11/45 RL02 faults when RX02 is on

[Curt at Atari Museum]

Really sounds like something in the RX02 power supply is freaking out 
the drive heads in the RL02



Curt



Jay West wrote:
> Ok, is there a known severe RFI problem with mounting a RX02 directly 
> on top of a RL02 in an H960???
>
> I went back to look at the "RL02 faults when RX02 is on" problem. I 
> had left the rear top cover of the RL02 up in the service position 
> (with the drive extended from the rack). I retested without touching 
> anything. Sure enough, the problem was "gone". The RL02 wouldn't fault 
> no matter what. So I put that rear top cover back down and screwed in 
> the 4 screws, then pushed the RL02 back into the rack and voila - the 
> problem reoccured. The RL02 will fault just after spinup IF the RX02 
> (which is mounted directly above it) is powered on. Aha... I was now 
> thinking a cable problem! I figured pushing the RL02 in and out of the 
> rack seemed to be the causative factor, bending a cable just right or 
> something.
>
> So I pulled the RL02 fully out front on the rails, and the problem 
> went away (with the RX02 turned on just above it, but back in the 
> rack). So with this configuration I figured that the problem occured 
> when I pushed the RL02 back into the rack as it must jiggle some 
> cables. I decided to try THIS...
>
> I extend the RL02 out the front and power up everything, including the 
> RX02. The RL02 spins up just fine, no fault. Once it is ready... I 
> start pushing the RL02 back in the rack, very slowly. After going back 
> about 7 or 8 inches, the ready light starts to flash. I pull the drive 
> outwards 1/2 inch and the ready light stops flashing. Push the RL02 in 
> 1/2 inch and it starts flashing again. If I push the RL02 in another 2 
> or 3 inches after the ready light starts flashing, the drive faults. 
> This is not a freak occurance, it is completely reproduceable. This 
> makes me think bad cables.
>
> However, if I go and look in back at the cables when the drive is 
> right at the point the ready light starts to flash, there are no 
> cables being moved even slightly. I can move the RL02 cables and RX02 
> cables by hand, the drive doesn't fault. What is even MORE wierd... if 
> I move the RL02 drive inward until the ready light starts to flash, 
> then unplug power to the RX02 (the power cable for the RX02 is around 
> the front, so I can unplug it without disturbing any cables at all)... 
> the RL02 ready light stops flashing. This would make me think it is 
> NOT cables, and it seems to be proxmity of the top of the RL02 drive 
> to the bottom of the RX02 drive.
>
> I know everyone probably thinks I'm nuts, but has anyone heard of a 
> reason not to mount a RX02 directly over an RL02???
>
> Jay
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