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512ke Floppy Drive Auto-Eject Issues

Gamer9430

Gamer9430

macrumors 68020
Original poster
Apr 22, 2014
2,248
1,405
USA
i am now a proud owner of a 512ke. I got the computer, keyboard, mouse, Mac 'n Freeze fan, IBM Color Jetprinter, Microsoft MacEnhancer, original carrying case, and several cases of disks for $120 from a nice guy on Craigslist. Anyway, the floppy drive reads and writes disks fine, however, it does not eject the disks automatically, I have to use a paper clip to remove the disk. It auto ejected for a few hours yesterday, then I heard it making different noises than usual while ejecting and then it died again. Any suggestions on how to get it working. I'm nervous about working inside the computer because of the risk of shock from the CRT. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!
 
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Firstly, I recommend doing a google search for:

macintosh_128k.512k.pdf

Next, have a look at this thread for information about reconditioning your drive:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1354182/

Note, the above thread applies to 800K and early 1.44MB drives. If you indeed have a 512ke, you should have the 800K drive.

Those should give you all you need - further questions can be added to the above thread.

Enjoy! :)
 
miniMOJOman said:
you may have a look over here https://68kmla.org/forums/index.php?/topic/24328-replacement-gear-for-floppy-eject-mechanism/ for a discussion of replacement gears for the floppy mechanism in the old macs. I am not sure if this is your problem or not, but I know that this is one problem. The gears work a few times, but then they snag and snap off and you can "hear" the drive ejecting, but the teeth are gone, so it doesn't actually work.
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Thanks to both of you, and this is what is happening now. The drive was working, and then it stopped, and yesterday the motor started running, but nothing was actually happening, so I definitely thought the gear teeth might have broke off. Is there any easy way to fix that?
 
Ok so I was looking through the MR post from MacTech68 and I saw how to get to it, and how to order those gears. Shapeway is offline today (1-21-15) so I will have to order the parts at a different time, if that is what broke. If someone could link a disassembly guide for the floppy drive, that would be great. Again, as I mentioned in my original post, I'm a little nervous working inside around the CRT.
 
Gamer9430 said:
Ok so I was looking through the MR post from MacTech68 and I saw how to get to it, and how to order those gears. Shapeway is offline today (1-21-15) so I will have to order the parts at a different time, if that is what broke. If someone could link a disassembly guide for the floppy drive, that would be great. Again, as I mentioned in my original post, I'm a little nervous working inside around the CRT.
Click to expand...

Check the first post in the thread I linked to. There is a link there to basic info on how to pull the drive apart. The rest of the thread gives additional detail for other points to attend to.

Thus:

http://68kmla.org/wiki/Floppy_Drive_Lubrication

and

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/1354182/
 
Thanks, I can't seem to find instructions just to get it out of the computer anywhere though. I might sound pretty dumb, but this is my first compact Mac and I don't really know how to take it apart. I can open the cover and all, but then I have no clue what to do
 
You really are going to have to read more.

From my earlier post,

Firstly, I recommend doing a google search for:

macintosh_128k.512k.pdf

Get that and read it all the way thru. It shows you what to do.

However, if you are seriously concerned, talk to a more knowledgeable friend/relative and get them to help you.
 
MacTech68 said:
You really are going to have to read more.

From my earlier post,

Firstly, I recommend doing a google search for:

macintosh_128k.512k.pdf

Get that and read it all the way thru. It shows you what to do.

However, if you are seriously concerned, talk to a more knowledgeable friend/relative and get them to help you.
Click to expand...

Hey, I'm sorry about being slow to things... My head has been all over the place the past few days between looking to fix the computer, having midterms, and to clean out my basement. I really appreciate your help.
 
Gamer9430 said:
Hey, I'm sorry about being slow to things... My head has been all over the place the past few days between looking to fix the computer, having midterms, and to clean out my basement. I really appreciate your help.
Click to expand...

No problem. Sorry if I came over a bit OTT.

Take it slowly, read all the stuff, and don't rush into it - that's the best advice I can give. :)

If you don't understand something - do ask - I promise I won't bite - too hard. ;)
 
MacTech68 said:
No problem. Sorry if I came over a bit OTT.

Take it slowly, read all the stuff, and don't rush into it - that's the best advice I can give. :)

If you don't understand something - do ask - I promise I won't bite - too hard. ;)
Click to expand...

No problem, it's my fault I didn't read it over too thoroughly. The guy I bought it from said his friend might have an external, and he would be willing to sell it to me. So I'll see how that goes. The drive itself works fine, I just can't eject stuff properly
 
Gamer9430 said:
No problem, it's my fault I didn't read it over too thoroughly. The guy I bought it from said his friend might have an external, and he would be willing to sell it to me. So I'll see how that goes. The drive itself works fine, I just can't eject stuff properly
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These drives suffer from lubricant that hardens over time. The auto eject sled and disc cradle requires a certain amount of force to activate (you can get an idea of how much when you manually eject with the paperclip method).

They really need to be stripped down, cleaned, re-lubricated and re-assembled. However, it seems there is a new problem arising with one cog in the eject motor gearbox becoming brittle and disintegrating when the mechanism's lubricant hardens and the force to overcome it becomes too great.

I used to recondition these drives and found that the best way was to attend to every common fault, clean, re-lubricate and then reassemble. This brought the vast majority of faulty drives back to life.
 
MacTech68 said:
They really need to be stripped down, cleaned, re-lubricated and re-assembled. However, it seems there is a new problem arising with one cog in the eject motor gearbox becoming brittle and disintegrating when the mechanism's lubricant hardens and the force to overcome it becomes too great.
Click to expand...

Which tells me that it's probably a good idea to rebuild a drive of questionable origin before even attempting to use it. The drive in my Q700 not only had issues with dried grease, but also had dust caked in it everwhere, and left me using a pair of tweezers to pick it all out.

BTW, I've been using plain lithium grease-the kind that I can get in a tube or can at an auto parts store for a few bucks, and has about the look and consistency of vaseline. Should I really switch over to using white lithium? If I could get tub of white lithium(rather than an aerosol can) I'd use it, but have had bad experiences in the past with aerosol greases and getting the right amount where I want it.

The lithium grease that I've been using on floppy drives has also seen heavy use on the slide rails and guide rod of my m1911 pistol, as well as on the sliding parts of my Smith and Wesson and Colt revolvers. None of them have complained yet :) . At the same time, though, that's a totally different application and I don't want to inadvertently mess an old disk drive by using the wrong grease on it.
 
bunnspecial said:
Which tells me that it's probably a good idea to rebuild a drive of questionable origin before even attempting to use it
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Yes. A very good recommendation.

bunnspecial said:
BTW, I've been using plain lithium grease-the kind that I can get in a tube or can at an auto parts store for a few bucks, and has about the look and consistency of vaseline. Should I really switch over to using white lithium? If I could get tub of white lithium(rather than an aerosol can) I'd use it, but have had bad experiences in the past with aerosol greases and getting the right amount where I want it...
Click to expand...

I hate using aerosol packed lubricants purely for that reason. They're no really suited to small applications like these.

As for the choice, I'm not certain. I used a grease designed for old VCR transport decks with all their cams, gears, actuators and other metal-to-metal, plastic-to-metal and plastic-to-plastic greased parts. It's labeled as "long lasting" and I still have that pot and it's STILL the same consistency it was when new. Sadly, it doesn't have a brand name attached.

I always remove the 4 split washers that hold the sliding deck (after removing the eject motor assembly) and clean the sliding deck and the cast metal hub motor deck it slides on. Makes for MUCH easier cleaning.

EDIT: The company I used to buy the grease from now sell "MOLYKOTE® DX PASTE"

http://www.dowcorning.com/applications/search/default.aspx?R=11354EN
 
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