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Tutorial - Magnets from Old Hard Drives


Nalu Rash

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Make use of your old computer hard drive by salvaging the magnets inside.

The magnets are very strong, and can be used for many projects.

I hot glue the magnets to my drills. It makes for a nice place to hold screws and bits.

When I'm done with the drill, I can simply stick it to a metal cabinet.

 

Step 1: Find an Old PC Hard Drive.

4Cc0Ou0.jpg

 

Step 2: Open it up. You will need some small screw drivers. In many cases a Torx T9 will be needed.

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Don't forget about the often hidden screw.

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Step 3: Once open, remove all the screws that you see. All hard drives will look similar to the one pictured here.

It looks similar to an old record player/turntable. The large circular plate makes a good shop mirror.

yGcHXj3.jpg

 

The part attached to the swing arm are the magnets. There will be two (2) magnets that can be salvaged from every hard drive.

rHB75tb.jpg

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Step 4: Remove the magnets.

cpRHvez.jpg

 

I find that bending the metal bracket that the magnets are attached to is the most effecient way of removing them.

Take a screw driver or pliers and bend the heck out of it.

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Step 5: Hot glue magnet to drill. You now have a place to store bits and screws.

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not sure if the brushless motors from Milwaukee use Hall sensors such as Aveox or Maxcim the magnets could interfere with the proper operation of those if the magnet is to close and or to strong a field ....I would be cautious

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not sure if the brushless motors from Milwaukee use Hall sensors such as Aveox or Maxcim the magnets could interfere with the proper operation of those if the magnet is to close and or to strong a field ....I would be cautious

Very good point Comp! I was kind of weary about this. I should include a "proceed at your own risk" lol. 

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Great way to recycle dude but electric motors + magnets aren't always the greatest idea, that could be really good for some hand tools though, maybe the handle of hammer or to put on the inside of a plastic toolbox, I'm sure it's strong enough to attract through the walls.

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That's what I'm talking about, think about the money you save making your own too

Jimbo

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Wow comp thats a great idea. You are always making cool stuff!

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Salvaged HD magnets are also great when you want some magnets to play with when you should be doing something productive...  ask me how I know? lol

hmmmmm....it would seem like you have some personal experience playing with magnets while at work, lol. another fun thing to do is reply to comments on the TIA forum while doing something productive haha

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I took apart a whole bunch of drives this week and it seems like the magnet size increases with drive size. I mostly used drive under 500GB but I did do 1 1TB drive and the magnets were extremely strong. The brackets were also reinforced to the point that I couldn't bend them behind the magnet. I have a couple of 2TB drives that I would be curious to see what's in side but they aren't quite old enough yet.

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