anyone have a car pc in minnesota or same climate - Page 2

PatO · 10-27-2005, 11:55 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by willisan

I may go with this http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16822149025
TOSHIBA MK4026GAX 40GB 5400 RPM 16MB Cache Notebook Hard Drive - OEM
69 Bucks
* Model #: MK4026GAX

It is one of the only Toshibas I saw that does not specify that it comes with FDB.

I bought a Endurastar from Ebay, but it was Dead, and since it was not from an authorized reseller, I cannot get it replaced.

It's worth a shot at that price.
Just keep everything backed up. Which is obvious - it's in a car! Reguardless of summer or winter - it's in a car!

If your life depends on your carputer, reserve the funds to buy a backup HDD if that one dies. Used drives at local computer shops are running under $50...

Notebook drives tend to be more reliable. And the 5 yr warranty attests to that. You're golden.

Seraph · 10-28-2005, 12:01 AM

Solid state CF card for OS and external USB 2.5" hdd for other stuff.

willisan · 10-28-2005, 12:04 AM

Money isn't really an issue now. Kinda just throwing loot at it to get this damn thing done!

TruckinMP3 · 10-28-2005, 12:25 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by PatO

There was another thread on here a while back which alluded to problems with FDB hdd's (fluid dynamic bearings). They apparently freeze when it's cold enough. But most of the hdd's on this thread are newer (does this imply FDB) so perhaps certain models/manufacturers are more susseptible to extremely low temps...

They do not 'Freeze' That is related to a liquid turning into a solid.

The lubricant does thicken and slow the RPMs of the platters... this makes the data un readable. When they warm up a bit the platters spin at the correct RPMs to allow the data to be accesable, then it will boot normally.

Get a desktop drive that does not use FDBs and do not worry about it.

willisan · 10-28-2005, 12:39 AM

I am putting it into an ampie case. I would like it all self contained.

PatO · 10-28-2005, 01:03 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by TruckinMP3

They do not 'Freeze' That is related to a liquid turning into a solid.

The lubricant does thicken and slow the RPMs of the platters... this makes the data un readable. When they warm up a bit the platters spin at the correct RPMs to allow the data to be accesable, then it will boot normally.

Get a desktop drive that does not use FDBs and do not worry about it.

Freeze, thicken... There's got to be less than a few drops of it in there - does it matter? Do you really know? I'd be interested in reading about the fluid dynamics of said lubricating liquid.
Seriously! I read that thread about Morse Code! I can take it!

Seraph · 10-28-2005, 01:09 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by PatO

Freeze, thicken... There's got to be less than a few drops of it in there - does it matter? Do you really know? I'd be interested in reading about the fluid dynamics of said lubricating liquid.
Seriously! I read that thread about Morse Code! I can take it!

You don't have to get that technical about it. Take a hard drive, put it in the freezer for 3 hours. Go take it out and try to boot with it. If it fails, it will not work. That's how I've discovered that CF card will be the best booting medium.

Seraph · 10-28-2005, 01:09 AM

Oh and if you really want to "experiment" try to put a microdrive in the freezer. It's a fun one.

PatO · 10-28-2005, 01:30 AM

Quote: Originally Posted by Seraph

Oh and if you really want to "experiment" try to put a microdrive in the freezer. It's a fun one.

Inovative idea - you rock, dude!

TruckinMP3 · 10-30-2005, 12:50 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by PatO

Freeze, thicken... There's got to be less than a few drops of it in there - does it matter? Do you really know? I'd be interested in reading about the fluid dynamics of said lubricating liquid.
Seriously! I read that thread about Morse Code! I can take it!

I know by direct observation of cold drives and an education in Chem/Physics.

Does the Oil in your car engine flow well on very cold mornings? (no)
What about honey? (same thing)

Standard or old school bushings and bearings are mostly a mechanical device to reduce friction.
The FDB version uses a liquid lubricant to reduce wear and noise. This 'Fluid' is subject to the same change in viscosity that the oil and honey are.

Oil does not have the same 'state change' theat water does at 32 F (0C). The threshold for common lubricating oils are much lower.

Bugbyte · 10-30-2005, 03:07 PM

I poked around looking for the exact fluid used in the bearings but nobody explains exactly what it is. Still, it's some kind of lubricant. Basically oil. And there is an incredibly small amount of it. Which sort of explains why it would get thick pretty easily and return to normal fairly quickly.

I suspect if the platter even spins at all it may be enough to warm the fluid up pretty quickly.

Anyhow, I also learned that the reason for fluid in the bearings is two-fold. First, noise. Second, with ball bearings in a race, they wear ever so slightly over time and the platter will wobble, causing the drive to be unreliable. Granted, this wobbling is extremely small -I think they said it was 1/10th of a micro-inch, but that's enough to screw it up.

Anyhow, I know mine worked down to 14F, then wouldn't boot. After 10 minutes in a warm car it was fine.

Interesting white paper

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