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From: urlichs@smurf.sub.org (Matthias Urlichs)
Newsgroups: comp.periphs.scsi
Subject: Re: Quantum Q250 problem
Message-ID: <6jcng2.$+3@smurf.sub.org>
Date: 29 Nov 90 23:56:16 GMT
References: <1990Nov27.132946.240@skbat.csc.ti.com>
Organization: University of Karlsruhe, FRG
Lines: 26

In comp.periphs.scsi, article <1990Nov27.132946.240@skbat.csc.ti.com>,
  dittman@skbat.csc.ti.com (Eric Dittman) writes:
< (Reposted as I don't think the first post was sent)
< 
< I have a Quantum Q250 (50MB, 5 1/4) that's started acting strange.  At random
< times the drive access light comes on and the drive starts making noises that
< sound like a marble or something is hitting the drive.  There are also disk
< access noises made between groups of the hitting noises.  While the drive is
< doing this the drive itself can't be accessed, but the other three drives can
< been used.  After a random amount of time the light goes out and the noises
< stop and the drive can be used again, and nothing seems to have been lost or
< corrupted.  Has anyone seen this kind of activity before?
< 
Yes, once. It was caused by a marginal power supply; the drive was unable to
keep up its speed. I could hear this speed decrease in the frequency of the
drive's whine (it had been mounted on its side before this, and was very loud
because of it).

Unfortunately, there are a bunch of other possible reasons: 
Problems with the motor, with the motor speed control, with the electronics
which measure motor speed (the latter doesn't generate actual changes in
speed -- not audible), heat problems with all three, a bad condensator, ...

-- 
Matthias Urlichs -- urlichs@smurf.sub.org -- urlichs@smurf.ira.uka.de     /(o\
Humboldtstrasse 7 - 7500 Karlsruhe 1 - FRG -- +49+721+621127(0700-2330)   \o)/