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From: dmt@mtgzz.UUCP (d.m.tutelman)
Newsgroups: net.micro,net.micro.pc
Subject: Re: hard disk space heater
Message-ID: <1637@mtgzz.UUCP>
Date: Wed, 5-Feb-86 08:16:07 EST
Article-I.D.: mtgzz.1637
Posted: Wed Feb  5 08:16:07 1986
Date-Received: Thu, 6-Feb-86 20:39:42 EST
References: <445@bcsaic.UUCP>
Organization: AT&T Information Systems Labs, Middletown NJ
Lines: 36
Xref: watmath net.micro:13702 net.micro.pc:6815
Cc: dmt, uw-beaver!teltone!dataio!butler!chinn

> I recently bought a 20 meg harddisk to upgrade my IBM PC-1.
> Since I didn't buy a power supply upgrade, I salvalged one
> from an old project and set the disk and power supply up
> externally.
> 
> The drive was running awfully warm.  Too warm. Hot as a pistol.
> .....
> The question is, did I just get a lemon or is this a chronic problem?
> I intend to send it back monday ...  the drive is running 
> in the open air, and I keep it pretty cool at my house.

I don't know about hard disks, but I've had similar problems with 
half-height floppy drives.  I'm convince that these components
were intended for use with FORCED-AIR COOLING.  That fan on the
back of your PC isn't just there to make annoying noise -- it really
does suck the air through.

Experience: I've never taken a warm (to the touch) diskette out
of a PC with a fan.  However, my machine at home (homebrew, with
external floppies) ALWAYS warms up the diskettes after a couple
of minutes.  When I had the drives in a fanless case, DOS stopped
working after 10 minutes -- the warm floppies come out of NAKED
drives.  I've had this experience with about five different drives,
including some with pretty low dissipation.

So I doubt it's the drive that's a bummer; you need to keep moving
the air past it.

             		Dave Tutelman
                	Physical - AT&T Information Systems
                  		Room 3P432
                   		200 Laurel Avenue
                  		Middletown, NJ 07748
                	Logical -  ...ihnp4!mtuxo!mtgzz!dmt
             		Audible -  (201) 957 5535
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