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(C) Mefisto's radio lab 2000
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FDD 3.5" head adjustment
First, a few tips:
Drive heads should be cleaned
only with a special cleaning diskette.
A match wrapped in cotton wool and dipped in alcohol
- it's better not to use it. It may be more expensive
you...
If the drive reads normally -
It’s better not to go inside with playful hands.
If it reads poorly and cleaning doesn’t help
- you should first think about whether it’s worth it
enjoy all this... :))
Background
In general, it somehow fell into my hands
3.5" floppy drive. Symptoms - floppy disks cannot be cleaned
melts. And earlier (before they cleaned him
heads using a match/cotton/alcohol)
nerd. Formats floppy disks on itself,
writes, reads. The drive is by the way Samsung.
I had nothing to do, so I decided to
It's quite a feat to adjust the head manually.
Fortunately, at one time there was experience in adjustmentheads 5.25 drive. And everything is somehow
simpler and larger. In general, from words - to
business.
Technology
Prepared in advance on a normal disco
water floppy disk - freshly formatted. On
she recorded a piece of the RAR archive for the entire
floppy disk (whatever was on hand). They say
There are programs with which you can
adjust skill.
Removed the upper metal casing from the dis-
driver
I boot the computer in bare DOS.
Using a flat blade screwdriver,
labled TWO bolts securing the upper head
drive. By the way, bolts for a screwdriver -
hexagon. I picked up a flathead screwdriver
ku with a suitable blade.
Now there is no turning back. I move it away
dexterity in the “very backside” - all the way to the side
where the cable and power are connected. Pull-ups
I put in bolts so that the head does not dangle.
I insert the floppy disk and type "a:" in DOS
then a magic word of 3 letters "dir" -
The drive naturally doesn't read anything. Dos
swears in terrible words.
I loosen one bolt, and with the help of a flat
some screwdrivers with a wider blade
I move my head a little. After that
I tighten the bolt.
I check for readability with the usual
3 letter word "dir" dos is swearing again
- abort, retry, ignore or in Russian - not-
never mind, never mind, never mind. Doesn't read? Let's move
further.
I loosen another bolt and move it
the head is already in the other direction. (no picture
I draw). I tighten the bolt and check that it reads
whiteness.
And so on until it displays the title-
disk wear.
Hooray ! It kind of worked out, and he reads o-
catching. It's too early to rejoice. Now we have to
that's the most dreary thing.
Gradually move the head to the left, to the right
first, and after each time - "copy file_name-
la_on_floppy.* c:temp" - check us-
how well he will read. Problem-
It’s best to configure the most recent ones
paths. You will have to move your head completely
little by little. By a fraction of a millimeter. Far from
positions where the table of contents was considered - ear-
It's not worth it. If it doesn't work, try again
We start the operation from the very beginning.
In general, I have to adjust the drive -
it took three hours. But as a result the drive
began to read no worse than his brother, tuned
at the factory. I think the principle is clear??
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