Dougtronics
Experienced Member
It didn't have a name, it's a cleaning kit that I got recently for old computers, comes with disk cleaning solution, little application swabs and spray bottle of parts lubricator. Doesn't even seem to have a real brand, maybe 3M. I just put a Q-tip head's amount on each half of each rail, moves pretty smoothly now. Just still doesn't work.
I'm about to just give up, at least for now, as I've put too many hours into this already. I have another drive on the way that should hopefully work for the time being (a Mitsubishi) but I'd still like to get this Tandon fixed sometime, by someone who knows what they're doing. It's really annoying me. I'd love to figure out how to fix these things myself, but just don't have time at the moment.
I have similar problem with my two TM-100s and I have done all you have. As it turn out in the end it was found that the problem is not the drive it is the motherboard. This was confirmed by putting drive into a working Kaypro.
My drives cannot read the DIR at all, so you may have intermittence in the motherboard. My two cents is stop beating your drive to death, just wait for the Mitsubishi to confirm which is which.
Dougtronics