🚀 go-pugleaf

In article <900103.10572140.037876@SFA.CP6> Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET (Z4648252) writes:
>Enartloc Nhoj writes of drive problems, Howard Johnson offers some
>wise advise:
>
>> Symptoms:  Occasionally... and sometimes frequently,
>>            my Quantum drive slows down and then comes
>>            back up.  When it slows i obviously can't
>>            read or write to the drive.
>>
>>So the problem is not intermittent...  Therefore, it will be hard to
>>isolate it and make if fail for a technician.  Anybody out there
>>ever have similar problems?
>
>      Howard Johnson responds:
>
>
>>My guess is that the ability to read is failing on your servo track.
>>This surface is used to control speed and bit rate.
>>BACK UP YOUR DRIVE!  IT WILL SOON BE DEAD!
>
>    One suggestion from my own "Dumb Larry Experience" is to go ahead
>and FIRST try some maintenance before attempting any backups!!!  In
>    Do some hardware maintenance:  cleaning and possible connector
>replacement first.
>
>Larry Rymal:  |East Texas Atari 68NNNers| <Z4648252@SFAUSTIN.BITNET>


First.. THANKS to all of you who have offered me advice.
I am very appreciative and grateful.

Unfortunately, Larry, i already mailed my drive off to MacLand
in Tempe before reading your article...  here's what i have
learned in the past few days about certain Quantum drives:

My dealer tech had heard about a bunch of quantums at Boeing that
were sent back due to some "oil" leaking on to the media and causing
the heads to stick.  
He wasn't any more specific than that as he had heard this idea
from someone who heard something... etc...

I called the techs at MacLand.. who, by the way, are incredibly
helpful and very willing to listen...  the tech there, Jay Denton,
thought it might be the power supply... but, as Howard told me, it
might also be in the servo track or motor...  

I called the Quantum rep... he gave me several possible diagnoses:
Power supply.. any deviation of .6 volts off the 12 volt line or the
5 volt line will cause the drive to power down.. not always to a 
full stop.. 

He also described a problem with some "fluid"... had never heard
of the "oil" scenario nor of the "recall"...

Talked to a friend in Boston who immediately knew what i was
talking about.. had heard of the Quantum 80 problems people
were having..  

Called MacLand again and talked with Jay..  he knew about the
"oil" "fluid" "lubricant" problem.. it is documented by Quantum,
and a chip fix is already available.. also.. the newer drives
have the chip on the drive:

The FLUID they are all talking about is the lubricant in the 
sealed cylinder that houses the actuator arm for the heads.
Apparently, under dusty or humid conditions (even though
it is sealed) the lubricant gets globby or ceases to function
properly.. and thereby does not allow the heads to move 
where and when they want to....  the solution is a chip
that forces a random seek across the plates when the drive
senses inactivity after a period of x minutes.  

Supposedly, there's a 24 hour turn-around time.. so i should
be getting the chip added to my drive and all will be ok.
In the meantime, i have cleaned the dust out of my case and   
will heed Larry's advice and maintain the contacts he was
mentioning above...  

-kevin
ramsiri@blake.acs.washington.edu