does your bass mess up your hard drive?

**derek156** · 02-11-2009, 11:44 AM

Im new to this carputer thing, however im a well versed audio installer. I always assumed this would happen, but have finally proved it.....so to speak. My hard drive ( I assume...) can not handle anything above about 135 dbs. I want it in a vehicle hitting numbers over 160. Any suggestions?

**Bugbyte** · 02-11-2009, 12:01 PM

First of all, where is it located in relation to the speaker?

Second, is it an automotive grade hard drive?

Third, and I'm sure you must be doing this in competitions, 160 decibels is louder than a jet engine at 100 feet (140 decibels) and 180 db causes the death of hearing tissue.

You must have a nice audio system.

**derek156** · 02-11-2009, 12:13 PM

yes.....i do run competitions. im running 8 15 inch Kicker L7's with about 5k watts. i know i cant hear as good as you, but long story short, the speakers will be a fourt-horder sealde foward at the b pillar. However, the pressure is SO GREAT, that the sound comes from outside the car(1998 volvo v70), and disturdws the HD. I have to use a cd player. Now how can my cd player (cheap pioneer) my, and my ipod handle it right up front, anc comp in back freezes at high volume. It happenes even if im using the ipod through the radio, and only using pc for nav. by the way i have a 15 inch touch screen that is not phased by this insaine pressure. No i do not have an automotive hard drive.......simply a laptop one. thanks for your time....

Derek

**drutort** · 02-11-2009, 08:54 PM

how about just get SSD? if you have money for such audio stuff...

**Bugbyte** · 02-11-2009, 09:06 PM

Are you sure it is the hard drive? Often with lockups, people suspect the hard drive and it turns out to be something different. Do you have a PCI card?

**derek156** · 02-11-2009, 09:14 PM

yes, i do compete. I hace 8 15" L7's with 4 xs100's runnung them. This causes pressure anywhere in the car. They are sealed foward at the b pillar, but pressure comes around the car, and still causes a problem. I have recently learned about flash drive being able to run an operating system. Is this true?...if so how big do they come. ....and what was ment by automotive hard drive? Again thank y'all for y'all's time.

**malcom2073** · 02-11-2009, 09:33 PM

I have no idea if this is the reason, but back when I had my computer next to my subwoofers (2x12") I had hard drives die about once every couple months. Since I moved it away and under the passenger seat I've yet to have another one die.

And yes, you can run an OS off a Compact Flash card with a CF to IDE/SATA adapter. You can get them pretty large depending on how much you're willing to pay.

**derek156** · 02-11-2009, 09:36 PM

a problem that using a different hard drive is that Streetdeck then wont let my key work......i really like that sorftware......is there a way to reconfigure hardware, and it still install?.....as of now i cant even put xp pro on it since it hat home when the hardware id was created.

**pcpete** · 02-11-2009, 09:54 PM

8 15's!! wow , that could tear a hd apart!!

I've got one 12" IDQ sub at around 500w rms in sealed about 2 feet away from hd..no real probs..the frickin sata connector though is crap, i keep having to reseat it every month or so...

**mattb348** · 02-11-2009, 10:24 PM

Originally Posted by malcom2073

I have no idea if this is the reason, but back when I had my computer next to my subwoofers (2x12") I had hard drives die about once every couple months. Since I moved it away and under the passenger seat I've yet to have another one die.

And yes, you can run an OS off a Compact Flash card with a CF to IDE/SATA adapter. You can get them pretty large depending on how much you're willing to pay.

The reason why your hard drives went bad was definitely becuase they were near your subs. Hard drives are the most notious computer component that goes bad; I have had like 3 or 4 hard drives die on me; usually their life expectancy is about 5 years.

However, jarring a hard drive (especially from dropping it) can easily destory it, since it has moving mechanical parts inside of it (it is sort of like a metal record player inside, and it has metal plates that look like CD's, which get read by very precide metal "heads").

Anyways, before I bore you any further with the technical aspects of hard drives, I'll just get back to the main point: you can DEFINITELY permantly destory your hard drive with a loud enough sub right near it, as it will jar and vibrate the heck out of it! Unfortunetly I can't think of a good solution to the problem, other than moving it as far away as possible (which by the sounds you did already, heh heh!)
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