Oddball hard drive failure...

[jpero at sympatico.ca]

> 
> I've got a Magnetic Peripherals 94211-91 SCSI drive here where the magnets for 
> the head stack seem to have been coated - at least around the edges - with 
> some form of paint. The paint's now begun to flake off, jamming up the head 
Snip:

> Anyone seen this particular mode of failure before? It's a new one on me...
> Jules

This is unfortune fact of life with many rare-earth magnets, they 
were sintered material and corrodes badly unless coated or plated 
(chromed or nickel plated),  some had poorer coating/plating and 
begin to corrode and swells eventually burst maget's seams open and 
get crap all over inside the hard drive.

:P

Still is even in modern hard drives when I had chance to take apart 
and I had one not too old camrecorder (7 years old) die this way, 
plated washer shaped magnet rotor burst open and jammed for the 
capstan drive.  Cost was too high even in parts alone and age of this 
clinched it.

Cheers, Wizard