Auto inject floppy lubrication

[LaPorta]

Finally, after months of searching, I found that the Sony OEM lubrication used on the metal and plastic floppy drive surfaces is something called Molykote EM-10L. EM-10L is no longer manufactured, so I contacted DuPont directly for a replacement. They told me that their currently made EM-30L should be a suitable replacement. It is available in small jars on Amazon for about $15. I just ordered one myself.

 

[Crutch]

Nice sleuthing! How did you figure this out?

 

[Dog Cow]

Great work!

 

[LaPorta]

I finally found an earlier revision floppy drive manual (the 800k/1.4 MB auto inject drives appear to not have digital scanned copies of their manuals anywhere), and tracked down the Sony part number for lubricant to a site that supplies replacement parts for such equipment. The part number listing yielded the compound, and I cross-referenced this in the manual. From there, I found the compound listed on the DuPont site.

Now we can all use what we know to be the real deal.

 

[olePigeon]

@LaPorta Oh, perfect!  I'm going to order some.  I've tried both lithium grease (recommended) and silicon grease, and neither work.  The lithium grease works for a couple weeks, but then the floppy drive becomes difficult to use.  It'll be hard to inject a floppy, and sometimes it won't eject even though the motor and gears are good.

 

[LaPorta]

I've had good success with lithium, though sometimes I get what you do. I have found that literally a tiny coating is the best. I have noticed that the drives that had barely any greae to start work better 30+ years later than those that had it coated thick. I would assume the same practice is best.

I know others have said this but I am going to do a new video from start to finish with the auto injects.

 

[Unknown_K]

You get dust trapped in the grease and it hardens.

 

[adb9001]

@LaPorta thank you for your sleuthing, looking forward to your video when you get some free time.

Just ordered some EM-30L to replace my lithium grease.

I am new to this Macintosh Compact refurbishing scene and on a steep learning curve the past 4 months. Thanks to this community...been invaluable and will hopefully contribute.

I have refurbished 3 floppy drives (2 SuperDrives, 1 800k drive) and have 3 more to go. 

Tips

[1] pull together a kit of QTips, toothbrush, soaking tub, ISA (99%), DeOxit, Silicone, EM-30L, Phillips screwdriver

[2] videos on how to disassemble a drive, clean/lubricate, and put back together 

https://youtu.be/0pGhwtyFG2I

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=a3Vc3SdZJ2Y

[3] optional replacement gear parts for motor drive

https://imgur.com/gallery/MvGG6V0 (video showing gears working)

https://www.shapeways.com/product/27DNUVPJA/replacement-floppy-drive-gear-for-macintosh-comput?optionId=148365838&li=marketplace (replacement parts)

 

[olePigeon]

FYI:  I used the EM-30L grease on my recent floppy refurb, and it's WAY smoother than the lithium grease.  It's also ... I don't know ... fluffier?  It was more difficult to apply as it didn't want to stick to either the metal or the applicator, which I guess is a good thing.

 

[LaPorta]

How did it work out overall? I am making a video using it in the next few days.

 

[olePigeon]

@LaPorta It's like butter.   The mechanical action is super smooth.  Once you try it, you'll see what I mean.  It's completely different from lithium grease.

 

[adb9001]

Wow also impressed.

Just got my EM-30L grease and went to work on an 800k floppy (Sony MFD-51W-10).

Noticeable improvement. Thank you.

 

[LaPorta]

Glad it worked well for you! I just made a video on it; it is quite long and more for beginners:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qLyzjHTukos

 

[olePigeon]

By the way, I discovered that the motor, optical sensor, and even the read/write head are compatible with the SuperDrive.  So if you have a broken part on a SuperDrive, you can use the any of those three parts from an 800K drive.

 

[s_pupp]

I'm very glad to read this post - through sheer coincidence, this is the stuff I've been using for the past couple years.  It is a plastic-safe lubricant.  I've been very pleased with it.