www.deadharddrive.com

[afoygel]

I was replacing the motherboard and the power supply in my PC and I believe the mistake that I made was connecting the SATA power connector without turning the power switch on the PSU. Upon boot up the HD started smoking in the center of the board, before I quitly shut it off. Needless to say, the HD is no longer functioning, and it has data that I don't have a back up for.

What now? The logic board story on this website is encouraging, and I'm looking for any ideas about recovering the data.

[RussWinters]

Have you resolved your issue yet?


If you could give me the manufacturer and model of the drive I have be able to assist you. If it is a desktop drive you may be lucky and the TVS is the only issue, but sometimes the TVS isn't enough to protect the rest of the board, and an internal chip inside the HDD called the "preamp" if this is the case then your problem is much more serious.


Let me know if you have any questions

[afoygel]

Hello, and thanks for replying to my thread. My issue is still unresolved, but I've done a considerable amount of research since then, and am more knowledgeable on the topic. The drive specifications are as follows.

MDL: WD800JD-22LSA0
DATE: 13 JUL 2005
DCM: DSBACTJCA

S/N: WMAM99970704

Based on the general information that I found it seemed that finding a replacement logic board that matches mine is very tricky, and that even then, there is a strong chance that the transplant wouldn't work because of firmware issues. On the other hand, I never opened unscrewed the PCB, so I don't know the extent of the damage.

I'll be curious to see what sort of knowledge you may be able to share with me on this. Thanks again.

[RussWinters]

Alright, indeed western digital drives typically will not work with just a simple PCB swap; this is because every HDD is alittle different (like a fingerprint)

The first step is to remove the PCB and assess the damage. Make sure you are in an ESD safe environment, ground yourself, or wear some gloves to be extra careful, but usually not required.

Once you have removed the PCB check it for visible damage, typically your first stop should be the TVS diodes that are usually located near the power connector, there should be 2 of them, they are black squares; if you could post a good resolution picture of the board once you remove it I can take a look for you, and also point out parts alittle easier.


Best regards,

[afoygel]

Ok, I can handle that. Is there a specific torx number screwdriver that I need to get?

[RussWinters]

Usually desktop drives require a T9 torx driver

[afoygel]

Ok, I'm back with a snapshot of the business side of the PCB. I think it says SMOOTH, or something like that on the burnt out microchip. I can take a closer look if needed.

[RussWinters]

Alright, the picture is a little blurry, but it is not a good sign that this chip is burnt, this means that the overvoltage protection this board failed; what is more interesting is that the voltage protection diodes look completely unharmed, which is odd (maybe i just cant see because of the blurriness.)


I would recommend sending this drive to a professional; if you decide to do this PM me and I can help you out.

If sending the drive to a pro is not an option; then what you are going to need to do is match the number on the plastic area where the connectors are. The sticker is not showing in your picture

its will look something like 2064-3425556-23234 201 A

you need to match this number exactly, and then swap the small 8 legged chip to the new PCB and hope that it wasnt damaged as well. When you swap it you must make sure that the orientation of the chip is exactly the same as it was on the old PCB.

If that chip is dead, then there is no other option but send it to a pro, because a new chip must be programed, and that is not fun stuff.