8 Apr
1999
8 Apr
'99
9:09 a.m.
Since new floppy drives cost about $25 including shipment, it's difficult to
justify repairing them. This is frustrating for people like you who have
drives for which replacements are not readily available for $20 or so.
Your experience with sloppy workmanship gives clear indication that $10 per
hour is not enough to pay a competent technician. The occasional look
inside should give you good indication of why one who can't spend more than
15 minutes' time fixing a $20 drive, can't get the job done. These devices
must be considered "throw-away" items by now. You've got to learn to
fix-em-yourself.
Dick
-----Original Message-----
From: Mike Ford <mikeford(a)netwiz.net>
To: Discussion re-collecting of classic computers
<classiccmp(a)u.washington.edu>
Date: Thursday, April 08, 1999 2:29 AM
Subject: Fooling with floppy drives
Coincident with all this chatter on floppy drives I
have run into a streak
of uncooperative drives. I happen to be using macs with 3.5" Sony
mechanisms, but my question is somewhat general. What do you do with floppy
drives that need repairs?
Normally I just put them aside, but after this week I have close to a dozen
in the defective box and ZERO (actually a negative number since I need even
more) reliable units that aren't already installed in other systems.
I have already performed the first aid procedures like cleaning the heads
(using a wet cleaning floppy), and disassembly down to the bare mechanism
and blowing out the bunnies with canned air. This pile is the hard core
rejects, floppy doesn't spin, floppy doesn't eject, which I guess means a
drive motor or support electronics is shot.
For perspective, Apple still wants like $150 for a new floppy, mail order
sources have the same for about $70, and reliable refurbs run the gamut
from a low of about $20 up to $50 or more (used OK drives are $10 to $20.
and my last pesky supplier was asking $5 for untested pulls). What I am
finding disturbing is that more and more of the drives I see have OBVIOUSLY
been swapped from another machine, or show other signs of being opened up
by non techs (missing screws or other parts).
What are your opinions, practices, or sources?
Do any of you fix your floppies?
Thanks.
8 Apr
8 Apr
1:59 p.m.
Since new floppy drives cost about $25 including
shipment, it's difficult to
justify repairing them. This is frustrating for people like you who have
drives for which replacements are not readily available for $20 or so.
Your experience with sloppy workmanship gives clear indication that $10 per
hour is not enough to pay a competent technician. The occasional look
inside should give you good indication of why one who can't spend more than
15 minutes' time fixing a $20 drive, can't get the job done. These devices
must be considered "throw-away" items by now. You've got to learn to
fix-em-yourself.
A common situation for mac shops, or even more so for people using a mac in
a sea of PC, is that little or no "official" support is available. When a
floppy acts up, you call Bob in accounting and he stops by during his lunch
hour. Old machines, or obviously broken machines turn into parts donors.
This is mostly what I have noticed, drives that have been swapped around
from mac to mac (only two styles were used, but with
maybe half a dozen
different carriers).
I just may get some of this Blue shower, and try on fixing a batch. I am
already starting to notice the first signs of "learning" more than I
desire. ;)
2:05 p.m.
On Thu, 8 Apr 1999, Richard Erlacher wrote:
Since new floppy drives cost about $25 including
shipment, it's difficult to
justify repairing them. This is frustrating for people like you who have
drives for which replacements are not readily available for $20 or so.
What? What if you don't have $25 laying around, or $25 * 12 = $300 as
Mike says is his current number of broken drives. You don't just go and
pull $25 out of your pocket everytime a drive breaks. The last I checked
money still doesn't grow in the pasture (believe me, I check every
morning).
Your experience with sloppy workmanship gives clear
indication that $10 per
hour is not enough to pay a competent technician. The occasional look
inside should give you good indication of why one who can't spend more than
15 minutes' time fixing a $20 drive, can't get the job done. These devices
must be considered "throw-away" items by now. You've got to learn to
fix-em-yourself.
Well, exactly. That's why its called a hobby.
Sellam Alternate e-mail: dastar(a)siconic.com
------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Don't rub the lamp if you don't want the genie to come out.
Coming in 1999: Vintage Computer Festival 3.0
See http://www.vintage.org/vcf for details!
[Last web site update: 04/03/99]
9408
days inactive
9408
days old
2 comments
3 participants
participants (3)
-
dastar＠ncal.verio.com -
edick＠idcomm.com -
mikeford＠netwiz.net