[mod.computers.vax] glue on the disks revisited...

dp@JASPER.PALLADIAN.COM.UUCP (01/27/87)

    > Early production of these drives had a design fault which allowed contaminants
    > to build up on the heads. This does not crash the HDA but does reach a point
    > where data can no longer be read or written with any reliability. Apparently
    > spinning the drive down temporarily cures the problem by scraping the crud
    > off the heads onto the landing zones!
    >
    > Apparently production shipped after mid August 86 does not have this problem,
    > and SI UK are arranging to swap all earlier HDAs with customers regardless of
    > whether there are problems.

some vintages of RA-81 have a similar problem. after ~1.5 years the glue holding the
paper absolute filter elements in place would de-compose and so would go your heads.

<dp>