hdd mod (in the box)

[Fushigi]

mmm... looks tastey, check out pics of the 1st mold in progress here:
(I'm sure you'll like the last pic)
http://anime-jennie.com/~chibiusa/

64 looks like a birthday cake.

(And chibiusa? Nah, Minako all the way!)

- Fushigi

 

[Mickey]

:lol: The last pic was sweet!

blakerwry, you're probably right about only enthusiasts being interested in made-to-fit parts. Still, a marketing person once approached me about selling drives with clear covers already installed (lights, too). These would have the same warranty as a regular drive (I presume) but have some sort of premium. I had to constrain my laughter when I pictured a drive decked out with a clear cover and "bling bling" lights inside. Maybe it'd need a separate Molex connector to power all the lights? What's next, a disco ball inside?

That'd be a fun project to work on, though. Getting it all to work would be the challenge, but it'd certainly be a conversation topic at parties.

 

[Mercutio]

Yeah! A spinning ball and a Lovely PC Speaker rendition of "Disco Inferno" (9 minute version) every time I boot up my PC. That would be cool!

 

[Fushigi]

Still, a marketing person once approached me about selling drives with clear covers already installed (lights, too). These would have the same warranty as a regular drive (I presume) but have some sort of premium. I had to constrain my laughter when I pictured a drive decked out with a clear cover and "bling bling" lights inside. Maybe it'd need a separate Molex connector to power all the lights? What's next, a disco ball inside?

I imagine a clear cover and a very small LED on top of the top-most read/write head. It'd make a nice effect when seeking. Add an 'ambient' light below the bottom platter & make the inside of the platter housing shiny (if not already) and you'd have a cool glow effect.

You'd only need to power 3 or so LEDs so it wouldn't cost anything significant to operate. The problem is the extra mass of the LED on the head.

Additional LEDs could also be mounted on the circuit board (or elsewhere since it's just for effect) and change colors based on disk activity or whatever. Heck, while your at it, add a 5 segment LED bar graph to indicate how full the drive is. Or a tri-color green-yellow-red single light.

Normally, this would only appeal to those who have windows in the sides of their cases and would be a rather niche product. But if you put this in an external USB/1934 enclosures, it'd sell like hotcakes.

And, of course, to top it off they could laser-etch the top platter with an image. Easy if the top platter isn't used for capacity; somewhat tougher if it is.

- Fushigi

 

[blakerwry]

And, of course, to top it off they could laser-etch the top platter with an image. Easy if the top platter isn't used for capacity; somewhat tougher if it is.

- Fushigi

uhh... that'll be my next mod.... :roll:

 

[Mickey]

I imagine a clear cover and a very small LED on top of the top-most read/write head. It'd make a nice effect when seeking. Add an 'ambient' light below the bottom platter & make the inside of the platter housing shiny (if not already) and you'd have a cool glow effect.

Putting an LED on the top head would make it fly unstably, or at the very least, really hurt performance because you'd be adding inertia to the actuator.

The inside of the housing is usually black. Sometimes it's a dull aluminum finish (alodyne, I think). I've never seen one shiny; it'd have to be nickel plated.

You'd only need to power 3 or so LEDs so it wouldn't cost anything significant to operate. The problem is the extra mass of the LED on the head.

Agreed.

Additional LEDs could also be mounted on the circuit board (or elsewhere since it's just for effect) and change colors based on disk activity or whatever. Heck, while your at it, add a 5 segment LED bar graph to indicate how full the drive is. Or a tri-color green-yellow-red single light.

That'd be a sight, though how would the drive know how "full" it is? Isn't that something the OS would know, but not the drive?

"Witness the latest drive from XYZ; it even has a fuel gauge!"

Normally, this would only appeal to those who have windows in the sides of their cases and would be a rather niche product. But if you put this in an external USB/1934 enclosures, it'd sell like hotcakes.

Hmm. Maybe I should suggest that to the Marketing guy who suggested the clear covers. *Makes note to self*

And, of course, to top it off they could laser-etch the top platter with an image. Easy if the top platter isn't used for capacity; somewhat tougher if it is.

A spinning image? Wouldn't it be a blur? Or would it only be visible if the drive was off?

 

[Howell]

Or if you could somehow mount leds to the top platter and as the platter spins the leds could spell out a message. You know, the persistence of vision thing. Fuel gauge or SMART readings maybe.

 

[blakerwry]

Man, this silicone is taking a long time to dry.. it's been ~24 hours and the "crust" has dried, but it is still very pliable and can be pulled apart to reveal an inner layer that is still too soft for removal from the drive.

Maybe after class tomorrow I can put my HDD back in my computer.... :beer:

 

[jtr1962]

Man, this silicone is taking a long time to dry.. it's been ~24 hours and the "crust" has dried, but it is still very pliable and can be pulled apart to reveal an inner layer that is still too soft for removal from the drive.

Maybe after class tomorrow I can put my HDD back in my computer.... :beer:

Did you make sure that it is 100% silicon caulk(generally used in kitchens and bathrooms) and not acrylic or siliconized acrylic? Did it smell like vinegar or more like petroleum distillates? The acrylic caulk or siliconized acrylic caulk will take days to get completely hard, and will not be as flexible as pure silicon. I should have mentioned before you started to make sure you were using the 100% silicon stuff. It's hard to tell from those pictures exactly what type you're using.

The silicon stuff generally starts skinning in 15 minutes, and a 1/4" layer cures in about 24 hours. At colder temperatures it will take longer.

 

[double bit CRC error]

lol, you have a good knowledge...

I have about 10 things of caulk in the garage.. i thought i grabbed silicone, but after I got it done and was putting the caulk back i noticed it was "silconized acrylic"...

In any event the caulk didnt form a very distinct shape around the subtle contours of the drive... so I decided to use playdough instead... hehe... i simply use a rolling-pin to flatten the playdough and then put a sheet of saran over the playdough and push the drive into the saran wrap... makes a good impression... Then i fill the playdough with plaster and wait an hour...

http://www.anime-jennie.com/hdd/sandwich/plaster/

 

[Mercutio]

A spinning image? Wouldn't it be a blur? Or would it only be visible if the drive was off?

Check this out.

 

[Handruin]

That clock is sweet. I've seen one like it that uses a vertical strip that bounces back and forth to achieve the same effect. This home built project is way cooler.

 

[Mickey]

Oooh, that looks sweet indeed. Someone in one of my grad classes did a project with an arm that would swing back and forth (think of a metronome's motion, only faster). It had LED's mounted along the length and probably worked on the same principle.

Now, how do you mount an LED on a spinning disk and not have it fly off? Need some good epoxy, I suppose.

 

[Buck]

You could also cross drill the platter, and insert the led through the hole in order to give the epoxy some extra support. We would also need a platter without any lubricant on it. Do you have some lying around Mickey?

 

[blakerwry]

oh, any tips on making the mold?

I guess I have to make two... a mold of the HDD top and then a mold of that so I can pour the lead and have a finished product that fits the HDD...

I was thinking of putting saran wrap over the drive and then pressing it into plaster... or possibly paper mache for the 1st mold... will this work well?

My gf is an art student, I'm sure she has experience making molds.

I think I would make the initial mold of the HDD top with silicon rubber. Home Depot has it in caulking gun sized tubes for about $3 to $4, and one tube should be plenty. Cover the top of the drive and go down along the sides about 1/2" or so(exact amount not critical). Put on about 1/4" at a time, let it cure a couple of hours(preferably in a well-ventilated room since it stinks like super strong vinegar). A couple of layers(maybe 1/2" to 3/4" thick) should be enough to maintain dimensional stability. Let the whole thing cure about 24 to 48 hours. After that, pour plaster of paris into the mold, being careful to shake out the air bubbles. The plaster should get hard with a few hours tops(usually in about 30 minutes). After that you'll have a perfect plaster of paris model of the HDD top and about 1/2 of the sides as well. You need to make some sort of liquid tight lip extending about 1/4" high above the top of the plaster model. Ideally, it should also be easily removable so you can get multiple uses out of your mold. I'm thinking of something along the lines of 1/16" sheet metal, perhaps held tightly against the plaster mold with clamps. Perhaps put a bit of modeling clay on the part that sits against the plaster for a liquid tight fit. Once this is done(and tested with water to make sure it's liquid tight), you can prepare your steel plate. Warm the plate to the same temperature of the molten lead(or even a little higher). Pour the lead in the mold. Fill it completely, and then put the steel plate on top. Pour in additional lead to fill the holes in the steel plate. Once everything solidifies, every should be nicely bonded together. If the plate and lead detach later on, a very thin layer of epoxy should fix it without impeding the heat flow. I would undercut the holes a bit on the side away from the lead to aid retention(same as a dentist does when filling a cavity).

I'm sure your gf can offer many helpful suggestions as well.

you think tin foil and duct tape will work? (to pour the lead onto the plaster I mean... )


I was going to melt the lead in some old camp cookware that I never use... it's pretty thin steel... I know that cast iron is prefered for metal melting, however I dont have any around...

do you think the steel will work?



umm.. that's about it... i added some pics of the actual finished plaster mold to the last listed URL...

 

[Mickey]

You could also cross drill the platter, and insert the led through the hole in order to give the epoxy some extra support. We would also need a platter without any lubricant on it. Do you have some lying around Mickey?

Blanks? I have plenty of regular disks lying around. They make dandy mirrors in the cube for seeing when people are coming around corners and the like. I don't have any blanks, but I know some folks that do. If someone wants it, I can probably scrounge them up.

Just make sure it's an aluminum platter before you start drilling. Fracturing glass media isn't any fun.

 

[Buck]

Yes, they do make dandy mirrors. What do you do with a bunch of flex arms?

 

[Mickey]

Flex arms? If you mean the actuators, I've seen some assemble them hodgepodge into abstract sculpture.

Of course, another person had a VCM sculpture (it was literally a pile of magnets about a foot tall and a foot wide at the bottom). She had a warning sign up for it.

Yes, I work with strange people.

blakerwry, some silicones will set up and cure more quickly if you heat it a little, like maybe with a hair dryer. Also, I don't see why you wouldn't be able to melt the lead in your old cookware. I suspect using cast iron is preferred because of the way it conducts and holds heat.

 

[Buck]

Flex arms?

No, the flex arm that has the head attached to it and attaches to the actuator arm. Don't get me started on the magnets that move the head assembly - those are fun.

 

[Mickey]

Oh. I've heard them called suspensions or HGA's. Different terminology. Someone had a section of his cube wall covered with them. Haven't seen anything else done with them.

I quickly learned why it's better to use pliers when having to pry apart magnets. Must be a form of hazing not to explain that little detail to the new grad. :lol:

 

[Buck]

Yes, Head Gimbal Assembly. I didn't think that the actual gimbal and flex arm made up the HGA, my bad.


Hehe, great fun with those magnets. They almost tempt a dare - I dare you to remove that magnet. And then you watch that person squirm trying to pry that sucker off with their bare fingers.

 

[jtr1962]

you think tin foil and duct tape will work? (to pour the lead onto the plaster I mean... )


I was going to melt the lead in some old camp cookware that I never use... it's pretty thin steel... I know that cast iron is prefered for metal melting, however I dont have any around...

do you think the steel will work?

The play dough was a nice idea. It seems to have worked well.

Steel should work just fine for melting lead. I think most steels melt at well over 2000°F, so you should have nothing to worry about as long as there are no plastic handles.

I don't think duct tape and tin foil would work very well for the sides of the mold. The lead is very heavy and once the mold was filled it would likely bend the foil sides. Some sort of sheet metal should work fine instead. It doesn't need to be very thick. Maybe 1/32" or 1/16". I'm guessing you can duct tape it to the mold since that part won't get too hot, but the parts that will be in direct contact with hot lead can't be duct taped. Instead, there is silver tape commonly used for taping furnace exhaust tubes. I think Home Depot has it. It's designed to resist high temperatures(at least 600°F IIFC). This should be your best bet to tape the sheet metal to the mold.

I'm thinking of trying this myself, perhaps with a few variations. I was thinking of making something U-shaped where the sides of the "U" bolt to the drive sides(to absorb the heat and conduct it to the top), and the top is very thick(to absorb vibrations). I was thinking of encased the entire thing(except the top) in sound absorbing material. The heavy top should absorb the sounds coming up that way but still allow cooling while the sound deadening material will take care of the rest. Maybe some small fins on top will enhance the cooling effect even further. :idea:

 

[blakerwry]

kinda like this amp, i used to have:

http://stp.safeshopper.com/21/59.htm?243

 

[jtr1962]

Yes, exactly what I had in mind.

 

[e_dawg]

OMG this is an ambitious project. I would love to see the final results!

I was going to chime in with my own noise reduction project earlier, but I felt silly what with your custom molding techniques and all

I decided I might as well provide a link to my simpler solution for the amateur hobbyist without any handyman skills...

http://www.catalytic.ca/sr/soundproofing_1.htm

 

[blakerwry]

i saw a hdd enclosure for $80 i think... had fins like that all around... was rated for 7200rpm operation I believe... but i dont believe it soundsed as thermally intelligent as your design.


Home depot(or was it Lowes) has square tubing... i would assume you could cut it length-wise to end up with two "|_|" shaped side pieces... I think it was near the sheet metal... don't remember its intended purpose though...

 

[blakerwry]

OMG this is an ambitious project. I would love to see the final results!

I was going to chime in with my own noise reduction project earlier, but I felt silly what with your custom molding techniques and all

I decided I might as well provide a link to my simpler solution for the amateur hobbyist without any handyman skills...

http://www.catalytic.ca/sr/soundproofing_1.htm

I like your counter tops... Most my projects are "poor man's" projects like that as well... you should see what my car looks like (amplifiers mounted to underside of the trunk top... carpet padding installed under the carpet, seats, and door interior panels... held on with duct tape i think...



how's your project thermally? any increase in HDD temps.. or overall system temps for that matter...

I lined the inside of my case with cork and sprayed everything with rubberized undercoating to help absorb sound... I dont think temps were affected... if they were it was at most a 2 degree rise in SYS/CPU temp... But i dont know if sound was actually lowered... in any event it was fun...

 

[e_dawg]

I like your counter tops...

Que?

how's your project thermally? any increase in HDD temps.. or overall system temps for that matter...

I think the HD's run a little warmer... but I don't care. I have been known to advise people that "it's perfectly fine to wrap up a cool-running 7200 rpm drive in a blanket to control noise." As long as it's not too hot to place your hand on the drive for an extended period without burning your hand, it's cool enough for me.

 

[blakerwry]

I like your counter tops...

Que?

The end pic looks like you set the equipment on a counter top...

 

[blakerwry]

[quote="blakerwryI think I've invested about as much as I can for now... I'll have some more time next week to play with this... however, I might just get rid of this drive in exchange for something quieter[/quote]


I ate my words on that one....


I managed to do well in the 3 exams i had this week... i have some events to attend tomorrow (friday) evnening and an exam on Monday...

But surely I'll be able to pour the lead and get some more tests done this weekend.

 

[e_dawg]

Thanks. That's actually my U-shaped computer/office desk + hutch, drawers/filing cabinet that I bought from Staples. Excellent value for $180 USD, me thinks. My 19" monitor has been sitting on one side for a year and a half now and there appears to be no signs of "sagging" yet.

 

[Howell]

Then i fill the playdough with plaster and wait an hour...

http://www.anime-jennie.com/hdd/sandwich/plaster/

In the event that the heat from the lead cracks the plaster you will probably need to fiber reinforce the plaster to keep it from breaking up. My first thought is to embed dental floss. Maybe un-waxed.

 

[fool]

Just thinking out loud here so its entirely possible(probable?) that I’m talking from an orifice other than the intended, but,

I'm thinking of trying this myself, perhaps with a few variations. I was thinking of making something U-shaped where the sides of the "U" bolt to the drive sides(to absorb the heat and conduct it to the top), and the top is very thick(to absorb vibrations). I was thinking of encased the entire thing(except the top) in sound absorbing material. The heavy top should absorb the sounds coming up that way but still allow cooling while the sound deadening material will take care of the rest. Maybe some small fins on top will enhance the cooling effect even further.

Sounds great, only for the top plate I'd be inclined to try two or more thin layers of dissimilar materials clamped together, say a layer of lead so you can get a good contact with the top of the drive then a glass layer then more lead or AL or steel or whatever metal you can get with fins or make fins on. This way wouldn’t you find that the resonance characteristics of the three layers were far enough apart to give you a more effective noise reduction.
Of course to make it effective, (always assuming the theory holds water), you’d need to do some maths, but hey, that’s what the box is for.
Mind you there probably woudnt be enough advantage to justify the extra work and complexity.

Oh, and if you wanted to avoid lead, how feasible do you think it would be to drill the top plate, or lower layer of a top plate assembly, to fit the drive
As my Grand father (who I got my sig. from) used to say,
Old engineers never die, they know the right drill

 

[jtr1962]

Oh, and if you wanted to avoid lead, how feasible do you think it would be to drill the top plate, or lower layer of a top plate assembly, to fit the drive
As my Grand father (who I got my sig. from) used to say,
Old engineers never die, they know the right drill

Interesting thought. I'm thinking with the proper tools you could machine something to more or less fit the top of the drive instead of using lead. Also, someone pointed out above that the sides of the drive get hottest, meaning this is the best place to attach a heat sink. Since I want to cover the sides with sound-proofing material, that means I need to conduct the heat away to a place where it can be removed-hence my U-shaped channel. Good thermal contact with the top of the drive should be the icing on the cake, although hopefully my idea will work well without it if the sides and top are either one piece or attached tightly with screws plus thermal compound.. In any case, for the sound-deadening part to work, there does need to be a snug fit between the top of the drive and the heavy metal plate(or plates) on top, so your idea has some merit. I really won't know anything until I build it, however. I'll check downstairs if I can scrounge up enough spare parts to get started, or maybe I can find a heat sink close enough in one of my catalogs. In the end it might not be enough of a sound reduction to justify the work. I'm curious as to how blakerwry's project will turn out, so I think I'll wait on that before I do anything.

 

[Howell]

Also, someone pointed out above that the sides of the drive get hottest, meaning this is the best place to attach a heat sink. Since I want to cover the sides with sound-proofing material, that means I need to conduct the heat away to a place where it can be removed-hence my U-shaped channel.

hmmm

 

[blakerwry]

Also, someone pointed out above that the sides of the drive get hottest, meaning this is the best place to attach a heat sink. Since I want to cover the sides with sound-proofing material, that means I need to conduct the heat away to a place where it can be removed-hence my U-shaped channel.

hmmm

That would be nice if I already had a water cooling rig... however, the cost of a pump, fan, tank, and radiator make it a little much for me...

But for the ultimate silence that looks quite good....



hmm... my lead didn't work out so great... maybe it was too cold outside or too windy... in any event the lead did not match the precise details of the plaster mold.. i think it may have cooled too quickly... it fits the mold well, so it should fit the HDD well... I'll have to post the pics soon.

I have some "slag"(i guess) ontop of the lead, i was just going to use a sanding block and some 80grit paper to smooth it out, sound good?


I also made another cut to the steel plates, shaved off about a 1/4" to make it fit better in the case... however I think my grinding blade is done for... cutting was reeeeeaaaal slow... i finally had to finish with a hack saw by hand... my grinding blade that was 8" in diameter is now 7.5"...

 

[jtr1962]

I have some "slag"(i guess) ontop of the lead, i was just going to use a sanding block and some 80grit paper to smooth it out, sound good?

Sounds good to me. I've had similar issues with lead where it doesn't take all the details of the mold. I think it's because the mold cools the lead very fast before it has a chance to flow everywhere. No matter, it should fit good enough to take the heat away from the drive. We're not talking about a large heat flux here anyway(maybe 6 or 7 W), so precise fit isn't as ciritical as it is with, say, a CPU that puts out 80W and has less than a square inch to fit against the heat sink.

 

[blakerwry]

I have some "slag"(i guess) ontop of the lead, i was just going to use a sanding block and some 80grit paper to smooth it out, sound good?

Sounds good to me. I've had similar issues with lead where it doesn't take all the details of the mold. I think it's because the mold cools the lead very fast before it has a chance to flow everywhere. No matter, it should fit good enough to take the heat away from the drive. We're not talking about a large heat flux here anyway(maybe 6 or 7 W), so precise fit isn't as ciritical as it is with, say, a CPU that puts out 80W and has less than a square inch to fit against the heat sink.

true true

 

[blakerwry]

I'm done with the sound measurements... and here are the results:

mp3's from 2" with case off:
No dampening
USPS box
Steel sandwich


Close up graphs (3-20kHz):

All sound measurements from 2" with case off
USPS box compared to no dampening
Steel sandwich compared to no dampening
USPS box comapred to steel sandwich

 

[Mickey]

Hmm. So the USPS box did about the same as the steel sandwich? At least, according to the graphs it looks that way.