Hard Disk dismantling

[keithr]

Both glass & aluminium have been used for platters. AFAIK the magnetic
coating is a ferromagnetic epoxy that is spun on to get a dead even
coating and baked hard.

Sorry, but you are living in a past eon, for the last 20 years disk coatings
have been sputtered metal. There is no way that you could get today's
recording density with ferromagnetic particles suspended in epoxy.

In the 37 years that I have been working in the computer business, I have
seen all sorts of disk platters, but they were all made of aluminium.

Keith

 

[Suzy]

Possibly OT.

I am trying to dismantle some hard disks. I am encountering some fasteners
that are meant to be tamperproof, one in particular that has a concave
threaded head. Also the usual star point heads (not Phillips). Is there a
source in Aust of hard disk dismantling "screwdrivers"?

 

[ian field]

Possibly OT.

I am trying to dismantle some hard disks. I am encountering some fasteners
that are meant to be tamperproof, one in particular that has a concave
threaded head. Also the usual star point heads (not Phillips). Is there a
source in Aust of hard disk dismantling "screwdrivers"?

The star screw heads are AKA torx, although the standard sizes seem to slip
easily on HD screws. Sometimes its possible to grind an old flat blade
screwdriver to catch two of the points, if all else fails bite the top of
the screw with heavy duty diagonal cutters and twist, this usually loosens
the screw enough to spin out with a ground flatblade.

Not sure what you mean by concave threaded head but if you can get hold of
it with the cutters you might have a chance.

 

[Suzy]

The star screw heads are AKA torx, although the standard sizes seem to
slip easily on HD screws. Sometimes its possible to grind an old flat
blade screwdriver to catch two of the points, if all else fails bite the
top of the screw with heavy duty diagonal cutters and twist, this usually
loosens the screw enough to spin out with a ground flatblade.

Not sure what you mean by concave threaded head but if you can get hold of
it with the cutters you might have a chance.

Thanks Ian. Sounds like you've been there! Have also been considering
drilling out the screws as I do not wish to reassemble and use!

BTW, concave is like looking at the *inside* of the screw head and there
appears to be a sort of thread there. Can't get at it with nippers as it's
inside!

 

[Lord Garth]

Torx is a brand name, the generic would be a spline driver.

 

[ian field]

Thanks Ian. Sounds like you've been there! Have also been considering
drilling out the screws as I do not wish to reassemble and use!

BTW, concave is like looking at the *inside* of the screw head and there
appears to be a sort of thread there. Can't get at it with nippers as it's
inside!

Since you need clean room conditions and lots of other very expensive gear
to service a HD, I'll hazard a guess that you're after the magnets maybe -
in which case use a small chisel to bang a slot in the screw head.

 

[kreed]

Possibly OT.

I am trying to dismantle some hard disks. I am encountering some fasteners
that are meant to be tamperproof, one in particular that has a concave
threaded head. Also the usual star point heads (not Phillips). Is there a
source in Aust of hard disk dismantling "screwdrivers"?

Try these torx bits (I have T-4514 and its managed just about every
"torx" job I have done in the last 10 years, including a hard drive).
You will surely find them useful for other future jobs too

http://dseau.resultspage.com/search...&w=torx&site=&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Go

 

[Andrew Wagstaff]

Try these torx bits (I have T-4514 and its managed just about every
"torx" job I have done in the last 10 years, including a hard drive).
You will surely find them useful for other future jobs too

http://dseau.resultspage.com/search...&w=torx&site=&submit.x=0&submit.y=0&submit=Go

Or try this from Jaycar, it has all the bits you will probably ever need.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productVie...d2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=

It has 100 bits in it. I've got one at home and found it great for taking
just about anything apart including hdds. On the topic of old HDDs just be
careful of the magnets, they can give a nasty bite. I've also found that the
only way to get the magents apart if they attach to each other is to slide
them off.

HTH

Andrew W

 

[Terryc]

Possibly OT.

I am trying to dismantle some hard disks.

magnets, platters, motors or that flexible conductors that go to the head?

I am encountering some fasteners
that are meant to be tamperproof, one in particular that has a concave
threaded head. Also the usual star point heads (not Phillips). Is there a
source in Aust of hard disk dismantling "screwdrivers"?

Uusally they are Torx and I think I obtained my set from Jaycar. The
mixed pack in red rubber. Unfortunately, not the super small one I've
encountered recently.

 

[Suzy]

Or try this from Jaycar, it has all the bits you will probably ever need.
http://www.jaycar.com.au/productVie...d2=&pageNumber=&priceMin=&priceMax=&SUBCATID=

It has 100 bits in it. I've got one at home and found it great for taking
just about anything apart including hdds. On the topic of old HDDs just be
careful of the magnets, they can give a nasty bite. I've also found that
the only way to get the magents apart if they attach to each other is to
slide them off.

HTH

Andrew W

Thanks all for the reply. I was looking to extract actual components and not
rebuild, so in the end I drilled out the screws OK. You are right about the
magnets. Pretty powerful! Incidentally, what is the material the platters
are made from? Some sortof magnetic glass compound?

 

[ian field]

Thanks all for the reply. I was looking to extract actual components and
not rebuild, so in the end I drilled out the screws OK. You are right
about the magnets. Pretty powerful! Incidentally, what is the material the
platters are made from? Some sortof magnetic glass compound?

Both glass & aluminium have been used for platters. AFAIK the magnetic
coating is a ferromagnetic epoxy that is spun on to get a dead even coating
and baked hard.

 

[Andy Wood]

.. . .

You are right about the
magnets. Pretty powerful!

Those magnets are powerful enough that you can perform an interesting
experiment. Find a strip of thickish aluminium that will fit through
the gap in the magnet. If you touch the magnet you will confirm that
you can't pick up aluminium with a magnet. Then dangle the strip so
that the lower end hangs in the gap of the magnet and then let it drop
while watching carefully.
Andy Wood
[email protected]

 

[Clifford Heath]

Those magnets are powerful enough that you can perform an interesting
experiment.

An even better demonstration of this is to drop a supermagnet down
a length of copper pipe. I have a magnet the size of a marble that
takes ~5 seconds to fall 30 cm, before dropping out the bottom.

Clifford Heath.

 

[Terryc]

Incidentally, what is the material the platters
are made from? Some sortof magnetic glass compound?

All the platters I've extracted from 8", 5", 3.5" and 2.5" drives are
aluminium based.

I've seen ones from the old washing machine era that were glass(?).

 

[Bob Parker]

Sorry, but you are living in a past eon, for the last 20 years disk coatings
have been sputtered metal. There is no way that you could get today's
recording density with ferromagnetic particles suspended in epoxy.

In the 37 years that I have been working in the computer business, I have
seen all sorts of disk platters, but they were all made of aluminium.

Keith

What gets me is the data density ... 101 Gbits/square inch and
137,000 tracks/inch average on my primary hard drive (according to the
Seagate specs), and it's a very ordinary cheap one.


Bob