IBM 5155 floppy woe

[Druid6900]

My technique when using cleaning disks is to saturate the actual cleaning pad with rubbing/denatured/whatever alcohol, stick it in the drive when the computer is off, close the drive latch and let it sit there for 10 minutes or so. Of course, you're going to cover over the opening on side that has no head if using a SS drive. After 10 minutes, I turn on the computer and let the disk spin, resetting a few times so the cleaning disk can remove the now soft crud on the head(s). I've never had it fail to clean the heads and it won't damage the Epoxy coating on the heads. If the drive has been used to dig up asphalt on a hot summer day, a second application may be required.

 

[Chuck(G)]

Since I usually take the drive out of the machine to clean it, I have an edge connector and a 34-pin header with the motor line jumpered. Just apply power and the drive spins forever.

 

[ibmapc]

Another thing to keep in mind. The PCjr used the same drive. So, if you need to replace one of them, look for an old PCjr. Working or not. Chances are the floppy drive will still be OK. That's what I did. I had removed my 2nd floppy drive years ago to put in an MFM hard disk which is now dead. So when I replaced the hard disk with a Silicon Valley Computer ADP50L 8 bit ISA IDE Controller and CF card, I wanted to make the front look like new with two slimline floppys. So I found a member here that sold me an old PCjr cheap and took the floppy out and put it in My 5155 and again have two functioning floppies.

 

[Andre]

During my professional training, I was taught not to spray onto heads from a pressurised spray can, unless the spray cleaner was specifically designed for cleaning heads. The reason is that the cold temperature of the spray may cause thermal shock to the heads.

Is a can for cleaning video recorder heads safe for use with floppy heads?

 

[Agent Orange]

A rule of thumb is that if you can spray a small amount on the back of your hand and it leaves no residue (oil, etc) its probably good to go. However, be reasonable - I wouldn't use MEK or something of that ilk as it will cause the plastic parts to disappear before your eyes. I wouldn't 'spray' anyway, use a saturated Q-Tip.

 

[modem7]

Is a can for cleaning video recorder heads safe for use with floppy heads?

I can't see why not, providing that you follow the instructions on the can.

Being for VCRs, the can is possibly quite old, and if that's the case, it's possible that some of the ingredients have deteriorated with age.

 

[ewige]

The drives appear mostly just to be finicky about disc placement in the drive. If I just barely insert a floppy then close the drive, it generally works better than if I insert it firmly all the way in. I gave them a good cleaning as well, but didn't see any noticeable residue on the cleaning discs.

 

[vwestlife]

Those belt-drive Qume drives were really not the best. The A: drive in my dad's 5155 developed a bad bearing on the spindle motor. The drive still worked, but made a loud grinding noise whenever the disk was spinning. We got a Ye-Data drive to replace it, which ironically was the same kind that IBM put into their ATs (with the star on the faceplate to indicate that it's a 360K drive). Today that 5155 is long gone (the CRT went dead) but I still have that Ye-Data drive and it works perfectly, although it was always annoying how it makes a loud click whenever the spindle motor turns on or shuts off.