Control/Dimming Anyone upgraded a GrandMA Series 1 IDE harddrive to SSD?

R

Roopdaloop

Member
Hi everyone,
just looking at replacing a 60gb drive on my series one light with a Kingspec 64gb ssd
Has anyone Out there done this before And can run me through it quickly or supply a link?
Is this a suitable brand?
i have an externaL enclosure to format it etc and the kingspEc SSD is PATA so it will be a Straight hardwarE swap..
Any advice mucH appreciated!
Cheers!
Reuben
 
Not sure what would be involved in the swap, but I wouldn't install a Kingspec ssd in anything. I would buy Intel, Samsung, OCZ, or Corsair in that order. SSD's are unstable at best and you never know when one might fail so why take a chance with something that isn't from a quality brand that you can trust to reduce that chance as much as possible. You should also always have a backup copy of the drive ready to go too.
 
techieman33 said:
Not sure what would be involved in the swap, but I wouldn't install a Kingspec ssd in anything. I would buy Intel, Samsung, OCZ, or Corsair in that order. SSD's are unstable at best and you never know when one might fail so why take a chance with something that isn't from a quality brand that you can trust to reduce that chance as much as possible. You should also always have a backup copy of the drive ready to go too.
Click to expand...

Thankyou for shedDing light on SSD brands,I wondered why it was so easily available in our remote coUntry!
Because...it's well..crap..hehe typical
It's hard to find a SSD brand that's PATA but thanks for pUtting me straight on a brand
Im trying to fault find and Changing drive might be the issuE
Thanks again
any ideas
On formatting etc from anyone eLse that may have done it?
 
BobHealey said:
Why are you replacing the drive? Did the old one fail, or is this "just for fun"? I'm in the camp of "if its not broke, don't fix it". Too many things can go haywire, so why add something more to mix?
Click to expand...

thanks for your comments
i agree completely!

Sadly it's not "just for fun" ,the console is displaying an infrequent intermittant fault of flashing dmx output,executors (and even litlight!)
This is one of my further attempts at fault finding and not being able to source original toshiba IDE 60GB PATA HDD's for replacement..
I've cleaned graphics cards,reseated RAM,expansion chip etc,checked all connections...
The other thing is that the existing HDD is coming on 5 years and due for replacement so I'm thinking what the hell worth a try!
I will keep the old drive until I can get a replacement of course.
 
Have you contacted GrandMA for support?
 
Might be worth checking the power supply.

Unfortunately it may also be one of the motherboards failing. Theres two in the GMA1s, one handles normal computer functions (OS, keyboard, video output, ect), the other handles the front panel and the console specific I/O (both DMX and faders). The later is a custom one.
 
Keep in mind that the OS (vxWorks Linux) might not play well with an SSD. Installing an SSD might cause further instabilities because of SSD's built in firmware protocols. If the system was not designed for new devices, I would hesitate installing something that is not supported/recommended by the manufacturer.
 
tyler.martin said:
Keep in mind that the OS (vxWorks Linux) might not play well with an SSD. Installing an SSD might cause further instabilities because of SSD's built in firmware protocols. If the system was not designed for new devices, I would hesitate installing something that is not supported/recommended by the manufacturer.
Click to expand...

thanks for your reply
yes a fair enough point ,I do know that because it's possible it's not always a good idea!,I am hoping someone on this forum knows the correct compatible SSD to use
or can point me to a source of new original drives as they are very hard to come by! (Toshiba IDE PATA 60 GB...)
 
Honestly, I'd be tempted just to go on ebay, but the cheapest new name brand IDE PATA HDD thats at least 60Gb and give it a shot. I'd suggest confirming with tech support, but I would not think that theres any chance of an incompatible HDD harming the console. I can find a 60Gb Seagate for $20 shipped in the US. Since you're not even sure that the hard drive is the issue perhaps going with a cheap testing solution is the better bet.
 
Just want to pop in and say that while I have no advice for the specifics on how to do it, every shop that I have worked with has swapped over to SSDs in their MA1s to get increased stability with the consoles. (No more crashing while auto saving at a rock show!)

But your issues don't sound like an HDD issue to me.
 
I have done this on the MA1 that we used to have. Pretty simple procedure to do. I would contact ACT Lighting (or whoever your local MA vendor is) for instructions. They gave me a nice .PDF with all the instructions to replace and reinstall the software. Keep in mind you do need about 7 or so floppys to install to new software if your old one is corrupt or bad like mine was. The hard drive that ACT recommended to me was this: Amazon.com: Transcend 16GB SSD, 2.5- Inch, IDE, SLC: Electronics
 
Thankyou everyone for your awesome advice!
I ended up finding a new IDE PATA Western digital 250GB drive which I formatted to 20GB and cloned the old drive onto,this works fine
I don't know if its going to fix my fault but at least it has a new drive
The IDE's are getting rarer,I may try SSD next time now LDTommy has kindly shared a recommended brand and size!
Thanks again everybody!
 
Your issue is serious enough where contacting MA directly is acceptable.

Try calling your closest MA location and see what they say as that doesn't sound like a hard drive issue to me either it sounds more like a power supply issue

Contact: MA Lighting International GmbH

If you don't get any luck directly with MA PM me and I will put you in touch directly with a fantastic MA support technician located here in Australia.
 
Just a quick update!
I have successfully upgraded drives in three MA light consoles to SSD using the Transcend models mentioned above by LDtommy (thank you very much for that!)
I found the PDF of instructions on grandspares.de website
You will need a windows 95 or 98 boot disk and several older versions of software on floppies (or the ability to create them,an External floppy to USB adapter is a great start! )

During repeated rebooting the PSU blew up in the troubled faulty console ,this has been replaced and working fine
So hopefully that's sorted out that issue! (Fingers crossed!)
Thank you to everyone on this thread for their good advice and help
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Users who are viewing this thread

Total: 1 (members: 0, guests: 1)
Back