[cctalk] Re: Disk pack production tools

Washington University had a magnetic media lab at one time, and got several semi loads of gear from an IBM lab.  There were air bearing spindle tables and many racks of IBM circuitry based on MST chip technology.  I assume some of this could have been used as servo track writers.  Any system that doesn't have a dedicated servo surface or embedded servo info doesn't need a servo track writer, it can just format the pack by itself (with proper diagnostic programs, of course.) Aligning the heads on the drive is an issue only if you want to interchange platters.  Then, you need an alignment pack - wow, those would be quite hard to find today!  There are tools like alignment meters that can make the job easier, but really all you need is a scope and generally a rod with an eccentric tip to adjust the head position. Jon