I just wanted to share an older forum post I made in where I discuss installing an inexpensive ebay CF Card Reader into the MPC 2000xl.
In about 2 hours I had it installed successfully on my MPC 2000 XL - Not to mention I saved $100+ doing this!
One note before you attempt this:
****Do it @ your own risk*****
Items needed:
- 40 pin IDE cable female to female ~ 12-18in should be fine, priced anywhere @ $2 and up (again, ebay)
- Wire to extend the power cable (because the current floppy power cable is very short) and heat shrink tubing to cover the splice or you can probably buy a replacement power cable if you don't want to cut the current floppy power cable.
This is what I did:
-Keep in mind that mine had the internal floppy drive installed.
1. FIRST and FOREMOST update the operating system to VERSION 1.20 available here (This update enables the 2000xl to see the Compact flash card. You will need to transfer the OS file to a floppy to perform the update so make sure you have a drive to accomplish this.
Also: *UNPLUG the MPC* (Seems obvious but could easily be overlooked)
2. Make sure the IDE to CF adapter's jumpers are set to the *Master* setting.
3. Remove the bottom and front panels of the MPC
4. *Pay attention to the red wires and their placement* and remove the old floppy drive, the IDE cable and the power cable. Remove the IDE cable carefully by pressing the tabs on the sides, outwards, gently.
5. I extended the length of the current floppy power cable about 3 inches ( If you choose not to, you should be able to find a longer cable priced @ $2 and up.) Just take the old 1 with you to match up the connection type.
6. Hacking the enclosure: I modified the old floppy case to serve as a mounting bracket for the CF adapter. (This takes time, patience and creativity) If you do this make sure the cf adapter does not come into contact with the bracket as this may cause the adapter to short out when powered up!
Also you may want to cut the side of the old floppy housing so that the power wire can have a better access point.
7. If you've made it this far, all that is left is to connect the IDE cable to the motherboard (the side with the red wire should be facing the rear of the machine) it is the connection labeled Internal ATAPI/IDE. Insert it gently (I did it 1 side @ a time) and the tabs on the side will close on their own.
Just make sure they are in the open position when you attempt to insert
the cable.8. Next, Connect the floppy power cable to the adapter (usually the *Hot* (red) wire is indicated by an arrow similar to this =====> > <=======)
9. Gently tuck the IDE cable away neatly as well as the floppy power cable.
10. Double check everything and reassemble the unit ensuring that the modified floppy housing is secure (installation and removal of the CF cards requires some slight pressure and if your housing is not secure it will eventually become loose.)
Assuming your CF card is formatted already and loaded with sounds, insert it and power on the unit. I used a 256MB SanDisk
Go to the load screen and if everything is installed correctly......*presto* there it is labeled *ATAPI*
It's very simple if you are mechanically inclined and/or tech savvy with electronics.
Modifying the floppy drive and extending the wires is what took me the most time and required some patience.
Thanks to all that suggested this and I hope your installation goes smoothly too.
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