Quote:
- ST32122A is a Seagate Medalist ! I do have some of those very old Medalist drives. One good thing, they do have terminal port !!!
http://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?f=83&t=1073- If you plug the drive by TTL what is the output of the terminal ?
OK, so I would have to get one of those adapters first. They're cheap, and apparently very useful for diagnostic purposes. One particular model / source (seller) you'd recommand ?
And what is physically the terminal port on that range of models ? I only see the IDE connector, the power connector, and the jumper connector in between.
Quote:
Please post a sound clip. Is the drive making head sound ? Meaning are the heads moving at all ? DO NOT OPEN THE DRIVE IN CLEAR AIR. By heads moving i mean sound !!!! Can you ear clicking of the heads hitting the limiter ? Again DON'T OPEN THE DRIVE !
See attachment. Or here :
https://www.cjoint.com/c/HAkaGkXQ5p7As I said, there is a slight rattling sound, I couldn't say for sure if it corresponds to a movement of the head stack. No distinct clicking.
Quote:
If heads were stuck the motor wouldn't spin at all. If the motor doesn't hit full speed heads will not leave the parking zone (or they shouldn't). There should be errors on terminal that will help you out ! Maybe the drive can't read firmware and shuts itself down ? If so the heads should calibrate, attempt to read (without strong "clonk" sound or click sound or whatever). Heads must go to the correct place on platter (track) and not go up untill the end of the platter because they can't find servo. If they go to the end they will hit the limiter and you will [h]ear a caracteristic sound.
Is the firmware located on the platters, or on the PCB ? Aren't there calibration informations in the firmware, or are these two completely distinct things ?
Quote:
You would need some donnors for that drive assuming you are going to do a head stack replacement and finding a drive so old like that will most likely be expensive .... Then you need to practice .... Then you need the clean enviroment that you can get and forget about bathroom full of vapor of hot water .... you do have some chances if you work in a place that doesn't have many dust particles but it's still risky.
Would you be almost certain that it requires a head stack replacement, from the informations I provided and the audio sample ?
It could be expensive if buying from a parts seller, but I could be lucky and find one in classified ads for very cheap... (Haven't searched yet.) Anyway, it would be interesting from an educational point of view, if I manage to get it done for up to 50 Euros it'll be worth it (and he'll probably be happy to cover the expenses if I can do a full recovery of his younger self's memory – assuming that he's still alive
).
Are there cases where it's the motor itself that's faulty ? I can see a slight bump on the base of the casing, where the motor spindle is located.
Quote:
Get several of those Medalist drives and swap heads on open air. Then do a full mhdd scan on those drives ..... Can you still access the data ? If NOT forget about opening the drive you want to recover ..... This assuming faulty heads of course but you have to start by a TTL log so that you are sure that the problem is indeed heads. You don't want to swap heads or open the drive if the problem is for example firmware related or PCB related.
Alright. So first get a TTL adaptor, and attempt to properly diagnose the issue.
Quote:
If the hdd is old - remove an electronic board and clean all connection. Be careful and do not break any tape.
I would start from this
Could be an issue indeed, especially considering that the HDD was used in Africa, hot weather and whatnot. I'll try but with rather little hope it'll be enough.