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Changing interleave.

MFM or RLL?

MFM or RLL?

Hey Luke:

What are the model numbers of the drives that are working?

Are you sure that the controller is correct for the drive? MFM and RLL controllers look alike, but are not interchangeable...

Maybe post the controller model number, and the model numbers of the drives that work?
 
It's WDXT-GEN and it work with Amstrad 1640's drive and one made by company called 'Magnetic Pheriperials Inc.', I couldn't find any model number on it. They are both MFM.
 
MikeMotta said:
Hi Terry:

[Stiction has a tendancy to glue the ST-225's heads to the platters, only to rip them from thier mountings when the drive is powered-up.]

I never had drive heads "ripped from their mountings" due to this phenomenon, but I did have drives that would not spin up.

The "sticktion" Terry's talking about is the tendency for the drive heads to "stick" to the platter once the drive spins down and stays off for a period of time.

Seagate ST-225s had this problem often, though usually only when the drive had been off for a week or more.

The symptom was a drive that would not spin up. Often people would have this problem, bring the computer in for service, and when we turned it on, it would work fine. We'd write up a "no problem found" ticket, and send them home.

The reason for this is that the computer would get jostled around when the customer brought it in (even when they wrapped the computer in blankets and seat-belted them into the back seat-- as people often did!), and the heads would become "unstuck".

Seagate had a "fix" for these stuck drives, though they didn't tell the general public. The "fix" was as follows:

1) Remove the drive from the computer.
2) Put the drive back in the original shipping foam, and into the original box.
3) Seal the box with packing tape, as if you were going to ship it.
4) Carry the box to a clean, uncarpeted floor.
5) Lift the box three feet above the floor.
6) Drop the box, ONE TIME ONLY.
7) Remove the drive from the box, and re-install it in the computer.
8) If the problem persists, call Customer Service to obtain an RMA number.

I'll admit, I've only seen it once with my own eyes, but that's just because I've never bothered to open-up very many failed drives. I have heard a few Seagate drives that had loose parts rattling around inside after failure. My usual solution to known-stictiony drives was to keep a lil' crescent wrench handy, and tunk-tunk-tunk on the exterior of the drive. This method usually worked, at least for a little while.

Anyways, this webpage owner claims to have witnessed the same phenomemon:

http://www.virginpi.net/tjlgw.aspx?page=2

--T
 
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