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I was told there wasn't for the C3000 so I guess it should be the same for the C3100.
I plan to replace the microdrive with a faster cf flash. btw, is the 6GB hitachi a cfI or cfII form factor? i really want a cfII card so it covers up the hole in the slot.
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PLEASE NOTE THAT WHILE THIS POST STARTS OUT DIRECTED TOWARD MEANIE MOST OF THE MATERIAL IS DIRECTED AT ANYONE WHO FINDS IT USEFUL.
Meanie,
VERY Good. I was hoping there wouldn't be.
The answer to your question is....Um... er... Yes.
The 3, 4, and 6gb Hitachi Microdrives are all compliant to the physical size specs for CFII devices, and they DEFINITELY cover the whole slot. NOTE: The drive comes with all kind of warnings about not using it in a device that did not have a mechanism to physically eject it. In tandem with this is the fact that there is no "thumb ridge" with which to get your fingernail under to pry it out of the slot. They EXTREMELY emphasize not to pull it out using the "pinch between your thumb and finger" method. A very neat and easy way around this that I've used for every Microdrive I've owned was simply to take a piece of clear packing tape, (cut to size of course), and affix it to the topmost edge of the drive, (on both sides so as to keep the pressure evenly distributed) in order to have something with which to "pull" on without putting pressure on the platter spindle when you remove the drive from the socket. If you're careful and only give yourself juuuuust enuf tape to be able to grasp you can then fold it over and tuck it into the drive cavity when you wish to leave it inserted.
Using this method has several advantages- doesn't damage the drive, is convenient as heck, AND it also will finish covering the drive bay 100%! (Oh and this way you won't look like an idiot in front of others when yer tryin' to show em how cool you are with yer Z and you have to borrow car keys etc. to try and pry the thing out.) Oooops- that wasn't needed in this case. Forgot I was talkin' to Meanie, I just can't picture you doing that sort of thing, (I somewhat idolize you, along with at least half of the Cxx00 owners who would be clueless without your EXCELLENT ability to not only figure things out but document them in such a way that us clueless folks can understand and follow!)
PLEASE NOTE: Anyone who is reading this, if you wish to do the tape thing there is one SUPREME CAVEAT!! Do NOT tape over the little hole in the back of your microdrive that says "DO NOT SEAL THIS HOLE"!! If you do, you WILL have performance difficulties, eventually you WILL damage your drive, and you will DEFINITELY have voided your warranty! You've been warned.
Anyway oh great Meanish one- I have the same long term plan as you do in the short term. Eventually once prices lower QUITE a bit I plan to replace the drive with a 4gb or so CF module. But since they are ignorantly expensive even here in the US it's just gonna have to wait. Especially since I'm going to be using the Microdrive for a swapdrive- with CF flash cards of the similar size being so dag blasted expensive I just couldn't in good conscience do that with them since it may mean an early death for them in the process.
Plus I'm not completely sold on the performance difference between the MicroDrives and fast CF drives. I've used a 1GB Lexar Professional 80x CF card and a retail 4gb Hitachi Microdrive (as I said above it's identically specc'd to the 6gb) for quite a while now and it's not as an obnoxious difference in speed as you would think it would be. Yes, there is the spinup time involved but they are very close in performance in "real world" usage imho and once the Microdrive spins up it almost always outperforms the Lexar in read throughput and wins HANDS DOWN in write speeds. Once you come to grips with that it's just really hard to convince myself to plunk down $300+ usdollars on it. That's more than half of what I paid for the C3100!
BUT inevitably once prices sink low enuf I'll switch to CF not only because of the faster initial response times but also that in 12 months or so CF flash technology will be even faster than it is today. Having said all that- I must admit I've made that same claim ever since I simultaneously bought my 1gb Hitachi Microdrive and 1gb Lexar and every time I upgrade (three times now) I've chosen the new, largest practical Microdrive that was available because the Microdrive speeds had improved as well. Truth be told I just realized that Microdrives in the past year have improved in scale better than CF flash technology has. It will be interesting to see how that develops in the future, it's good to see the two technologies competing well- always a win-win situation for consumers.
Oh and a quick word to anyone who DOESN'T know already - the Retail version of the Hitachi Microdrive is NOT identical to it's OEM version(what comes default in the C3100 and most other devices that have the drive imbedded from the factory.) The OEM version is not 100% compatible to the "true" CF/IDE specs and therefore will not work in all devices like the Retail version will. Also the Retail version is a better performer in almost all respects. (The OEM version has a black and white label, the Retail version has a blue/white label with black and red print, ALWAYS comes in a blister pack, and is always distributed by Pexagon Inc. - you'll find the Pexagon label on the back bottom side of the blister pack.) The retail version also adheres to the ATA 33 specs and has 128Kbx2 buffer memory with a spindle speed of 3600rpms. I've also used a Seagate equivalent of the Hitachi Microdrives and while the physical specifications are similar- the real world performance just doesn't achieve that of Hitachi's recent drives. Seagate drives are also not 100% gauranteed to be compatible in all 2-3rd generation Zaurii so beware if your contemplating buying one.
Here's some relevant links to my above prose:
Detailed specs for the 3,4,and 6gb retail Hitachi Microdrives:
[a href=\"http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/micro/3k6.htm]http://www.hitachigst.com/hdd/support/micro/3k6.htm[/url]
Detailed specs for the 1GB Lexar Professional Series CF with Write Acceleration (wich is useless on the Zaurii as they do not implement Write Acceleration technology so writes are no faster than a high performance CF card without WA):
(You'll have to click on the link below and then click on Pro CompactFlash, then 1GB- sorry their site is partially java driven.)
http://www.lexar.com/digfilm/compact_flash.htmlHere's some links to NewEgg.com's selection of Microdrives, they're out of stock on the 4gb right now (just do a search for "hitachi microdrive" and what they have will pop up), but just check back as it's another cool thing about Newegg- if you SEE the product listed then they ALWAYS have it in stock! - I'm a true believer in NewEgg. They almost always have the lowest practical price, they keep their rebates updated aggressively, and they have the fastest shipping in the business. Couple that with good customer service and they're hard to beat. Right now the rebate makes the drive a sweeet buy.
The 3GB version:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16822147004The 6GB version:
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.asp?...N82E16822147005A link to the search results for "hitachi microdrive":
http://www.newegg.com/Product/ProductList....=&Go.x=0&Go.y=0Alright, there ya go. I hope this helped Meanie and anyone else who trips over this thread. Please bear in mind that this post was made on 11/28/2005 so any price info etc. may not be accurate any longer when you're reading this.
One last thing that may benefit Forum members who live outside the United States.
If you have difficulty getting this item or getting it cheaply in the country that you live in then I would be happy to assist you by doing the middle man thing for you. (I've done it several times now for several members.) I'm glad to help so long as:
1. I don't have to spend any money out of my own pocket for the item or shipping etc.
2. I'll have to have received the funds before I purchase the item/ship it.
3. You do all necessary research as to how best to have it shipped to you, (selecting shipper, insurance if desired, how to handle any import taxes or fees.) and then send me very specific instructions so that I don't screw it up and cause unnecessary extra import duties/fees or delivery problems for you.
4. You need to have been a member of the forums here for at least 90 days or have a few members who have vouch for you.
5. If a rebate is involved you need to understand that it may take sometimes up to3-6 months (8 to 12 weeks is the best you can usually hope for) before the refund arrives. Alternately you can take the receipt (I always keep a copy of the receipt and send the original to you) and apply for the rebate yourself (I'd prefer it this way) - just make sure the Company issuing the rebate will deliver it out of the United States.
6. I am just helpling get it delivered to you, I may or may not be able to handle shipping to and from the manufacturer if someone needs to make a warranty claim etc.
I'm the ideal person for this as I'm permanently disabled (I have a rare form of arthritis) and have gobs of time on my hands. It is also personally satisfiying to see my friends here on the forums get hardware at prices simply impossible to achieve in their own country, and it also helps boost my spirits as it makes me feel a little less "useless" to my friends and society in general.
I do not expect to be paid or compensated in any way for this service, again- it just makes me feel good to be able to help others. I will accept gifts or tips if someone insists, but I'd really rather you'ld send the money to any one of the many OE software/hardware developers in the community. Also I'm unfortunately required to spend a few weeks a year in the hospital so it may take a few days longer than normal sometimes to get the item shipped to you once it arrives. But I've never had that particular problem yet arise.
This is a service I offer to my friends here at the forum, but if it starts to become too time/work intensive, too aggravating, or simply too inconvenient I'll have to cease offering my assistance. But for now, I'll take it on a case by case basis- please don't be annoyed if I decline after all I am doing it for free! =)
There, I wanted to make sure this was my longest post ever and I'm pretty sure I've achieved that.
One last word-
I WANT EVERYONE TO REMEMBER THIS DAY, for on THIS DAY, I NeuroShock, actually was able to answer a technical question from MEANIE instead of the other way around!!! Wooohooo!
Cheers,
-NeuroShock
