Borked my Floppy C128D

[LuxOFlux]

I got a c128D a few months back and the floppy was functioning OK. However the other day I put a very old floppy in it, and the drive started skwieking.

Now I can't read any floppy any more, and the drive is making banging noises all the time.

What to do? I thought maybe some head cleaning or something might help.

L.

[BigDumbDinosaur]

The "very old" floppy's coating probably disintegrated and contaminated the drive.  Assuming you're handy with tools, you could try removing the drive mechanism from the 128D and cleaning the heads.  You will need some cotton swabs and some fresh isopropyl alcohol (NOT RUBBING ALCOHOL!).  Isopropyl alcohol (aka isopropanol) is commonly sold as denatured alcohol solvent in places that sell paint.  A pint should be more than sufficient.

Use a clean cotton swab for each head.  Dip the swab in the isopropanol, shake off the excess and gently swab the head surface from front to back (or back to front).  Any gunk that is present will appear as a brown stain on the swab.  Only use a swab once and definitely do not dip a used swab into your isopropanol.  Also check the rest of the mechanism for contamination and clean with isopropanol as required.  After cleaning the mechanism, check for and remove any lint that may have been left behind by the cotton swabs.  Be gentle when you are handling the mechanism.

As isopropanol is highly flammable and creates fumes, make sure your work area is well ventilated and well away from any source of ignition.  All forms of alcohol will absorb moisture.  Therefore, tightly cap the container when not in use.

[airship]

BDD, So you don't recommend just dousing the whole works with alcohol and setting it on fire? Wouldn't that permanently remove any contaminants?

[RobertB]

I got a c128D a few months back and the floppy was functioning OK. However the other day I put a very old floppy in it, and the drive started skwieking.

Now I can't read any floppy any more, and the drive is making banging noises all the time.

If worse comes to worse, you can always put another 1571 mechanism in it.

             Truly,
             Robert Bernardo
             Fresno Commodore User Group
             http://videocam.net.au/fcug

[BigDumbDinosaur]

BDD, So you don't recommend just dousing the whole works with alcohol and setting it on fire? Wouldn't that permanently remove any contaminants?

There'd still be contaminants.  If drastic measures are required, may I suggest explosives?  They're much more dramatic.

[LuxOFlux]

BDD, So you don't recommend just dousing the whole works with alcohol and setting it on fire? Wouldn't that permanently remove any contaminants?

There'd still be contaminants.  If drastic measures are required, may I suggest explosives?  They're much more dramatic.

I expected a little more empathy here.

Jokers.

L.

[128mjt]

it's only dirty for me...
happens also to me with old floppy disks.my drive doesn't read nothing.

i use a old Floppy Disk Drive Cleaner.I insert inside a drive, let it run for 30 seconds(a validate command) and the cleaning disk removes dirt from the drive's magnetic head.

it' is like a floppy.i don't know if you can buy now.

[LuxOFlux]

no dice so far with the manual head cleaning approach.  I have a feelning I made it worse.

Is there a way to get more info on the error the disk is reporting?

L.

[megabit]

Go to this site http://www.floodgap.com/retrobits/ckb/ckb.cgi?mode=all and look at articles 32 and 233.

[pearsoe]

5 1/4 head cleaning kits can still be found and are worth trying.  There is one on eBay right now if you act fast here:

http://cgi.ebay.com/Cleaning-Kit-5-25-Diskette-Floppy-Drive-5-1-4-2-DISKS_W0QQitemZ350045796578QQihZ022QQcategoryZ116268QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

There are other optical sensors in the 1571 that could become contaminated and also cause problems. Check out Ray Carlsen's article for more information on them an how to clean them:

http://personalpages.tds.net/~rcarlsen/cbm/1571diag.txt

Lastly, and this has happened to me on two different 1571 drives and I here it is common on 128D's. If the drive door is left open all the time it puts tension on this little brass wire that connects to the drive head. This wire will over time bend and then does not put enough pressure on the head when the drive door is closed.  You will then get constant 'drive not ready' errors. I found this article a while ago that describes a solution.  I can't find the original link but here is an excerpt from the text I saved. Before trying this, after cleaning the drive, I would try a simple test. Insert a formatted disk.  While lightly pressing down on the brass wire attached to the drive head try to load a directory. If the directory loads you know the wire is the culprit.

Always keep your 1571 drive door closed when not in use. I use the cardboard insert that comes with the drive to keep the head steady during transit.

Here is the excerpt:
"WARNING:  DRIVE HEADS ARE SENSATIVE COMPONENTS.  EXCESSIVE PRESSURE ON THE DRIVE'S HEAD IN THE FOLLOWING TEST WILL BREAK OR DAMAGE ONE OR BOTH OF THE HEADS, RENDERING THE DRIVE INOPERABLE.  EXCERCISE CAUTION AND COMMON SENSE, PLEASE.

   Open the computer, and insert a blank disk in the drive. Attempt to format it, while holding lightly down on the drive's upper head.  Do not press hard enough to slow the disk down or stop the head from moving. Observe the drive's activity.

   The drive should properly format the disk with slight pressure on the head.  If this fixes the problem, remove the disk, and gently twist and flex the upper drive head (the one you had your finger on), to try to align it.  If this doesn't fix the problem, then chances are there is something wrong with the electronics that control the mechanism.  In that case, I can't offer any further help.  If, however, pressing down did help, then proceed:

WARNING:  EXCESSIVE TWISTING WILL BREAK, WARP, OR DAMAGE THE BRASS INSERT, POSSIBLY RENDERING THE DRIVE INOPERABLE.  USE COMMON SENSE WHEN FLEXING
THE HEAD, PLEASE.

   There is a flat piece of brass which holds the plastic head carrier to its mount.  This brass insert acts like a cheap hinge, and over time it tends to warp slightly, throwing the upper head out of alignment.  This causes the disk not to be pushed against the lower head properly, resulting in anything from an occasional read error just after inserting the disk, to constant, unforgiving drive-not-ready errors.

   After a few tries at flexing and twisting the head (which really flexes and twists that piece of brass), if you can't get the drive to format a disk, the mechanism should be discarded.  Even if holding pressure down on the head helped, the drive is probably too far gone for a permanent fix; a new mechanism is probably needed.  You can keep trying to flex to the right position, but if it doesn't help, at least you're no worse off.

   A replacement drive can be found in any dead external 1571 drive (provided the mechanism is in good shape, of course).  Remove the drive mechanism, and keep all cables intact.  Remove any wire ties or restraints that hold the wire harnesses to the drive mechanism's frame.

   Make a note of the exact way in which all four of the old mechanism's connecters are plugged in, and remove the drive and connectors.  Insert the new mechanism in place of the old one on the metal frame mounts, and fasten it with three screws.  Connect the wire harnesses to the mother-board just as the old drive was connected.  Don't forget the drive's head connector at the back of the mechanism.

WARNING: FAILURE TO CONNECT THE DRIVE'S HARNESSES IN THE CORRECT FASHION CAN DAMAGE THE DRIVE, THE DRIVE CONTROLLER, THE MAIN COMPUTER, OR ALL THREE.  PLEASE TAKE APPROPRIATE NOTES ON HOW THE ORIGINAL CONNECTORS WERE MOUNTED.

  Clean the drive's heads, and format a few disks.  If the new drive was in good shape, things should be working fine now.  If the new mechanism does not work any better, verify all of your connections.  If everything looks good, and you are positive that the drive mechanism is in good shape, you may have a damaged chip on the drive controller portion of the 128-D."