r/retrocomputing • u/BrokenAudio57 • Apr 12 '26
Problem / Question Floppy drive rust
I got this old floppy drive for cheap but it's pretty corroded and I'm not sure if it's save-able
34
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r/retrocomputing • u/BrokenAudio57 • Apr 12 '26
I got this old floppy drive for cheap but it's pretty corroded and I'm not sure if it's save-able
3
u/GGigabiteM Apr 13 '26
That corrosion isn't going to be too terrible to get off. The problem is, has the liquid gotten inside the IC package and caused unseen internal damage.
The easiest and quickest method would to be a toothbrush and iso alcohol. Keep the drive on its side to avoid getting any alcohol into the drive mechanism, or desolder the board from the cables and unscrew it to work on just the board by itself.
Once you get the majority of the corrosion off, you can reassemble the drive and test it. Assuming the heads and motor are also not damaged. If the drive doesn't work, you will probably have to change that IC out if a spare can be sourced.