03-26-05  12:53, Mark Lewis told James Bradley about 9.5mm HD Exploration

 Well, how do, Mark?

 JB> Patient: Fujitsu 9.5mm slim HD MHR2020AT.
 
 JB> Symptom: Actuator tapping. SMART didn't like what it found
 JB> after KB/mouse freeze, and cold boot.

 ML> what did SMART report??

I've since unplugged it, but memory tells me "SMART found some stuff.
Better back up soon!" Should I plug it back in to find out?

 JB> Prelim: Suspect actuator spring became loose/broken.

 ML> likely there's no spring inside... there hasn't been in many years
 ML> since  "voice coil" actuation technology took over from gear 
 ML> driven stuff... in fact, most of the drives that i've taken 
 ML> apart don't even have voice coil actuation... they have a 
 ML> head motor with a metal "push-pull" strip on it that is 
 ML> attached to a "wiper" that carries the heads...

Goes to show how long ago I studied this stuff.

 JB> Trouble: Never been inside one, and hope someone might advise
 JB> of any pitfalls/directions. Couldn't even find the vent hole
 JB> right now.

 ML> there is very little inside one... i've one hanging on the 
 ML> wall, here, that i made into a clock... it is an old 
 ML> Seagate ST-125 ;) i'll try to get a picture of it up on my 
 ML> photo gallery on my site in the next day or two...

L! Well, as this is one that I actually purchased new, I was hoping to
avoid the wall ornament phase for a few more years.

 JB> History: Manufactured 2002. Purchased new the same year.
 JB> Worked flawlessly 'til last night. Many Linux formats. Little
 JB> traveling.
 
 JB> I feel like I should now say, "Nurse, scalpel..."  I
 JB> suspect the non-PC board side is where I want to enter. After
 JB> that, I'll have one heck of challenge making a clean-room (Ya,
 JB> RIGHT!) for a bench. Anti-static mat is good.

 ML> i've opened numerous drives in my time without the benefits of a
 ML> clean- room... i just try to do it in a very quiet area with no 
 ML> air movement and no smoking... haven't had any problems 
 ML> that i was aware of... the drives worked until they were 
 ML> replaced years later...

Ya... That's the plan. But by the sounds of it, there may not be any user
fixable parts inside. Shoot, I'd likely have to pull out the macro-zoom
lens camera just to see what was wrong. And what I heard, the low level
formatting will not be an option... I'm pretty sure sticktion wouldn't be
the problem either, as the actuator was banging around repeatedly when I
went to reboot the pig. Arrr!!!

 ML> one of the ones i did like this had lost a head due to sticktion... i
 ML> opened  the drive and physically removed that bad head and reclosed 
 ML> the drive... this was an old MFM or RLL drive so i had to 
 ML> use the (real) lowlevel format to get it ready for use... i 
 ML> got lucky in that the bad head was the last one and so i 
 ML> told the BIOS lowlevel routine to use heads 0-4 instead of 
 ML> 0-5 or 0-6 instead of 0-7 (can't remember if it was three 
 ML> platters or four)... it worked great other than not having 
 ML> that one side of the last platter as storage space...
 
 JB> In the event it's dead, does anyone here have experience with
 JB> or research on slim 9.5mm drives? I'm just kicking myself now,
 JB> as I've had problems with Fuji floppies before, but here I am
 JB> now...

 ML> not sure what you'd do with it if it is dead...

Hmmm... Target practice? They don't even make good doorstops at this size!


... "Bother" Said Poo. ...Or was it Poe?

___ Blue Wave/QWK v2.20

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