Use of a Scrapped Hard Disk Drive for Physics Teaching
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Lian Hu
[1]
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[1] Jiangnan University
Jiangnan University
China
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- Localización: The Physics Teacher, ISSN 0031-921X, Vol. 62, Nº. 7, 2024, págs. 571-574
- Idioma: inglés
- Enlaces
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Resumen
A mechanical hard disk drive (HDD) is a common electronic product, and the working principle of the HDD is good physics teaching material.1,2 A damaged disk surface will cause the mechanical hard disk to be scrapped, but its mechanical and electrical structures are usually intact. So, some people repurpose the scrapped HDD into tools or ornaments. Typically, an HDD includes a high-quality spindle motor that rotates the disk and a voice coil motor (VCM) that positions the voice coil since the mechanical hard drive is a high-tech product. These two components each have a fixed axis, the spindle (brushless) motor rotates, and the VCM can swing around its axis. Carlos Saraiva used the HDD spindle motor to demonstrate an amusement park rotor and magnetic levitation since the spindle motor with a platter can rotate at high speed.3,4 Based on the movement properties of these two motors in an HDD, I consider that these two movement machines can be used for other physics teaching demonstrations. Here, I will describe demonstration experiments on mechanics, light, vibration, and waves, using these two motors.
