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Author Topic: reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?  (Read 4066 times)

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Offline marcfrick2112Topic starter

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reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?
« on: October 14, 2009, 09:21:41 AM »
Hi Everyone,

A few important C-64 disks have died on me over the years, so I finally got a 1541 transfer cable for my PC to replace the missing software.  On my 128, after quite a bit of fomatting, etc. ,2 of my 1541's seem to have problems. First, I was wondering if anyone had info about drive alignment / maintenance, etc.

Here's the problem(s) One drive works fine thus far, but makes a squealing sound, most noticeable when reading a directory. I guess it needs lubrication, but where, and how? It's an older Newtronics mech.

The other drive is a bit harder to figure out. It will load about 85% of my disks, but will not load disks written out from my PC (with a 1541 attached) I can't format disks from basic, the drive goes about half way through, then goes quiet, with a flashing red LED) But, oddly, I seem to be able use the '10-second format' from Copy 64/128, with no probs.

If one or more drives need alignment, where can I get the software? I had read that an alignment disk shouldn't be copied, since it's only as good as the drive that made it...

Any advice?

Specs: C128, 2 1541 drives, one hard-wired as device #9, Super Snapshot V. 4.something, original PSU and serial cables.


Many Thanks!
:afro:
---------------
Marc Frick
---------------
A1200T / \'060, 256MB, CD-R, OS3.9
A4000 w/ WarpEngine / 82MB , OS3.1
A4000 16MB, OS 3.9
A1200 , \'030 / 10MB
A1200 (stock)

CD32 :)

...And a very sick 4000T
 

Offline ZeBeeDee

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Re: reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?
« Reply #1 on: October 14, 2009, 12:48:00 PM »
You might be better off posting on a dedicated C64 forum such as this one: http://www.lemon64.com/forum

Good luck!
To err is human ... to BOING divine!

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Offline Tension

Re: reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?
« Reply #2 on: October 14, 2009, 04:03:36 PM »
Oh dear... have you been playing "Daisy Daisy"?

Offline Dr.Bongo

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Re: reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?
« Reply #3 on: October 14, 2009, 05:14:07 PM »
FIRST download and try this program :
 http://membres.lycos.fr/romch/tosec/c64tools/Disk Exerciser (19x9(Disk Surgeon).zip
How you get the program on to your 128 is up to you (I use a MMC64)
This tool is great, I've used it on 1541's, 1571's and the internal drive in my c128D. You may need to run it several times before you get perfect results but it's better than opening up the drive and sticking screwdrivers in.

If that doesn't work read this guide:
http://cbm.csbruce.com/~csbruce/cbm/transactor/v5/i6/p064.html
Should give you an insight into how alignment is done. BUT, beware it's a tricky thing to do.

Good Luck :)
« Last Edit: October 14, 2009, 05:15:56 PM by Dr.Bongo »
38911 BASIC BYTES FREE, less when I`ve had a drink!

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Offline marcfrick2112Topic starter

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Re: reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?
« Reply #4 on: October 14, 2009, 09:59:08 PM »
Thanks much everyone!

Dr. Bongo: the website mentioned gives a 'pag not found' error. But I think I found the right program through creative Googling. No worries about getting the program to my 128, I just use the 1541 and transfer cable. I'll give it a shot tommorow.

Dang, I miss 'the old days' when I could buy C= stuff locally at thrifts :(
---------------
Marc Frick
---------------
A1200T / \'060, 256MB, CD-R, OS3.9
A4000 w/ WarpEngine / 82MB , OS3.1
A4000 16MB, OS 3.9
A1200 , \'030 / 10MB
A1200 (stock)

CD32 :)

...And a very sick 4000T
 

Offline Dr.Bongo

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Re: reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?
« Reply #5 on: October 14, 2009, 11:49:47 PM »
Ah, sorry the link went wrong. If you cut & paste the entire line into you're browser it takes you to the direct download. I do reccomend the program though, it does work.

 @marcfrick2112: I echo what you say about not being able to buy retro gear in 2nd hand shops (Thrifts? I think). Gone are the days when I could buy a 64 and a box of games for 10-15 pounds :(

Still,(plug) you can always catch some retro SID sounds on http://theSIDstation.org (plug)
38911 BASIC BYTES FREE, less when I`ve had a drink!

 *** http://c64radio.com *** Commodore 64 Radio 24/7 for free!
 

Offline scuzzb494

Re: reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?
« Reply #6 on: October 15, 2009, 12:06:20 AM »
Not my words.. I have a load of service notes in the old Amiga Repository on my G drive if you get stuck...

[ quote ]

        1541 DIAGNOSTICS, Some symptoms and solutions for a sick disk drive.

DRIVE DEAD... OR NEARLY

     Lets take it from the top. Does the drive initialize properly when first turned on?
The start up sequence should be: green power light on, red drive light comes on and goes
out while spindle motor turns for a few seconds and stops. If the power light (green LED)
doesn't come on, or is dim or flickers, you have a power supply problem... the 5 volt
line is bad. That usually results in a spindle motor that runs continuously and red LED
off. Check the bridge rectifier CR3 and the 5 volt regulator VR2. Note: if the regulated
12 volt supply fails, the motor will not run at all. If the drive activity light (red
LED)  stays on and the motor runs continuously, it's usually an indication of a bad DOS
ROM UB4 (901229-xx). Anything that can cause the drive to fail to complete it's startup
sequence should be checked, such as UC4 (6502 MPU) and UC2 (6522 VIA). The smaller "glue"
logic chips are pretty rugged, but do sometime fail. Check UA1 (74LS14) and UD2 (7407)...
they have been known to cause those symptoms.

DRIVE INITIALIZES OK, BUT WILL NOT LOAD PROGRAMS

     When the computer is turned on, the reset signal should cause the drive (and other
periferals like the printer) to reset: the drive red LED and spindle motor come on and go
off within a few seconds. If that doesn't happen, suspect the serial cable (try a
substitute) or the VIA chips in the computer or drive. If the computer resets other
periferals, it's probably OK. If the computer can't "see" the drive on the serial bus,
you will get an error message: "DEVICE NOT PRESENT" when you try to LOAD something. The
default (factory setting) for a 1541 is device #8. If your drive is hardware modified as
device 9 for example, and you try to read the directory (LOAD"$",8), you will get that
error message. If the VIA (UC3) 6522 interface chip in the drive is bad, the drive will
likewise be "invisible" to the computer. Check also UB1 (7406).
     A "DRIVE NOT READY' message indicates that the computer can "see" the drive, but
there is no disk in it, or it's not formatted, or the drive door is not closed. A dirty
read/write head can do the same thing. The drive will respond by flashing the red
activity LED and banging the heads (looking for track zero). If the computer can access
the drive, but you can't load even the directory of a known good (formatted) disk, try
the INITIALIZE command, then try reading the disk again. To INITIALIZE the drive:  
 OPEN15,8,15
 PRINT#15,"I"
 CLOSE15
One quirk of the 1541 is the "drive lost" symptom: if the head, for some reason, gets
stuck past the directory track (18), INITIALIZE will return it to track zero and it
should then work normally. Note: turning the drive off and back on again will -not- reset
it if that's the problem! Some disk errors can do that to a drive and make it look
"dead". As an alternative, you could try formatting a disk... that will also return the
head to track zero. Lastly, if you insert the transit card (shipped with the drive) with
the drive turned off, it will push the head back to track zero. Inserting a disk is not
the same thing! The transit card has a tab on the front of it that does the job. With the
top cover off and metal shield removed, you can push it back with your finger (drive
turned off, of course) if you don't have a transit card.
     If your computer setup or components have been moved recently, take note... drive
cables too close to the monitor can sometimes pick up interference from the flyback
tranformer in the monitor and garble the data. Move the drive and cables at least a foot
away from the monitor and try it again. If that helps, move the drive to the other side
of the monitor and keep the cables as far away as possible.
     If you have re-initialized (or otherwise reset) the drive and it still doesn't work
(can't read a disk), it may be out of alignment. Try formatting a disk and see if it can
read the (empty) directory of that disk. If it can't, clean the head and try it again. If
it can, but can't read other disks, misalignment is a good possibility. Before you get
your tools out, there is one other thing you should check: see if the head assembly rails
are sticky, especially on a drive that has been unused for a time. With power off, the
head assembly should slide back and forth easily. If it seems sticky (experience helps),
the rails should be cleaned with strong solvent (acetone, MEK, paint thinner) and either
run dry or relubed with a tiny amount of graphite lube. Oil on the rails will work for a
time, but eventually picks up dirt and will get sticky again.
     Drive misalignment is something that doesn't happen all at once. It is a gradual
process that begins with occasional errors while loading (red LED flashing), failure to
work with some programs, or excessive head banging (the drive getting "lost" and having
to go back to track zero to "find" it's place again.) Drives are forced out of alignment
(mostly while hot from use) by copy protected programs or disk errors that cause the head
to "bang" against the track zero stop repeatedly. If the alignment is far enough off,
you will get "FILE NOT FOUND" and red LED flashing... the drive tries and "gives up".
     To properly realign a drive, you need special software. I use "1541/1571 Drive
Alignment" by Free Spirit Software. The flipside of the program disk is the alignment
disk, and as such, should not be copied (a copy is only as good as the drive that made
it). The program provides a menu screen that indicates what track you're on, drive speed,
etc. You make adjustments to the drive while watching the screen. The instructions even
tell you how to load the program when nothing else will load. You can -check- the
alignment of the drive without taking it apart, but realignment requires disassembly.
     Drive speed can drift over time, but it's rather rare to find it off far enough to
cause problems. Spindle speed is reset with a small screwdriver adjustable control on a
PC board near the spindle motor on the underside of the drive. On older belt-driven
spindle motors, (synchronous motor... not adjustable) the belt may be slipping. On all
drives, the spindle or collar can get sticky and a tiny bit of lube helps. (Don't overdo
it... excess oil will be thrown off and could get on the disk). Make sure the latch
clamps the disk properly. Without a disk, move the lever down and see if the spring
presses the collar against the spindle to clamp it tightly. You can bend the tab down
-slightly- so it makes more firm contact. A slipping disk will produce random read and
write errors... -very- hard to track down. If you have any questions, email me at:
rrcc@u.washington.edu

Ray Carlsen
CARLSEN ELECTRONICS... a leader in trailing-edge technology.

 [end quote ]

scuzz

Offline marcfrick2112Topic starter

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Re: reapair/maintenance tips for a 1541 drive?
« Reply #7 on: October 15, 2009, 04:51:16 AM »
scuzzb494: I've seen that page already, but thanks.

Thanks for the link, Dr. Bongo, *lots* of useful programs there :)

I picked up both my C128 systems at a thrift, er, a resale shop.... :roflmao:Paid about $40 for both, but they included a monitor, 1 1571, 2 1541's, Flexidraw + light pen, modem, mouse, and a heap of 128 apps....
Sigh, those were the days.

Well, a slight update. I took apart the noisy 1541 and lubed it. It's working much better, the squealing is almost gone....

Again, thanks everyone!
---------------
Marc Frick
---------------
A1200T / \'060, 256MB, CD-R, OS3.9
A4000 w/ WarpEngine / 82MB , OS3.1
A4000 16MB, OS 3.9
A1200 , \'030 / 10MB
A1200 (stock)

CD32 :)

...And a very sick 4000T