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Path: utzoo!attcan!utgpu!jarvis.csri.toronto.edu!mailrus!ames!bionet!agate!shelby!portia!roadman
From: roadman@portia.Stanford.EDU (arthur walker)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga,comp.sys.amiga.tech
Subject: Re: ST277N-1 and/or power supply problems.
Summary: disk drive has a mind too
Keywords: power supply, hard drive
Message-ID: <5984@portia.Stanford.EDU>
Date: 21 Oct 89 05:54:00 GMT
References: <749@dsacg2.UUCP>
Sender: arthur walker <roadman@Portia.stanford.edu>
Followup-To: comp.sys.amiga
Organization: Stanford University
Lines: 23

In article <749@dsacg2.UUCP>, nor1675@dsacg2.UUCP (Michael Figg) writes:
..
>      drive was replaced with a newer ST277N-1 (I think it was '-1' but maybe
>      '-2', anyway it's 28ms). As soon as the new drive was installed it       
>      started to make occasionally sporatic access sounds, usually when the
>      machine is on, but not being used. The sounds don't sound 'bad' and only
>      happen approxiametly every 5 or 6 minutes for about 1 second. It seems
>      like a problem like this was mentioned in the past but I don't 
>      remember if it was the newer ST277N-1. Any help on this?

Remember, SCSI devices are intelligent devices.  

Seagate's idea of what an intelligent device should do in the way of
housekeeping evidently involves full range seeks - or track recalibrations -
every few minutes.  The drive light doesn't go on because it's none of your
business, out there on the host end of the SCSI connector.

It's easy to come up with reasons to do this, but which were Seagate's
principal ones I don't know.  My willful drive is a 157N-1, so it's not
limited to drives of the 5.25" HH form factor.

art walker
roadman@portia.stanford.edu