| |
ΛΛdZ
Registered: Jul 2005
Posts: 153 |
Drive alignment
I have some problematic 1541's which I have tested on speed and alignment, with various old tools. Drive-speed was easy to fix but alignment is a bitch to control and adjust! I'm new in the area of fixing drives, so I need some experienced advise on tools to use and info on the techniques :)
Request: Tools (which you use with success) and info/text on how to fix the alignment!
Thanks! |
|
... 30 posts hidden. Click here to view all posts....
|
| |
enthusi
Registered: May 2004
Posts: 675 |
I saw throw away all diskdrives and move on! use tapes |
| |
Mace
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 1799 |
Oh, I must add that from all drives that I handled, only 1 had aligment problems.
The rest had broken VIA chips, dirty heads, sticky bearings, slippery mechanics or broken PSUs...
So go figure :) |
| |
Graham
Account closed
Registered: Dec 2002
Posts: 990 |
@Mace: You were just lucky :)
Also, without proper measurement devices you have no idea about the quality of your alignment. "Reads data" only says that you are near the track. |
| |
Devia
Registered: Oct 2004
Posts: 401 |
By reading properly from all "full" tracks and making sure you cannot read from any "half" tracks between all the "full" tracks, you are pretty damn close to a "good" alignment imho.
It all depends on the disk you are testing with, how it was written and what state the disk was in before it was written of course.
But hovering over a track and continously reading it, you can carefully knock the stepping motor back and forth over that track until you get a feeling for where the center is.. just be careful not to "jump tracks" ;-)
In fact, by only loosening the screws very little, just enough for the motor to move it self, you could write a program which did the alignment automatically by bumping the head which ever way needed... well.. in theory at least ;-)
|
| |
hollowman
Registered: Dec 2001
Posts: 474 |
Quote: well if there not for sale mace how about some images of them so we can put them onto disk ourselves :)
Free Spirit Softwares Drive Alignment Disk is for sale here
http://stores.ebay.com/The-Commodore-Store , and I actually managed to get a drive working with it |
| |
Mace
Registered: May 2002
Posts: 1799 |
Hollowman, same one I got. |
| |
The Shadow
Registered: Oct 2007
Posts: 304 |
I just did my first alignments on two new 1541 II drives, using the free spirit disk and an instruction manual currently printed by Micro Designs. |
| |
d0c
Registered: Apr 2006
Posts: 186 |
Quote: I just did my first alignments on two new 1541 II drives, using the free spirit disk and an instruction manual currently printed by Micro Designs.
and now both drives are dead? |
| |
ready.
Registered: Feb 2003
Posts: 441 |
there's also another place where to buy the free spirit alignament disks:
http://www.sharewareplus.co.uk/viewcart.asp?zoneid=&classid=
but it says "THIS IS A TEST SITE/THIS IS NOT A LIVE STORE!". What does it mean? Has anybody shopped from this site?
|
| |
chancer
Registered: Apr 2003
Posts: 346 |
I have had problems with my drives also, have you cleaned the heads also ? (dumb question.. but hey, I'm the person to ask)
It fixed one of the 2 drives I have with problems. theres that alchol that you buy from the chemists which might help..
ready , you mean ?
http://www.sharewareplus.co.uk/pp/Premium_Products/Free_Spirit_..
is it someone from the scene who runs it?
if you look also at the "contact us" bit , it's got a VERY odd address, so dunno if I'd trust using them.
|
| Previous - 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 - Next |
