Modern disks still have a filtration system and airflow within the disk. Air usually gets sucked from the edge then through the spindle and out the center. In this case I think the spinning created a lower pressure area where the heads were, resulting in the heads flying too low.

I'll re-look at the RL02 but I believe air was not pulled in from outside but recirculated from behind the heads under the unit to the center spindle where it came out, into the center of the pack and across the heads. Closed system when the lid was closed.

C


On 3/17/2022 9:27 AM, Paul Koning wrote:


On Mar 16, 2022, at 10:28 PM, Chris Zach via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> 
wrote:

I vividly recall a log by an operator who had a bad CDC 844 pack who
proceeded to destroy 5 drives and 3 additional packs. It was detailed
enough that it read like Gerard Hoffnung's "Bricklayer's Story".

When I was testing one of my RL02 drives I had a head skid on the disk. Problem 
was the air filter was so clogged there wasn't enough air to allow the heads to 
fly.

Huh?  The way I've always understood it is that heads fly from the air 
entrained by the disk surface as it spins, not from air blown through the drive 
via the air filters.  And clearly that is true for modern drives, since they 
are sealed.

        paul


Reply via email to