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$1,000 WIND CHIMES

Finding the softer side of hard drive platters. By Thomas Arey

Over the years, I have accumulated a number of computer hard drives which either failed or needed upgrading. These old drives were no longer collecting data; they were collecting dust. So it was time to void the warranties and open the cases.

Photography by Sam Murphy

Fair warning: Cracking open any hard drive will probably stop it from working. These units are assembled in clean-room conditions, and while my basement workshop is a fantastic place full of wonders, it has never been described as clean. I knew that whatever came out of this exercise would have to perform some new function.

Most modern hard drives are assembled using small Torx screws. With a well-stocked toolbox this is no problem, but before you start unscrewing, notice the thick metallic tape that runs around the drive to join the 2 halves of the drive case and seal

the innards against the outside world. A quick slice with a razor knife takes this encumbrance away and lets the unscrewed case come apart. Keep an eye out for screws hidden under labels.

Inside we find the drive head assembly, a small printed circuit board, and one or more disk drive platters sitting on a small motor. The most generally useful, recoverable item inside any old disk drive is the powerful neodymium magnet that pulls the drive head. At the very least, these make geeky refrigerator magnets. I have joined several of these magnets together and threaded strong cord through their plates to go “fishing” in a lake. They won’t pull up a car wheel, but you may find some interesting underwater debris.

With that said, I began to think a little bit more artistically about the shiny platters. I gathered

Make: 133