iR C3080 HDD imaging

[skelband]

So, I don't have access to firmware files for the irc C3080 that I have now in my possession, but I'm a bit worried about HDD failure in the future.
So I decided to get ahead of the game and image the drives so that I could rebuild them in the future if one fails.

imagePASS-J1
==============
I successfully imaged the SATA HDD in the imagePASS-J1 that is attached at the back and I can run that up with a 2.5" laptop drive with the image written to it.
Since the imagePASS is Linux-based and is basically a custom PC, that was easy enough. Looks like I could probably put an SSD in there.

Copier Firmware
============
However, the HDD in the copier itself is an older 80GB Western Digital drive with an IDE interface. Does anyone know if transferring a disk image from the existing drive to an alternative would pose any problems rather than going the normal service route?
Is the copier fussy about the kinds of models I can put in there?
Rather than sourcing yet another "old" drive, are there newer SATA options that I could use if it came to needing a replacement (IDE/SATA adapter etc)?

[copier tech]

So, I don't have access to firmware files for the irc C3080 that I have now in my possession, but I'm a bit worried about HDD failure in the future.
So I decided to get ahead of the game and image the drives so that I could rebuild them in the future if one fails.

imagePASS-J1
==============
I successfully imaged the SATA HDD in the imagePASS-J1 that is attached at the back and I can run that up with a 2.5" laptop drive with the image written to it.
Since the imagePASS is Linux-based and is basically a custom PC, that was easy enough. Looks like I could probably put an SSD in there.

Copier Firmware
============
However, the HDD in the copier itself is an older 80GB Western Digital drive with an IDE interface. Does anyone know if transferring a disk image from the existing drive to an alternative would pose any problems rather than going the normal service route?
Is the copier fussy about the kinds of models I can put in there?
Rather than sourcing yet another "old" drive, are there newer SATA options that I could use if it came to needing a replacement (IDE/SATA adapter etc)?

There was an IDE to SATA upgrade kit so you can use later drives.

I have cloned a few Canon drives over the years however its much easier simply replacing the drive & reload the firmware (I can supply this should you need it.) However the HDD's don't fail very often so cross that bridge when you come to it.

[skelband]

There was an IDE to SATA upgrade kit so you can use later drives.

Hi,
That great copier tech!
Do you have a reference or part number for that kit?

Cheers,
skelband

[skelband]

More adventures in the imaging world of the Canon IR C3080!
I have moved this project on somewhat.

In order to futureproof this copier, I decided to see what options there were for modern replacement of the HDD in this copier.
My first task was to image the drive.
I tried clonezilla which is a good free option which I have had some success with in the past, but this failed because some of the partitions were dirty (not cleanly dismounted).
I could check and repair the partitions, but until I got a clean image, I did not want to alter the original HDD at all.
So I did a complete disk device copy with that good old Linux workhorse dd, into an 80GB file.

I then blasted that onto a 120GB SATA laptop drive, again with no mods to the partitions. Another dd again, but from the image file direct to the device.

I managed to get a PATA/SATA adapter from aliexpress, this to be precise:

7+15Pin 2.5 Sata Female to 3.5 inch IDE Sata to IDE Adapter Converter Male 40 pin port for ATA 133 100 HDD CD DVD Serial new-in Computer Cables & Connectors from Computer & Office on Aliexpress.com | Alibaba Group

It has the advantage of cheapness and compactness. The eventual plan is to put the image onto an SSD, and with this adapter have it mount nicely in the machines HDD enclosure.

Well, turns out it works great with the adapter and laptop drive. No SSD as yet; just waiting for it to arrive.

Pictures are included of the somewhat Heath Robinson affair, but the copier fires up, loads its firmware and is ready for action.

IMG_20190228_211044.resized.jpgIMG_20190228_211008.resized.jpgIMG_20190228_210826.resized.jpgIMG_20190228_210747.resized.jpg

----------------
Why? Well many of these machines are still up and running. These PATA drives are getting rather long in the tooth.
It's good to know that there are other workable options to keep them running.

[vigour]

Good to know about that adapter.
I recently thought about an adapter to do the opposite i.e. to use a PATA drive in a SATA machine. I guess I will check Aliexpress.
I like your tinkering

[skelband]

I guess I should add a disclaimer to point out that for machines still under contract and still under support by Canon, official parts are probably best to stick to.

In this case, someone in another post mentioned that this machine is out of support by Canon as of mid 2017, so they're not really going to be interested in helping out with a machine this old.

If people are generally interested, I will keep posting the results of my experiments though for both this machine and the bizhub that I have.