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Hard Drive electrical failure... trash it?
4wd:
If I ever going to buy such a device again, it will be a small one that uses a notebook harddisk, which requires no more power than what is coming out of an USB port.-Shades (September 06, 2008, 09:00 PM)
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Two USB ports actually.
USB ports are rated at 0.5A @ 5V each. Modern 2.5" hard drives require at least 0.8A @ 5V to spin up.
Always plug in both USB A plugs before you even consider plugging in the external 2.5" drive otherwise you run the risk of blowing the protection on a single USB port, (usually a fusible link).
Mind you, I certainly admire those with the skill and persistence to do Gothi[c]-type surgery on on the guts of such pieces of esoterica as routers. :o
-cranioscopical (September 06, 2008, 07:39 PM)
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I choose to repair things, (doesn't matter what it is: electronic; electrical; mechanical; two pieces of wood; anything), because today's throwaway society is just fundamentally wrong.
Or maybe it's because I'm too cheap to pay for a replacement for something that should of damn well worked in the first place :D
cranioscopical:
I choose to repair things, (doesn't matter what it is: electronic; electrical; mechanical; two pieces of wood; anything), because today's throwaway society is just fundamentally wrong.
Or maybe it's because I'm too cheap to pay for a replace
-4wd (September 07, 2008, 05:48 AM)
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I, too repair a whole lot of stuff. It's my first response to a failure. I keep a reasonably well-equipped workshop for just that purpose. So I'm with you in principle.
But... there comes a point where the return isn't worth the investment (either of time or of money).
I think that, like all else, it's a matter of balance.
Also, I know my limitations and I'm not prepared to gamble on the success of a repair that's beyond my scope.
Both money and technology play into it that decision as well. When I was starting out in life I repaired everything. I had to. There was no money to do otherwise. Fortunately, I'm not quite so hard pressed today. Also, for example, nobody else ever laid a tool on any car of mine -- but today's auto electronics are simply beyond my ability.
The only thing I have to figure out now is if I'll trash the enclosure too... Maybe. Unless there's some way to safely test it.-Armando
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My exhortation to walk away was intended to refer to the enclosure, not just the drive.
Edvard:
...
I have a question --> Could a hard drive's bad circuit board (ie : short circuit) burn an external AC adapter ?
-Armando (September 06, 2008, 12:47 PM)
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Yes. If the adapter gets hot with nothing plugged into it, it is definitely toasted. If not, get a voltmeter and test that it's pumping the juice it should.
[quote}
I could follow 4wd's suggestion and bypass the diode... Is the diode what I "circled" in the picture?
[/quote]
It is most likely a diode.
As far as 4wd's suggestion, it worked for his friend, but I'm not that brave.
...As above, that diode is only there to sacrifice itself if you happen to reverse connect the power...
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That may be true, (I used to do that all the time with stuff I built) but it's not all that diodes do. They also rectify AC voltage and introduce a 0.6V voltage drop (unless it's a zener) and your electronics downstream can sometimes depend on that. I would NEVER bypass a diode, unless I knew exactly what it was there for and could make a solid call that it didn't matter.
If you really want to get your hands dirty and hack this thing, check your adapter first and if it's alright, try soldering in a replacement diode. It's got a high chance of not working, it'll probably involve a magnifying glass and a steady hand, but the experience may well be worth it. I bet you got a spare diode around somewhere, maybe even cannibalize one from a really dead drive.
8)
Armando:
Hey thanks guys! It's been an informative thread for me. I'll keep all these info for later as I don't have enough time to perform a surgery on a hard drive these days... But I might, eventually, just for the fun of it.
The AC adapter for the SATA-->USB thingy was definitely toasted. Brought it back today. funnily, there were like 30 boxes on the shelf Thursday, and today... NONE! My feeling is that they removed from the shelves because people experienced problems. When I got out of the store with my money back, I felt a bit stupid for not complaining that their device burnt my drive (which could be what happened). Who knows... I might've got a new one for free? :)
I don,t know about the enclosure... Does it still work? I'd have to test it with a voltmeter etc. as I don't want to sacrifice another drive. So I'll keep it somewhere with my seemingly dead drive.
Now, I won't know what happened until I perform tests on the hard drive AND the enclosure (and even then...).
One of these scenario likely happened :
1-only the enclosure's ac burnt; the hard drive was still okay, but I killed it with the SATA-->USB adapter; OR
2- the enclosure is/was actually still "okay" (but maybe a bit too generous in terms of volts...), my hard burnt because of some internal defect, and the hard drive's short burnt the SATA-->USB thingy; OR
3-the enclosure shorted and burnt the hard drive with it, and then... the grilled hard drive's also killed the SATA-->USB adapter. Typical Greek tragedy plot. So this is probably what happened.
Of course, it could also be a ghost in my house, or my own super charisma.
If I ever going to buy such a device again, it will be a small one that uses a notebook harddisk, which requires no more power than what is coming out of an USB port.-Shades (September 06, 2008, 09:00 PM)
--- End quote ---
Two USB ports actually.
USB ports are rated at 0.5A @ 5V each. Modern 2.5" hard drives require at least 0.8A @ 5V to spin up.
Always plug in both USB A plugs before you even consider plugging in the external 2.5" drive otherwise you run the risk of blowing the protection on a single USB port, (usually a fusible link).
-4wd (September 07, 2008, 05:48 AM)
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I didn't know that. I'm always plugging it in only one USB port only as it seems to work... Of course, I now understand a bit more why it could be risky... :-[
So how do you convert these charts (in watt) into volts and amperes ?
4wd:
Yes. If the adapter gets hot with nothing plugged into it, it is definitely toasted. If not, get a voltmeter and test that it's pumping the juice it should.-Edvard (September 08, 2008, 06:08 PM)
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Switchmode PSUs really require a load in order to regulate correctly - therefore you'll need to plug it into a HDD before you can accurately measure the voltage.
That may be true, (I used to do that all the time with stuff I built) but it's not all that diodes do. They also rectify AC voltage and introduce a 0.6V voltage drop (unless it's a zener) and your electronics downstream can sometimes depend on that. I would NEVER bypass a diode, unless I knew exactly what it was there for and could make a solid call that it didn't matter.
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We are talking about a HDD.
A normal HDD doesn't run on AC, (and one diode is not sufficient to fully rectify it anyway), and a HDD doesn't need a 0.6V voltage drop, which is only relevant for generic silicon diodes - it could be from approx. 0.2-0.7V depending on diode type, (discounting zener diodes).
On a HDD, the diodes connected to the power connector are only there to protect against reverse biased power - it is assumed you are using a fully-functioning, fully-regulated PSU with a correctly wired plug.
If you really want to get your hands dirty and hack this thing, check your adapter first and if it's alright, try soldering in a replacement diode. It's got a high chance of not working, it'll probably involve a magnifying glass and a steady hand, but the experience may well be worth it. I bet you got a spare diode around somewhere, maybe even cannibalize one from a really dead drive.
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Just make sure the cathode, (the end of the diode with the band), is connected to the +5V rail and the other end is connected to GND.
But personally, I wouldn't bother replacing the diode. Remove it, power it up on a real ATX PSU, get your data off and then toss it if you don't want to live with it like that.
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