Date: Fri, 13 Nov 1998 06:54:22 +0000
To: Classic Posts <classic-post@hitznet.com>
From: Rebecca and Rowland <rebecca@astrid.u-net.com>
Subject: Re: Drive Clogged

>Date: Fri, 30 Oct 98 08:16:03 +0200
>From: Ruud Dingemans <rdingema@xs4all.nl>
>
>Maybe this is a FAQ, but in that case I won't be the first to have this
>kind of trouble:
>
>Is there any way to clean a gummed-up disk drive without taking it apart?
>My SE/30 drive is rattling and not reading disks, most probably due to
>dust clogging up the stepper mechanism, but I can't do much about it
>unless
>
>a) I take the SE/30 apart (lot of work) and
>b) I take the drive apart.
>
>Any ideas/alternatives?

You've hit on the more-or-less best idea.  The chances are that you can
clean the floppy drive without needing to dismantle it.  But before you do
anything, I suggest you get a bottle of alcohol (methylated spirits,
isopropyl alcohol, or vodka if you're really stuck ;-), a cleaning disc,
and TechTool (http://www.micromat.com) so that you can clean up the heads
after you've done the messy cleaning.  When you clean the floppy drive, be
very, very, very careful not to damage the heads - they're pretty fragile
in many ways.

Assuming you've got your SE/30 apart and the floppy drive out of it on the
desk, what I'd do is this: get some WD40 (which I assume you can buy in
Holland) and spray it on the gummed-up looking bits, leave it for a bit,
and wipe with a cotton bud.  Then repeat this process until you've sick of
it - mind you don't leave any lint behind.  It's a good idea to clean all
the grease off the eject mechanism - spray with WD40 and work the eject
mechanism back and forth until you've had enough.  (I'm often scathing
about WD40, but it's a wonderful cleaner for this sort of thing).

Once you've finished that stage, dry off as much of the WD40 as you can,
and re-grease the mechanism.  I'd guess that a normal light motor grease
would be suitable - I used Silkolene RG-2 very high temperature waterproof
racing grease for mine (wonderful stuff for bike bearings), but I suspect
something like Castrl LM-2 would be fine (light, general purpose, lithium
based motor grease).  If only I could find the catalogues, I could tell you
what the Shell or Putoline equivalents were.

Then have a look at the heads - if they look mucky, try wiping them *very*
gently with a thin dry cloth and then a thin cloth soaked in alcohol.  If
you have the slightest doubts about your ability to do this sufficiently
gently, don't do it - those heads are delicate.

Anyway....  Put the floppy drive back in, and use TechTool and the cleaning
disc to clean the heads.  If it seems to work properly now, you're in luck.
If not, you could try the cleaning process again.

Rowland.