could it be that the magentic field that spins the platter could have shorted out somehow. I know this is what happened to mine. luckly i had a one already that i was using for parts and i changed this out and it worked like new..

just a thought

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Jaded Raver Union

"Because, even e-tards like you deserve better music." -

I've not had a problem with mine. Even working on it with the platter off and power on. Interesting yours shorted out. What I'm trying to understands is how it can cause damage when effectively the platter and the drive device are not even connected. The only thing I can think of is that without the platter, there is not enough resistance in the circuit and it might cause a spike which could burn out one of the coils. Like I said, I'm not a tech so this is just a theory.