Date   : Thu, 16 Jul 2009 00:06:31 +0100
From   : zeem.uk@... (Alex Taylor)
Subject: happy bunny

2009/7/15 Michael Foot <mjfoot@...>:

> I take them apart first too, just to check for obvious issues.

Although I just said that I normally just switch the stuff on, reading
this has made me recall the first Atari ST I ever owned. I'd bought it
cheap from an auction, for something like ?1 in 1995 or '96, and was
incredibly happy that it worked when I got it home. It broke the day
after - on dismantling I found a staple on the motherboard :-(

> I think the hard disc in these are Rodime SCSI drives. They usually seize up
> if not run for some time. I've been able to get them spinning again by using
> the handle of a screwdriver to tap the top of the drive spindle.

It depends on the drive, and I've freed a few off by tapping the top,
but I've also come across a few drives where there's a visible
spinning part of the spindle showing underneath, that I've been able
to free up by forcibly turning the spindle with a screwdriver. I can't
remember if the Rodime ones fall into this category.

-- 
Alex Taylor