Hard Drive Issues in a Vehicle Computer - Page 2

eagleslayor · 12-07-2007, 04:52 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kbreeden

For what it's worth, I've had hard drives sitting in regular computers in my trunk for about eight years. I have bounced around, stopped hard, had them in the hot and cold and everything else you can imagine. I have done nothing to protect them and have never had any problems.

That sounds dangerous...I'm scared as this is my first carputer and I don't want to mess up

kbreeden · 12-07-2007, 04:53 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by eagleslayor

That sounds dangerous...I'm scared as this is my first carputer and I don't want to mess up

I think people worry way too much about this issue.

TruckinMP3 · 12-07-2007, 05:02 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kbreeden

I think people worry way too much about this issue.

About the durability of PC parts, yes. Unsecured loads.... They can do very strange things

eagleslayor · 12-07-2007, 05:05 PM

I don't know if we are worrying too much, I mean data loss is a problem, and we rather not take risks, and now I'm getting worried about motherboards...

DarquePervert · 12-07-2007, 05:05 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by kbreeden

I think people worry way too much about this issue.

Personally, I don't think the rubber sheet will do anything helpful as far as dampening vibration.
Honestly, unless you're doing durability testing on a vehicle and driving it consistently over washboard roads, you're not going to create enough vibration for there to be a concern.

Hard braking is NOTHING, as far as force is concerned.

If you read the thread, one user totaled two cars and the hard drive still functions like clockwork. A crash that will total a car is more force than the braking from even the fastest race cars.

Again...

DON'T WORRY SO MUCH ABOUT IT!
Mount all your hardware securely and you'll be fine.

Bugbyte · 12-07-2007, 06:25 PM

Drives are cheap, CarPC's don't usually have unrecoverable data on them.

Just install, bolt it down and run it.

TruckinMP3 · 12-07-2007, 07:08 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by eagleslayor

I don't know if we are worrying too much, I mean data loss is a problem, and we rather not take risks, and now I'm getting worried about motherboards...

Yes you are worrying too much. My set up has been in use more about 10 years now. Not one data issue.... ever, and I was the one earlier that bent the frame on two trucks. Not just a little on one of them. They where full ladder frames and partially boxed, PCs are more durable than you are.

unixxx · 12-14-2007, 05:47 AM

I crashed my one year-old horizontally mounted 2.5" drive by fishtailing the right front and rear right wheels into a tree while climbing a muddy hill off-road. The right front inner tie-rod bent and then snapped and both wheels were gouged and became unbalanced. Drives really don't like being off-road.... I think I'm going to go with compact flash this third time....

LittleDragon · 12-14-2007, 11:43 AM

I've only ever had one failure and that's because my car had a leaky top. It didn't completly stop spinning and still worked to some degree but for some reason, the bios recognized it as an old Altair HD. Replaced the drive and I was good to go, two accidents later (one that wrote off the car) and the new drive was still going. It's out of commission now cuz it's too small. The new car had a 120 gig that was replaced because I ran out of space, running a 320 gig in there now. Both cars were MR2 Turbos, the current one is riding on race springs instead of sports springs. There is nearly no give in the suspension and is one of the most bumpiest rides I've owned. In both cars the drive was mounted vertically with the cable end facing the back of the car. I also built a carputer for a friend of mine who just bolted it flat in the trunk and it died in a year's time.

Ali_2k · 12-14-2007, 12:57 PM

simple solution is dont store anything u wouldent store on a say a portable flash pen... like coursework or an important file for work, this way if the worst does happen and ure HDD does break, send it back to the retailer... every product has a minimum one year warrenty, wich is easy to get replaced if you speak to them on the phone... emails are a hideous invention when it comes to customer service.

but yeh, basic rule is backup anything important, or dont put anything important on the drive in the first place

-2k

Mister1 · 02-23-2008, 01:35 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by RocketSled

I make hard drives for a living. Have been in this business for 20 years. Here is some info you can take as fact.......................

Thanks for the info RocketSled, great read