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From: entropy@fluke.UUCP (Terrence J. Mason)
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: "Parking" the heads on hard disks
Message-ID: <1079@vax2.fluke.UUCP>
Date: Thu, 16-Jan-86 13:24:10 EST
Article-I.D.: vax2.1079
Posted: Thu Jan 16 13:24:10 1986
Date-Received: Sun, 19-Jan-86 04:15:19 EST
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Organization: John Fluke Mfg. Co., Inc., Everett, WA
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Xref: watmath net.micro:13530 net.micro.pc:6566

I have a Shugart SA-712 and always park the heads before powering the thing
down.  I checked with someone familiar with Shugarts burn-in and test
procedures who said that mechanically there is no reason not to land the heads
anywhere that you want (other than the travel issues).  However, I don't
really trust my controller board (OMTI 20-L) not to squirt out little dribbles
of current in the process of powering down, so I don't take the chance.
Paranoia has even prompted me to consider modifying my system software to
force the heads to idle over the 'landing zone' when the disk has not been
used for a few minutes, so that if I suffer a power failure the heads are more
likely to land in the correct place.

terrymason (entropy@fluke)