Floppy drive alignment.
Gary Tait
How would I go about aligning a floppy drive,without using special align-
ment disks,and ans oscilloscope? I have seen some software, and
instructions, but they need a special disk,which would be too expensive
for me, and a scope,wich I don't have access to one.
How can I make one of these disks using a normal aligned drive,and
where can I find fully functional alignment software on the WWW ?
The drive that needs aligned is a Panasonic 3 1/2 HD drive.
I have a working 720K drive that works fine, that I can make reference
disks from.
Gary Tait , VE3VBF
- Please do not quote US prices, they are no good to me ,here in Canada -
Sam Goldwasser
> How would I go about aligning a floppy drive,without using special align-
> ment disks,and ans oscilloscope? I have seen some software, and
> instructions, but they need a special disk,which would be too expensive
> for me, and a scope,wich I don't have access to one.
> How can I make one of these disks using a normal aligned drive,and
> where can I find fully functional alignment software on the WWW ?
> The drive that needs aligned is a Panasonic 3 1/2 HD drive.
> I have a working 720K drive that works fine, that I can make reference
> disks from.
My usual hack is to simply format a bulk erased or brand new floppy on the
good drive. Then record small data files and use Norton or something to
identify which clusters are in use for each file.
Then incrementally adjust lower(?) (the one the is fixed with
respect to the sled) and center over the range which reads reliably with
data recorded on this head. Then do the same for the upper. May not be
perfect but usually good enough.
--- sam
Gary Tait
On Mon, 18 Nov 1996, it was written:
#On Fri, 15 Nov 1996 20:11:11 -0500, Gary Tait <ta...@primeline.net> wrote:
#
#>How would I go about aligning a floppy drive,without using special align-
#>ment disks,and ans oscilloscope? I have seen some software, and
#>instructions, but they need a special disk,which would be too expensive
#>for me, and a scope,wich I don't have access to one.
#
# I think you're out of luck. I used to do drive alignments using a scope and
#alignment disk. There's not much hope of doing it without. I tried the
#software/special disk method, it worked, but not very well. I had no luck
#trying to duplicate the special disk.
#
#I used to make good money doing drive repair/alignment on the side. But now,
#with 1.44 drives selling for $35.00 CDN, there's not much point. It's almost
#cheaper to replace one than clean it.
#
#Steve VE6STV
I can't afford to buy a new drive (even at that price), so I MUST repair
this one.
Steve Mason
On Fri, 15 Nov 1996 20:11:11 -0500, Gary Tait <ta...@primeline.net> wrote:
>How would I go about aligning a floppy drive,without using special align-
>ment disks,and ans oscilloscope? I have seen some software, and
>instructions, but they need a special disk,which would be too expensive
>for me, and a scope,wich I don't have access to one.
I think you're out of luck. I used to do drive alignments using a scope and
alignment disk. There's not much hope of doing it without. I tried the
software/special disk method, it worked, but not very well. I had no luck
trying to duplicate the special disk.
I used to make good money doing drive repair/alignment on the side. But now,
with 1.44 drives selling for $35.00 CDN, there's not much point. It's almost
cheaper to replace one than clean it.
Steve VE6STV
John Adams
I used to align floppy drives all the time as a field engineer. There are
actually three separate adjustments for each head. One that centers the
head on a track, one that times the sectors with the head and the third
makes the head parallel with the head. Trying to tweak it like this is just
asking for trouble. Floppy drives cost $50 max. I've seen them for much
less. Is this trouble worth it?
Sam Goldwasser <s...@stdavids.picker.com> wrote in article
<SAM.96No...@colossus.stdavids.picker.com>...
> In article <Pine.LNX.3.94.961115...@primeline.net> Gary
Tait <ta...@primeline.net> writes:
>
> > How would I go about aligning a floppy drive,without using special
align-
> > ment disks,and ans oscilloscope? I have seen some software, and
> > instructions, but they need a special disk,which would be too
expensive
> > for me, and a scope,wich I don't have access to one.
>
Gary Tait
On 21 Nov 1996, John Adams wrote:
#I used to align floppy drives all the time as a field engineer. There are
#actually three separate adjustments for each head. One that centers the
#head on a track, one that times the sectors with the head and the third
#makes the head parallel with the head. Trying to tweak it like this is just
#asking for trouble. Floppy drives cost $50 max. I've seen them for much
#less. Is this trouble worth it?
#> In article <Pine.LNX.3.94.961115...@primeline.net> Gary
#Tait <ta...@primeline.net> writes:
#>
#> > How would I go about aligning a floppy drive,without using special
#align-
#> > ment disks,and ans oscilloscope? I have seen some software, and
#> > instructions, but they need a special disk,which would be too
#expensive
#> > for me, and a scope,wich I don't have access to one.
#>
Yes. The price of a new drive is too much for me, so I MUST realign this
Gary Tait
On 21 Nov 1996, John Adams wrote:
#I used to align floppy drives all the time as a field engineer. There are
#actually three separate adjustments for each head. One that centers the
#head on a track, one that times the sectors with the head and the third
#makes the head parallel with the head. Trying to tweak it like this is just
#asking for trouble. Floppy drives cost $50 max. I've seen them for much
#less. Is this trouble worth it?
#
#<SAM.96No...@colossus.stdavids.picker.com>...
#> In article <Pine.LNX.3.94.961115...@primeline.net> Gary
#Tait <ta...@primeline.net> writes:
#>
#> > How would I go about aligning a floppy drive,without using special
#align-
#> > ment disks,and ans oscilloscope? I have seen some software, and
#> > instructions, but they need a special disk,which would be too
#expensive
#> > for me, and a scope,wich I don't have access to one.
Since I don't have the buck to spare for either a new drive, or a proper
alignment disk, I have to do this for as little as possible.
Michael J. Montone
Send me $22 american, and I'll send you a new drive!
Gary Tait <ta...@primeline.net> wrote:
>On 21 Nov 1996, John Adams wrote:
>#I used to align floppy drives all the time as a field engineer. There are
>#actually three separate adjustments for each head. One that centers the
>#head on a track, one that times the sectors with the head and the third
>#makes the head parallel with the head. Trying to tweak it like this is just
>#asking for trouble. Floppy drives cost $50 max. I've seen them for much
>#less. Is this trouble worth it?
>#> In article <Pine.LNX.3.94.961115...@primeline.net> Gary
>#Tait <ta...@primeline.net> writes:
>#>
>#> > How would I go about aligning a floppy drive,without using special
>#align-
>#> > ment disks,and ans oscilloscope? I have seen some software, and
>#> > instructions, but they need a special disk,which would be too
>#expensive
>#> > for me, and a scope,wich I don't have access to one.
>#>
>Yes. The price of a new drive is too much for me, so I MUST realign this
>one.
>Gary Tait , VE3VBF
Janos Szamosfalvi
Gary Tait (ta...@primeline.net) wrote:
: I can't afford to buy a new drive (even at that price), so I MUST repair
: this one.
Tough luck. Even an alignment diskette cost about as much (if not more)
than a new drive. And then you probably need some scope, too.
So your only "money free" way is trial and error. But hey, sometimes
it works!
--
#include <Standard.Disclaimer> about this post being a personal opinion
Gary Tait
On Wed, 27 Nov 1996, Michael J. Montone wrote:
#Send me $22 american, and I'll send you a new drive!
#
Read My Sig.
If I buy your drive, it probably will cost me as much
as I can get up here (maybe unless that price includes ALL costs
(shipping,duty,taxes) to get the drive delivered to my door),otherwise
I can't afford to buy it.
Make it a Grand total of $22 CDN(shipping,taxes,duty,exchange,making sure
it get's to me), an I would be more inclined
to buy it.
Eponymity
In article <Pine.LNX.3.95.96112...@primeline.net>,
Gary Tait <ta...@primeline.net> wrote:
} On Wed, 27 Nov 1996, Michael J. Montone wrote:
}
} #Send me $22 american, and I'll send you a new drive!
} #
} Read My Sig.
}
} If I buy your drive, it probably will cost me as much
} as I can get up here (maybe unless that price includes ALL costs
} (shipping,duty,taxes) to get the drive delivered to my door),otherwise
} I can't afford to buy it.
}
} Make it a Grand total of $22 CDN(shipping,taxes,duty,exchange,making sure
} it get's to me), an I would be more inclined
} to buy it.
Look around your area for a computer show. Buy a Mitsumi from a reputable
local dealer, they're pretty much a commodity item and quite cheap.
cheers,
-*-
charles
Jason D. Pero
Realigning a floppy drive is no longer a reason because now that all
1.44 is very common use now and hey, I could find one for appox 30 to 40 cdn
locally because I also live in canada (Kingston, Ontario). I know for a
fact because I tried to save money by aligning but the result is poor.
Cheaper to find a another dud drive for 5 dollars in your Toronto area and
try to swap logic board. This process will be successful if the dud drive
is exact model or very close to by brand and model. This success rate this
way by
swapping is much better and gives you a good drive if the dud drive happen
to have bad board but good mechanical.
Suck up and blow some $ to keep reliable instead of trying to fiddle.
Jason D. Pero
Gary Tait
On 29 Nov 1996, Eponymity wrote:
#In article <Pine.LNX.3.95.96112...@primeline.net>,
#Gary Tait <ta...@primeline.net> wrote:
#} On Wed, 27 Nov 1996, Michael J. Montone wrote:
#}
#} #Send me $22 american, and I'll send you a new drive!
#} #
#} Read My Sig.
#}
#} If I buy your drive, it probably will cost me as much
#} as I can get up here (maybe unless that price includes ALL costs
#} (shipping,duty,taxes) to get the drive delivered to my door),otherwise
#} I can't afford to buy it.
#}
#} Make it a Grand total of $22 CDN(shipping,taxes,duty,exchange,making sure
#} it get's to me), an I would be more inclined
#} to buy it.
#
#Look around your area for a computer show. Buy a Mitsumi from a reputable
#local dealer, they're pretty much a commodity item and quite cheap.
#
#cheers,
#
#-*-
#charles
#
I live so far in the boonies, that no one would think of putting
on a computer show out here . Local dealers don't deal in quantity,
so their drives are at the top end of the price range.
Gary Tait
On Sat, 30 Nov 1996, Jason D. Pero wrote:
#In article <57o3n3$s...@zip1.zipnet.net>, i...@ziplink.net (Eponymity) wrote:
#
<snip> (ta...@primeline.net complaining about floppy drive prices)
#
#
#Realigning a floppy drive is no longer a reason because now that all
#1.44 is very common use now and hey, I could find one for appox 30 to 40 cdn
#locally because I also live in canada (Kingston, Ontario). I know for a
#fact because I tried to save money by aligning but the result is poor.
#Cheaper to find a another dud drive for 5 dollars in your Toronto area and
#try to swap logic board. This process will be successful if the dud drive
#is exact model or very close to by brand and model. This success rate this
#way by
#swapping is much better and gives you a good drive if the dud drive happen
#to have bad board but good mechanical.
#
#Suck up and blow some $ to keep reliable instead of trying to fiddle.
#
#Jason D. Pero
$30 to 40 is way too much for me, and I don't want to buy another one
at this time, unless I can get on for less than $25+ taxes. I am trying
to look for a logic board.
A note about my location, I live near Kincardine Ont.,on the shore of
Lake Huron nowhere near Toronto, or any other major city I can get cheap
computer stuff in).
Martin Sniedze
Michael J. Montone wrote:
>
> Send me $22 american, and I'll send you a new drive!Just to add my two cents worth, better late than not at all. I have
revived three 1.44 floppy drives where I work that had alignment
problems. The disks formated on these drives usually did not have
problems on that drive, but then other PC's had read errors when trying
to read them etc. To fix these drives all I did was to remove the top
cover of the offending drive, loosen the screws on the top head and
visually realign the top head to the bottom head (used 10 power eye
glass) as accuratly as I could.
Before anyone else says 'why bother', I do it for fun and because I can
and because one of these so called 'stuffed' drives is now in my spare
PC.
W Li
Just buy a new one mailorder. Look in PC Week
Gary Tait
On Sat, 7 Dec 1996, W Li wrote:
#Just buy a new one mailorder. Look in PC Week
#
1: I don't like mailorder (the end difference between mailorder, and local
shops is minimal, and there is more hassle dealing mailorder)
2: The dealers in most computer magazines are US firms, which their
prices, and all the costs to get my order into Canada, are about
the same as mailorder in Canada. (see #1 about mailorder )
3:The local prices are rather high ($40-45 CDN).
4: I have this drive, it NEEDs repaired, for much LESS than the
cost of a new one. This drive is too good to trash.
I might entertain purchasing a mailorder drive, if someone quotes
a price, in $CDN ,to my doorstep (or mailbox),(pref COD).
Gary Tait , VE3VBF
- Please quote prices in $CDN, as $US prices are no good to me ,here in -
- Canada. If you must quote prices, please quote prices from dealers in -
- the Toronto, Ontario area,and westward.(my location is near Kincardine)
Sylvan Butler
Gary Tait (ta...@primeline.net) wrote:
: On Sat, 7 Dec 1996, W Li wrote:
: #Just buy a new one mailorder. Look in PC Week
: 1: I don't like mailorder (the end difference between mailorder, and local
: 2: The dealers in most computer magazines are US firms, which their
: 3:The local prices are rather high ($40-45 CDN).
: 4: I have this drive, it NEEDs repaired, for much LESS than the
: cost of a new one. This drive is too good to trash.
You are right on ONE point and ONE point only. The drive needs
repaired. However, floppy alignment, as others have pointed out, is NOT
cost effective! Sometimes, no matter how much it hurts, you have to
realize the throwing it away and buying a new one is cheaper than fixing
the old one. When a 360k floppy drive cost $500 then they were worth
fixing, if they didn't take too much time or parts. 30-45 minutes to do
a proper alignment was only $100 of time. Now it still costs $100 to
align the drive, but the drive is worth less than $50. And yes, those
are U.S. prices but I rounded off so much it really doesn't matter.
Maybe your time isn't worth $100/hour. You've already said you won't
buy the tools necessary to do the job right. The drive is broken, isn't
it? Fiddle with it. You might screw it up worse or you might fix it.
At least you'll know you tried. Can you accept that? You aren't going
to get as good a results as a professional with professional tools, but
all it costs is your time.
Then you can buy a new one.
Good luck,
sdb
--
| Sylvan Butler | Not speaking for Hewlett-Packard | sbu...@boi.hp.com |
They that can give up essential liberty to obtain a little temporary
safety deserve neither liberty nor safety. --Benjamin Franklin, 1759
"Don't Tread On Me!"
Craig Falconer
: >On 21 Nov 1996, John Adams wrote:
: >#I used to align floppy drives all the time as a field engineer. There are
: >#actually three separate adjustments for each head. One that centers the
: >#head on a track, one that times the sectors with the head and the third
: >#makes the head parallel with the head. Trying to tweak it like this is just
: >#asking for trouble. Floppy drives cost $50 max. I've seen them for much
: >#less. Is this trouble worth it?
I have one of those bizzare combo 3.5" 5.25" floppy drives that IBM used
in their PS/1 and aptivas. Now the problem with it is the top drive (the
3.5) is not working, and its a prat of a thing to work on (one spin motor
for both drives) I have an application for this drive (in a case with not
much roon to spare) so what should I do?
Yes I know the 5.25" drive wouldn't get much use... but I'd like it there.
--
--
Criggie the Wierd! "They called me mad, and I called them mad, and damn
`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`'`' them, they outvoted me." - Nathaniel Lee on being
consigned to a mental institution, circa 17th c.
- Unsolicited or commercial email and spam costs you $100 NZ per line -
Eponymity
In article <Pine.LNX.3.95.961207...@primeline.net>,
Gary Tait <ta...@primeline.net> wrote:
} On Sat, 7 Dec 1996, W Li wrote:
}
} #Just buy a new one mailorder. Look in PC Week
}
} 1: I don't like mailorder (the end difference between mailorder, and local
There is more hassle, and the payoff is lower cost. Unless you have
a very good local dealer.
} 2: The dealers in most computer magazines are US firms, which their
} prices, and all the costs to get my order into Canada, are about
} the same as mailorder in Canada. (see #1 about mailorder )
}
} 3:The local prices are rather high ($40-45 CDN).
}
} 4: I have this drive, it NEEDs repaired, for much LESS than the
} cost of a new one. This drive is too good to trash.
This is likely false. If you can't fix it yourself then you need someone
else to fix it and their labor will almost certainly exceed the cost of
a new drive.
} I might entertain purchasing a mailorder drive, if someone quotes
} a price, in $CDN ,to my doorstep (or mailbox),(pref COD).
And why would someone go to all this trouble for an order of this size?
Sigh.. Gary, 2 weeks ago I sent you several emails trying to assist
you. Instead of trying to be creative, given your situation, you shot down
every thing I said and made no effort to try to find a *practical* solution
to your problem. What exactly is it that you expect? That some dealer
is going to sell you a floppy drive for half price because you don't want
to pay C$45? That the entire net is going to search all of Ontario for
a dealer who will give you a good price? That someone is going to repair
your floppy drive for free?
Repair=labor=money. Nobody is going to repair a floppy drive for less
than roughly 40 bucks, because that's what it costs for an hour of labor.
You can get a new one for less than that and *that's why nobody repairs
floppy drives any more*. That's why everyone is telling you to buy a new one.
The best practical solutions to your problem, I will repeat:
1. Find a friend with an old box they are getting rid of and buy their floppy.
2. Buy a used drive from someone local. Check the Want Ads or equivalent.
3. Get a friend in the US to buy you a new drive for US$20 at a computer
show and send you the drive via regular mail. Total cost is going to be
about C$30-C$32.
Another idea: buy a book on PC repair and see if you can fix the floppy
yourself. Of course a good book on PC repair will exceed the cost of a new
floppy drive. But it could save you money down the road. Mueller's book
is excellent.
Or you can keep complaining on USEnet about how horrible life is because
floppies are so expensive and it's so hard living in rural Ontario. *boggle*
-*-
charles
Fabo
HI
Ill bet ya dollars to donuts that this fool has the floppy cable reversed
!
Sam Goldwasser
In article <58oe5u$m...@cantuc.canterbury.ac.nz> misc...@cantua.canterbury.ac.nz (Craig Falconer) writes:
> I have one of those bizzare combo 3.5" 5.25" floppy drives that IBM used
> in their PS/1 and aptivas. Now the problem with it is the top drive (the
> 3.5) is not working, and its a prat of a thing to work on (one spin motor
> for both drives) I have an application for this drive (in a case with not
> much roon to spare) so what should I do?
> Yes I know the 5.25" drive wouldn't get much use... but I'd like it there.
So are you looking for a miracle? Saying it doesn't work isn't much help
to anyone. What are the symptoms? How did it die? Did you clean the
heads? "My car stopped working, what should I do?" :-)
--- sam : Repair FAQs: http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/REPAIR/Repair.html
Gary Tait
On Thu, 12 Dec 1996, Fabo wrote:
#HI
#Ill bet ya dollars to donuts that this fool has the floppy cable reversed
#!
The cable is OK, I even bought a new one.
Jameel Akari
On 12 Dec 1996, Craig Falconer wrote:
> : >#less. Is this trouble worth it?
>
> I have one of those bizzare combo 3.5" 5.25" floppy drives that IBM used
> in their PS/1 and aptivas. Now the problem with it is the top drive (the
> 3.5) is not working, and its a prat of a thing to work on (one spin motor
> for both drives) I have an application for this drive (in a case with not
> much roon to spare) so what should I do?
>
> Yes I know the 5.25" drive wouldn't get much use... but I'd like it there.
Teac makes a similar drive (both 3.5 and 5.25 in one 5.25 HH
slot) and last I checked it was $75 or so. I've got one in my PC and it
seems pretty sturdy.
Jameel Akari
jak...@rpi.edu
Craig Falconer
: > I have one of those bizzare combo 3.5" 5.25" floppy drives that IBM used
: > in their PS/1 and aptivas. Now the problem with it is the top drive (the
: > 3.5) is not working, and its a prat of a thing to work on (one spin motor
: > for both drives) I have an application for this drive (in a case with not
: > much roon to spare) so what should I do?
: So are you looking for a miracle?
Yes I am, and its late! Whats the hold up? (btw thats sarcasm :)
: What are the symptoms?
Primary symptom is the top drive (the 3.5) returns general failure when
reading floppy disks. The second drive works fine. (thats a symptom too
I suppose)
: How did it die?
It was removed from the PS/1 when it was new (after a couple of weeks use
maybe) and put in storage for a year or so. (as far as I know)
: Did you clean the heads?
Yup... did that before opening the drive.
: "My car stopped working, what should I do?" :-)
1) Check fuel
2) Check battery
3) Check temperature
4) call expert.
: --- sam : Repair FAQs: http://www.paranoia.com/~filipg/REPAIR/Repair.html
Been there... checked that... interesting, but not relevent to the
problem.
Any help is most appreciated.