Wanted: Dead Hard Drives

[Michael Cecil]

*TimDaniels*

Ah, so you are Ron Reaugh. I should have guessed.

 

[Captain]

Not cynical at all. Just paying attention. When people deliberately
pull at my heart strings is when I'm on the highest alert.

these magnets make perfect projects such as
http://www.otherpower.com/bdwm53.html

problem is getting enough of these rare earth magnets.
hard drive magnets are strong enough to pickup a 10lb sledge hammer,
especially when your working around water, and happen to drop a tool
into the lake.


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[Captain]

You know, if I were cynical, I'd say you were fishing for
personal information from off those hard disks. In any event,
the magnets in a hard disk drive aren't very strong, and your
son can get a lot more effective magnets elsewhere.

*TimDaniels*

well yes they are actually, there strong enough to pickup
5-10 pounds of weight, hammers, pipe wrenches, and for there size
there perfect for a wind generator....

http://www.otherpower.com/bdwm53.html some of the wind gen projects
they are low-cost. a round rare earth magnet thats 2" x 1/4" cost
about $30+ (each) a 1" inch hard drive magnet (usually theres 2-3) in
each hard drive would be the way to go.

the hardest part in any of these projects is building a prop
that won't self destruct in a storm.


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[Folkert Rienstra]

<grin> "We"?

Yes Timmy.

"Troll"? Roddy, is that you again?

Wash your mouth, child.

 

[John Turco]

The magnets have nothing to do with the write head. They are used to
move the heads along with the voice coil winding. Take a drive apart
and you will see how it works. Also, try looking up rare-earth
magnets. These magnets are so strong that they can cause a lesser
magnet (ferrite type) to reverse it's field. I have done this myself
with a magnet from a hard drive. It totally wrecked a small ferrite
magnet that was brought in close contact in only 30 seconds. The
ferrite magnet was from a small electric motor.

Hello, Crypto:

What you've described, above, is called a "voice coil actuator." This
ultra-precise mechanism replaced the earlier "stepper motor actuator,"
years ago, when the modern hard disk moved to much greater areal density
(i.e., capacity).

Stepper motor actuators are still more than adequate, for floppy drives,
though (obviously enough).


Cordially,
John Turco <[email protected]>

 

[Scott Alfter]

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Oh miserable is the lot of the hapless Newbie, led astray to think that
he can't gererate power with an old hard drive.

Y'know, if you had any clue at all, you'd already know that you could obtain
drive-erase software (often for free) that meets or exceeds DoD standards
for data destruction. You could then pass along the drive to somebody
without worrying that they'd find your stash of kiddie pr0^W^Wfinancial
data.

It seems that you're only here to hear yourself talk, though...much like a
certain otheR "induhvidual" whoSe name doesn't need to be mentioned. I
smell a * PLONK * coming...

_/_ Scott Alfter (address in header doesn't receive mail)
/ v \ send mail to $firstname@$lastname.us
(IIGS( http://alfter.us/ Top-posting!
\_^_/ rm -rf /bin/laden >What's the most annoying thing on Usenet?

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[Timothy Daniels]

I smell a * PLONK * coming...

99% of newbies - those who would give an old hard
drive to someone whom they didn't know - know zip about
erasure software. That you say that there is erasure software
only shows that you know about it, not that the newbies know.

And if you would generate power with something you
cobbled together with and old hard drive only says that you
want to cobble, not that you want to generate power.

*TimDaniels*