> On Apr 30, 2023, at 10:27 PM, Ethan Dicks via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org>
> wrote:
>
> On Sun, Apr 30, 2023 at 8:47 PM W2HX via cctalk <cctalk@classiccmp.org> wrote:
>> Can anyone tell me what I picked up at a NH hamfest this weekend for $20? I
>> see it says RL01/RL02. I have two RL02 drives and some platters. None of
>> which I have gotten around to trying. Other than a copious amount of pine
>> needles, what can this be used for? Or maybe the right question is, should I
>> not use it for fear of destroying an RL platter?
>>
>> https://w2hx.com/?prefix=x/VintageComp/Platter-Device/
>
> Wow! Pretty neat - looks like a pack inspector for RK05, RL01/02, and
> RK06/07 based on the (blurry) instructions. Runout, at least, and
> certainly a few other measurements - would probably identify a pack
> that had been dropped hard enough to bend something (before you stuff
> it in a drive and ruin both).
>
> It doesn't look like a cleaner - I've seen an RK05 cleaner and it's a
> bit different - more about running a Texpad over the surface while
> slowly rotating than measuring anything.
>
> Cool find!
It would be nice to get a non-blurry photo of the instruction plate. It does
seem to say that it's both a cleaner and an inspection device. The inspection
part includes mirrors to let you view the platter surfaces (look for scratch
marks) as you rotate the pack slowly by hand.
Yes, cleaning for packs of that vintage is fairly simple, a lint-free pad like
Texwipe, isopropyl alcohol as the cleaning solvent. High purity would be good;
70% "rubbing alcohol" from the corner drugstore is not the best option. :-)
I can't quite figure out what the "runout" thing is. Runout seems like a
factory parameter, not something you'd check in the field. Or might it mean
vertical distortion (warping) of the platter? That's not the normal meaning.
I have seen bent platters, but I'm not sure how you'd get runout in the normal
sense of the word even if a pack were dropped fairly hard. (The bent platter I
remember was on an RP04 pack that was shipped to me for a customer on-site
support call; it was packaged badly by so the pack cover was banged which in
turn pushed against the bottom platter and bent it upward. Oops.)
paul
