PC keeps blowing HDD

pablo1978 · Sep 30, 2014

Hi everyone,

Looking for some advice.

My home built system has been working fine for about a year until i tried to switch it on the other day and it made a short hissing sound and failed to switch on. I assumed it was the PSU, so replaced it with a new one. PC still would not switch on. So I brought a new case thinking it was the power switch. Still the PC would not switch on. Disconnected my hard drives and it started up and went straight to bios.

When I plug my HDD back in computer will not start. So i tried an old HDD i have and when i switched it on a white flash came off the HDD PCB followed by a burning smell. So something is blowing the HDD.

Any ideas, spec is below.

Cosair Carbide Case (new)
Cosair 750W PSU (new)
AS Rock Z75 Pro Motherboard
Intel i3 3220 3.3Ghz
Cosair 8GB DDR3 1600Mhz

SuperSoph_WD · Sep 30, 2014

Hey there, Pablo!

Let me get this straight, so you've tested 2 HDDs and both fail when put in the rig, is that so?
Do you have any to check the voltage values on the mobo? They should be within 5% voltage tolerance.
I'd guess there's some sort of issue with the motherboard, if all the HDDs you connect get rejected or 'blown'.
Here's something that can give you ideas how to test your mobo for issues:
http://www.computerhope.com/issues/ch001089.htm

Also to be sure it's not the drives you can test them on another computer and see if they will get recognized.

Hope this helps. Keep me posted!
SuperSoph_WD

pablo1978 · Sep 30, 2014

SuperSoph_WD :

Yes you are right, two different HDD and both have blown, each tested with a different PSU fitted.

Is it possible that the motherboard could send a voltage down the data cable? Or can it only be the power cable to the HDD that would cause the problem?

Also I have made the mistake of using the same power and data cable on both drives. Does anyone know if all SATA power cables are built to the same wiring schedule?

SuperSoph_WD · Sep 30, 2014

pablo1978 :

In this case, first try with a different SATA cable for sure! This may as well be the cause of the issue.

As for your other question: No, not all SATA power cables are built with the same wiring schedule.
Check this link for more info:
http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html

Keep me posted!

SuperSoph_WD

fzabkar · Sep 30, 2014

Your PSU is overvolting your HDDs. You need to confirm that the voltages at the +12V and +5V pins of your SATA power connectors are correct. Some modular cables are incorrectly wired, especially if you mix them between different PSUs.

Once you have verified your PSU, then you will most likely find shorted TVS diodes on your HDDs. In most cases the simple fix is to remove them.

See http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD/TVS_diode_FAQ.html

If you need more help, upload detailed photos or scans of your PCBs, or see the photo clips at http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD

You might like to read this as well:
http://hddrepairing.com/downloads_n_videos/presentation/harddisk_pcb_repairing.pdf

pablo1978 · Oct 1, 2014

Thank you for your help guys.

I think I have been dealing with two separate issues here.

1. Originally my PSU failed and took out my HDD.
2. When I replaced the PSU for a new one (different model), i used the cable from the old PSU thinking they are the same but after inspection the wiring is different, so blowing any new drives I have put in the system.

SuperSoph_WD · Oct 1, 2014

pablo1978 :

Hey there!

Glad we were able to help you out!
Keep us posted when you resolve the issue and let us know how it is running!

Happy computing!

SuperSoph_WD

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