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Is a HDD shell window possible?


Bowlsnapper
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I mean a window built into the actual hard drive, as well as into the case above it. I want to be able to see the platter spinning and the head seeking. Is it more vulnerable to EMF interference/damage with a section of the metal casing missing like that? If it's not a long term risk to the drive, how can I keep the internals safe while I work on modifying the metal shell before putting it back on?

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Possible? Yes. Recommended? No.

To be 100% sure there is no long term risk, you would need a clean room or at least a chamber free of dust of any kind.

So I would not recommend such a mod if you care about your HDD or the data stored on it. If you just want to do it just for fun or for display go a head but, you should expect the HDD to fail so have a backup on hand.

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6 hours ago, Bowlsnapper said:

I mean a window built into the actual hard drive, as well as into the case above it. I want to be able to see the platter spinning and the head seeking. Is it more vulnerable to EMF interference/damage with a section of the metal casing missing like that? If it's not a long term risk to the drive, how can I keep the internals safe while I work on modifying the metal shell before putting it back on?

Purchase a $1,000,000 clean room and all of the equipment necessary, clothing, etc. to work in it.

 

Practical to do, NO.

Possible; anything's possible with enough money.

 

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Hypothetically you could perform such a mod and have the hard drive continue to work afterwards for an indeterminate amount of time, ideally you would have prepared another top piece with the window already installed and ready to go so you don't have the internals exposed any longer than necessary.

Based on a tiny amount of second-hand anecdotal evidence (namely the video 'Can a hard drive breathe regular air like us' by Cathode Ray Dude), I'm sure you could do it and have a working drive afterwards... Just don't leave any super important and irreplaceable files on the drive.

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11 hours ago, Mu. said:

Hypothetically you could perform such a mod and have the hard drive continue to work afterwards for an indeterminate amount of time, ideally you would have prepared another top piece with the window already installed and ready to go so you don't have the internals exposed any longer than necessary.

Based on a tiny amount of second-hand anecdotal evidence (namely the video 'Can a hard drive breathe regular air like us' by Cathode Ray Dude), I'm sure you could do it and have a working drive afterwards... Just don't leave any super important and irreplaceable files on the drive.

I actually thought of temporarily swapping lids with an identical hard drive for that purpose. Great minds think alike! :) I'll try it soon and let you all know how it went.

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Back in the 90’s we used to do it, it was cool the first few times then got old as the drives always die prematurely. The only way to properly do it is with a clean room and a donor drive to give you the parts to mod prior to fitting.  
 

If you work in electronics and have access to a clean room go for it.

For everyone else a clean room is not you going round with a duster and a quick tidy up prior to doing it. 

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On 4/12/2022 at 11:04 AM, big F said:

Back in the 90’s we used to do it, it was cool the first few times then got old as the drives always die prematurely. The only way to properly do it is with a clean room and a donor drive to give you the parts to mod prior to fitting.  
 

If you work in electronics and have access to a clean room go for it.

For everyone else a clean room is not you going round with a duster and a quick tidy up prior to doing it. 

Thank you for the info. I actually did decide that buying 2 identical 2TB drives was the way to go, specifically for the reason you mentioned. I will modify the donor plate to completion, and then swap it to the other drive under a cleanroom hood, which is the only option I have without access to a real cleanroom. 

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