PC Speaker Magnet next to HD

GooGobbler · 12-14-02, 01:24 AM

Hi people. Alright, here is what happened: I was tightening a screw on a fan and it fell to the bottom of the case. I attempted to find it but I couldn't for a while. Well, what do you know! The screw was magnetically attracted to a magnet on my PC Speaker! The magnet's location in the case is what scared me. It was right below my Hard Drives! Now I want to know if that magnet has the potential to corrupt or even damage my hard drive, or are new hard drives now magnetically shielded? Here is a picture of what I am talking about: Yellow = HD, Red = Magnet on PC Speaker

Thanks!

looktall · 12-14-02, 01:53 AM

not many people realise this, but inside a hdd, you will find one of the strongest magnets in the world.

i think the ****y magnet on the case speaker won't even be noticed.

lonewolf1983 · 12-14-02, 03:40 AM

1) its probably magnetically shielded
2) its such a small magnet it doesnt produce a stong field
3) wiped data happens thru change of magnetic field (ie wiped by powerful pulstating magnetic field by moving it rapidly) not by a static magnet.

you should be safe

progamer · 12-15-02, 01:15 AM

Wait a minute. What about two hard drives that are stacked together in the same case? How come they don't interfere with each other in that situation?

The VTech · 12-15-02, 01:30 AM

If I remember my reading right, HDD magnets use "Earth Magnets" Also I believe that HDD makers are supposed to use the same feild ranges per the FCC regulations bla bla bla bla.

Whether this is 100% true in all cases or not I have no idea, but I do know that the magnet IN the hdd is about 100x more powerful than that cheapy one at the bottom of the case.

Ghost68 · 12-15-02, 04:56 AM

you have nothing to fear... the magnets inside harddrives are indeed super strong... they are strong enough to draw blood

... so that puny speaker magnet wont do any damage...

meksyk · 12-15-02, 05:56 AM

I didn't know that a magnet could be that strong until I oppened a dead WD hd, the two small plate magnets could hold eachother with my hand between them (i said my hand, not my fingers

)

Ghost68 · 12-15-02, 06:09 AM

yeah i disect every computer part of mine that dies hehe

well needless to say i was playin with 2 harddrive magnets and they snapped shut on the webbing(cant think of a better name) between my index finger and thumb it took an hour for the bleeding to stop

JigPu · 12-15-02, 02:18 PM

Don't worry about it. Like everyone else said, your drive will only die if it encounters a dynamic magnetic field.

One of the kids in my Chemistry class brought in a ancient 5.25" 300MB Apple HD. We disceted it durring class (it was a free day) and played with the magnets for the whole period. He says he'll bring in another one Monday so that I can get one of the magnets (Him, and one of my friends got the first two).

I also get the middle platter!!

JigPu

Captain Slug · 12-15-02, 05:23 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by JigPu
I also get the middle platter!!

Platters are great to play with. They're so shiny

That reminds me... I have two 40mb hard drives to take apart.

meksyk · 12-15-02, 05:44 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Captain Slug

Platter are great to play with. They're so shiny

indeed, they are

Captain Slug · 12-15-02, 05:47 PM

Pooowdered Toooooast Maaaaaaaaaan!!!

Sorry, I couldn't hold that in any longer

Monaco · 12-15-02, 08:12 PM

it has to do with how magnetic fields work. Firstly, the strength of a magnetic field decreases as the inverse square of the distance between the magnet and where you're measuring. Second, and this is the part where my head starts to hurt, it takes a certain strength of field to change what's on a HD platter. This strength is called an "oesterd".

If your magnet doesn't produce enough oesterds, it won't affect the platter even a little bit- it's like it's not even there. And those little PC speakers aren't strong enough from outside the drive- thanks to how fast magnet strength decreases over distance, the thickness of the HD case is more than enough to keep it shielded.

If the magnet was actually touching the platter, then it would *maybe* be intense enough to mess it up. But that won't ever happen

well, I learned all this at Dan's Data, but I can't find the link to the exact article- so I hope there aren't too many factual errors! Bottom line, a PC speaker will never be strong enough to hurt a drive.

GotNoRice · 12-15-02, 08:28 PM

I had one of my computers next to one of my speakers for a while and it didn't cause any problems.

And we aren't talking about computer speakers, this puppy had a 10 pound magnet.

diggingforgold · 12-15-02, 08:46 PM

I've been reassured of this same problem on this board that it is safe, but I'm just not at ease about the whole magnet + PC component deal...

So I unplugged mine and threw it out

Lance Thornton · 12-15-02, 10:33 PM

Capt. Slug, did you say 40 MB harddrive? How old are they? 286 or 386 era?

looktall · 12-15-02, 10:34 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Monster of Rock

well, I learned all this at Dan's Data, but I can't find the link to the exact article-

is this it?
http://www.dansdata.com/magnets.htm
even if that's not the exact article, it's still a good read.
you might want to make sure the coffee cup is full though, because like all of Dan's articles it's very looong!

Monaco · 12-15-02, 11:06 PM

heh yah I think that's the one! But it'd take me 20 minutes to read thru and be sure

Dan is great but his articles need an index or something.

nard · 12-15-02, 11:46 PM

prolly 286 era

my 286 had a 30mb hdd.

q149 · 12-16-02, 12:31 AM

just dont get any non-computer subs anywhere near your comp. i had my car subs like 4 feet from my big trinitron tv and it turned the whole entire tv green. luckily it didnt damage the tv permanatly, i immediatly turned of the tv adn moved them adn it was fine when i turned it back on. it really could have done some dmg to a comp though i think

12-14-02, 01:24 AM	Thread Starter #1
GooGobbler Member Join Date: May 2001	PC Speaker Magnet next to HD Hi people. Alright, here is what happened: I was tightening a screw on a fan and it fell to the bottom of the case. I attempted to find it but I couldn't for a while. Well, what do you know! The screw was magnetically attracted to a magnet on my PC Speaker! The magnet's location in the case is what scared me. It was right below my Hard Drives! Now I want to know if that magnet has the potential to corrupt or even damage my hard drive, or are new hard drives now magnetically shielded? Here is a picture of what I am talking about: Yellow = HD, Red = Magnet on PC Speaker Thanks!
	QUOTE Thanks

12-14-02, 01:53 AM	#2
looktall Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: perth.wa.au	not many people realise this, but inside a hdd, you will find one of the strongest magnets in the world. i think the ****y magnet on the case speaker won't even be noticed.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-14-02, 03:40 AM	#3
lonewolf1983 Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: perth, Australia	1) its probably magnetically shielded 2) its such a small magnet it doesnt produce a stong field 3) wiped data happens thru change of magnetic field (ie wiped by powerful pulstating magnetic field by moving it rapidly) not by a static magnet. you should be safe
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 01:15 AM	#4
progamer Member Join Date: Jul 2002 Location: california	Wait a minute. What about two hard drives that are stacked together in the same case? How come they don't interfere with each other in that situation?
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 01:30 AM	#5
The VTech Captain Bawls Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Victoria's Secret	If I remember my reading right, HDD magnets use "Earth Magnets" Also I believe that HDD makers are supposed to use the same feild ranges per the FCC regulations bla bla bla bla. Whether this is 100% true in all cases or not I have no idea, but I do know that the magnet IN the hdd is about 100x more powerful than that cheapy one at the bottom of the case.
	QUOTE Thanks

PC Speaker Magnet next to HD

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12-15-02, 04:56 AM	#6
Ghost68 Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern California, USA	you have nothing to fear... the magnets inside harddrives are indeed super strong... they are strong enough to draw blood ... so that puny speaker magnet wont do any damage... __________________ Mobile Barton 2400+ 2.0ghz (15 * 133MHZ) @ 4000+ 2.5ghz (10.5X * 238MHZ) 2v \| Thermalright AX-7 w/ Delta 68 \| Abit NF7S Rev2 512mb Corsair XMS PC3200 (DDR 400) @ >PC3700 (DDR 476) Optorite 8x+-R 4x+-RW \| Western Digital 100GB SE Harddrive \| Maxtor 160GB SE Harddrive Ati Radeon 9700 PRO 128mb 19" NEC MultiSync 97F / 17" KDS Avitron a7tf both 1280x768 85hz DigiDoc 5 Logitech z-540 Speakers Natural Keyboard Pro Logitech MX700 Mouse (have the Wireless Desktop but the keyboard is crap) Temps: High but stable.... (roughly translated IMMMMM MEEEEEELLLLLLTTTTTIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG)
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 05:56 AM	#7
meksyk Member Join Date: Aug 2002 Location: Doral, FL	I didn't know that a magnet could be that strong until I oppened a dead WD hd, the two small plate magnets could hold eachother with my hand between them (i said my hand, not my fingers ) __________________ Phenom II X3 720 --- MA 770OT-UD3P, 4GB DDR3 1333 --- BFG 8800GT SOYO 24D6 monitor --- Rosewill RP55V2-S-SL Power supply Last edited by meksyk; 12-15-02 at 06:37 AM.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 06:09 AM	#8
Ghost68 Member Join Date: Dec 2001 Location: Southern California, USA	yeah i disect every computer part of mine that dies hehe well needless to say i was playin with 2 harddrive magnets and they snapped shut on the webbing(cant think of a better name) between my index finger and thumb it took an hour for the bleeding to stop __________________ Mobile Barton 2400+ 2.0ghz (15 * 133MHZ) @ 4000+ 2.5ghz (10.5X * 238MHZ) 2v \| Thermalright AX-7 w/ Delta 68 \| Abit NF7S Rev2 512mb Corsair XMS PC3200 (DDR 400) @ >PC3700 (DDR 476) Optorite 8x+-R 4x+-RW \| Western Digital 100GB SE Harddrive \| Maxtor 160GB SE Harddrive Ati Radeon 9700 PRO 128mb 19" NEC MultiSync 97F / 17" KDS Avitron a7tf both 1280x768 85hz DigiDoc 5 Logitech z-540 Speakers Natural Keyboard Pro Logitech MX700 Mouse (have the Wireless Desktop but the keyboard is crap) Temps: High but stable.... (roughly translated IMMMMM MEEEEEELLLLLLTTTTTIIIIINNNNNNGGGGG)
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 02:18 PM	#9
JigPu Inactive Pokémon Moderator Join Date: Jun 2001 Location: Vancouver, WA	Don't worry about it. Like everyone else said, your drive will only die if it encounters a dynamic magnetic field. One of the kids in my Chemistry class brought in a ancient 5.25" 300MB Apple HD. We disceted it durring class (it was a free day) and played with the magnets for the whole period. He says he'll bring in another one Monday so that I can get one of the magnets (Him, and one of my friends got the first two). I also get the middle platter!! JigPu __________________ .... ASRock Z68 Extreme3 Gen3 .... Intel Core i5 2500 ........................ 4 thread ...... 3300 MHz ......... -0.125 V 2x ASUS GTX 560 Ti ............................... 1 GiB ....... 830 MHz ...... 2004 MHz .... G.SKILL Sniper Low Voltage ............. 8 GiB ..... 1600 MHz ............ 1.25 V .... OCZ Vertex 3 ................................. 120 GB ............. nilfs2 ..... Arch Linux .... Kingwin LZP-550 .............................. 550 W ........ 94% Eff. ....... 80+ Plat .... Nocuta NH-D14 ................................ 20 dB ..... 0.35 C°/W ................ 7 V "In order to combat power supply concerns, Nvidia has declared that G80 will be the first graphics card in the world to run entirely off of the souls of dead babies. This will make running the G80 much cheaper for the average end user." "GeForce 8 Series." Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia. 7 Aug 2006, 20:59 UTC. Wikimedia Foundation, Inc. 8 Aug 2006.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 05:47 PM	#12
Captain Slug Helpful Senior Member Join Date: May 2001 Location: Asteroid B-612	Pooowdered Toooooast Maaaaaaaaaan!!! Sorry, I couldn't hold that in any longer __________________ \|\|[ Oni is a bot! ]-[ My Heatware]-[ Project: Metal Slug ]-[ In the event of an emergency, the nearest senior member may be used as a floatation device. ]\|\| \|\|[ OC Forums Apparel is now available through cafepress ]-[ If you want a particular item with a particular image just PM me ]\|\|
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 08:12 PM	#13
Monaco Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denver, Colorado	it has to do with how magnetic fields work. Firstly, the strength of a magnetic field decreases as the inverse square of the distance between the magnet and where you're measuring. Second, and this is the part where my head starts to hurt, it takes a certain strength of field to change what's on a HD platter. This strength is called an "oesterd". If your magnet doesn't produce enough oesterds, it won't affect the platter even a little bit- it's like it's not even there. And those little PC speakers aren't strong enough from outside the drive- thanks to how fast magnet strength decreases over distance, the thickness of the HD case is more than enough to keep it shielded. If the magnet was actually touching the platter, then it would maybe be intense enough to mess it up. But that won't ever happen well, I learned all this at Dan's Data, but I can't find the link to the exact article- so I hope there aren't too many factual errors! Bottom line, a PC speaker will never be strong enough to hurt a drive.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 08:28 PM	#14
GotNoRice Member Join Date: Dec 2002 Location: Pleasant Hill, CA	I had one of my computers next to one of my speakers for a while and it didn't cause any problems. And we aren't talking about computer speakers, this puppy had a 10 pound magnet.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 08:46 PM	#15
diggingforgold Member Join Date: Apr 2001 Location: Augusta Twp, MI	I've been reassured of this same problem on this board that it is safe, but I'm just not at ease about the whole magnet + PC component deal... So I unplugged mine and threw it out
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 10:33 PM	#16
Lance Thornton Member Join Date: Mar 2002 Location: North of the Manatee River.	Capt. Slug, did you say 40 MB harddrive? How old are they? 286 or 386 era?
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 11:06 PM	#18
Monaco Member Join Date: Jul 2001 Location: Denver, Colorado	heh yah I think that's the one! But it'd take me 20 minutes to read thru and be sure Dan is great but his articles need an index or something.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-15-02, 11:46 PM	#19
nard Registered Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: Toronto	prolly 286 era my 286 had a 30mb hdd.
	QUOTE Thanks

12-16-02, 12:31 AM	#20
q149 Member Join Date: Nov 2002 Location: Japan	just dont get any non-computer subs anywhere near your comp. i had my car subs like 4 feet from my big trinitron tv and it turned the whole entire tv green. luckily it didnt damage the tv permanatly, i immediatly turned of the tv adn moved them adn it was fine when i turned it back on. it really could have done some dmg to a comp though i think
	QUOTE Thanks

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