CS.KORNER@UTEXAS-20.ARPA (12/10/83)
From: Kim Korner <CS.KORNER@UTEXAS-20.ARPA>
I have a portable CPM system with an external 10 meg subsystem
manufactured by Xebec. Does anyone know what the potential problems are
if I pad the subsystem well, stick it in a flight bag and transport it
in the overhead bins of commercial airliners. Is horizontal orientation
important? Aside from backing up everything up that's on the HD are
there other things to do to ensure safe travelling?
My thanks in advance for any assistance...
-Kim Korner
-------ABN.ISCAMS%usc-isid@sri-unix.UUCP (12/11/83)
Kim (et al) We here in XVIII Abn Corps have been hauling good old Corvus 20 Meggers around for quite a while now. We make sure the heads are parked, stuff it in a nice stiff foam padded chest a company made for us (kind of like rock bands use -- nice tough things with black plastic sheet outside, steel edging and corners, fancy latches, carrying handles -- cost a couple hundred apiece, unfortunately. We've sent them right through commercial airline baggage handling, seen them come down the chutes to the big turning devices upside down, sideways, end over end. Always seem to come through OK. Never minded upside down, sideways. Shipped them strapped to military aircraft pallets, under, on, upside down, whatever way they'd fit to make the pallet square -- always came through OK. Hauled them in the backs of jeeps, trucks, up dirt roads and through woods... came through OK. Main thing was cushioning the horrible sharp raps and jolts that shatter logic boards and knock things really loose. Normal jolts never seem to bother them. That's with the Corvus 20Megger now -- donno about yours. Regards, David Kirschbaum SGM, USA Corps Automation Mgt Office
burton@fortune.UUCP (Philip Burton) (12/12/83)
If you are comfortable doing this, open up the disk box, and see if there is a "shipping lock" or similar restraining device, which locked up the drive against damage, when it was shipped from the manufacturer to the vendor. Call the drive manufacturer for further instructions. But, don't just do nothing. Disk drives don't like shocks. Phil Burton Fortune Systems
ciaraldi@Rochester.ARPA (12/13/83)
From: Mike Ciaraldi <ciaraldi@Rochester.ARPA> I have no expereinece on this, but I know that some manufacturers (computers manufacturers) include a "SHIP" program that you are supposed to run before moving your Winchester. This homes the heads to the unused track called the "landing area" I think, which is a track that never has data on it, so it is safe to leave the heads resting there (since they do not retract).
ABN.ISCAMS%usc-isid@sri-unix.UUCP (12/19/83)
Don't get me wrong, now: we DO have a certain amount of problems with our Corvuses, probably far more than if they were sitting nice and snug in a proper office environment. However, they seem to bear up well enough, and none of our problems can be directly connected to crashing down a Piedmont luggage ramp, or the 1/4" of dust and sand in the Sinai coating the logic board, or the 95 volts of STRANGE current we got in Germany (the stuff that blew up all our OOOPSes (UPS devices - we call them OOPSes because that was my initial comment the first time I accidentally kicked out a power cord and brought the entire Corps Command and Control Net down!) Thanks for the info on the Eagle Spirit XT HD being kind of tough. Rog on Kaypro 10 - read that elsewhere too: a somewhat high DOA rate, plus not taking a beating really well. My good old little 5-Megger in my Decision I has never skipped a beat in lo, these many months of hacking -- but then the worst abuse she gets is an occasional cat curled up on top! Regards, David Kirschbaum Toad Hall
POURNE%mit-mc@sri-unix.UUCP (12/23/83)
From: Jerry E. Pournelle <POURNE@mit-mc> agree them Corvuses are good stuff, although we have never treated ours QUITE that way. Eagle Spirit XT hard disk rugged too. Kaypro 10 hard disk NOT rugged, becareful of same. JEP