Equipment Maintenance

By Bob Nunn, for MCUC Magazine

I just finished cleaning 7 drives this weekend at our latest copy session.  It made me think about the first time I cleaned my drives, and the little regimen of maintenance that I maintain for my personal equipment.

Most of you know that I run a bbs.  Having your equipment online 24 hours a
day for 5 years places strain on all components. I have to compliment
Commodore on the quality of their equipment.  To date I have had only one
drive aligned.  My original 64 is a Combe Inc. $99 refurb unit.  I did lose a
couple of power supplies and this is a weak link in the system.   I replaced
them with heavy duty units and have had no trouble since.  I now elevate and
cool my power supplies with a fan.  Never set one on carpet, it holds in the
heat.  Set it on an overturned pie pan to help "SINK" the heat away.
 
Now I know what you are thinking, just how did this guy make his equipment
last so long.  I am going to share with you a few things that I do to make my
equipment last.

1. Elevate your equipment to allow more air flow.  I use tall rubber feet in
place of the short ones.  Make sure you level your modem and REU to the same
height.  I buy the feet at Radio Shack or Target.

2.  Put fans on everything!  I have a small fan that blows onto my power
supplies, which are elevated on a small rack.  I have other small fans that
blow  either onto or into all of my drives.  If you haven5t figure it out yet
you need to keep everything cool.

3.  Never, never move a drive without a head protector!  If you threw the
little cardboard thing that came in the drive away cut one out of shirt
cardboard.  It is the same size as a disk but has a small tab as shown.

4.  Don5t bang on the keyboard or let anyone bang on it.  My space bar still
works after 5 years of hard use. 

5.  Don5t clean your drive unless you have a problem (my dad taught me this,
he says don't fix it if it ain't broke).  If the head starts hanging or you
get more frequent disk read or write errors then take action.  You can use one
of those drive cleaners, but you are delaying the inevitable.  It is best to
disassemble the drive and clean the rails and head using a 91% alcohol
thoroughly.  Then lubricate the rails with a very fine machine oil (never
WD40, I use silicon) and reassemble.  Remember that disassembly by
unauthorized persons may result in voiding your warantee.  If you are
uncomfortable with electronics then have it professionally done (or bring it
to the next copy session).

6.  Never let some weenie align your drive.  Oh he may have that expensive
program and has done it many times with no trouble, but the only way to align
a drive properly is with a scope.  Let a professional do it for you!  I can't
tell you how many people I know have paid $10 or $20 to have some guy really
foul up their drive.  You can easily ruin a 1571 beyond repair.

7.  Always turn off the computer when plugging in cartridges, modems,
joysticks, serial cables, etc.  I know that most technicians replace more
chips due to static discharge from some dummy moving a joystick.  If it is dry
and static is a problem make sure you touch a ground before working on your
system.

8.  Clean all exterior equipment surfaces and workspace monthly.  I use an all
purpose cleaner  on everything but the monitor screen on which I use window
cleaner.  Make sure the equipment is off and use caution not to saturate
keyboards or any openings.  Through some previous experience I learned that
"409" and other cleaners of this type actually ruin glass, make sure never to
use them on your monitor.

Make these things a habit and perhaps you'll have the same success that I
have had.