Thinkpads Forum

Currently I'm using an IBM TravelStar IBM-DJSA-210 10.1GB 2.5" IDE hard drive from May-01 [boy that was a mouthful].

It makes clicky sounds when it seeks, and it reminds me of the 40GB Hitachi TravelStar (2005?) factory drive that was in my T42.

But I also have two newer Hitachi TravelStar drives, one 60GB (2006), the other 120GB (2006). They both seek quietly.


So I'm wondering: When exactly did the design change so that the drives were more quiet?

The actuator is a "rotary voicecoil", a kind of solenoid.

In the type that makes the click, the turn-on of current to the voicecoil is very sudden.

In the silent variety, the firmware of the drive is changed to ramp the current up more gradually. There is some reduction in seek speed.

I would say that the biggest change in noise happened between the 770Z, up to the T22/T23. (Not sure about the 600, though, as I never had any with the original drive.) The 700Z era drives are humming and clicking away, while there is barely noticeable clicking in the newer ones. There are still some slight clicking even in some of my T42s, but from the T43 and on, I would say that the drives really can't be heard at all anymore.

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