Disk drives

[Rich Sands]

In article <557 at pcrat.UUCP> rick at pcrat.UUCP (Rick Richardson) writes:
>In article <11190012 at hpisoa1.HP.COM> vandys at hpisoa1.HP.COM (Andrew Valencia) writes:
>>	The copper grounding strap which rests against the spindle of the
>>rotating portion of the disk is often the culprit.  I'm not familiar with
>>your exact model, but the common solution is just to bend it back so it doesn't
>>rest against the spindle any more.  "But doesn't that mean it won't be
>>grounding it any more?!?" you ask.  Yup.  But no one I've talked to has ever
>>had any trouble, and it sure quiets the guy down.
>
>I'd always put silicone on the strap to change the mass.  Then I ran into
>the Micropolis drives.  Their spring design is so whacky the silicone
>didn't work for long.
>
>Then, a couple of days ago, I got a call from a nice fellow named
>Terry Kennedy.  He said that somebody at Priam told him that on a
>3.5 or 5.25 inch form factor drive you can't build up enough static to
>cause any problems.  Micropolis used to send him boxes of replacement
>springs, but when asked, they also agreed that you could just rip
>off the spring.
>
>This is all hearsay, but the next time I open the case, *my* Micropolis
>will be silenced *forever*.
>-- 
>		Rick Richardson, PC Research, Inc.
>
>(201) 542-3734 (voice, nights)   OR     (201) 389-8963 (voice, days)
>uunet!pcrat!rick (UUCP)			rick%pcrat.uucp at uunet.uu.net (INTERNET)

I've got two Micropolis 1335 drives.  They were making shrieking noises
like kids on a rollercoaster, and suspecting the grounding strap, I
called their tech support line.  The fellow on the other end told me
that the strap was unneccessary, and that they had eliminated it from
recent vintage drives to eliminate the jet engine sound effects.  I
eagerly ripped open my chassis and gleefully (but gently) removed the
spring.  The damn things still wail like sirens! They are quite
reliable, surviving an un-airconditioned apartment in Boston this summer
with seldom an error.  I've had them for two years, and they are great
drives, EXCEPT for the noise! The bearings must be finely ground brass
dust by now, but does it matter to these things? No!! Oddest pieces of
computer hardware I've ever run across.  I back them up religiously,
expecting them to croak any minute. Its such a relief to know I'm not
alone...
-- 
        --  rms

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