HDD cross section

[sinsi]

So many times I need to tell customers that their hard drive is fucked, especially when they drop their laptop when it's on (3 today is a record).
What's the easiest way to cut apart an old hdd to show the inner workings? Just as a heads up, me and power tools are mutually exclusive  :P
I want to be able to show them the platters and heads, how the heads don't touch the platter (until they drop it of course).

Maybe give a few to a high school metalwork teacher and make it some kid's project?

[MichaelW]

All I have ever needed to open a hard drive is an appropriate size Phillips, or more recently Torx, screwdriver.

Oops, I didn't see the "cross section". I would open it first so I could determine where to cut it. The zinc and aluminum components should be easy to cut with a fine-pitch hacksaw blade, and the steel components less easy, but the machanism may have hard pins that you should probably avoid, and for the servomotor magnets I have no idea how they would cut, but you should probably avoid this too because the material is likely to be somewhat toxic.

[anunitu]

Here is a good pic from "How stuff works"

http://computer.howstuffworks.com/computer-hardware-pictures13.htm


http://computer.howstuffworks.com/computer-hardware-pictures14.htm

[Magnum]

I wouldn't use a laptop even if it was given to me.

They cram 20 lbs. of hardware in a 10 lb. container.

One reason they have a short lifespan in comparison to a desktop.

I have big fingers, so their keyboard is a pain as well.  :bg

[evlncrn8]

some cheap (and nasty) HDD's use glass covered with metal for the platters... crosscutting those might be both dangerous and pointless too