Got a WD elements with a tiny USB (Thunderbolt size) come in and I need to find the right SATA PCB to install on it so I can get it hooked up to the DDI.

How do I go about finding the right donor drive / PCB so I can then transplant the chip across and spin it up ?

Thanks in advance.

As a general rule, find a SATA PCB with the same MCU and motor controller.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

I wish I had photographed it before leaving work

is the MCU and motor controller etched into the PCB as numeric codes ?

See http://forum.acelaboratory.com/viewtopic.php?t=8578

Identifying HDD IC markings - ST313021A case study:
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=207

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I have been schooled

Many Thanks

There is list I've been keeping here on my forum: https://www.data-medics.com/forum/wd-pa ... e-t13.html

You just have to match the PCB number and see the corresponding SATA board. I started the list based on what Ace Lab posted on their blog, but there's been a lot added since Ace first posted their list of cross compatible boards.

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thanks Jared i'll post on it in the morning when I can ID the drive from work

Looks like I need 701692 according the lists on your forum.

Is there a quick way to know what drives they would be on or do I have to look at all the WD donor drives I have in stock ?

WD My Passport

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New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

So you'll need a 1692 PCB and switch the U12 chip, then figure out a way to decrypt the clone (assuming it is encrypted, most are)

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New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

Thankfully this one isn't encrypted, I just need to source a PCB with the MCU 701692.

Drives arn't listed by that code so ....

how can I match that code to a series / family of drives so I can look for one ?

http://blog.acelaboratory.com/pc-3000-h ... drive.html

Just in case if you wanna try out the above method. Manually solder out the wire to the SATA Port.

For your case with pins E71, E72, E73 and E74, can refer to this post to try out:

http://www.datarecoverytools.co.uk/2010 ... tor-suite/

The following article should help you to understand the difference between a PCB and an MCU:

HDD from inside: Hard Drive Main parts:
http://hddscan.com/doc/HDD_from_inside.html

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

You need a Zephyr SATA drive and swap the EEPROM. Then decrypt the image.

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ok its established I need a 701692 PCB but what remains unclear to me is how to find one ?

Is it only found on WD models (I'm assuming its vendor specific) ?

Without buying hundreds of 2.5" WD drives and manually looking at the PCB numbers how else can I identify drives that might have that PCB number ?

The 2060-701692 PCB is used by both WD and Western Digital.

The 2060-771692 PCB (also by WD) is most likely suitable as well.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

This site is really good by the way - thanks for linking that

2060-701692 - can't find any on eBay

2060-771692 - lots of these available but it only has 1 bios chip area does this matter ?
Can I get away with buying this PCB and transplanting U12 onto it ?