68kMLA Classic Interface

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Repair question: 1.4mb superdrive

Posted by: Cloaked Alien on 2018-05-18 09:39:47 If the top head of the head assembly doesn't spring down properly, does that mean something is bent out of shape or is it repairable? =)

Posted by: MOS8_030 on 2018-05-18 10:19:02 Can you post a top-down image of the drive?

Posted by: Cloaked Alien on 2018-05-18 11:46:30 Don't mind the mess, the drive was completely seized and got it's fair share of white lithium grease.

Posted by: MOS8_030 on 2018-05-18 12:45:33 Did you have it apart to lube it? So when you insert a disk the upper head doesn't drop to make contact with the disk?

Posted by: Cloaked Alien on 2018-05-18 13:34:37 Correct. The main issue with the drive was that it was totally seized.  I tore it apart according to guides, cleaned it and lubed it. Mechanically it started to work fine after that. But it refused to read disks. To the best of my knowledge it had that issue before. But when I tore it apart yet again I probably got to rough with it because now the head doesn't drop. So I figured I either bent something or caused something to come loose. So if it's broken it's no big deal, because it didn't read disks to begin with, but I have to check if there's any chance to salvage it =)

Posted by: MOS8_030 on 2018-05-18 18:51:44 Perhaps you didn't reassemble it correctly. It is possible to so during reassembly if you're not careful. Check out this video, if you haven't seen it already. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Vc3SdZJ2Y

Posted by: CC_333 on 2018-05-19 19:40:22 Also, if you take the heads out (undo the two setscrews holding the little bar it slides on and pull the two ribbon connectors, making note of which one goes where) and look at them from the front, you should see a spring inside. It's likely that spring got stretched a bit. There are three pairs of little indentations where the spring hooks, each a little farther apart. If you move the spring to one of those sets, it increases the tension, and then the head should close like normal. c

Posted by: techknight on 2018-05-23 17:26:14 I have seen these springs bend too far if you over-extend the headstack during removal, and if that happens it wont close all the way. SOMETIMES you can bend it back down with force but its really easy to knock the cylinder alignment out and once you do that, game over.

Posted by: bibilit on 2018-05-25 00:27:20 Another possibly problem is the eject motor not working properly and avoiding the head lowering down.

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