Anyone out there aligning 1050's?

[DavidMil]

Anyone out there doing alignments on 1050's? I have an drive that pass all the tests on the Atari diagnostic disk,

but it has a hard time reading diskettes written to by my two good drives. When it formats the disks it does a better

job reading the inner part of the disk but start getting errors on the outer part. Like I said, it passes speed test, track

zero seek, but it does have some problems with the step/settle test.

 

Thanks,

DavidMil

[Bikerbob]

Sloopy can do it. He is on here .. do a member search. He is in Michigan I think.

 

James

[ijor]

Not sure it is an alignment issue. One thing is not being able to read disks written by a different drive, and another thing is failing the tests or getting errors when reading disks even formatted by the same drive.

[_The Doctor__]

if it's stepper settling problems... clean the rails.. and clean the rails and clean the rails once more. one drop of lube (light machine oil) on the stepper motor spindle where it actually goes into the motor.. then put it through full range exercise track 0 to 39. This repetition works it in and tensions the band. The rails stay dry. if that doesn't do it you have other problems, either electronic or stepper motor failure.

 

If it's not giving the error but it's not completing the format it could be track zero slightly off, or both track zero slightly off and alignment...

Edited April 10, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[KLund1]

Could you put a pic of (with an arrow) exactly where to put a drop of oil in the stepper motor?

Thanks

[Mclaneinc]

Hasn't Sloopy sort of gone on the missing list with people after him?

 

Just saying that sending drives might be a worry until things are sorted...

 

Apologies to Sloopy if things have been sorted, its been a while since I have seen posts...

[DavidMil]

if it's stepper settling problems... clean the rails.. and clean the rails and clean the rails once more. one drop of lube (light machine oil) on the stepper motor spindle where it actually goes into the motor.. then put it through full range exercise track 0 to 39. This repetition works it in and tensions the band. The rails stay dry. if that doesn't do it you have other problems, either electronic or stepper motor failure.

 

If it's not giving the error but it's not completing the format it could be track zero slightly off, or both track zero slightly off and alignment...

 

I learned a long time ago never to use sandpaper on the rails. I use a piece of steel wool to remove any rough/rust spots and then GC Electronics

PhonoLube on the rails. Sounds like a good idea to try and exercise the drive for a bit and see what happens. If it passes the Atari track zero

sensor test how would you recommend trying to get a finer adjustment?

 

David

[Bikerbob]

Hasn't Sloopy sort of gone on the missing list with people after him?

 

Just saying that sending drives might be a worry until things are sorted...

 

Apologies to Sloopy if things have been sorted, its been a while since I have seen posts...

 

I have just delt with him for a Trak At-D2 and the deal was good. I can never speak for his Sloopy luck.. but he is good beans.

 

He is on IRC a lot.. great place to find him if not here you can telnet over with your atari irc.atarinet.com 800

 

James

[_The Doctor__]

if done exercising the drive and it still fails..

 

a method to use is to have in lieu of an alignment disk and scope, using two know good disks that were unformatted and fresh, use a known perfect or close to it drive and format one in single and on in enhanced density. write dos and make a boot disk of each. Get a fine artist lead or other dark sharp drawling pencil and mark off 16th to 32nd marks near each screw and tab one center line from the tab on out and on to the frame and then mark off a few small marks on each side of that mark on the frame this makes a way to point to or between each 16th or 32nd mark...

 

the track zero sensor slide and is in two pieces on the bottom.. I mark that off as well.

 

The fun begins... boot from a drive that works then use an rpm utility and access the drive your working on and set for 288 using one of the new disks. it may fluctuate here and there but it needs to stay predominately at 288 sometimes dropping slightly under and only once in a blue moon hitting 289.

 

you can start to loosen the screws to the stepper. while the rpm's are beeping with screws just loosened enough to allow movement turn clockwise super slow till the beep stops and mark that with another color pencil then counter clockwise as the beep picks up and disappears again and mark that. now change to the other disk you just made choose another color pencil do it again.The marks should be close to each other in a relative position now choose the spot dead center of those marks and lock it down. You can count the marks and make them equal on each side to confirm it is centered. I you end up exactly where you started the drive was aligned already if it was off of alignment it is almost always only a 32nd to rarely a 64th off from where your starting center mark was.. That's it, checking with a scope this is actually pretty darn close.. if you moved to far and the drive re seeks and jumps a track you will know because it will be more than a 32nd away from the starting mark. You can repeat starting using that original center mark and try again.

 

if that fails on to the track zero sensor.

you already marked so you can return to original position(remember two pieces mark both) same deal loosen the screws to move by slight.

make the drive boot the single density disk. move the sensor forward till it won't boot and back till it won't boot marking both, then boot the other disk do the same. now slide to the center and tighten down but don't over do it we just want to hold position.. MARK is with another color and hold it while booting again. slide the front of the sensor assembly back till it won't boot. then forward till it does mark it do the same with the other disk different color mark it, slide to the forward booting mark of the two. tighten but don't over do it make sure the assembly did not move from your final marks. loctite is you friend..

 

the drive should format and boot just fine...this sounds and looks more complicated than it really is.

 

I used to be able to do this in my sleep.. a scope makes this so much easier.

It's late I hope I covered it and it makes sense. I am certain others can correct and suggest.. I know what I mean

 

If you don't have the knack or something else was wrong... just put it all back to the marks you made at the start and your back to what it was.

send it off to sloop or someone still doing this.. I don't have any of my dysan alignment disks any more. I think last time I heard he still does.

Edited April 12, 2017 by _The Doctor__

[Mclaneinc]

 

I have just delt with him for a Trak At-D2 and the deal was good. I can never speak for his Sloopy luck.. but he is good beans.

 

He is on IRC a lot.. great place to find him if not here you can telnet over with your atari irc.atarinet.com 800

 

James

 

Hi James,

 

Good to hear, it was just that there was a thread recently with people after stuff that was sent a long time ago and never done or returned. I remember Sloopy from the old days so it was a shock to hear that things had gone bad, hopefully its all been rectified and glad to hear it all went good for you. Hard times are not a thing any of us want anyone on here to go through but it happens.

 

Paul.