The DVAA-2810 is an 810MB 2.5″ hard disk drive, released in 1994. With IBM pushing themselves into the more widespread mobile computing market, the DVAA’s would be a design IBM used for a multitude of models to come between 1994 and 1995.
With this unit working well far past its expiry date, many of IBM’s ancient 2.5″ drives still live on today.
Drive Attributes ------------------------------------- IBM Travelstar DVAA-2810 ------------------------------------- Capacity 810MB Mfc Date 1995-03 Format 2.5" Height 19mm Interface PATA Platters 3 Heads 6 Cache 32KB RPM 3800 CHS 1571/16/63 Origin Japan (IBM) -------------------------------------
With a whopping 3-platters, this unit was IBM’s flagship 2.5″ drive when it was released in 1994. They certainly started with large intentions.
IBM’s labels are quite nice for the time as usual, with this drive stating its full 810MB capacity, having been manufactured by IBM Japan.
IBM really crammed this one into as thin as they could get with as many platters as possible, a trend which continued all the way until drives such as the DJSA-232 & DARA-225000.
The base of the drive is as blank as ever, with no horrendous foam to deal with fortunately. The spindle motor & head-stack connector is combined into one, which is always an excellent decision when concerning disassembly.
The general topology is ever so slightly different to that of the DHAA-2405, being of a different generation, but changes are minor at most.
Like the drive assembly itself, the PCB was also produced in Japan. The head-stack connector is quite a nice solution for the time.
If you missed the video I made on this drive, you can find it here:
References:
[1] InfoWorld (1994) 23rd May 1994, 174 pages, Vol. 16, No. 21, ISSN 0199-6649, Published by InfoWorld Media Group, Inc., Acquired from: https://books.google.nl/books?id=jzgEAAAAMBAJ