Mount HD with rubber bands to quell noise

[sos_nz]

Further to my SE/30's restoration (viewtopic.php?f=7&t=20122), I've mounted my hard drive by suspending it between two large rubber bands.

Although the Seagate Savvio 10k U320 SCSI 70GB drive is itself very, very quiet, it was transmitting quite a bit of vibration / hum. Not sure whether this is inherent to the drive, or the fact it needed to be mounted in a 2.5 to 3.5" adapter cage. Basically I strung two fat rubber bands, one each through the front and rear slits on the side of the original mounting cage, secured with some heat shrink tubing, and suspended the drive like it's in a cat's cradle. I'll post some photos tonight of the set up, which took just a couple of minutes to rig.

There are some theoretical concerns about a) the rubber perishing and the drive falling (a 1/2" drop at most) and B) the drive running slightly warmer due to the lack of thermal conduction to the cage/chassis. However, the sweet sound of (near) silence is very compelling!

 

[sos_nz]

A piccy to illustrate:

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Great hack!

 

[onlyonemac]

the rubber perishing and the drive falling (a 1/2" drop at most)

Even if it doesn't fall, it's most likely shaking around in there (not a good thing for hard drives). I'd rather strap it down onto a foam pad, then connect some metal plates (i.e. a heatsink ) to the top of the drive if you're worried about cooling.

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Putting a few twists in the rubber bands on each side so it's about as secure as the rubber shock mounting of early HDD installations in the likes of the Compaq Portable II would be better than foam if the heads are overcoming gyroscopic amplification of the HDD's considerable mass. But I doubt it's shaking much as is, unless there's something wrong with it.

A little vibration is one thing, a Mexican Jumping Drive would be another. )

 

[onlyonemac]

I was also thinking of if the Mac were to be moved/bumped (my Mac generally gets knocked a few centimeteres each day when I swap floppies etc.).

 

[Trash80toHP_Mini]

Shaking the mac when the HDD is solidly attached would be worse for the HDD than when it's shock mounted, even like it is now.

 

[LCGuy]

jt is right - ruggedised laptops use rubber for HDD shock mounting. So long as the drive is securely mounted bumps are the last thing I would worry about. The rubber in the rubber bands decaying, on the other hand...

 

[beachycove]

You might well achieve much the same effect with a couple of nylon shoelaces and some judiciously tied knots.

I have been using small pieces of high density foam padding (the white stuff that is used as a thin packaging wrap and is almost like a fabric) for these purposes when mounting drives and case fans for years. There is noticeably less noise when mounting plates, and whole machines, are less able to serve as amplifiers.

 

[James1095]

I think you'll find that the rubber bands will deteriorate in relatively short order. I had some hanging on a tack at work for about a year and when I went to use one eventually I discovered they had all dried out and fell apart in my hands.

I use rubber grommets as vibration isolators. You can get them in any decent hardware store, sometimes automotive stores, and Radio Shack used to sell packages of them. You drill the hole a bit larger, put the grommet in it, and run the screw through that. In a pinch, a small piece of rubber hose will do, it expands slightly when you tighten the screw and will grip the hole.

 

[Bunsen]

Or you can buy bungee cord from hardware for about a buck a yard.

 

[JDW]

Not too unlike the old GCC Hyperdrive approach.

But "natural" rubber bands will harden and crack in a year or two, even in environments with high humidity. You may want to consider swapping those out with a pair of silicone bands instead.

 

[trag]

Consider elastic band material from the fabric shop. It comes in various widths, and is fairly flat in cross section. I think of it, because I use it as substitute material for shock cords in model rockets.

You could also go with woven kevlar thread, which will not decay on you, but that can get expensive. It has to be a band of woven thread, because the plain thread doesn't have much elasticity to it.