Help with burnt hard drive disk.

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poseidon2399

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Sep 21, 2015
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Hi,

My mother in law accidentally plugged her external hard drive into a laptop charger because the plugs fit. The actual HDD ac adapter is 12 volts, the laptop one is 24 volts.
The pcb that converts sata to usb is completely burnt with black spots.
I tried to plug the HDD alone in the pc but it wont spin.
I took the HDD pcb and it doesnt seem to have any obvious burn marks althought it smells a little bit different.
Could the hdd be still alive internally? Is it worth trying to replace the pcb.
How could the overvoltage pass through both pcb's if the first one burnt.
Thanks
 
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captaincharisma

captaincharisma

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Oct 13, 2004
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it would be hard to replace the PCB. you would need to find the exact model.

the overage passes through anything that is connected to it. the only way the HDD would not be affected is if it was not physically connected to the external drives SATA controller ( or the drives PCB as you call it)
 
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mbarnes86

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Sep 16, 2010
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Hi

There is an canadian company specialising in supplying replacement disk drive pcb and importantly transfiring the firmware from the old pcb to the new one

Without this step many modern disk drives wont work.

Do you have a backup of your data on this disk?

If not consider a professional data recovery company , but this costs a lot of money

I am assuming the usb to sata bridge board is not part of the hard disk pcb as this makes things more complicated .

Regards
Mike Barnes
 
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DR_Luke

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Dec 1, 2016
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Assuming that the surge didn't blow out the head pre-amp, the cost of a professional data recovery lab should not be a lot of money and will likely be around $300USD.

If you choose to try and change the PCB on your own, you will need to match the PCB number and then physically transplant the ROM chip from your hard drive to the donor board.
 
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poseidon2399

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Sep 21, 2015
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Update: I tested the TVS diode on the hdd pcb with a multimeter and it appears to be fried.
I can change the pcb on my own ( i think ), i have all the tools i need. The thing is whether replacing the pcb will make the hdd work or not.
I will try to remove the fried diode and connect the 2 pins directly. I'll update tomorrow. If you have any other suggestions please tell me.
 
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DR_Luke

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If it is a TVS diode that is burned out, you need only remove it.

Just be careful, if you plan to replace the PCB and transplant the ROM yourself. In many models of newer drives, the ROM is unique to the drive and if you kill it, you destroy any chance of future recovery by a data recovery professional.
 
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poseidon2399

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Sep 21, 2015
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Ok here is how it went. I removed the fried diode but ripped a pad in the proccess ( maybe iron not hot enough ), one had traces the other had no traces: guess which one was ripped. Anyway i found another pad that looked like it may lead to the ripped one so i soldered it there but still no response from the hdd, no spin. I guess ill get a replacement pcb and see if that does the job.
A question about replacing the bios chip: can it get fried if i let the iron too long on the pins?
 
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DR_Luke

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Before i advise too much more, perhaps you can identify the model of drive and post a high resolution photo of the chip side of the pcb.

You have to be careful with the rom...it doesn't take much to accidentally break a leg off.
 
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poseidon2399

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Sep 21, 2015
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The model name is ST2000DM001, pcb model is 100717520 REV B. The cheapest replacement I found is: http://www.ebay.com/itm/100717520-REV-B-Seagate-PCB-Circuit-Board-Hard-Drive-Logic-Controller-Board-/141991673667?hash=item210f5cff43:g:Xk4AAOSw5dNWoxTk
There is a good quality picture there.

I don't have a powerful camera for that but i can tell you there are no visible marks or burns from my observation. Do tell me if you want a picture regardless.

Its worth mentioning that before i remove the diode and make the mess with the pad, i had tried to short the diode with a wire. This didnt work so i thought the connection wasnt good enough and thats why i proceeded remove diode and solder for confirmation.
 
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poseidon2399

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Why not. Isnt it basicly the same thing? i let electricity flow by bridging right? I've done that in many situations and proved good.
And i know the rom is unique. I could switch it.
 
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DR_Luke

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The tvs diode is an open switch that closes when it fails. By bridging the gap, you are replicating a failed TVS diode.
 
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DR_Luke

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I doubt you did further damage, but there is a chance that there is more damage elsewhere on the pcb + a damaged head preamp from the original surge.
 
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