Matsushita A500 Floppy Drive Issues

[tpgb12]

Hello, I'm new to this site and just got my first Amiga 500 a few days ago. The issue is that half of the time or more, the Matsushita internal floppy drive will have quite a hard time reading/writing disks. I keep getting things like "unable to validate -- disk unusable," "You MUST replace volume," etc. It's really annoying and is seemingly especially bad with Workbench and other AmigaDOS disks. I've cleaned/re-oiled the rails, cleaned the two heads with rubbing alcohol, and it still has issues. The only other thing I could think of that might be related is that the top head seems kinda wobbly/loose. I have another drive and none of these issues happen, but I can't actually use it because it's from an external drive enclosure and doesn't fit in the case properly. Any ideas would be much appreciated. Thanks.

[Jope]

If it says you must replace, then it's most likely a problem with the disk change sensor near the front of the drive. Usually the sensor is near the one that tests for the write protect notch.

[tpgb12]

Would it do this in the middle of reading/writing? Here's a quick video showcasing the issue:
[ Show youtube player ]

Fyi, the computer froze at the end of the video due to too many errors. The issues occur at different spots each time, btw. Sometimes the game might load fine, other times this will happen.

[ajk]

If the disk presence switch acts intermittently, the system can get very confused thinking the disk is inserted only some of the time.

This isn't exactly the same drive but you can see the little switches at around the 4 minute mark:

[ Show youtube player ]

[Franchute13]

Hi!
For repair your floppy drive.
1) Replace all capacitor and if still not working them:
2) Clear switch. Quick test, use Tester to check if work o not work. If not work, them, open switch and clean.

More info:
http://eab.abime.net/showthread.php?t=71760

Bye

[tpgb12]

Here's some pictures of what I assume are the switches/sensors. I guess the one in the very back handles disk detection.

No disk:
https://farm2.staticflickr.com/1781/...38e016cc_o.jpg

Disk inserted (sorry for the poor quality):
https://farm1.staticflickr.com/837/4...b7790cdc_o.jpg

Does this look fine to you guys? Perhaps maybe they're supposed to be pushed down more than they are? Also, it turns out I seem to be able to force this to happen on command by tapping the disk around the switch area. If this is entirely the problem, how do I go about permanently fixing it? And is this the reason why I've noticed sometimes Workbench and whatnot sometimes starts randomly accessing the disk on its own despite me not doing anything?

[Jope]

Those are the switches. They seem to operate fine, but the electrical contacts inside the switch casing are tarnished and would need to be cleaned.

[tpgb12]

Alright, I took the switches apart and revealed the contacts. I poured a little bit of vinegar into each of the two contact holes to hopefully eat away at any possible corrosion and I'll let it sit for an hour or two. Hopefully this is the right course of action...

[tpgb12]

Well, looks like this thread's gonna come to an end now. I ruined the drive completely by taking that switch apart. Managed to stretch one of the springs on accident and one of the wires detached from the solder. I suck at soldering, so I won't bother soldering it back. Looks like it's off to somehow get another drive.

Thanks for the help anyways...

[ajk]

I know this doesn't help now, but if you encounter this kind of thing in the future, it's better to start with contact cleaner spray and exercising the switches up and down. Only if that doesn't work, more extreme means like taking the switch apart should be considered.

You could probably also find a completely non-working drive for cheap on AmiBay or elsewhere, so replacing the switch in your (presumably otherwise working) drive should be possible. Does probably require soldering though.

[idrougge]

At least send that drive to someone who can repair it.