ExcelStor have always been quite an interesting brand for me personally. I’ve had quite a few of their drives at this point and whilst my experiences with them have usually been quite positive, there’s always been a looming sense of doom whenever they’ve been in operation.
This one is no exception, as it’s failing rather dramatically.
Drive Attributes ------------------------------------- ExcelStor Ganymede J680 ------------------------------------- Capacity 80GB Mfc Date 2004-03-31 Interface PATA Platters 1 Heads 2 RPM 7200 Protocol Ultra-ATA/100 -------------------------------------
This is clearly a rebrand of one of the earlier Deskstar models, when under ownership by Hitachi. ExcelStor were limited to 40GB and 80GB models for a long time while under license, but this changed in their later years. They went out of business shortly after that, however. This one bears some late-stage IBM design similarities, particularly when looking at the PCB. The classic domed top over the spindle motor was something I saw a lot of when dealing with several 120GXP models (particularly, AVVN suffix models).
The labelling on ExcelStor drives is quite a bit different to that of Hitachi/IBM designs, but in a rather suitable way. I’ve always liked the Jupiter logo they added on these, designating the series.
We’re dealing with a fairly bog-standard IBM/Hitachi bottom design. Nothing particularly special. I was hoping this one would work well, as “higher” capacity IDE drives seem to be somewhat inconsistent in terms of reliability, sadly.
There’s a clear call back to the IBM era here, with a very prominent IBM labelled IC. This is much the same layout as most 120GXP’s I’ve personally dealt with.
The monstrous “BZZZ” sound you can hear when this drive spins up is obviously not normal behaviour. Unfortunately, this drive has some issues with unlocking the actuator arm from the parking ramp, the culprit being a degrading rubber bumper. The SMART parameters just keep getting worse and worse, so it’s safe to say this drive is practically useless.
As this drive keeps getting worse and worse, it’s worth checking how it looks inside to see what’s going on. As usual, a ramp-loading mechanism is present, like in all Hitachi/IBM designs at this point in time.
It’s a shame this one has pretty much kicked the bucket. As is the luck which hides behind ExcelStor-made drives.
For now, a small strip of electrical tape will do (this has to be done while the drive is running, else the actuator is firmly seated against it), but suffice to say, this isn’t a phenomenal long-term solution.
This drive hasn’t reacted well to being opened either, its health dropping rapidly. Ah, well.
If you missed the videos I made on this drive, you can find them here: