Mac Plus floppy won't auto-eject.

#1 Sat, 6 Jun 2009 - 03:15

My Mac Plus won't eject floppies, unless I use a paper clip and the "manual eject" hole. Does anyone know where the problem may lie? Would I need a whole new floppy mechanism, or is it possible this one can be salvaged?

If the former, does anyone know where I might find one? I've also got an 800k external floppy drive that works fine; in the time being could I drop the mech from there into the Plus?

Thanks for any tips!

#2 Sat, 6 Jun 2009 - 04:09

This means that the floppy grease is dry.

Although the following guide is for a 400k drive, this might help:

http://www.vintagemacworld.com/400kflop.html

#3 Sat, 6 Jun 2009 - 21:36

It's a mechanical problem which is normally solved by cleaning and relubricating. Occasionally, a drive fails because a cam or lever is worn, and you need to swap the drive.

The drive mechanism in an external drive can be used in a Plus. There are differences (Google for red and yellow ribbon cable) but the swap is normal practice.

#4 Tue, 9 Jun 2009 - 16:18

I've had a lot of them that just get gummed up / dried up over time. typically if you remove the eject motor, clean it up, manually turn it a little, and apply new grease, that will fix it up like new. If the drive is reading disks, I would try to fix it instead of just replacing it.