Seagate drive

Does the PC POST if the hard disk is not connected? Have you connected the hard disk to a different system?

Hey Gh, no the pc does nothing...1/16 of a turn on the pc fan...and nothing...only have the one system, besides laptops...

What happens if you disconnect the Seagate drive? Anything displayed on the monitor? If not, then the issue probably isn't with the hard disk, but with the PSU or the motherboard. Disconnect or power off the PSU for several seconds and try again. If that doesn't work, then you should list all components in your system (CPU, PSU, motherboard, etc.) and, if possible, change the title to something more appropriate

Hi Gh, as soon i disconnect the sea drive, the pc starts up again., which tells me its something on the drive. Im determined to figure out a way to repair this drive!!!!!
Illl list the parts here in a few minutes. TYVM in advance

Then the drive or the SATA cable is defective.

ive determined already that its the drive, because the os is on a sata as well and i tryed it on sea drive...nothin but the 1/16 in of movement on the fan...slowly repetitive i might add. any idea on fixing the internals on these drives...?

RMA it if it's under warranty. I wouldn't attempt to fix the drive.

It appears that your drive has a short circuit on either the +12V rail or +5V or both. This is the usual result of an overvoltage, so I would confirm that your power supply is OK.

The good news is that there is often an easy, no-cost DIY fix. What has most probably happened is that either the +5V or +12V TVS (transient voltage suppression) diode has sacrificed itself to protect the rest of the electronics. The fix is to simply remove the shorted diode with flush cutters. The drive will work without it, but it will no longer have overvoltage protection on the affected supply.

If you need help in locating the diode, upload a detailed photo of the component side of your PCB. Otherwise search for "TVS diode".

This article should help you identify the components:
http://hddscan.com/doc/HDD_from_inside.html

Here are my notes:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD/TVS_diodes.txt

... and here are lots of photo clips of damaged diodes:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD/

Hi fzabkar, thanks for the reply, and also for the very help info links. Theyre just awesome. First off my drive is the st3500820as. More info, that you should know before i tried fixing this or determining for certain the repair needed is i try using an independent power source yh-3018, and it blew the lid off of it spark/flame and all. this is why im trying to pinpoint the problem......my guess is the green board as well?.. secondly, does the board have to be one from a seagate drive, or will any sata board do it.. such as my wd1002faex?....ps, i was looking at my other seagate drive(workin) its a ide, and im wondering, is it possible to use this greenboard on the drive thats defective? will that work.?
THanks

If your board is similar to this one ...

http://www.softcom.com.my/Seagate/ST3500320AS.jpg

... then the components to test are the ones marked KVP (12V TVS diode) and 5L (5V TVS diode) in the bottom left corner near the SATA power connector.

There is also a second 12V TVS diode to the left of the SMOOTH motor controller at the top right. Note that your components may have different markings (different manufacturer or different date code), but they will be functionally identical.

Examine the above diodes for evidence of damage (eg discolouration, blistering). Otherwise use a multimeter to measure their resistances.

Cen-Tech 90899 7 Function Digital Multimeter (US$5):
http://www.harborfreight.com/7-function-digital-multime...

Cen-Tech 90899 7 Function Digital Multimeter User Manual:
http://manuals.harborfreight.com/manuals/90000-90999/90...

As to your question about using foreign boards, don't even think about it.

If the diodes have been unable to restrict the damage, and if you decide to purchase a replacement board, then you will need to transfer the 8-pin serial flash memory chip from patient to donor. This chip stores unique, drive specific "adaptive" information. It is located at the bottom right of the photo, nearest the edge connector. It will have a "25" in its part number.

My HDD IC database should help you identify the components:
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD/HDD_ICs.txt

Some board suppliers include a firmware transfer or ROM transfer service for US$10 - $20. Otherwise, if you are not adept at soldering, your local TV/AV repair shop should be able to do it for you.

http://www.onepcbsolution.com/
http://www.hdd-parts.com/firmware-transfer.html

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hi fzabkar, thanks for that excellent feedback. I' taking that the board would have to be the one specific to that drive? I couldnt just borrow one from another sata drive? I'm uncluding a couple of pictures for this board , maybe your experienced eyes can spot something that mine cant?
All this just to get data off this thing...it is an rma..

hope those links worked

Your photo shows that your drive sustained an overvoltage on the +12V supply:
http://i793.photobucket.com/albums/yy211/yankees2010sus...

Unfortunately it appears that you may have tried to power it up once too often. :-(

Both 12V TVS diodes appear to have been destroyed. However they have not been able to divert the overvoltage away from the SMOOTH chip. This means that your only real option is to replace the board and transfer the serial flash memory chip. This shouldn't cost you more than US$50 plus one-way postage (if you use onepcbsolution.com).

Hi FZ, thanks for the very fast reply, albeit won that i didnt wanna have. Im just doing a revovery on this, is there a way to do this without a new green board. and if i have no option but to get a green board, do all number have to be specific, or just the number on the left side of green board. Was thinking i might get a working used drive....tyvm in advance

Hey Fz, I removed the diode in particular, one i been reading that you explained to take off. my pc does boot now, but the drive doesnt show up. dont feel it spinning either. there anything else i can try that im not thinkin off..?

Your SMOOTH motor controller chip has sustained damage from the overvoltage. I suspect it would have survived if you hadn't persisted in powering up the drive. Now you have no real option other than a board swap and flash transfer.

I would recommend the following:
http://www.onepcbsolution.com/seagate-barracuda-720011-...

Note that the ST3500320AS uses the same PCB (100466725), but it would have a 32MB SDRAM chip whereas yours has 8MB:
http://www.onepcbsolution.com/seagate-barracuda-720011-...

There may be other subtle differences, so I can't advise if the latter would work. That's something your board supplier should know.

Thanks FZ, on the links....right now i guess i just sit on it for a few days(jobloss) so no buying anything...these drives should be built with a one time slot that you can get your data back...Thanks again for all that great information.

Hey Fz, I was lucky enough to track down a board. And while the bios reads the disk etc, and it shows up there, it also reads disk error. shows up in the my computer devices also, tho it reads 0 in place. Is the something im forgetting here?, must be?????????? Oh and thanks again.

You need to transfer the flash memory contents.

Hi FZ, not to sound dumb here, but were exactly is that 8 pin flash on this board. ? is there an alternative to doing the flash thing, such as data recovery program, or is that it.. TYVM in advance.

Hi FZ, i did find the the very tiny rom chip. looks like a soldering job......

Ask your local TV/AV repair shop to do the soldering for you. That's what they do all day, every day.

BTW, I wouldn't bother with computer repair shops unless you know for certain that they employ chip-level technicians. Most PC techs are just board jockeys.

Having a hell of a time finding anyone here or in Grand Rapids area to do the soldering.......closest i got was radio shack sending it to dallas texas....if i could do it myself I woul, ive never soldered anything but plumbing before.....and for that it doesnt matter how sloppy you are.. wish this thing could be just snapped in place. Also i got it to read a partition , but not the whole drive...that weird , by a data recovery program..? is this standard,.? once again tyvm

ISTR that someone reported that onepcbsolution.com performed the transfer for them for US$20, using a donor PCB supplied by the customer. Otherwise they charge US$10 for boards that they supply.

Looks like ill be doing the soldering here. is there anything i need to be watchng for? Be using a hot air gun...thanks.

I would practice on some expendable equipment before trying the real thing. If you damage this chip, then data recovery costs are going to be very high.

You may like to consider something like this:
http://www.chipquik.com

You'll need a solder sucker as well.

Im guessing by looking at the 8 pin "chip" that the solder has to hit all the pins, is this correct? reason why im asking, was thinking about using solder paste, from what i read/see you just apply it and have the heat dob it job. was thinking about using tin foil to protect the rest of the board? Is it just the 8 pins that need to be connected?

If you insist on doing this job yourself, I think your best approach would be to watch a video tutorial. There should be plenty of these on YouTube.