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Lisa Widget drive preventative maintenance

C

Corey986

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Dec 7, 2011
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Ok so I almost have my widget working. I got past my error 82 and also adjusted the “brake” using the correct feeler gauge. I think all that is left is a low level format because it doesn’t boot, I get no errors now just the Lisa caught in a boot loop.

So when I get this thing running 100%, is there any maintenance or preventative steps I should take to keep it running (ie put glue somewhere on the glass for the voice coil to make sure it doesn’t fall off and crack)?

While I generally think I’ll keep my XProfile CF drive as my daily use one, I want to keep the widget working for historical purposes.

Thanks,
Corey
 
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Ok. Correction, no longer almost working... After a low-level format using BLU, the widget is working!!! By the time I finished installing Lisa office and 7/7 the drive had also quieted down from a shrill to an acceptable noise level, no worse than my Helios II with a loaded floppy disk. Though every so often you hear a spring stretch, that’s the only way to describe it, but it does sound like other widget drives on youtube.

So now back to the original question. Anything to do to keep this drive alive for my grandchildren’s children?
 
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Corey986 said:
So now back to the original question. Anything to do to keep this drive alive for my grandchildren’s children?
Click to expand...
Lubricate the moving parts.

But more importantly is the social aspect of it. To make sure that your descendants value the Widget as you do, and preserve it.
 
Your squeal may be from a carbon button that rubs on the end of the platter shaft. Might be for grounding or static. Change the point of contact or reduce the pressure but don’t remove it.
wm
 
wayne m said:
Your squeal may be from a carbon button that rubs on the end of the platter shaft. Might be for grounding or static. Change the point of contact or reduce the pressure but don’t remove it.
wm
Click to expand...

I see a reference to this in the “Mac repair secrets/upgrade” book, but the picture they have is not a widget so I have to figure out where it is on the drive.
 
Al Kossow said:
There is no anti-static brush on a Widget.
It would be outside at the base of the flywheel.


https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=At8FhzyFF2Q


Profiles have them, since the mech is ST-412 based
http://myretrocomputing.altervista.org/repair_profile/index.php
bottom picture, with the blue tape on them
Click to expand...

There really isn't much PM you could do beyond running them every once and a while to keep the lubricant
spread. If you have a cleanbox, you could try inspecting the optical grating, but I don't know what I'd trust
for a replacement adhesive, maybe modern cyanoacrylate.
 
Can the bearings be repacked or lubricated? I know on floppy drives, you can press the bearings out and clean then lube them with wheel bearing grease.
 
Moly grease is way too thick for a small motor like that, you need a really light grease or machine oil.

Not to mention moly grease has a very nasty smell to it. The only thing worse is diff gear lube, that stuff will make you dry heave from the smell.
 
For hard drives there really is not much you can do for bearing replacement besides the oil trick a few people here have suggested but I've always been concerned about how easy that can contaminate the HDA with free-flowing oil. To actually remove the bearings also requires complete drive disassembly which will be impossible without a clean room. That being said however, I have heard of people suggesting that most Harbour Freight sandblasting cabinets can be converted into miniature cleanrooms.
 
Even back in the day when these drives were new, the recommended practice was to keep them running always. This was printed in the manuals. Two reasons: one is that the drive will be thermally stabilized, and two it keeps the motors lubricated.

Problems with stiction preventing spinup happened even when these drives were new! Just earlier this week I read a few Usenet posts from the 1980s where some guys had drives that had trouble spinning up after being powered down for awhile.

Motors that can run continuously for months or even years is yet another boon of space technology. These hard drives have brushless DC motors designed to run continuously, indefinitely.

But now here we are 35 years later. How much of this design intent is still a practical reality? Maybe all these drives need is to have the lubrication refreshed and they'll continue to spin for another 35 years...
 
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