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Safe HD orientations

Tags:
  • Hard Drives
  • HD
  • Seagate
  • Storage
Last response: in Storage
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March 30, 2003 12:18:28 PM

Hi,

I'm currently trying to cram alot of HD's into a PC cabinet, and have found that airflow would be much better if the HD's are tilted. I am not using the standard HD brackets.

So the big question is, will mounting the HD's so that the platters are NOT aligned with the horizontal plane damage the drive?

If this varies between brands, I'm using Seagate Barracuda V drives.

More about : safe orientations

March 30, 2003 1:07:40 PM

as long as they are not moving

NO. just don't move you computer while HDDs are going!!!!

gyroscopic forces are the only ones to worry about so you can orient them as crazy as you want



Alltaken (p.s. don't listen to me, even though i know i'm right)
March 30, 2003 6:03:30 PM

Ok... most hard disks want to be horizontal and right side up.

Several manufacturers tell you not to mount their drives on their noses (vertical with the cable at the top) or on their sides as this can prevent the drive heads from parking correctly when the power is turned off.

Others will tell you not to run the drives upside down since this places an unusual strain on the motor bearings.

Most drives don't produce a lot of heat. Your best bet would be to mount them according to general practice with about a quarter inch of space between them to allow air to circulate around the electronics and work on other ways of improving airflow through the case... enlarging air intakes and strategic positioning of exhaust fans.

And Alltaken was right... you should never move a spinning hard disk.



--->It ain't better if it don't work<---
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March 31, 2003 1:51:31 AM

It used to be an issue with older drives, but i belive most new ones can be used at most angles... though its allways best to check the manufacturer.
multiple's of 90 degrees is allways a good idea.

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April 5, 2003 9:44:08 PM

Thanks for the answers, I conclude that mounting the HD's sligthly askew, about 10 degrees angle from the horizontal plane, will not hurt the drives.

If you wonder why I want to do such a thing, I first have to mention that I'm trying to put 12 HD's into a miditower. The HD's are placed in two's side by side, six pairs on top of each other. With about 2.5 cm of free space over and under each drive.

By mounting each drive at the same angle, slightly askew from horizontal, I can reason out in which direction the airflow will move due to heat disipation. This information is valuable when deciding where to put air intakes, and where to put exhaust fans. Especially so because I'm very concerned with using as few fans as possible, with low rotation speed.
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