Hazards of hard disk internals in the house

"kony" wrote in message
On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 01:17:03 +0100, "Folkert Rienstra"
wrote:


Most aren't.

Define 'most'. If most then it must be easy to name one, right?


I meant most older drives, I've opened quite a few from past
years, typically up to 60GB size and they weren't glass
unless there's a new glass formulation that allows it to bend.

That doesn't necessarily mean most new drives are,

Right, so much for that "most".

it wouldn't be surprising if many have switched to glass or
ceramic in more modern models.

IBM switched over in 2000. That's hardly recent.



So what did they do to solve the problems with aluminum
substrate platters that the glass substrate was to solve ?


No idea, was it actually solving a problem

The need for lower flying hight and therefor ultra smooth and
stable surfaces that aluminum substrate allegedly didn't provide
-or- Contact Start Stop didn't allow.

or same thing different day, they they'd merely hoped to increase
density more, and sought lower expansion and more rigid platters?

Whatever that enabled them to go to higher densities and keep the business going.

Supposedly they're thinner too but I don't know that this is
necessary unless there are several platters in the drive.

On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 22:35:36 +0100, "Folkert Rienstra"
wrote:

"kony" wrote in message
On Fri, 17 Mar 2006 01:17:03 +0100, "Folkert Rienstra"
wrote:


Most aren't.

Define 'most'. If most then it must be easy to name one, right?


I meant most older drives, I've opened quite a few from past
years, typically up to 60GB size and they weren't glass
unless there's a new glass formulation that allows it to bend.

That doesn't necessarily mean most new drives are,

Right, so much for that "most".


True, but then any information is going to be post-dated,
unless you have an inside ear at every HDD manufacturer or
go store to store opening new drives.



it wouldn't be surprising if many have switched to glass or
ceramic in more modern models.


IBM switched over in 2000. That's hardly recent.


Yes, now who else did? Given all the brands, IBM is a
minority. Seems like IBM might look back in retrospect and
wonder if their timing was right.





So what did they do to solve the problems with aluminum
substrate platters that the glass substrate was to solve ?


No idea, was it actually solving a problem

The need for lower flying hight and therefor ultra smooth and
stable surfaces that aluminum substrate allegedly didn't provide
-or- Contact Start Stop didn't allow.

I won't dispute that, but then how do you account for other
manufacturers managing to continue with aluminum? I don't
think it was yet a "need", Seagate was making 40GB drives
out of aluminum, I may even have one here but to now FIND
it, LOL, might not happen till I'm looking for other parts
and come across it.

What magnet?

The disk?

it is not a magnet?

it is a substrate (material is specific to the mfgr) coated with (mostly)
metal oxide (rust) which can store magnetic information, but it is not a
magnet.


"Warra" wrote in message
...
I took apart an old 120MB disk drive to get the magnet.

I rather like the platters and want to keep them in my house. Maybe
to use as coffee mug mats or something like that.

But I don't want to rest my sandwiches on a platter while having a
coffee and then find that the platters have some toxic coating or can
be a hazard!

Can anyone tell me.

Also, I guess the magnet is made of a special alloy using rare
metals. Could it too be toxic or hazardous?

On Sat, 18 Mar 2006 18:40:23 GMT, "don"
wrote:

What magnet?

The disk?


No the one (Or two) in the drive.

don wrote:

What magnet?

The disk?

it is not a magnet?

it is a substrate (material is specific to the mfgr) coated with (mostly)
metal oxide (rust) which can store magnetic information, but it is not a
magnet.

No, the "magnets" are magnets, part of the head positioner mechanism
although the ones I've encountered are nowhere near as powerful as is
claimed.

"Warra" wrote in message
...
I took apart an old 120MB disk drive to get the magnet.

I rather like the platters and want to keep them in my house. Maybe
to use as coffee mug mats or something like that.

But I don't want to rest my sandwiches on a platter while having a
coffee and then find that the platters have some toxic coating or can
be a hazard!

Can anyone tell me.

Also, I guess the magnet is made of a special alloy using rare
metals. Could it too be toxic or hazardous?

--
--John
to email, dial "usenet" and validate
(was jclarke at eye bee em dot net)

Iron oxide has not been used for long time. Special alloy coating (not
oxide) is used instead.

"don" wrote in message
...
What magnet?

The disk?

it is not a magnet?

it is a substrate (material is specific to the mfgr) coated with (mostly)
metal oxide (rust) which can store magnetic information, but it is not a
magnet.