Replacement Disk Drives

Probably the most common component failure in the DSS-1 is the floppy disk drive. Many people have tried a lot of different drives in the DSS-1 without success. Some even called the original drive manufacturer (Canon), and they were no help at all.

Finally, a replacement drive for the DSS-1 is available at a very reasonable price. Route 66 Studios is the place to go to purchase your DSS-1 drive replacement.

These drives have been rigourously tested by various customers, and I am very happy to report that the replacement drives performed all expected functions perfectly, every time. Route 66's work is great for all DSS-1 users. There are even photos and instructions on how to replace the drive. Even if your DSS-1 drive is currently working, picking up a spare is a good idea if you cannot do without your DSS-1 for any prologned length of time.

Here are some instructions I found on the DSS-1 Yahoo Group on how to configure the jumpers on a standard PC floppy drive. This will save you a lot of money, but I can't guarantee the results. So I am posting this FYI only, you are at your own risk when doing this procedure. (Thanks to czcosmo from the DSS-1 Yahoo Group for coming up with these instructions):

Which floppy drive to use?
Most compatible models are 720kb Floppies (old PC standard) with jumpers, and some new with 1.4 MB but they need some soldering. I picked out two compatible drives to test with the DSS-1: the Chinon FZ-357 and the TEAC FD-235F-100U . I found the Chinon drive on eBay and bid. Final price: 1 (one) Euro!

The Jumpers:
The settings for the DSS-1 are as noted in the two images below (for these two drives):

Installation Procedure:
Open the DSS, remove the old Floppy and replace it with the new one (check out these photos and instructions on how to do this). Make sure to check the right position for the ribbon cable to the board, or it won't work!