Path: utzoo!attcan!uunet!decwrl!bacchus.pa.dec.com!shlump.nac.dec.com!refine.enet.dec.com!pomeroy
From: pomeroy@refine.enet.dec.com (Robert Pomeroy)
Newsgroups: comp.sys.amiga.games
Subject: Re: Always-running 3/5" drive
Message-ID: <13799@shlump.nac.dec.com>
Date: 24 Jul 90 14:53:47 GMT
Sender: newsdaemon@shlump.nac.dec.com
Organization: Digital Equipment Corporation
Lines: 31


In article <8490@mirsa.inria.fr>, colas@avahi.inria.fr (Colas Nahaboo) writes...
>I think so. On most floppy disk drives, you cannot park the head, and so the
>head is in CONTACT with the media as soon as you insert the disk.
>(at least it was on the ones I opened). So this will surely erase your disk
This will not "surely" erase the disk.
>and may damage, our at least put dirt on your drive head prematurely.
>Try opening your disk drive and inserting a disk, you will see if it is the 
>case...
> 
>This results from people doing too intricate disk protections, and messing
>with timers. My solution: eject the disk when it's not in use, put it back
>when in use, and write a irate letter to the editor.
>
>Colas Nahaboo, Bull Research France -- Koala Project -- GWM X11 Window Manager

There is no such thing as "parking heads" on floppy disks. On older 8" floppies,
the disk always spun, but the head was lifted away from the surface of the disk
when not R/Wing. A solenoid "loaded" the heads when it needed to access the disk.
With the advent of 5.25 and 3.5" disks (with 12V motors), the head is always in
contact with the disk, but the disk doesn't always spin. If Battle Squadron
endlessly spins the disk, it doesn't mean that your disk will be erased, or that
the heads will get dirty (unless you have a dirty disk). The heads, and the disk,
can spin like that for more revolutions than you would care to wait for without 
wearing down. 3.5" disks are pretty durable, and so are the drive mechanisms.

bob pomeroy
pomeroy@refine.enet.dec.com

coop student from Northeastern University, Boston Ma USA
presently a senior in computer (hardware) engineering