Reposting for a friend.
Hi. Just wondering if anyone has a spare 5.25 cleaning disk they could spare? I would like to see if cleaning the heads can get my 2c drives to read disks again.
Thanks in advance!
Anonymous
User login
Please support the defense of Ukraine.
Direct or via Unclutter App
Active forum topics
Recent content
Navigation
No Ads.
No Trackers.
No Social Media.
All Content Locally Hosted.
Built on Free Software.
We have complied with zero government requests for information.
You don't need a cleaning disk for most drives. A high quality cotton swab (that doesn't shed fibers) and high concentration isopropyl alcohol (90+) will work fine. Careful not to spill and allow to dry thoroughly before using the drive after.
Of course you do have to open the machine and remove the drive to do this... but it isn't a bad idea to blow out any dust bunnies debris from the drive and check the drive belt, lubricate the rails, etc., anyway. I've seen vintage drives with dead insects and just tons of hair, lint, etc, that a cleaning disk isn't going to take care of.
I'll forward this on to the guy that had posted this in the Atari Age Apple II forum. Thanks for you reply.
I saw that thread a few days ago. That OP doesn't seem comfortable tearing down his //c and drive. In his defense, opening the //c can be a pain trying to get the back of the case to separate without breaking tabs.
When I started cleaning Disk IIs I desperately looked for the one I had decades ago but I couldn't find it. I know I don't need it, but to be able to clean the head without opening the case can be helpful. Much more helpful for any drive that isn't a disk II! All the others can be a PITA.I don't know how much of a market there is for these things, but if someone manufacturers some I'm intersted! Heck, I'd also take a couple 3.5 disk versions!
I'm not a fan of disk head cleaning diskettes.
They cause almost as many problems as they solve and are not all that effective, frankly.
Certainly not as effective as a manual cleaning with a cotton swab.
Plus, most times they have the top "window" removed so the cheaning media is scraping agains the felt pressure pad above the read-write head, and that can damage the pressure pad.
I agree... also not only is the cleaning disk usually scraping the pressure pad, it is also gunking it up with cleaning solvent, which you really don't want. Solvent will dry fairly quickly from the read/write head, but not so much from a felt pad. And now you're cleaning the back side of all your floppies. If they're "flippies" (and most are), then that's probably not a great idea.
Simiilat to that, I've made sure drive doors are open when not in use. I imagine the felt pad gets compressed to basically a solid block when sitting under that pressure no matter how little. That said, on a Disk II getting to the head is fairly easy so manual would be quick. For any of the uni/duo disks and 3.5" drives... that'w more work. That teardown can easily cause more damage than using the cleaning disk. It's also possible to mnaually turn the cleaning pad by spinning the drive motor... that would be less risky.