Designjet Z3100 - back up hard drive?

[samsterid]

I have just finished replacing the carriage belt on my z3100.
I noticed the system hard drive while taking it apart, and wondered what would happen if that drive failed?

I'm thinking of using a bootable CD like Clonezilla to replicate the drive, but I don't want to mess up the current drive while trying that.
Has anyone here ever tried to clone the drive?

Or is there some other option for restoring the system from scratch if the drive fails?

Thanks - Sam

[Mark Lindquist]

You know, theoretically it's possible, but I'd be VERY careful about it and really know what you're doing.  Pretty sure those hard drives are formatted with linux.  Also, the drive and formatter board are really a paired thing - If one goes down, you need the other.  HP usually sends out the board and the hard drive together when making that kind of repair.  If the drive is good, I guess you could just swap out a board.  If the board is good and the drive is bad, then that's problematic unless there is an exact copy of the drive in every way.

If you can get a drive that's the same specs and format it with linux, then perhaps you could do it, I think.

One idea would be to get a replacement drive from eBay if a cheap one comes up, and experiment with doing clones.

Of course they normally come with the software preloaded.

Let us know what you do if anything.

Welcome to the forum.

Mark

[tonywong]

I don't think anyone has been able to successfully dupe one yet, especially on consumer level hardware.

The drives are different enough (firmware?) that they don't show up properly when attached to a PC. Even a disk cloning device (block level) didn't work for me.

It's likely a simple thing (crossed wires or resistors) but the drives are not recognized as ATA spec from what I can tell. (3 drives here, 1 dead )

It could probably be done with a lower level formatter but I've never worried that much about it since...I always clear out the jobs in the queue after they are done now to hopefully keep the drive/file system from blowing up.

[Ernst Dinkla]

There is a thread somewhere on the internet that discusses it for older Designjets:

 "Installing a new blank hard drive in a DesignJet 5500 or 5500PS - SOLVED"

The best I found up to now. I archived that thread but did not research it so far despite the two 2.5" harddiscs I got some years ago to make spare Z HDs.


Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
December 2014 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[Mark Lindquist]

I found a previous LuLa thread from last February:

Z3100/Z3200 Drive Cloning/Backup Firmware

I also found a very unique document - one that might shed some light on the issues:

HP Designjet Printer Series - Architecture and Design

"The following is a table summarizing the new and existing security features of HP Designjet printers series and how they are implemented using the Embedded Web Server and/or HP Web JetAdmin (WJA). Please make sure that your printer has the latest firmware version to benefit from all security features."

The Z3100/Z3200, are included in the table listing security features... VERY interesting.

Another more recent PDF that includes the Z3100 and Z3100ps:

Z3100/Z3100ps Security Settings PDF-2013

Sift through this stuff, who knows there may be an answer.

[tonywong]

I believe this is thread that Ernst was referring to, I could not find it from HP's site but archive.org captured it.

https://web.archive.org/web/20131107064953/http://h30499.www3.hp.com/t5/Printers-Designjet-Large-Format/Installing-a-new-blank-hard-drive-in-a-DesignJet-5500-or-5500PS/td-p/2350749

[Mark Lindquist]

That's an excellent find.  Nice work Tony - and what a memory Ernst.

Wonder if that stuff would apply to the Z3200ps?

Mark

[tonywong]

I guess the next step would be to find out the secret key combo to get into the onboard disk utility on the HP, but also you'd have to figure out how to get a firmware dump onto the HP from the PC...I'm guess USB but maybe there is a hidden parallel port on the system that could do this?

DOS does not have native ability to print to USB, so I'm not sure if the Z3100 can upgrade firmware over USB or ethernet or some other port, but this might help with sending the file:
http://www.lerup.com/printfile/

Printer redirect might work as well...
http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/forum/windows_vista-hardware/how-to-print-to-usb-printer-in-dos/e1112bf8-2373-417b-ac00-3ac7061aa6eb?auth=1

Here is another HP printer that formats and allows drive changes.
https://1stcall4service.wordpress.com/2013/04/05/replace-the-hard-drive-on-hp-t770-t1200-24-44-designjet-printer-for-the-following-error-codes-0600-0609-0610-0619-new-sealed-hard-drive-part-no-ch538-67075-firmware-tt-ttaj_6_/

Note that the disk must fresh/new for it to work in that document.

If anyone needs any cheap HD replacements in the meantime, I found this:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/111468070113?item=111468070113&lgeo=1&vectorid=229466&rmvSB=true
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Hard-Drive-with-Firmware-HP-DesignJet-Z3200-Z3200PS-compatible-new-Q6719-67010-/111404896513?hash=item19f03fd101
http://www.alibaba.com/product-detail/40GB-Hard-Disk-for-the-HP_463920404.html?spm=a2700.7724838.38.1.E0hqva

[Ernst Dinkla]

Tony,


Good search done.

The T Designjets are at least closer in generation to the Zs than the 5000 is.

Nice price for the Ebay Z HDs, without the firmware identical secondhand HDs are already half that price.


Met vriendelijke groet, Ernst

http://www.pigment-print.com/spectralplots/spectrumviz_1.htm
January 2016 update, 700+ inkjet media white spectral plots

[tonywong]

I wonder if anyone has been crazy enough to try plugging in a Z3200 formatter into a z3100...would it even work. It would be great to find an (unapproved) upgrade path for cheap.