Back in business

**cassius** · 05-29-2002, 05:49 AM

Hi everyone, its been awhile.

Good to see the community is still going as strong / stronger then ever before. I lost my carputer last year after a year or so's service and im working on building another, components are on there way as we speak

.

Implementing a lcd display this time, 40gig hard drive(have 1mbit cable now,

so will fill it easily) .

Can anyone give me some advice on the best way to install my hard drive, the last one conked on me

, Im installing the carputer in the dash, last time I had the hd mounted to the top of the case with a little cage I made, I need to know the best way to reduce shocks on it(some sort of padding maybe?).

Great to be back.

Cheers

Simon

**vickumar** · 05-29-2002, 12:54 PM

there's a difference between shock and vibration.

Shocks are more sudden, violent and last a short time. Vibration is constant, low intensity.

A laptop HD can withstand up to 200G operational SHOCK, and 800G non-operational... quite a bit. However vibration is more damaging, because it occurs all the time, every time. Just make sure u dont bolt the HD down to the case which is then bolted to the car chassis. Every bump and shake will move from the road directly to the HD spindle/arm. You MUST uses some rubber strips between the HD/case to absorb some of that vibration.

Dont mount it on an intricate rubber band arena or such... they dont help.. and all that bouncy bouncy might actually make things worse. Get a good quality IBM Laptop HD and it will last a long time.

You should also realise that there is a trick to HD mounting. The rule is... you should always FORMAT the HD in the exact spacial orientation you plan to use it. Say you want to use it sitting on its side... then format it that way when you start out!! Placing a HD in a position that it was not formatted in, will cause an increase in read error rates.

**cenwesi** · 05-29-2002, 01:01 PM

Originally posted by vickumar

You should also realise that there is a trick to HD mounting. The rule is... you should always FORMAT the HD in the exact spacial orientation you plan to use it......

You have got to be kidding right

**mp3z24** · 05-29-2002, 01:27 PM

Originally posted by cenwesi

You have got to be kidding right

[blonde]
well duh!!!
wouldnt all the folders fall off the disk if you turned it on its side
[/blonde]

~mike

**vickumar** · 05-29-2002, 03:24 PM

i knew there'd be some punk who would question that...

but yes... its a fact. A drive has the least read error rates when used in the same spacial orientation it was formatted in.

**magnetik** · 05-29-2002, 07:13 PM

I am with Charles, I find that VERY hard to believe..... if a hard disk drive head moved that much due to gravitational force (which is what your implying that this will compensate for) it would be considered to have WAY tooooo much play in the drive heads.

do what u will, but I think someone is having you on with that one....

at least mp3z24 got to make a good comeback!

**vickumar** · 05-29-2002, 11:39 PM

I never said it wont work fine within specification error rates... but it is PREFERED that a drive be used in the orientation it was formatted in.

The drive will operate in all axes (6 directions). The drive will operate within the specified error rates when tilted +/-5 degrees from these positions.

Performance and error rate will stay within specification limits if the drive is operated in the other permissible orientations from which it was formatted. Thus a drive formatted in a horizontal orientation will be able to run vertically and vice versa.

IBM Storage website

I called and asked them about this, and they told me what i mentioned earlier... formatting the hd in the manner in which u plan to use it will have the least spec error rates. And in a high shock/vibration environment... i think one would like to take advantage of any measure to reduce read errors.

Go ahead... mock me all you want.

**cassius** · 05-30-2002, 06:39 AM

i think one would like to take advantage of any measure to reduce read errors.

yeh its worth doing

I've started work on a keyboard hack(instead of just sawing a keyboard in half like a did last time

) Im also making a case outta wood this time, as my brother is a carpenter(not from the group).

Still waiting on my hd to arrive, gonna mount it horizontally, in a seperate compartment in the box tighly surrounded my foam?

**mp3z24** · 05-30-2002, 08:57 AM

Originally posted by cassius
Still waiting on my hd to arrive, gonna mount it horizontally, in a seperate compartment in the box tighly surrounded my foam?

i hope you dont mean packing foam tightly around the HD (inside the box). that will probably lead to major heat issues with the drive.

if you meant that you are putting foam around the box that contains the HD, then that would probably be a better idea, however, if you completely seal the exterior of the box with foam you will also run into heat problems because the hot air will build up in the box.

i dont know if im right with this logic ... but i guess it is just something to think about.

~mike