magnets inside my case = bad?

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nocods1979

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I'm considering using about 4 of these magnets to mount some acrylic inside my case to help hide some wiring. I'm also mounting a large reservoir to one of these acrylic sheets inside the case. These magnets are also going to end up being about 2 inches from my mobo.

I was thinking the magnets would allow for easier access to the res and wires behind the acrylic. Is this a good idea.... or should I just stick with nuts and bolts to mount the stuff? I can provide pics if necessary. Thanks.
 
Magnets near computer hardware = Do you have enough money for new computer hardware
 
Keep the magnets as far away from the HDD if you do do it. I think that's the only thing it can harm? Or am I wrong?
 
Hard Drives and Magnets is like.. umm.. I can't find a worthwhile comparison but yeah, bad idea.
You could probably pull it off if you use very weak magnets but you're much better off saving yourself headaches and BSODs by using screws.
 
Consider that there is a very strong magnet already inside all modern hard drives. So if this
doesn't affect the data on the platters, how stong would an external magnet have to be?

Do you have a compass handy? Not the drawing kind. The reason I ask is because they
make convenient mag field detectors. If the compass needle isn't effected more than a few
inches away, those magnets *might* be OK in your case.
 
Susquehannock said:
Consider that there is a very strong magnet already inside all modern hard drives. So if this
doesn't affect the data on the platters, how stong would an external magnet have to be?
Click to expand...
The magnet will have to be very strong to affect modern hard drives. I remember Douglite explaining in a post why. (I think it was Douglite). Anyway, basically modern hard drives will not turn to shit at he first sign of a magnet.
 
^^^ - exactly what I was thinking - that article/post on magnets & HDD's.
Think it had something to do with the magnets in pumps for water cooled systems
if my memory serves.
 
Shoot, the magnets inside the darn things can "hold" threw a persons hand. As long as its not too strong, you should be OK, but do keep it away from unshielded magnetic media (floppy/zip drives).
 
keep in mind that the magnet for the internal PC speaker is pretty damn strong and yet computers work fine anyhow. i'd suggest using something other than magnets just for a cable organization problem, but i doubt it'll cause any lasting damage unless it's really close to some of the parts. personally i think you could get away with some simple zip-ties and some zip-tie mounts.
 
just as long as you're not moving the magnets around the case while its on, you should be good. I know moving magnets across wires can generate current. Don't know if its enough to damage the hardware though.
 
This picture demonstrates the power of only one of the surplus hard drive magnets we sell. In the middle is a 17" long, 17 lb. steel spike, hanging from a steel pipe, suspended by one magnet. On the right is a 50 lb. railroad weight, suspended by two magnets.
Click to expand...
linky

Dan's Data article on the subject... Scroll about 1/4 down toi the Drive Magnets header.
 
using the magnets won't be a problem. if you attached a couple of them to a dremel and turned it on inside your case, it might cause some weirdness, but the mere presence of magnets in your case won't cause any problems. I would, however, echo the comment about keeping floppies and zip disks away from them.

@agent420--good to see another dansdata reader around here.

 
agent420 said:
linky

Dan's Data article on the subject... Scroll about 1/4 down toi the Drive Magnets header.
Click to expand...
LOL ~ I want to see that stupid Furby get it! Seriously though, thanx for the article. That's the
one I was thinking of.

About the PC speakers ... they are usually shielded now. Basically a steel shroud around the magnet.
 
thanks for the advise. i'm thinking i might stay away from the magnet idea and just stick with hardware to do the mounting... why risk the potential of damaging components. besides... it looks like some of those magnets i was considering are pretty strong (thanks agent420)
 
I was once toying with the idea of a magnetically closed side door for my case... and dropped 2 neodymium (those ones that break if you let them snap together from like 2 inches) onto the top harddrive in my cage. After I was done laughing at my misfortune, I booted windows perfectly... and ran a disk scan. Nothing turned up wrong. It might have been due to the platter's not spinning... I honestly don't know. Magnets do do some funky things to flat ribbon cables (maybe rounded too, I've never tried).


IMO some silver magnets would look awesome in an acrylic case, where wiring always poses an issue.
 
I have toroids in my cases around the wiring bundle from the front of the case. It's close to my hard drives and have never noticed any interference...so I doubt that magnets disrupt a shielded hard drive. If your talking high gauss, well may be, but I would have to see some research. I think it's a good idea that might work. I doubt you'll have a problem, but you might leave a couple on an old HD and see if it corrupts the data. I could be wrong, YMMV.
 
I have had sucess using magnet strips inside cases to do the same thing you are speaking of. I never had any problem. Just make sure you dont put in some uber degaussing magnet. ;)
 
antishatter said:
I have had sucess using magnet strips inside cases to do the same thing you are speaking of. I never had any problem.
Click to expand...
Funny you should mention that--I did the same thing, but forgot about it. No problems here either.

 
Hard drive magnets are shielded by the thick steel plates they're glued to, so don't think that because a HDD has a magnet that an external one won't be bad.
 
thewhiteguy said:
Hard drive magnets are shielded by the thick steel plates they're glued to, so don't think that because a HDD has a magnet that an external one won't be bad.
Click to expand...
Think about how close those magnets are to the drive platters. Even with the steel brackets, they're really close to those platters, and they're pretty dang strong. And they're relatively big. Now think of a similar magnet, perhaps twenty times the distance away. Magnetic flux decreases as the inverse of the cube, so the magnetic field at the platters from the magnets holding the window in place is 1/8000th that of the magnets inside the hard drive. Now consider that the drive itself is encased in steel (or at least the thin cover is).

Also, consider how close the hard drive heads are to the platters. And they, believe it or not, have to have a pretty high field strength to change bits in the hard drive.

At this point, I will refer you that sage of all things electronic, Dan Rutter. He just happens to have a column on this very topic.

 
daedal said:
Hard Drives and Magnets is like.. umm.. I can't find a worthwhile comparison but yeah, bad idea.
You could probably pull it off if you use very weak magnets but you're much better off saving yourself headaches and BSODs by using screws.
Click to expand...


I don't think the average hard drive will be affected by a magnet held a few inches away. Heck, the motors that turn the platters are magnetic.

You just don't want a degausing (oscillating magnetic field) to be concentrated on the drive , but a single polarity magnet a distance away won't hurt anything.
 
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