Where To Find Drives For The Mirage

There are hundreds of sites on the internet that sell used computer parts.  A search on "used floppy drives" will usually render a good list.

Also, the Computer Shopper magazine is a good source of mail-order parts.  Some repair shops keep a pile of old drives, though many toss out 720k drives so they don't accidentally install one in a newer computer.  If they have any, you can pick them up cheap because they have no real value in today's computer market. (Except to Mirage owners!  Don't let on you're desperate!)

Finally, there are sources that repair disk drives.  This should be a last resort, because of the low cost of  replacement drives.  One such company is M. Farris & Associates  (www.mfarris.com)

If you are not sure about a disk drive's compatibility, go to the manufacturer's website and find an e-mail address for their tech support.  Request a spec sheet for the drive model in question.  I have found drive manufacturers to be very helpful in getting information about their products, even obsolete ones.

Sources From Mirage-Net Messages

NEC 720 drives on the surplus market.  $15 each.
 Surplus Trading Corporation
 2700 North M-63
 Benton Harbor, MI 49022
 (616) 849-2995 fax
 (616) 849-1800 voice

McCommim Engineering in Newbury Park, California.  Ph: 805-498-5733.  Price is $79.95.

What Do I Look For?

As mentioned earlier, a double-sided, high density, PC-style 3.5" 720k drive (without edge connector adaptors) is needed for the Mirage.   An exhaustive source for finding model numbers and capacities (sorted by manufacturer) is the M. Farris & Associates' website at www.mfarris.com.  Farris lists model number, type, size, capacity and disk height.  You are looking for models listed as DSQD.  The FHT refers to full height, HHT to half height drives.  This site is a great place to check drive models you might have laying around or found at your local repair shop.
 

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