I want a C-64 floppy drive but i wondered if it needs it's own power chord. If so is it the same as the C-64. Thanks
I want a C-64 floppy drive but i wondered if it needs it's own power chord. If so is it the same as the C-64. Thanks
Yes and no. The 1541 uses a standard three-prong AC power cord, much like what a computer tower uses (if I'm not mistaken).
"I am a cipher, wrapped in an enigma, smothered in secret sauce."
Disagree!
The second version of the 1541 with the twist door (not the 1541-II) is the most reliable C64 disk drive. They are tanks. The 1571 is kind of fragile and the upper heads get bent and the wires brittle and disconnect.
That's all you need for a 1541 or 1571. They are super cheap, and you can find them anywhere (If you don't already have some extras kicking around, find a friend who's into computers and he probably has a half dozen spares that he'll give away). There are no components in them, so as long as it fits, you're good. The 1541-II uses a custom power brick that you will never find anywhere, so if you decide to get one of those drives, make absolutely sure you're getting the power adapter for it!
Both the 1541-II and 1571 are better products than the 1541, but they're much harder to find and way more expensive. Also, they're both white... so if you have one of the old brown C64's, the colours won't match. Just stick with a cheap 1541 until you decide you want to move up in the world of C64. Be aware that there are common problems with the 1541, so try to make sure you get one that is known to work before you pay for it. The last thing you want to do as a new C64 owner is align the disk drive.
--Zero
Last edited by Ze_ro; 05-29-2010 at 07:58 PM.
+1
I've had my 1541 (with the twist door) running strong since 1983. I've added switches to change the device # and to turn on/off the write-protect, which is great if you don't want to hole punch the back sides of disks. My drive is great and I never have problems, other than the occasional alignment issue.
The newtronics mechanism 1541s are better than the Alps mechanisms, but they still fall out of alignment MUCH more than a 1571 ever will. It isn't fun to have to open the thing and dick around fixing it because you fed it a bad disk.
and then comes messing with the motor RPM if you happen to have one that is messed up in that area.
1571s generally don't fall prey to this crap, so they are better in that retard. Having built in device switching makes them even nicer for someone who doesn't want to dick around with that either.