#Amiga on its side
12 messages in this thread
I am thinking of putting my Amiga 3000 case on its side, such
that the mouse and joystick ports are on the top.
Is there any long term damage this may cause to the computer,
such as the floppy or hard drive alignment?
The only potential problem will come from changing the prientation of the
hard drive. It would be best to do a complete hard drive back-up, then
turn the machine on its side and use it for a few days, then back up only
the new data (to new media), then reformat the drive(s) and reinstall your
backups. That way the hard drive(s) will have been formatted in the
orientation in which they will operate.
Oh… you should also be aware that placing the 3000 on its side the way
you suggest will let gravity keep a constant downward force on any
installed cards you might have… something to think about.
Micheal,
You also have to watch out for loose electrons on the HD platters.
When you shut it off, and it's on its side..some of the electrons start to
slide off and they collect on the bottom of the drive's shell. If you get
too many of them there, next time you turn on the drive, it creates such a
dust cloud of electrons that data gets written on the platters in reverse.
So be careful!
(he said with tongue planted firmly in his cheek!!!)
BIG GRIN!
Don
Gee, Don – I always wondered what they meant by "static memory"
running away>
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Really?! I'd never heard that… sounds like a joke to me… 🙂 but
frankly, I wouldn't know if it is or not.
Bhah….I've used hardrives in all 5 possible positions with out a
hitch….I've even taken drives a shook them as they write and have yet to
get a n error….unless your drive is real old it will take a shock of
more then 1 G-force to move the heads….reformatting is a unnessary and a
waste of time….just back-up and put the system on it's side.
Dave
Elite MicroComputers 908-541-4214 – via Whap!
Dave,
The HD manufacturers, as recently as a year ago (the last time I checked),
specifically say that you should NOT change the orientation of the HD
between formatting and use.
Unless the user has a drive where that is no longer true, which means a
very new drive that has changed manufacturer's recommendations, your
advice may cause loss of data.
Shock resistance is not directly related to the issues that cause this
problem. When a drive is dropped, and when it is rated for G's, it is
assumed to be parked. When it is reading, writing, formatting, the head is
(a) floating over the platter (b) VERY free to move, and (c) much more
subject to gravitational pull.
When a drive is placed on it's side after being formatted and possibly
used vertically, or vice-versa, the head assembly (not just the head) is
subjected to a bias applied courtesy of gravity. The ability of the
particular drive to compensate exactly for the pull in addition to
whatever logic it has to stay "on-track" is what will determine the
dirve's ability to perform well in a "turned" situation. Remember that
drives can, and often do, work in marginal sitations, but MAY fail at any
time that way – one drive that might not have been so hot in the first
place may fail immediately, while another which has great servos may not
fail at all.
The best thing to do is do what the manufacturer TELLS you to do, which
is, "Format in the orientation that the drive is to be used in".
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Never had a drive crash on me yet…..
Elite MicroComputers 908-541-4214 – via Whap!
and of course, since _you're_ not HIV positive, AIDS is not a worldwide
problem.
Ah, well, you've not died yet, either… but it's gonna happen. :^)
–Ben
…via AutoPilot
Luciano, I have had my Amiga 2000 on its side for a few years with no
problem. It has a floppy drive and two Quantum hard drives. Don't let
dust get into the joystick port if it isn't connected.
John
Luciano,
I've heard said that a hard drive should be formatted in the position
in which it's to be used otherwise read/write errors occur. As to the
rest of the situation I don't know.
-Sean