"Soft" hard drive mounting.... - Page 5

TheLlama · 09-26-2005, 02:33 PM

I just scanned this thread real quickly but I didn't see anyone mention this: adding shocks like you mentioned may actually be a bad idea. If they are too spongy then it will cause the drive to bounce up and down with more magnitude then it would if it was securely mounted. From my understanding, drives are better at handling alot of small vibrations than a few large ones. In addition, your car's suspension and shocks should do most of this work for you. Unless of course your drive is floating like you suggested (which will just cancel out any gains from your car's suspension).

deadweasel · 09-26-2005, 02:39 PM

Amen. There's no need for all the extravegant overthought that's going into the subject.

Another thing: a floating drive could be a bad thing, depending on the material used to suspend the drive. If it's springy like a bungee cord, the drive could just sit there boinging around, and that's a really bad thing. The drive could oscillate long enough to cause some damage along the line...

RPM_VR4 · 09-26-2005, 07:04 PM

The same stuff keeps getting said over and over. None of it is what I am looking for.

Does any one have a link to any tests performed or scientific analysis regarding the a HDDs life, chance of corruption, or likeliness to "skip" while playing an MP3 when mounted flat vs. parallel to the wheels? (I'm talking hard-mounted only... I do not care about shock-absorbing, I care about mounting orientation.)

I use a PhatNoise DMS in my CarPC which is a laptop HDD and it has rubber end-caps. I am not worried about my drive. I am curious if there is any scientific data concerning if it is "better" to mount it parallel to the wheels or not.

TheLlama · 09-26-2005, 07:26 PM

It probably isn't too important. However, common sense tells me that mounting vertically will reduce the chance of a "head slap". Also consider this: I had a 3.5" desktop harddrive installed in my original MP3 system (around 1999). I rode with the unit for over 3 years. The drive was mounted flat (horizontally). Also, the case containing the drive was not mounted at all. The drive slide around and bounced against my trunk all the time.

I was then in a serious car accident. My car rolled twice and hit two telephone poles. I was able to retreive all my music off the drive. Call it chance.. but I think everyone is too concerned about this.

Splinter · 09-26-2005, 07:42 PM

It doesnt matter if the drive oscilates or bounces further, in fact, that's what you want.

It's the single hard shock that is bad for the drive.

Bugbyte · 09-26-2005, 09:09 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by RPM_VR4

The same stuff keeps getting said over and over. None of it is what I am looking for.

Does any one have a link to any tests performed or scientific analysis regarding the a HDDs life, chance of corruption, or likeliness to "skip" while playing an MP3 when mounted flat vs. parallel to the wheels? (I'm talking hard-mounted only... I do not care about shock-absorbing, I care about mounting orientation.)

I use a PhatNoise DMS in my CarPC which is a laptop HDD and it has rubber end-caps. I am not worried about my drive. I am curious if there is any scientific data concerning if it is "better" to mount it parallel to the wheels or not.

No. They don't. This comes up over and over and over and all anyone ever expresses is opinion and anecdote. No facts.

TruckinMP3 · 09-26-2005, 09:10 PM

no hard facts. But splinter is not accurate.
Bouncing or more motion is bad.
Mount the drive firmly to the chassis of the auto. Mine survived a frame bending wreck.

RPM_VR4 · 09-26-2005, 10:16 PM

...bouncin' ain't bad. I got a 15000 RPM drive on ma' speed-boat and it don't hurn none.

LOL.

Un_discovered · 05-16-2006, 08:04 AM

Once again, opinions rule, so IMO;

Horizontally would be top priority.
Then vertically.
It's really a matter of trial and error.
And it all depends on the user's vehicle/driving style/driving conditions.
However, I shall be doing none of these.
I'ma keeping my methods and what-not, a secret.

deadweasel · 05-16-2006, 10:20 AM

Yeah,

There are no true hard facts when it comes down to something like this, because in most cases, there really isn't a whole lot of difference in how a particular mount affects a hard drive's operation in a car, plus, not too many people are willing to risk personal injury or damage to their car to get the data.

Steady, continuous oscillations of the drive are generally a bad thing, but otherwise, vertical/horizontal mounting isn't going to make much difference, unless you drive like Tron or Automan, (90 degree turns in a split-second).

Gyroscopic forces have a minimal impact in a vehicle-mount environment with almost all of today's vehicles, on most surface streets and highways. Even large potholes will have a negligible chance of causing damage, thanks to the vehicle suspension.

So now, since nobody has willingly subjected their car PC to the ultimate test, I hereby submit my own evidence.
I've mentioned this before, and it's the best I can offer as proof: a Quantum Fireball 20GB hard drive, running full-tilt in the trunk of my 92 Mitsubishi Eclipse GS, experienced a rear-end collision at about 45MPH. The drive was mounted horizontally in a desktop pc case, just sitting loose on the trunk floor.
After the impact, the drive had not errored one bit. Never a glitch during or after the impact.
In fact, the drive is still doing just fine as a storage drive in one of my house machines now. This happened about 6 years ago now.

Despite all the talk here about shock mounting and mount axis, all I had was a drive in a box that was free to move around the trunk if it had to (I hadn't gotten around to a mount for the case at the time), and lo, the drive survived an impact that was far greater than it would have ever experienced during normal driving.

There's your "study evidence". It cost me a sore neck for a week to get it, so I hope it comes in handy for you somewhere down the road!

TruckinMP3 · 05-16-2006, 11:28 AM

Holy old thread batman
09-26-2005, 09:16 PM

tom2112 · 05-16-2006, 02:07 PM

What're you talking about? This thread started 12-21-2003!

TruckinMP3 · 05-16-2006, 02:10 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by tom2112

What're you talking about? This thread started 12-21-2003!

The gap from the last post before today.

tom2112 · 05-16-2006, 02:21 PM

Yoiks, scoob! That's ridiculous.

For all you folks just joining us, allow me to recap:

The answer is No.
Don't bother with elaborate shock absorbing - vibration isolating - super duper wonder mounts. Just bolt the darn thing in your case and fuggidaboudit!

The other answer is: Can't say for sure.
There is no scientific or otherwise reliable data on whether mounting your drive horizontally or vertically will prolong it's life.

If you're very curious about this, I suggest you go buy two identical drives, mount on horizontal and one vertical, and mirror the drives so they both get the same exact usage. Then drive around with them in your car until one fails. Let us know which one it is.

There. Aren't you happy I saved you from reading this entire thread?

TruckinMP3 · 05-16-2006, 06:04 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by tom2112

Yoiks, scoob! That's ridiculous.

For all you folks just joining us, allow me to recap:

The answer is No.
Don't bother with elaborate shock absorbing - vibration isolating - super duper wonder mounts. Just bolt the darn thing in your case and fuggidaboudit!

The other answer is: Can't say for sure.
There is no scientific or otherwise reliable data on whether mounting your drive horizontally or vertically will prolong it's life.

If you're very curious about this, I suggest you go buy two identical drives, mount on horizontal and one vertical, and mirror the drives so they both get the same exact usage. Then drive around with them in your car until one fails. Let us know which one it is.

There. Aren't you happy I saved you from reading this entire thread?

The really goofy thing... you still will not be able to state the reason for the failure.... just that it died.