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Re: Seagate Quench Gap

On Mon, 26 Feb 1996 09:30:39 +0700 you wrote:

>Here is the concept:
>
>                                   |    | threaded nylon or teflon rod
>                                   |    |
>                       --------------------------------  3.5 platter
>               ------------------------------------------------ 5.25 platter
>                (    ) -------------------------------- (    )
>                (    )             |    |               (    )  5" rubber o-rin
>g
>                (    } -------------------------------- (    )
>               ------------------------------------------------
>                       ---------------------------------
>                                   |    |
>                            (more platters as needed)
>
>Each 5.25 platter has a 3.5 platter attached dead center on both sides.
>I will call this a spark layer.
>Each spark layer (except the end ones) are separated and made air tight by
>have a 5" diameter thin o-ring between spark layers.
>The spark layers are placed on a threaded teflon or nylon rod so that teflon
>or nylon nuts be screwed on both ends to both lock out air and squish
>the spark layers closer together as needed for adjustment. I will have extra
>spark layers on hand to add and to accomodate more voltage input should I
>choose to do so.

I am excited about this idea, Bob.  I would like to have a setup in
the house also.
I happen to have a small pile of hard drive "slugs" of both sizes. 
These are the aluminum discs before they are treated and finished.  I
picked them up at a systems automation company that I used to work
for.  Do they need to be highly polished? 

>At this point in construction, I have a couple of questions to throw out to
>the group for feedback.
>
>        1) Soldering the polished aluminum is futile. I am thinking of
>           alternative ways. Someone suggested heli-arc. In my minds eye
>           this didn't work because the bead of the weld would exceed the
>           height of the platter therfore causing the shortest distance for
>           spark to be at the weld bead. The next idea sounds promising but
>           here is were I need feedback. Someone told me of conductive epoxy.
>           Do you think this would be a wise choice or would I have any loss
>           using this ? (It would make for a great seal between platters)

I don't have any good ideas about this yet, but welding can be
expensive.  There could also be some distortion from the heat.

>        2) What and where on the end platters would I use for my connection
>           terminals? A ring between the nut and the platter perhaps? Or if
>           the conductive epoxy is fine then maybe a glued terminal? You
>           would not believe the ideas for this problem that have passed
>           through my head.

The ring sounds good depending on the size of the threaded rod.  What
size is it?  I know the holes in these slugs are fairly large.  I do
not have one where I can get to it right now to measure.

I found mica sheets in the McMaster-Carr catalog.  A 6" x 7" sheet is
about $11.00.
Would it be possible to cut your own gasket from this stuff?  I have
seen mica before, but I have no idea how it can be worked.   Oh, yeah.
 I think those sheets are only .004" thick.  Oh well.  The engine
gasket materials would probably be the way to go.

Mark 



Mark R. Napier
napier-at-cats.ucsc.edu