[mdlug-discuss] Offtopic: C64 floppy drive, original 1541

[Aaron Kulkis]

Ingles, Raymond wrote:
> Triggered by my niece getting me a TI 99/4a from a garage sale, I pulled the old C64 system I acquired years ago from storage, and my sons are playing with BASIC on it. However, the 1541 floppy drive seems to have failed. Now, I never really used a C64 system before, so I don't have old memories to go on for 1541 behavior.
> 
> Anyway, the symptoms are: Any attempt to read data results in a blinking indicator light and a lot of clanking and clicking and rustling inside the case. And it seems to go on until and unless the power's switched off. Commands to format or write to the disk complete with no posted errors, but any attempt to read give a 'device not present' error.
> 

The Commodore 1541 drives are all alarmingly noisy even when in perfect working condition.


They would seek track zero by moving .. oh, if the disks are 80 tracks, then the controller
would issue the signal to move towards the track-0 end 80 times.  The clicking is the
ratchet mechanism.


> Anyone have any experience maintaining or fixing these things?
>