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Cleaning RK05 (2315-style) disk packs

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gwiley

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Somewhere, I think it was in this forum, I read a detailed post that describes a process for cleaning RK05 disk pack/cartridges.
Does anyone recall seeing this post? It's possible that I just imagined it was here and was on a web page.

There were photos of cartridges on a kitchen counter and I think the process may have involved cleaning with alcohol and lint-free micro-fiber cloths.

Is this level of cleaning recommended for 50-year-old cartridges purchased on ebay?

I've read this page which describes how to clean the drive, which seems equally as important.

I hesitate to attempt to spin up a disk in the drive until I'm confident that both are free of particles that could potentially cause a head crash
 
It may have been on Curious Marc's pages or videos

Particles aren't the issue, they'll get spun/blown off by airflow

You want to inspect both sides for any signs of head-disk interference (scratches, streaks, dark smudges)

In the bad old days, you'd clean the surface with TFE and TexWands, 99% IPA works but it can leave white
residue so you end up using more of it.

Disassembly is tedious with all of the plastic threaded screws but it's easier than 5440 packs.

Also, when imaging a pack you don't want to dwell too long on any one cylinder. You can recover most packs
even if they 'ting' a bit, but that 'ting' can quickly turn into a head crash. In my experience, most head crashes
occur on the top surface.

--al (who has cleaned WAY too many packs doing Alto and PDP-11 software recovery)
 
Like Al said, biggest thing is making sure it's not already crashed, and then stuck on contamination. RetroHacker_ and I cleaned a pile of RL packs at his house years ago, documented here:


The RKs will be similar, but disassembly is of course different. I would still suggest buying a box of Kimwipes (McMaster sells them, B&H appears to, lots of other places too, maybe best to avoid Amazon here due to fakes) rather than using a microfiber cloth. Each wipe is one-time use. You do want 99% IPA, which we buy from McMaster by the gallon, they also have quart-size cans. Electronics suppliers like Mouser and Digi-Key probably carry it too. 99% is *significantly* more effective than 91%. You will need gloves, unless you like dry whitened skin -- RetroHacker_ and I made that mistake and changed our minds basically instantly :p
 
glitch said:
RetroHacker_ and I cleaned a pile of RL packs at his house years ago, documented here:

Click to expand...
Ah, thank you! This is what I remember reading. Definitely remember the photos of the kitchen countertop.

From your description and what Al said it seems quite important to disassemble the cartridge carefully to inspect both sondes of the platter.
 
Yes, we found some packs that looked fine when peeking through the opening for the heads, but we were able to spot obvious damage with the pack shield off!
 
Back in the day we had a company named Scopus come in with a machine and clean our RK05's. The machine cleaned them somehow without disassembly I think.

The main thing I remember was cleaning the heads regularly. Once a head had some build up it would transfer damage to other disks. I'd use a Q-tip and IPA.
 
DEC did sell RK05 pack cleaning machines.
Basically you placed the pack on the machine, made sure there was enough isopropyl alcohol in the dispenser, placed
2 cleaning pads on the arm, and pres the button.
The machine would rotate the disk very slowly (a few rpm) while the soaked pads would slowly move in and out.
A whole cycle would last 2 minutes or so.
Afaik, a similar machine was also available for RL01/2's
 
This just appeared in one of my saved searches:

www.ebay.com

DEC DIGITAL RECORDING HEAD AND DISK CLEANING KIT FOR RK05 HARD DRIVE & DISK | eBay

<p>In good condition.</p><p>The label on the bag has some smudges and shows signs of age.</p><p>The texpad pouches have some discoloration.</p><p>They are still sealed.</p><br /><p>Belongs to my Uncle who had and used Digital computers for both business and personal use. </p><p>Has been stored...
www.ebay.com

If Future Me remembers, I’ll save the listing photos and post them here for future reference. If anybody here plans to bid on it, I don’t think I’ll be competing with you. But I do want to save the photos for later if I remember.
 
NF6X said:
This just appeared in one of my saved searches:

www.ebay.com

DEC DIGITAL RECORDING HEAD AND DISK CLEANING KIT FOR RK05 HARD DRIVE & DISK | eBay

<p>In good condition.</p><p>The label on the bag has some smudges and shows signs of age.</p><p>The texpad pouches have some discoloration.</p><p>They are still sealed.</p><br /><p>Belongs to my Uncle who had and used Digital computers for both business and personal use. </p><p>Has been stored...
www.ebay.com

If Future Me remembers, I’ll save the listing photos and post them here for future reference. If anybody here plans to bid on it, I don’t think I’ll be competing with you. But I do want to save the photos for later if I remember.
Click to expand...

Oh dear. I had about a hundred of these packs (still have a few tough).
Used them for all kinds of little jobs, as the pads were still moist.
 
I hope that seeing the pictures will be a useful reference to somebody who has never handled the originals before, but expects to need to clean some packs someday… like me!
 
Having personally used the briefcase model, mostly on RK06/7 disk packs, I wonder if the one time use foam wipers and cleaning solution are available.

Rubbing alcohol would probably be fine and you could fit appropriate foam to the arms, just has to be compatible with the solution and not easily disintegrate.

What was nice about these units was the bright inspection lamp and angled mirror arms that allowed a quick and complete visual inspection for physical surface defects.

Dale
 
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