3.5" Floppy Drive - Copper piece came off

[JoeG]

Attached are two photos of the 3.5" floppy drive that I was cleaning as part of a vintage PC restoration. I noticed a square piece of copper underneath the drive heads. There's a similar piece on top of a drive head (see photo).

Does this copper piece need to be attached to the bottom drive head mechanism in order for the drive to work properly? It's a Chinon FZ-357 1.44MB drive.

Thank you!

Joe

I know. I ask lots of questions.

   

   

[Dave Frederickson]

I had one of those fall off. (Lower, left corner)

[JoeG]

Did it have a negative operational impact upon the drive? Or was the drive already not functioning?

Joe

[Dave Frederickson]

(11-04-2024 11:21 PM)JoeG Wrote:  Did it have a negative operational impact upon the drive? Or was the drive already not functioning?

Joe

I think the impact upon the drive caused the negative operation. The lack of the "EMI shield" wasn't noticed.
https://www.hpmuseum.org/forum/thread-732.html

[JoeG]

That was some serious damage!

The PC I received has lots of rust, even though the system will POST boot. I'm cleaning the base of the case now with apple cider vinegar and baking soda, and a wire brush. I already cleaned the power supply.

Now I have to figure out how I'm going to dismantle this floppy drive and reattach the copper shield. Time to search YouTube for floppy drive repair videos that are relevant.

Thank you!

Joe

[JoeG]

I finally got the PC back together, and the floppy drive works fine. Now there are other issues to slowly deal with.

Thank you!

Joe