View Full Version : HD MOD, need fan help
KnowlesTech
05-15-03, 09:50 PM
OK, this is HD MOD 16. I am placing a fan on top of an acrylic top and I cut holes in the acrylic as seen in the pic below. I am using a green filter. What I need to know is...
1. Should the fan blow on top of the platter and arm?
2. Should the fan pull air out of the hard drive across the arm and platter?
I have a feeling it should pull the air out of the drive which will help cool it and help keep it clean. But the again if I blow air on the platter it would probably cool better.
Need to know A.S.A.P.
http://www.knowlestech.net/Custom/HDmod16/FanHoles1.JPG
http://www.knowlestech.net/Custom/HDmod16/HDMOD16.htm
That is the URL for the pics of current progress. No tutorial as of yet just a bunch a pics.
LuckyBob
05-15-03, 09:58 PM
I'd be careful about this one. HD's rely on static air to ride the read/write head between the platters. Any oddball air currents could result in a head crash. If anything I'd use a REALLY low CFM fan and have it suck air out of the drive; I think that'd be the best chance of having this work.
CrashOveride
05-15-03, 10:24 PM
lol i seriously doubt the HDD will live through it and if it does that it will last very long...
blackhabit
05-15-03, 11:33 PM
yeah this sounds like you are going to have a dead one on your hands pretty soon, but good luck though
KnowlesTech
05-16-03, 07:01 AM
IT is only a 6.4 GB, lol :D no big loss, but how much you wanna bet I make it work :O) I do not know about stability though :confused:
AcEmAsTr
05-16-03, 07:05 AM
HD's are made in dust-proof factories for a reason!!
dust will kill that HD so quick!!
Wiseass
05-16-03, 07:25 AM
yeah if anything you're going to want to have it suck the air out, blowing it in will put all kinds of dust and particles into it and then the drive is pretty much gone.
good luck tho, post some finished pics when it's done..
edit: lol maybe it's best NOT to smoke during this mod?
hehe
http://www.knowlestech.net/Custom/HDmod16/smoking.JPG
axlecrusher
05-16-03, 08:30 AM
I think this is a very bad idea. Putting a window in a HD is bad enough. Blowing air through it with dust is going to be a huge mistake.
Axle
Mark620
05-16-03, 08:33 AM
I would take air out with the fan BUT you need an air intake with a filter to get any air flow. Both the intake and exhaust need filters.
Good Luck
Azeroth
05-16-03, 10:52 AM
hardrives are made airtight for a reason ;) , plus when your fan is turned off, even if its an exaust, dust will still settle into the drive.
KnowlesTech
05-16-03, 03:29 PM
I took a picture of a small filter located on the bottom of the top of the HD.
http://www.knowlestech.net/Custom/HDmod16/filter.JPG
I figured since they could do this I could drill even smaller holes to pull air out and have the small filter on the bottom. I haven't done the small filter on the bottom. This drive may be dead before I ever put it back together but I gotta try :D I am currently searching online for the same filter material that is used by the HD Manufacturer but no luck yet.
I will keep ya updated though.
OH and the cigy is to test the airflow, lol. Blow smoke through the fan via the filter and see is smoe comes out the other side :D
four4875
05-16-03, 03:42 PM
i say go for it and see how it goes... might work, might kill... but is the mod actually all that useful? i dont think its the platters that get hot, its the motor and controller.
Excelsior
05-16-03, 05:02 PM
That would be pretty interesting.. ADD LEDS!!!
KnowlesTech
05-16-03, 05:17 PM
OK, I have finished the MOD, Two problems...
1. The LED I used is not very bright to say the least :(
2. The drive is 6.4 GB but it is only showing as a 4.3 :confused:
O'well, the damned thing worked and yes it serves no practical purpose as far as cooling the motor and board. I do feel heat coming out of the fan though so it must be doing something. I also added a double filtration system on this and screw filters. I blew out the HD before assembling it, not sure if that messed it up or not. Any ways I am uploading the pictures now and will post them in a few minutes.
[EDIT] OK here we go... BTW I need a better camera :(
http://www.knowlestech.net/Custom/HDmod16/DOne.jpg
http://www.knowlestech.net/Custom/HDmod16/Working4.jpg
http://www.knowlestech.net/Custom/HDmod16/wrongsize.jpg
You can see the rest of the pics at the following loc http://www.knowlestech.net/Custom/HDmod16/HDMOD16.htm
I bet it won't last a week ;)
KnowlesTech
05-16-03, 08:05 PM
Wow instead of solutions all I get is how wrong it is, lol. Thanks for the support ROTFLMAO :) This is the Alternative Modding board ;)
BTW I need some help, I just got back from Radioshack and bought a MISC pack of 20 different LEDs. Anyone know how to tell how much Volts the can take by looking or testing? I want to replace the LED inthe HD with a brigther one... Thanks
CrashOveride
05-16-03, 08:19 PM
no but www.case-mod.com has some bright ones... and sorry for being so pesemistic but i really dont think it will last long, i mean they are sealed for a reason...
mbentley
05-16-03, 08:51 PM
i can guarantee corruption and eventually basically failure due to so much corrpution. you'll begin to see bad sectors and eventually it it will die... nifty idea but it won't work :(
Yeah, I wasn't trying to be pessimistic, but the reason behind the sealing of the HD is so that dust and other particles won't settle in there. When they do you are going to have massive failure, unless you figure someway to keep it mostly airtight. Good luck (Optimistic ;)) :D
killer7
05-17-03, 12:19 AM
Don't do it. The fan will suck dust into your hard drive. Making it a paperweight. It's a good idea, its just not possible, the only way it could be possible is for the fan to suck air from a box you make, and the box has a insanely good filter in is so that no particles are sucked in.
CrashOveride
05-17-03, 12:39 AM
Originally posted by killer7
Don't do it. The fan will suck dust into your hard drive. Making it a paperweight. It's a good idea, its just not possible, the only way it could be possible is for the fan to suck air from a box you make, and the box has a insanely good filter in is so that no particles are sucked in.
well he did it already, he has a good filter on the HDD i guess... but i dont see any reason (other than saying its cool) to do this, i mean just window modd it.. but if it lasts i will be VERY surprised...
KnowlesTech
05-17-03, 07:41 AM
Still running strong after 14 hours... Did a format c: /u
found some bad sectors as you might have guessed already. I then ran spin rite on it afterwards and it did need to do anything.. I guess cause I am using LBA Mode on it. Going to try to install 98SE or ME on it tomorrow. Rather tonight. Wish me luck, we can keep track of its progress say every 4days to 1 week. I will repost to this board and have pics of running OS etc. Anyways thanks for the ideas, criticism.
CrashOveride
05-17-03, 11:59 AM
ME?!!?! ME!?!?! ME!!!!?! lol thats gonna give you more problems than the HDD probably will!
Agh......ME is the devil incarnate!@!
BrassClackers
05-18-03, 09:19 PM
Only getting ~4 gigs? did a platter malfunction? (three platters, one stops, 2/3's working, ~6 * 2/3 = ~4) That would explain it... dust? modding problem? lol, good luck.
FunkDaMonkMan
05-18-03, 10:14 PM
well i can't believe you actually have air flowing through there.
GOOD JOB!!!
What's next? .. Water cooling?
KnowlesTech
05-19-03, 03:03 AM
Hmmm... Water Cooling :) I would actually use some de-ionized water to run over the platters and out over the card itself but replacing that stuff every so often and it being corrosive *not really corrosive but where I work they use it to clean silicon :( *and lets not forget once it finds enough ions it is just water might have some bad effects on a drive. I did this MOD because I have yet to see anyone ever try it. I can at least tell myself that I did it first :) even if it trashes a POS 6GB drive. :) I have 25 more drives that have yet to be Modded so maybe i will try this one again when I have more skills. As to the platter failure, that may be the case. As for ME, I use SRC 5 from when I beta tested it, it is more stable and reliable than the released version. Also, ME SRC5 is also more lenient than other OSes as far as generic memory and failing drives :D
CrashOveride
05-19-03, 03:16 AM
watter would mess so much stuff up it would NEVER work withough HEAVY modding to the HDD in many ways such as the motor and head stuff... dont even think about it... unless you plan on killing your HDD...
KnowlesTech
05-19-03, 07:25 AM
Kill, kill, kill... Ihave 25 more, why not,lol. No I would never do this :O
CrashOveride
05-19-03, 08:20 AM
Originally posted by KnowlesTech
Kill, kill, kill... Ihave 25 more, why not,lol. No I would never do this :O
did you just say you have 25 more smll HDDs??!!?
bubba gump
05-19-03, 05:32 PM
Ya, he posted a pic in his thread "need extreme HDD modding ideas" or soemthing alone those lines
So yes he has 25 i think he said like 500mb-8gb hdd's....:eek:
CrashOveride
05-19-03, 05:41 PM
oh thats right... lol i would just do window mods and sell em...
dont let dust touch it... or say good bye next week
PunkRawk911
05-19-03, 06:25 PM
So, how about an update, is it still running well?
KnowlesTech
05-20-03, 02:35 AM
Yes, still running fine. And yes I have 26 I am modding total.
And they range from itty bitty to 13GBs. Will be an adventure.
Breadfan
05-20-03, 03:50 PM
I agree that this might be pretty unorthodox :) but I think many of the people posting here are missing the point...
The fan is sucking the air out of the drive, causing a vacuum inside the drive. As long as the rest of the drive is sealed, and the fan is left on, the chance of dust getting in is not as high as say, having the fan blow air into the drive.
How well is the fan sealed to the drive? Is the rest of the drive sealed pretty well? I'd make sure the fan is sealed...if not, air could seep in though the edges around the acrylic top. Other non-sealed areas could develop with negative air pressure in the drive.
The only big problem I can see is that if it's sealed properly, you'd have to leave the thing on 24/7...the minue you turn that fan off or it dies, you've got a 40mm hole in the top letting dust in!!
Keep us updated, I'd like to see how long it runs...this kinda stuff makes this site fun!
four4875
05-20-03, 04:10 PM
well wih no intake, the fan would be pointless. and i have faith in ya, knowlestech. (did i spell that right? heh)
KnowlesTech
05-20-03, 04:20 PM
There is no intake, :(
THe drive was resealed with first with elctrical tape because it has a nasty habbit of attracting dust to its sticy under belly :) Then it was sealed over with Aluminum Tape x2 laters. Also I actually made the top of the HD taller by using port screws inside the drive and I connected the plastic to them via extended screws. Hard to explain, lol. In other words I used the screws that you screw your printer and serial ports into :D
It is still running, I rebooted it today, ME seems fine, no crashes yet but hell it just sits there.. I am going to run a burn in program this weekend when I have time to actually play with it.
[EDIT] If you look at the pics on my site you will see the double sided filter, on the inside of the plastic and the other under the fan.
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