Alt-BEAM Archive
Message #00615
To: beam@corp.sgi.com
From: "Darcy Dueck" ddueck@hotmail.com
Date: Thu, 18 Feb 1999 21:43:35 MST
Subject: [alt-beam] Re: Powerbook Disk drive
Hey there List
I ripped a couple of motors out of some Apple II's and they are
superefficient even for being old!!
At 3V (rated for 12V), they consume a whopping 16 mA, unloaded. Stall
current is around 40mA. At 12V, I believe it runs around 25-30mA.
Darcy Dueck
Original Message:
_____________________________________
>From: "Feser, Jason"
>To: "'Richard Piotter'" , beam >Well well. I
have 4 or 5 old Mac SE's and classics gathering dust in my
>storage space. I thought they were only usefull as doorstops! They
have
>the electronic eject drives, but I'm not sure if they are efficient
motors
>(being really old), but I'll pull one apart tonight and check it out.
If
>thats the case, then there are 10 or 20 'junk' computer stores kicking
>around vancouver that I can pillage from.
>
>Thanks for the tip! :^)
>
>-----Original Message-----
>From: Richard Piotter [mailto:richfile@rconnect.com]
>Sent: Thursday, February 18, 1999 7:31 PM
>To: beam
>Subject: Powerbook Disk drive
>
>
>Since i'm getting a new G3 soon, I decided to start salvaging my former
>computer, my Apple PowerBook 1400cs. I'm still using it till I get the
G3,
>but I
>pulled the floppy drive and opened it!!! WOW!!! I knew the drive was
small,
>but
>most of that thing is empty space just so it'll fit in the expansion
bay (it
>also can hold a CD-ROM, so it has to be big enough for both). The drive
is
>just
>millemeters wider than an actual disk and 3 mm longer than a disk. It's
14
>mm
>thick, or about 1/2 inch, and it has a high torque motor to eject the
disk!
>The
>motor has a gear box with a switch sensor. The switch simply tells the
logic
>that the motor has turned the gear a full rotation. The head
positioning
>motor
>is 9 mm diameter and 8 mm long! It's TINY!!! It appears to be a micro
>stepper,
>capable of being driven by a microcore. It's so small and cool I'm
tempted
>to
>leave it alone!!! The eject motor is unnecesary for opperation. I may
take
>it
>out and glue a manual eject button like on PCs to it.
>
>I anyone ever sees a surplus of Mac disk drives, Old, new, or sub
miniature,
>invest in them, cause I susspect the motors would be quite useful! I'm
>keeping
>my eyes open! I wish PCs had electronics eject! Imagine the abundance
of
>motors
>we'd have then!!! Don't we wish! With the recent stray by apple from
the
>floppy
>drive (no new Apple computers have a standard floppy drive. The G3s and
>iMacs
>have ditched them, which i think is pretty lame! en the powerbook G3
>requires
>you buy it seprate for $100! Stupid!). Seriously though, if Apple is
>ditching
>the traditional floppy for 3rd party 120MB superdisk drives, then it
might
>not
>be at all suprising for a surge of used and unwanted old equipment
>(especialy
>with the old iMac going for as little as $900!) That equipment may
include
>drives! I'll be watching the Macintosh surplus and refurbishing places
for
>old
>drives, cause all Mac drives that i know f have a DC eject motor with a
nice
>gear box! It's an akward shape and gear setup, but usable. I think
people on
>the
>list have built robots with Mac eject motors.
>
>Looks like Apple's "elderly" machines might be reincarnated as
robots!!! (:
>--
>
>
>Richard Piotter
>richfile@rconnect.com
>
>The Richfiles Robotics & TI web page:
>http://members.xoom.com/richfiles
______________________________________________________
------------------------------------------------------------------------
eGroup home: http://www.eGroups.com/list/alt-beam
Free Web-based e-mail groups by eGroups.com
Home