HD mounting and buffering
I have read many times that a verticaly mounted HD is more shockproof than a horizontal mounted one. The explanation is that during the shock the innertia does not strike the heads on the revolving platters, instead they (the heads) are being moved axially causing some harmless skipping. Considering that I am going to use a laptop HD with 175G/2ms operating shock rating mounted via 8 springs in the case do I still have to mount it verticaly? Laptops always are horizontal, aren't they? I do not want my music to skip not even for a sec if that is possible!
I would like also to ask if somebody knows some software (a plug-in for an mp3player propably) that is reading ahead the tracks of the playlist from the HD and stores them in RAM. That way skipping will be avoided along with other advantages (lower HD wear and tear, lower power consumption= lower heat, higher resistance to shock with unloaded heads, etc.)
Regards,
Dimitris
well...
i would like to add that i have had 2 harddrives in my trunk running on the road. one is mounted vertically and one horizontally. it's been like 4 months or so and they both still work great. and laptop drives are generally even MORE "shock-absorbant" than desktop harddrives - so.... i dunno what to tell yu,, but mounting a laptop HD vertically is quite the challenge
//dj
I mounted mine horizontally, but upside down. That way, when I hit a bump, the head flies AWAY from the platter. I've had mine in the car for a few months, without a single bad sector. Also, I live in College Station, TX, where I'm going to have to replace my shocks before my tires :P
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Visit my page, http://mp3box.2y.net
Excuse me Arby, but it seems to me that you are not very well informed about the HD's internals. That thing you said is an "oversimplification" and the reasons are:
1) The HDs are not always like the LP turnables with a single head over a single platter. Usually they have multiple platters the one above the other, rotating on a common shaft (spindle) and multiple heads which move in between them like a comb. On a single platter HD the head is double, reading/writting on both sides of the disk. The HD manufacturers don't spend so much money into R&D to increase the areal density of data stored on magnetic material just to waste the hole one side of a platter (not use it). So, if the head on the one side flies away when you hit the bump, the other crashes on the platter.
2)EVEN IF the HDs were constructed the way you imagined what will happen while the head is returning (with a lot of elastic energy stored in it's supporting arm) to it's normal possition? Is it going to stop there or it will go again the other way (towards the platter) and BOOM!
3) Finally, if you hit a bump the head might FLY! What will happen if you drive over a ditch?
Regards,
Dimitris
If you drive over a ditch wouldn't your safety and to a lesser extent your car be more important than your HD?
On another note if you don't want any skips use flash memory. To minimize skips mount it vertically or make a caddy of sorts to cushion a horizontal drive.
Geez ppl....what is all this talk about HD skipping or what ever...If you mount it the way we have been recommending believe me u won't have to worry anymore. I for one have pictures on my site showing how i did it and CobraI setup proved that my experiment was right.
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abcd-1
Author of CobraI and CobraII.
For more information on the COBRA Application's please visit the link. For the latest or updated info on CobraII please click on the link. Get new updated files for CobraII here. ftp://picturesictures@128.8.187.126/d:/newdlls
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abcd-1
Author of CobraI,II,III and now CobraIV.
You can contact me on AOL instant messenger....nick is cenwesi or cenwesi3
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