[Coco] Cleaning Coco disks (gene heskett)

[gene heskett]

On Sunday, January 22, 2012 04:24:29 PM Steven Hirsch did opine:


> On Sun, 22 Jan 2012, gene heskett wrote:

> > On Sunday, January 22, 2012 12:39:46 PM Steven Hirsch did opine:

> >> On Sun, 22 Jan 2012, gene heskett wrote:

> >>> I've threatened to make a test jig I could clip onto the drive

> >>> connector so I could start and stop the motor and step it in and

> >>> out, but life kept getting in the way so it was never done back in

> >>> the 80's when it was needed.  Ideally it should also include a

> >>> slow, about 1 second counter that always sends like 31 pulses out,

> >>> but only 30 in, so that it will be banged against the Trk0

> >>> detector.  The auto step one way or the other won't muck the scope

> >>> trace observations all that much, particularly if your sweep is

> >>> triggered by the index pulse, but it will serve to keep the drive

> >>> from sitting on the same track for long periods of time, both

> >>> wearing out the track, and causing multipass erasure so that

> >>> eventually your good disk is destroyed magnetically.  Head

> >>> magnetization state is generally not a factor in the real world.

> >> 

> >> I was lucky enough to score a Teaco drive test rig for $5.00 at a

> >> hamfest. It does exactly what you describe.  Just invaluable for

> >> servicing Olde Drives.

> > 

> > Some people have ALL the luck.  :)

> 

> Compared to Left Coast residents, this is a real vacuum for hobbyists

> and classic computer buffs.  So, it's neat when things work out.

> 

> This past fall, I picked up an 18-ch 100Mhz. TechTools logic analyzer

> for $45 at the same hamfest (Deerfield, NH).  What a cool toy.  Always

> wanted one, but couldn't rationalize 100s of bucks.


I can smell roses from here.  Darnit.

Cheers, Gene
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