Re: Recalibrate Disk Drives?

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

I had forgotton that fact, oops.
back to the old method I go... open up drive carefully lift head (minimum
amount), use cotton bud dipped in alcohol...
I have never seen a single sided cleaning disk. the one I got from Tandy
(Radio Shack) is double sided.

I guess this would apply to Mac 400K drives too ?

Mark


"Tom Gates" <tgates@isd.net> wrote in message
216db6fd.0206051357.51b4b709@posting.google.com">news:216db6fd.0206051357.51b4b709@posting.google.com...
> > Avoid sticking _anything_ into a disk drive except a diskette--in this
> > case a "cleaning diskette" made from a mildly abrasive absorbent
> > polyester material.  Radio Shack probably still has them.  You put
> > a few drops of solvent on the inner "disk" and then insert it into the
> > drive and run it for a few seconds.  (You can do this by trying to
> > "boot" from the cleaning disk.)
> >
> > Be sure to only open the bottom "head access" hole, since the
> > presure pad doesn't like even mild abrasion, nor getting wet.  ;-)
> >
> > -michael
>
>
> Michael makes a "very" good point here. If you do not already have a
> single-sided cleaning disk for an Apple II disk drive, be "VERY"
> careful with what kind of cleaning disk you do put in the drive.
> Since the two-sided drives for the PC equipment were the
> "latest/greatest" most all 5 1/4" cleaning kits will have a two-sided
> cleaning disk. They will have both the top and bottom exposed to the
> internal abrasive cleaning material.
>
> If the top access area is not covered, trying to clean an Apple
> single-sided drive can (usually will) cause the pressure pad to be
> ripped off the read/write head arm.  This will no longer place
> pressure on the top side to keep the real disk media in contact with
> the read/write head on the lower portion of the arm.
>
> An in worst cases, the piece the pressure pad would be glued to "will
> still" put pressure on the disk media, but without the pad in place,
> it will start to scrape the top disk surface. Eventually ruining the
> disk.  And if you happen to have disks you've punched a second notch
> in so you could write to both sides, you'll destroy your second side
> almost immediately.