Neodymium magnets from used HDD. Several ways to use neodymium magnets Neodymium magnets in a hard drive

“Destroying Myths” - this section is dedicated to the most common myths that have taken root in the world of information technology. The editors of the CHIP test laboratory will help you distinguish fiction from the truth.

Many people believe that if a regular magnet is placed near a computer or hard drive, it will lead to data loss.

Is it true.

This opinion spread when 5.25- and 3.5-inch floppy disks were widely used. The magnets really shouldn’t have been brought too close to these data carriers: even a distance of three centimeters was enough to destroy all the data. However, even neodymium magnets with a powerful magnetic field do not pose any danger to hard drives. Modern hard drives with a capacity of 1 TB or more consist of two to four plates coated with a magnetic layer based on iron oxide and cobalt. Information on the platters is located in small areas (domains) of the disk, which can have two states of magnetization - 0 or 1. Bits of information on modern HDDs are stored in vertical domains. This method, called perpendicular recording, allows you to store up to 19 GB of information on one square centimeter.

Magnetic fields Reading and writing data to the HDD is carried out by moving the head above the platter at a distance of only 10 nm. This element works as an electromagnet and creates a strong field, under the influence of which domains are magnetized.

Thus, it is magnetic fields that allow information to be written or erased in domains.

But why then does an ordinary magnet pose no danger? The fact is that the plates are so strongly magnetized that only very powerful fields with an induction of over 0.5 Tesla can negatively affect the operation of the HDD. Since the strength of the magnetic field decreases with distance from the object, already at a distance of a few millimeters it will drop to a negligible value. Therefore, magnets brought to the HDD are too weak to affect the information stored on the hard drive.

Even a neodymium magnet with an adhesive force of 200 kg at a distance of 10 mm from an object creates a field with a magnetic induction of only 0.3 Tesla. However, be aware that if a magnet is placed near a running hard drive, it may tilt the read/write head to the side or cause it to touch the platter. This is fraught with recording errors and, as a result, data loss.

Or at retail, but few people know that in some cases there is no need to buy it, since it won’t be difficult to get such a thing.

To obtain the desired result, you need to take a regular hard drive, which is equipped with any computer, but it must be non-working or outdated, since it will need to be disassembled.

Preparing to extract an element

In addition to the hard drive itself, for extraction you will also need a piece of ordinary A4 or A3 paper, a set of thin screwdrivers, an ordinary kitchen knife, and also some kind of box where you can put various detachable parts.

Removal procedure

The first step is to remove the cover of the device. To do this, you need to remove the jumper and unscrew several bolts, then peel off the stickers, under which, as a rule, several more bolts are hidden, which also need to be unscrewed. Next, the cover, which is not fixed by anything, can be removed without any problems, and the next item is the board, under which there is a head with neodymium elements. In order to remove the board, you need to turn the hard drive over and unscrew the bolts securing the board. Next, access to the target is open - metal plates with neodymium magnets are removed from the head, which will not be so easy to separate.

At first glance, it may even seem that they are glued or screwed to the plates, but this is not the case, and therefore, to overcome the force of attraction, it will be enough to use an ordinary kitchen knife, with which you can separate the plates from the magnets. When performing this, at first glance, simplest task, you cannot neglect the tenets of safety precautions, since you can cut your hand in an instant.

Advantages and disadvantages of neodymium elements from hard drive

The only drawback is the fact that the obtained elements cannot be used in all areas. For example, they certainly won’t be able to act as an elegant souvenir, but they perform all other functions.

There are many advantages to neodymium magnets extracted from a computer hard drive, and the main one is cost, since most often it is completely free, since an old, useless hard drive has no value. You can rummage around in search of such a part or offer to get rid of it to your friends and acquaintances.

Use of neodymium magnetic products from hard drive

As mentioned earlier, mined magnetic products are unlikely to be suitable for gifts or souvenirs, but they retain all the properties characteristic of the neodymium-iron-boron alloy. Ultra-strength and resistance to demagnetization contribute to their wide range of applications. You can use them to search for metal objects, or you can save your family budget by stopping the counter using such a product. Mined elements are perfect for this, as they have sufficient power. In addition, the “catch” can be attached to the fuel line, which will reduce fuel consumption and, again, save money.

Thus, an old part can serve well and provide a very valuable part that can be useful in everyday life and save the family budget. The main thing is not to rush to throw away unnecessary things, but to think about whether they will be useful in the future?

As an important and familiar carrier of information, it has one unpleasant property: it is short-lived. And after failure it is completely useless. Most often, it ends up in the trash heap, or is deliberately scrapped for recycling, which in our country is considered completely meaningless for a number of reasons, but the main one is the lack of a clear and widespread mechanism for recycling and separate waste collection. This is a topic for a separate discussion, perhaps we will return to it. In the meantime, we are finding uses in everyday life, because taking something apart is always interesting for an inquisitive mind! You can show children the structure of modern disks and have an “interesting” time.

How can we benefit from a non-functioning drive? The only use that came to my mind was to get neodymium magnets out of it, which are known for their magnetizing strength and high resistance to demagnetization.

The process of disassembling and removing magnets.

If you have a tool, this is not at all difficult to do, especially since the disk is ready to fulfill its final purpose.

We will need:

• Six-pointed star screwdriver (T6, T7...depending on model).
• A thin flathead screwdriver or a strong knife.
• Pliers.

I have a WD 3.5 inch hard drive, which has served me faithfully for 4 years.

We unscrew the screws around the perimeter, but the casing will not open just like that; there is another one hidden under the sticker. Apparently, this is a seal that is quite difficult to find. The hidden screw is located on the axis of the magnetic heads (in the photo I marked it with a red circle), in this area there is a hidden fastener. But we don’t have to stand on ceremony, because we only need magnets, the rest has no value. You should end up with something similar, one or two metal plates with magnets. Using pliers and some force, bend the metal plate and carefully pry up the magnets. I was lucky, the plate turned out to be flat, and I glued it to the shelf on the desktop with super glue. The tool is at hand, does not hang around the table, and most importantly, we have given a second life to some part of the hard drive. I think everyone will find a use for magnets in everyday life.

To date, probably only the deaf have not heard about neodymium magnets. They are made from an alloy - NdFeB, which has remarkable magnetic properties (it is not only powerfully magnetite, but also very resistant to demagnetization). It is not difficult to buy neodymium magnets in Moscow, but they can bring a lot of benefits in the household. Let's consider several non-trivial ways to use such magnets in the household. So,

The simplest and most fun are toys and puzzles. For this, rather weak small magnets are used, usually in the form of balls. Various complex shapes and sculptures are assembled from them. But do not forget that such magnets should NEVER be given to children under 4 years of age! A swallowed pair of such magnets, pinching the wall of the intestines or stomach, can easily cause its perforation with all the consequences.

Neodymium magnets are excellently used as clamps. In principle, a pair of medium magnets is quite capable of replacing a bench vise. However, it is more convenient to use magnets, since they can be used to fix parts of complex shapes.

Motorists will probably be interested in using neodymium magnets as an oil filter. If you hang it on the engine crankcase drain plug, it will trap all metal inclusions in this place, which will then be easy to remove.

Due to their strength, such magnets can be successfully used in search activities. For example, find a fallen needle in a carpet, or a machine gun from the Great Patriotic War in a river (special search magnets with an eye for a rope are sold for this). Can also be used to search for reinforcement in walls.

Magnets have been used by magicians for a long time to create the illusion of levitation. With the advent of neodymium, such tricks reached a new level.

You can also successfully magnetize various steel objects (screwdrivers, bits, tweezers, needles, etc.) with such a magnet. They can even re-magnetize a demagnetized ordinary magnet.

Fixing inventory and tools. Special holders with magnetic properties will help you in proper planning of your workspace.

Dent repair, from body repair to wind instrument repair.
To delete data from magnetic media (hard drives, audio and video cassettes, credit cards). A powerful magnetic field perfectly removes all information. Quickly and without additional effort.

In general, neodymium magnets are simply an indispensable assistant in the household. Only when working with them, especially powerful ones, strictly follow safety precautions. If a finger or other part of the body gets caught between magnetic objects (I already wrote about children), this could end very badly.

Take care of yourself!
Based on materials from: http://neo-magnets.ru/

Hello dear friends. Today we will disassemble the hard drive into small pieces in order to obtain neodymium magnets and other useful little things. Of course, we will disassemble the hard drive that has become unusable. So let's get started. Let's prepare all the necessary tools. In this case the following will be used:

1. Paper, A4 format - 3 sheets;
2. A set of thin Chinese screwdrivers;
3. Another Chinese set - a screwdriver with different attachments;
4. Box for small items;
5. Possibly a kitchen knife, although it is not in the photo;
6. And, of course, the hard drive itself.

Safety precautions:On the one hand, it seems nothing dangerous, but still be extremely careful. You will have to work with a knife, thin screwdrivers and other tools. If used improperly, you can easily get injured.

After that, take a screwdriver and a suitable attachment in your hands. In my case, this is a curly six-pointed nozzle. For some reason the cunning Chinese decided to use such bolts in the manufacture of this hard drive.

Having unscrewed all the bolts, tear off the stickers from the top cover. As a rule, several more bolts are hidden under the stickers. We also unscrew them, after which we carefully remove the cover and set it aside. We don’t throw it away either, it’s perfectly polished and we’ll need it someday. After opening we see the following picture.

Next, more subtle work begins. Turn the hard drive over to the other side and begin to unscrew the board. This operation must be done with extreme caution so as not to damage the board parts and other fragile elements.

Having unscrewed the board, turn the hard drive over again and pay attention to this element. This is our ultimate goal.

It is here that the neodymium magnet is hidden, for the sake of which all this was started. In general, we unscrew everything that can be unscrewed and remove the head.

I don’t know why we might need it in the future, but we will start using plates with neodymium magnets today. Please note that initially it may seem that the plates are twisted, glued or otherwise secured to the other. However, it is not. In fact, they are simply very strongly attracted to each other due to the force of magnets. Pay attention to the following photo - these are neodymium magnets.

Separating the magnet itself from the metal plate can be very difficult at times. In some cases, the magnets are glued, and in others they are held in place only by their own strength and thanks to the guides so that they do not move from the desired place. In my case, they stay in the right places thanks to the guides.

To separate the magnets from the metal plate, I pry the magnet from below with a knife blade. I just ask you to be careful! It's very easy to cut your hand. In the photo above you can see the already separated magnet. There are two of them in the hard drive. Although, to be precise, there are three of them, but the third one is very small. In some cases, the third magnet is a small cube with edges up to 1 mm. In some, the small ball is less than 1 mm. I would also like to draw your attention to the fact that some hard drives do not have two plates with magnets, but one curved in the shape of a horseshoe. In the next photo you can see an example of such a plate.

In this case, you have to use heavy artillery, such as pliers, to separate the magnet. In this photo, the plate was bent, and a knife blade was inserted into the resulting space between the plate and the magnet. I also want to warn you that different hard drives have magnets of different sizes. The largest ones, of course, are in older models. Here are examples of magnets from different hard drives.