Likely not suited for drones (as the motors are too heavy and have too high RPM), but maybe for other usage: [Wayback/Archive] Unlock the Potential of Your Old Hard Drives: Build a Drone Engine! – YouTube.
The motors do require extra controller logic, as they are BLDC (brushless DC), see for instance:
- [Wayback/Archive] I have this motor from a old hdd, how can I find its pinout? : ElectroBOOM
- [Wayback/Archive] Simple BLDC motor controller circuit Using irfz44n mosfet – YouTube
- [Wayback/Archive] Running Motor HDD without ESC – YouTube (with a capacitor, greatly reducing the performance of the motor)
The other reason I like the video is that it shows how easy it is to salvage parts of your HDD. This comment is golden:
The magnets for the actuator are neodymium! Fun to play with!
--jeroen
The Wiert Corner - irregular stream of stuff 