Quick and dirty floppy drive restoration

This is how I bring floppy drives back to life when they're a bit iffy. Most problems are mechanical or electromechanical, or down to cleaning etc. So this is about that.

[@stepansoukup8571]

I found an old, dirty floppy disk drive in an even older, dirtier PC from my dad's work and wanted to restore it, you have no idea how helpful this was! I managed to get it working again! I have a few more of them, I hope they'll work again :D

[@isoldeisobelle552]

All good advice, thank you. I often have to repair failed drives in old synths and samplers and nine times out of ten they spring back to life to go on for many more years. Failed capacitors is also a very common failing in many synths ( - and LCD monitors, for that matter!) and a relatively straightforward fix, so long as you keep safety in mind. Maybe you could make a video concerning this. :)

[@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS]

Yep, recapping that kind of gear is usually for the best. In the drives I've looked at so far there's very little by way of electrolytics but it's always my first port of call if the issue seems the be the electronics.

[@SanguineBrah]

I worked out that you can use a Biro lid to reliably remove the plastic faceplate without damaging anything. Just wedge the clip part into the hole and it should pop off nicely. Because it's a soft plastic tool, there's no danger of mangling the plastic faceplate like you would get with a screwdriver.

[@zoomosis]

I found this video after looking up tips on cleaning 5.25" drives. It's surprising how similar they are mechanically to 3.5" models.

[@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS]

Just a bit smaller!

[@PHAESTOS64]

Remarkable achievement......it took only 15 minutes.....

[@dandelion4454]

9:57 it's always best practice to grease your shaft before you put the cover back on.

[@pcretropcworkshop8031]

wow good information

[@danielortizdecaracas]

Please help me how to format 720 kb floppy disc

[@LennWeltmeister]

gishen, mine is not detected anyway. I noticed the head (when trying to read any floppies) moves just halfway. How am I supposed to fix it?

[@gigatywing3483]

very helpful thanks. how do tell if the heads are worn? and do they wear out after use?

[@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS]

Strictly speaking the heads shouldn't really 'wear' per se as they shouldn't be in any significant mechanical contact with the disk (just very, very close). The wear on them is much more likely to be caused by buildup of dirt or failure of the drive electronics..

[@gigatywing3483]

@@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS cheers for that as i didn't know. After watching this lastnight I got all the bits n pieces and a new belt off ebay and now my MSX2 Panasonic FSA-1f is working a dream. This vid was a life saver . Cheers!

[@LarryKelly]

Thanks! I’d have liked to see you do an actual lubrication, but nonetheless, this was very instructive.

[@xenotiic8356]

In my case, the disc rotation motor is what needs lubrication, not the stepper motor. Would wd-40 work or should I use lithium grease?

[@squishmusic]

@10.13, how do I know if my drive heads cant be manually moved to check the stepper-motor-spindle works ok (I can hand turn it to lube), but afterwards (with power on), nothing moves/heads just stutter...

[@mmmmvermillion]

I was just trying to repair/clean my floppy drive and the stepper motor just drives the lead screw forward so that the reader moves all the way. The motor continues to push forward the reader in spurts causing the reader to click loudly at the end of the lead screw. Why would this be the case and will tapping the stepper motor be the solution possibly? Not sure why the stepper motor would continue to try and push the reader forward repeatedly.

[@squishmusic]

I have a similar problem, the heads just move just a little and their is a grunt from the lead screw/stepper motor. Is mine dead? (this was post-lubing)

[@lunar6562]

I was dismantling one for fun, and I found this little metal bead on the yellow screw thingy. What is it made of?

[@BlueEyeTableRockLake]

I have a FDD on my Kawai Piano that will not let me insert a disk. What would keep it from going in?

[@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS]

It differs from drive to drive, but sometimes the issue will be that the spring & arm mechanism that opens up the disk windows as you slide the disk in can get corroded or dirty and seize up. Usually if you get the drive out and open it up you'll be able to see what's sticking and it'll just need a good clean and lubrication.

[@kulamario2]

U can show how to set head's correct?

[@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS]

When you say set the heads, can you explain in more detail what you're asking?

[@kulamario2]

@@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS I must set head's in floppy drive no read any disks But is not set properly must be set face each other But dnt know how

[@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS]

@@kulamario2 That's one's difficult to help with, without seeing it :/

[@VioletGiraffe]

@@VRMS_VRMS_VRMS, I think he's referring head alignment. I've heard the term and I know it requires a two-axis oscilloscope to align them, but I can't find the exact description of the procedure so far.

[@zazuradia]

Are you Sargon Of Accad, the political youtuber? O_O

[@xenotiic8356]

No