MLS@s40.prime.COM (10/28/88)
Help! I just heard from my second "authorized Atari Service Center." He concurs with the first that my drive passes all of the tests but doesn't work. He admits that it is probably a speed problem, but claims that there is no way to adjust the speed on a Chinon model drive. Is it possible that something this simple isn't adjustable? The repairman also claims that since the drive meets all of the specs, Atari probably won't even swap it out. This drive is barely a year old - I had to replace my original twice in the first year I had the machine (The magnet fell out of the first one less than an hour after I bought it.) It's no wonder nobody wants to buy Atari products. As for service - the last time I sent the drive in for replacement, it took nearly two months! Does anybody have any suggestions? I was told that my best bet is to mess up the head so there will be no trouble getting it replaced. For a simple speed problem, I don't want to spend the time or money to swap it if I don't have to. Is the Chinon really as good as the other drives or did I get ripped off when I got it in exchange for my last one?
dlm@druhi.ATT.COM (Dan Moore) (10/31/88)
in article <8810281049.AA15598@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, MLS@s40.prime.COM says: > > Help! I just heard from my second "authorized Atari Service Center." He > concurs with the first that my drive passes all of the tests but doesn't > work. > > He admits that it is probably a speed problem, but claims that there is > no way to adjust the speed on a Chinon model drive. > > Is it possible that something this simple isn't adjustable? It's very possible. There are a lot of 3.5" drives that you can't adjust the drive speed on. Most of the drives use a phase lock loop (or whatever else they thought of) to keep the drive speed constant. They are calibrated when they are manufactured and after that there is no easy way to change the speed. (I don't think there is a hard way either.) Atari buys really cheap drives and one of the ways the manufacturer saves money is in the accuracy of their calibration. > For a simple speed problem, I don't want to spend the time or money to > swap it if I don't have to. Is the Chinon really as good as the other > drives or did I get ripped off when I got it in exchange for my last one? Almost all the drives Atari has sold in the last year or two are garbage. The Chinon is no better or worse than the others. Some of the older drives (when the ST first shipped) were NEC's or Epson and were very good but they cost too much. I wrote a drive speed test program when I was at Data Pacific. It used to be on a several of the commercial networks (CIS, Genie, Delphi). You might try running it on your drive to see what the speed really is. Ideally it should be 300 RPM but anything from about 295 to 305 is ok for standard formats. Above 305 you would have problems with 10 sector formats (eg. Twister) but the standard 9 sector format should work just fine. Dan Moore AT&T Bell Labs Denver dlm@druhi.ATT.COM
danscott@atari.UUCP (Dan Scott) (11/01/88)
in article <8810281049.AA15598@ucbvax.Berkeley.EDU>, MLS@s40.prime.COM says: > > Help! I just heard from my second "authorized Atari Service Center." He > concurs with the first that my drive passes all of the tests but doesn't > work. > > He admits that it is probably a speed problem, but claims that there is > no way to adjust the speed on a Chinon model drive. I'm not sure how a drive can pass "all tests" and still be inoperative. What type of tests were performed? You should make sure that the service tech that is looking at your machine is using the Diagnostic cart rev 4.0 or better. From that Rev and beyond there is a specific test available for checking the drive speed. > It's no wonder nobody wants to buy Atari products. As for service - the last > time I sent the drive in for replacement, it took nearly two months! > > Does anybody have any suggestions? I was told that my best bet is to mess > up the head so there will be no trouble getting it replaced. Sounds like you either had some sort of problem with the return to Atari or you sent in the drive to Customer Relations durring the Xmas season; The time when everyone and his brother tries to send in orders and replacements at the same time. The usual turn around for returned products is about 2-3 weeks total. I suggest you either contact your local service center again or contact Customer Relations @ Atari for either another service center or Atari's return policy and the amount of time needed for a mail-turnaround (we are in the Xmas season again). Dan Scott Atari Corp. Happy Halloween!