[olug] Old Dell 20GB laptop HDD...

[Kelly Williams]

I have a old Ibm travelstar Model DARA-21800 its a 18.14 gig that i am 
not using. the laptop that was this drive was in died. If you think this 
will work email me i can send it.

Kelly Williams



DYNATRON tech wrote:
> if the firmware is off, you may be able to flash it.
> i once made a device that hooks to the jumper pins which act as a serial
> port.
> the device had a RS232 chip and a molex for power.
> you can initiate a terminal session on the HD through your DB9 serial.
> i got the diagram off of a forum, and i've used it numerous times.
>
> if you need to flash the firmware, let me know and you can have it.
> i used to use it to unlock seagate drives, but i cracked a ceramic cap on
> it.
> i think i have a replacement though...
>
>
> On 3/10/08, Dan Linder <dan at linder.org> wrote:
>   
>> Thanks - yeah, not much protection needed for a "dead" device. :)
>>
>> Hold off, I'm checking with some co-workers that have had this same
>> make/vintage of laptop and have long since moved on.  From what I found
>> via
>> Google, it's not even a gurantee to work if even the firmware revision of
>> the board is off.  Guess that kind of make sense considering that the
>> connecting between the HDD board and the HDD case itself are mostly for
>> analog signals which I could see being different even between sequential
>> serial numbered parts.
>>
>> <off topic>
>> My father worked for IBM in the 60's and was part of a team putting in
>> three
>> "hard drives" in the KC area (if I remember correctly).  Anyway, these
>> machines were the size of a washing machine and the drive platters were
>> interchangeable by opening the case and removing the platter stack (the
>> heads and everything else stayed in the chassis).  The customer had three
>> locations around town and wanted to be able to physically move the stacks
>> between locations to move data (I believe 5-10MB was the stacks total
>> capacity.  It was a challenge, but they finally got the three systems
>> identical enough so that they could share data with each other in this
>> manner.  It required a lot of tweaking of the software and the hardware,
>> specifically getting the systems perfectly level with each other so the
>> heads moved in the same manner.
>>
>> Another customer of theirs wanted to help the platters spin-down faster so
>> he could change them out quicker.  His method?  After issuing the stop
>> command, he would open the door and push a wooden broom handle against the
>> edge of the platters as a brake!  Thankfully those old systems had head
>> that
>> floated above the surface by a larger margin than they do today!
>> </off topic>
>>
>> Dan
>>
>> On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 12:46 PM, Obi-Wan <obiwan at jedi.com> wrote:
>>
>>     
>>>> I don't know what shipping would cost, but it wouldn't need to be
>>>>         
>>> insured.
>>>
>>> It's only about 3/8" thick.  I might be able to throw it into a bubble
>>> wrap envelope & drop it in a mailbox.
>>>
>>> --
>>> Ben "Obi-Wan" Hollingsworth                             obiwan at jedi.com
>>>   The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the
>>>     Giver of all good things, so if I stand, let me stand on the
>>>       promise that You will pull me through.  -- Rich Mullins
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> OLUG mailing list
>>> OLUG at olug.org
>>> http://lists.olug.org/mailman/listinfo/olug
>>>
>>>       
>>
>> --
>> "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" (Who can watch the watchmen?) -- from the
>> Satires of Juvenal
>> "I do not fear computers, I fear the lack of them." -- Isaac Asimov
>> (Author)
>> ** *** ***** ******* *********** *************
>> _______________________________________________
>> OLUG mailing list
>> OLUG at olug.org
>> http://lists.olug.org/mailman/listinfo/olug
>>
>>     
>
>
>
>