WD1600 Hell Week
- Thread starter Blizzard
- Start date
Amarbir[CDR-Labs said:
Obviously I did quite a bit of cleanup on the tool after this pic was taken to make it cleanroom-ready. Also, as rough as it looks, the measurements are precise--it took quite a bit of time to get them right.
1) The main idea behind the tool was to keep the platters from moving around while cleaning them. Taped the spacers in place. Platter alignment was kept with metal tape. If I have another case like this I'll figure out a way to put spacers on the outside edges too.
2) I first cleaned the platters with many alcohol swabs that I had dried out. I was pleased with the result of that--platters looked spotless while angling a high-output LED flashlight on them, the same way I typically check platters. Well I had the idea to turn off the light in my cleanroom and check them again and what a stark difference that makes-- Those platters are NOT clean! The main layer of dust was gone but it looked like much of it was ground into the surface. Could barely get any of that off with a dry wipe and only seemed to move the stuff around. Reminded me of why I started using wet wipes after toilet paper (it is NOT clean down there!).
The solution was bunched-up pieces of cleanroom wipe dripping with 99.9% IPA. I had to cut the wipe into smaller pieces and find the right size for the optimal effect. There are some intracies which I'd be happy to help with if anyone is unable to figure it out through experimentation.
3) I have never run across a situation where I've needed to consider torque on the HSA screw. I do however carefully mark original lid alignment before removing it.
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Amarbir[CDR-Labs]
Member
Sam":3h8gi06d said:
Hello sam,
Thanks for the explanation on this .My Idea Is to Make a tool concept is right here in my mind .We Insert This Tool in a multiplatter platter arranged drive ,The tool hooks to each platter ,Once this is done i unscrew the top screws and then lift the platters up ,Once they are up i start operating a bunch of screws they will retain platter alignment but keep separating the platters ,Once this is like a inch or two separate from each other i will remove the platter separation ring from each platter and then hook up additional tool on platter to keep them from slipping/loosing alignment further .Once this is done i will get the platters out of main tool on the table and inspect clean them and once done hook it back to main tool and reverse the process ,I am 100% sure i can do this and it will work ,For the next three months i would be clearing some backlog i have to start working on tools whose idea i have in my mind .If i need i will take help from mechanical department of our local college/university .We could start with a purely mechanical machine and later on automate it using a micro controller and a set of stepper motors
LarrySabo
Member
Colour me dumb but I'm having difficulty imagining how your tool/process works, Sam. :shock: From the picture, it's just not obvious how you separate the platters and maintain their angular alignment. (Perhaps this discussion should be out of the public domain?)
Have you tried cleaning the platters in situ using an ultrasonic cleaner? Also, while I understand, in theory, that precise platter alignment should be a non-issue with modern drives, I haven't had any luck once it's lost. HDD Surgey's tool (and your experience) suggests that it should not be an issue.
Have you tried cleaning the platters in situ using an ultrasonic cleaner? Also, while I understand, in theory, that precise platter alignment should be a non-issue with modern drives, I haven't had any luck once it's lost. HDD Surgey's tool (and your experience) suggests that it should not be an issue.
