong way around.. Have you tried it both ways?   NO cable and just the power plug in.. power on - will usually light up the drive light at least.. if your not getting that.. then maybe its dead.

 

I can give you further advice if you see any life. 

 

James

[tjlazer]

what is the model? I have multiplies of this same drive.. I have had 2 that were not working.. and now work.  Did this computer come to you never opened?? or have previous owners been in it.
 
James

That’s strange. I had this drive go bad in one of my 1040’s and I swapped it out. Then a few years later decided to try the drive and it worked. Might just have bad caps on it!

[Colleton]

I had a similar issue with the drive in an STF I bought recently.  Sometimes I would get the drive icons, sometimes not.  I could hear the drive trying to work, but never got it to even format a disk.

 

I ended up installing a Gotek as that seemed to be the easiest, most utilitarian option.  I didn’t have to cut the case.

 

 

[randybb]

Well, this will fix only issue with the drive itself. I have replaced mine by gotek and it is still the same. Everything around (cable, power, caps, inductors, hex inv) seems to be fine, so maybe there could be a problem with WD1772 or YM2149 (driving drive 0/1 and side select)