7200.11 Platter swap - tape method

[Blizzard]

Well, I still have lots to learn about doing platter swaps. I been practicing the tape method on several drives that all were all initially readable but after the swap all clicked and spun down. Time for more research. Any hints appreciated.

Larry, are you using the patient heads? Are they all 7200.11 or other drive models?

 

[LarrySabo]

The practice drives were all 7200.11s (as was the patient), but 500Gb vs 1.5TB. The practice drives(*) all had issues but could at least calibrate and scan a few million LBAs before the swap. With the patient drive, it clicks as if it's almost going to calibrate but gives up. (I'll try to record the sound and add it later.) Until I can swap platters on more of my own 7200.11 drives, I'm sure not going to try it on a patient drive again. Given the treatment the patient drive received in the owner's hands, he didn't have high expectations and was happy for a best effort on my part. If I knew how to remove and examine platters for damage, and how to selectively disable heads that would help. The head selection process described here doesn't work for me, unfortunately.

Edit to add: (*) I was just doing platter RnRs (remove and replace), using the drive's original heads.

Edit #2: Here's the sound recording of the patient after platter swap, with original heads. The drive clicked continuously at the end of the recording.
View attachment ST31500341AS patient after platter swap, original heads.mp3