This is largely due to the rapid evolution of the technology used. Over the past 10 years, microcontrollers have evolved significantly in terms of power, price, and availability, and the cards used to develop disk emulators have naturally followed suit. Between the first version of the Flash card hard drive kit and the latest version, which is on an SD card, there has been tremendous progress. It is now possible to be SCSI I (and even ESDI<>SCSI card) and II compatible, to have several virtual disks simultaneously, which allows for as many virtual disks on different SCSI IDs on the Fairlight side. The size of the media is no longer an issue, nor is disk access. The only thing that hasn’t changed is the bottleneck of Fairlight’s SCSI cards (Q777, CMI-41, and TS-1).
In the following paragraphs, I will present the history of the different models of Flash hard drive kits that I have offered to the Fairlight user community. These drives are all specific and adapted to all Fairlight CMI III, and MFX I and II models.
Experiments: the 2000s
I offered these kits, but only for assembly in my workshop; I did not sell them for installation elsewhere.
Before the shift to Flash drives, I offered to replace old SCSI disks with new ones that were smaller, faster, more energy efficient, ran cooler, and, above all, were quieter.
The first kit was specific to Fairlight CM III models equipped with a CMI-41 card, but it also worked perfectly with the MFX I and II (which have CMI-41 and TS-1 cards). However, it was impossible to support the older Fairlight CMI III models, which only had Q777 cards.
For Q777 owners, I offered a replacement solution for the 8-inch floppy disk drive. This was the Flash Kit for CMI III.
The first versions of these kits were based on Compact Flash card readers/writers. These devices were quite limited, as it was virtually impossible to have more than one partition on a reader, which is why one of the photos shows two slots corresponding to two readers.
In all cases, the front panel is designed to accommodate two flash card readers, but is not necessarily equipped with both readers. When ordering, you can choose a version equipped with one or two flash card readers. It is possible to choose just one and add the second one later. Installation and addition are relatively simple. The first reader will always be the boot reader, while the second reader allows you to add more disk space to store your data.
Each drive can accommodate 4GB or 8GB Compact Flash cards, bearing in mind that the disk space limit managed by Microware OS-9 (the Fairlight CMI III and MFX operating system) is 4GB, meaning that with the full “Hard Disk Flash Kit” version, you can address 8GB of data. If this is not enough, it is still possible to add other SCSI devices to the external port located at the rear of the machines.
The main advantage of this system is that it allows you to import and export data from Compact Flash cards. It is relatively easy to connect these cards to a CF<>USB reader on a modern computer, and using the cmios-9 software, you can navigate through the structure of the virtual disks.
The intermediate years: around 2010
I suggested installing a new type of SD card reader, but it was quite fragile and, over time, proved to be much less robust than its CompactFlash card predecessors under the same conditions of use. Unfortunately, these were no longer available for purchase.
I didn’t often suggest a front panel because everything remained in place, including the old SCSI hard drive, which was attached to a support inside, and, above all, users didn’t touch the cards…
Maturity: those I have been offering since 2024
Since 2024, for the CMI III and MFX I and II, I have been offering three versions of my kit
Depending on whether you want to keep certain other equipment on your machines, such as an 8-inch floppy disk drive or a DC600 tape drive, I offer specific cover panels. I have always placed great importance on maintaining a consistent and attractive appearance and design for these legendary machines, unlike some of my competitors…
Front panel and 8-inch drive and DC600 drive
The version that covers the hard drive and the old ventilation covers, the QIC tape drive and the 8” floppy drive remain in place.
Front panel and 8-inch drive
The version that covers the entire front panel except for the 8” floppy disk drive.
Entire front
The version that covers the entire front panel, i.e., the 8” floppy drive, the QIC tape drive, and the hard drive(s).
The price is €350, which is the price for the kit, so you have to assemble it yourself. It’s cheaper if you give me your machine and I do the installation, because it takes quite a while. In fact, you have to remove the external covers on four sides of the Fairlight, remove part of the power supply, extract the old hard drive/tape drive support structures, remove the 8-inch floppy drive, do a thorough cleaning, and finally install the kit.
Purchase
The total price of the Flash kit is 350 euros. Select the model and confirm.
There is a maximum delay of one month between ordering and delivery. Kits are manufactured on demand.
The price includes shipping to all countries in the European Union. This includes: insurance up to €350, a tracking number, proof of shipment, and delivery against signature. For destinations outside the EU, please contact me for a shipping quote.
For more information about the carrier www.colissimo.fr