Cleaning Floppy Disk Drive

[robert44]

I'm a newby here and have a question. I have a 128K Mac and a Mac Plus. I use both with a Fanny Mac cooling fan. I have heard that the floppy drives when a computer is cooled with a fan should be cleaned more often because dust gets drawn up into the computer. My question is what is the best way to clean the drives without cracking the case open? I vaguely remember floppy cleaning methods from days long ago but have forgotten what to do. Thanks in advance!

 

[CC_333]

I'm not sure, but a good, thorough cleaning is probably impossible without some sort of disassembly.

But if all you want to do is clean the heads (assuming everything else in the drive is in good working order), then all you need is a head cleaning kit. I've never used one, but this is my understanding of what they are and how they worked: They usually had a felt disk, on to which you applied some sort of fluid. Then when you inserted the disk into the drive, the heads would run across the disk, cleaning them. Then it would eject.

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[robert44]

Yes a head cleaning kit. That's what I was thinking about. I wonder if they are still made or if one can obtain NOS kits?

 

[Charlieman]

You'll need two kits -- one for single sided 400KB drives and one for 800KB drives. Using a two sided cleaning kit in a single sided drive risks damage to the felt counter pad (the mechanism opposite the drive head).

Unless you are experimenting with a lot of old disks with loose oxide on the disk surface, you are unlikely to experience problems. Every ten years or so, you may need to remove the drive to lubricate the mechanism, but if one is operating smoothly, leave it alone.

 

[robert44]

I appreciate the info! I was thinking that running an exhaust fan on a computer that was not designed from the get go to use one might cause dust problems.

 

[unity]

I appreciate the info! I was thinking that running an exhaust fan on a computer that was not designed from the get go to use one might cause dust problems.

Really does not matter much. The fan will pull more air, but air is pulled into the floppy area even without the fan. The computers cooled via convection.

 

[Blinkenlightz]

Also, the concerns over dust were really most relevant when these machines were in heavy use - unless you're using your Plus and your 128 daily, and for hours per day, I wouldn't expect dust build-up to really be significant.

 

[robert44]

Thanks everyone!