Re: Apple //c+ Disk Drive Repair

["Mark Cummings" <NOTfigjams@primus.com.au>]

<snip>
> Whoa!  iMac?  Please, let's keep this civil... I admit, I'm not much
> of a hardware fixer-uper.. I can slap things together fine- I always
> build my PC machines from parts (motherboard, cpu, memory, yadda..)
> and put it together myself.  But I usually don't take components
> apart.

only kidding about the iMac, but really it's not that much harder taking
assemblys apart. for the 3.5 drive you don't need to take too much apart,
just the cover so you can see the workings and get some cleaning tools in.

> By the way, what do you use for lubricant? And what should be
> lubricated?

white or clear silicon based lubricant is good, but I have this horrible
black version (like grease) that still works. or you can use silicon spray.
if you use grease, use the smallest amount on a toothpick to apply it.
first remove all the dust, use an air compressor or similar if you can in
combination with a soft long bristled brush. this should get rid of most of
the dust. often the dust prevents the disk from dropping in quickly, as it
should. use an old unwanted disk, or one of those yellow plastic
transportation disks to test the insert mechanism. use the manual eject
lever to eject it.

use a small amount of the silicon spray or grease on all areas where the
metal surfaced rub together and the pivot points. try not to get too much on
there because the action of the disk slamming into the drive can cause it to
splatter into unwanted spots, like the heads. operate the insert/eject
mechanism until you are happy with the sound of it slamming in. this also
helps you see where the lubricant is needed.

after that use alcohol to clean the heads with a cotton bud, or use a head
cleaning disk after you get it back together and powered up. be careful when
cleaning the heads not to lift up the top section too far. don't try to take
the heads off at they can be nearly impossible to line up again.

good luck,

Mark