Xref: utzoo sci.electronics:1691 comp.misc:1538
Path: utzoo!mnetor!uunet!husc6!rutgers!mcnc!unccvax!dya
From: dya@unccvax.UUCP (Edison Carter)
Newsgroups: sci.electronics,comp.misc
Subject: Re: Cleaning a Hard Disk ??
Message-ID: <856@unccvax.UUCP>
Date: 9 Dec 87 19:16:02 GMT
References: <1987Dec8.161307.12488@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>
Organization: Univ. of NC at Charlotte, Charlotte, NC
Lines: 36

In article <1987Dec8.161307.12488@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu>, lharris@gpu.utcs.toronto.edu (Leonard Harris) writes:
> 
> Hi.  
> I have a ATASI hard disk drive (120 meg i think) that someone opened
> because they thought it was dead.  (that is a long story - insurance paid
> on any platters and the heads move freely.  The only thing is how do i get it
> dust free again.  


   We have an employee here at DataSpan, Inc, who got really bored one
day and did the following:

   A Vertex Technology 70 mb hard drive had evidently jammed on something
(it is a voice coil actuated drive).  After removing it from our product,
and charging it off to warranty, etc. he removed the cover and evidently
got the drive mechanically OK again.

   Subsequently, he sawed off the bottom of the lid and glued a piece of
Plexiglass to it with RTV compound, reassembled the drive, and it
evidently has formatted and plays until this very day.  The room he
assembled it in is one where considerable assembly, test, and repair
of electronic equipment goes on. 

   I'd just put it under a laminar hood, see if you can knock all the
accumulated dust out of it, and reassemble the drive. Evidently, these
drives are tough.

   His experiment to reassemble the drive with a broken head failed,
though.

   There isn't a whole helluva lot you can do with it besides reassembly
and test. Now, this drive had metallic (not oxide) media, but this 
probably wouldn't matter. 

David Anthony
DataSpan, Inc