Mononymous classic computing fanatic Ben, also referred to as “Gammitin,” has been doing a little analysis into preserving magnetic floppy disk drives in tip-top situation — delivering a information to constructing your individual cleansing disk, now that such issues aren’t being manufactured professionally any extra.
“So, the previous couple of cleansing disks I’ve made, have been primarily based on laboratory filters,” Gammitin explains by means of background to the undertaking. “They’re laborious carrying however in all probability barely too abrasive. I discovered [a] hyperlink to an early Eighties cleansing disk patent, [and] the really useful materials to make use of is Tyvek.”
A dig by means of the USPTO patent archive has delivered a recipe for constructing the perfect floppy-drive cleansing disk round. (📷: Gammitin)
For many who grew up after the rise of near-ubiquitous connectivity and the loss of life of magnetic detachable media, floppy disks are made by coating a plastic disc with iron oxide or the same magnetic materials and putting it into an envelope the place it may be dealt with safely but nonetheless spin freely. Bodily inserted, with a satisfying clunk, right into a disk drive, magnetic read-write heads spin over the floor and both measure or encode the magnetic flux — loading or storing knowledge.
These heads, although, get soiled over time — and the dirtier they get, the much less possible you’re to have the ability to learn and write your disks appropriately. Worse, that dust may be transferred on to the disk itself and even scratch the floor — which is strictly why cleansing disks have been as soon as commonplace in pc and workplace provide shops world wide.
The patent, granted to Progressive Pc Merchandise in 1981 primarily based on the work of C. Paul Davis and Joseph Sandor, describes simply such a tool: “a cleansing disk fabricated from an absorbent and porous fibrous materials which has an space considerably saturated with a liquid cleansing resolution,” with sheets of DuPont’s non-woven polyethylene fiber Tyvek instructed as a perfect materials. Whereas business cleansing disks are laborious to seek out in the present day, Tyvek is not briefly provide — so Gammitin set about constructing a cleansing disk of his personal utilizing precisely that.
Gammitin examined the disk on a real-world instance of a grimy drive, efficiently fixing learn errors and bringing it again to life. (📷: Gammitin)
The method is easy sufficient: fastidiously lower open a floppy disk, eradicating the steel shutter if it isn’t a shutterless 5.25″ or 8″ disk, and take away the disk and lining. Glue the steel spindle onto a donut-shaped sheet of Tyvek, then reassemble the disk with extra glue. Lastly, because the patent requires, soak the seen portion of the Tyvek in “a liquid cleansing resolution” — easy isopropyl alcohol.
“My Olivetti Prodest PC1’s B drive is soiled, typically it has points studying disks, so I believed this is able to be a superb candidate to check it out on,” Gammitin writes. “It labored a deal with, the drive heads are actually clear and dealing effectively. Mission full, now to make a number of of them.”
The complete information is on the market in Gammitin’s Mastodon thread.