Small metal plate on top of a R/W head on an 800K drive

[Lorne]

Does anyone know what the small metal plate (with the yellow dot, red dot, and blue numbers) on top of the R/W head on this 800K Apple Mac drive is for?



I found a simlilar plate laying at the bottom of a Mac 512K case, and it seems it's from the drive.
The drive seems to work fine without it.
I'm just wondering if it was for weight, or some sort of shielding, and if I need to open the case up again to glue it back on.

I'm of the if it ain't broke don't fixt it type, but if it really should be there, well then.....

 

[Chuck(G)]

It's not just the Macs--you'll see these on other floppy drives as well. They're shielding--it can make a big difference if the drive is close to a CRT monitor, power supply or anything else that emits stray magnetic fields.

 

[Lorne]

Well, that wasn't quite the answer I was hoping for......

Seeing as the CRT in a Mac 512K is in the same casing as the drive, I better get my #15 Torx screwdriver out again.

 

[RetroHacker_]

As Chuck said, it's shielding. But, as they are invariably attached with sticky foam, they fall off easily.

Honestly, I've never bothered trying to stick them back on. I've never had a problem. Remember that while the Mac has an internal monitor, the drive is also mounted in a metal bracket that covers the whole top of the drive.

-Ian