Hey Guys
Anyone willing to share how to hardware block the write channel on a MQ04ABF100.
I tested with a donor PCB yesterday with the two sets of lines from controller to connector.
I assumed the write channel is the line with voltage, but tried both set anyway.
After cutting the drives just hangs on BSY.
I repaired the lines after and the PCB boots up fine, so its not that I caused other damage cutting them.
Image attached of the lines cut and tested.
Not pretty as its was just an experiment.
Anyone willing to share?
Tim

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HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group

You need to find the Write Gate and disable it.

Here is a Seagate example:

https://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?p=22105#p22105

"PA_WRE - write enable"

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

Thanks for the info.
Do you have any other examples of other PCB's?
We have 1000s in stock but not this one.
I am guessing it was a Seagate test PCB looking at the silkscreen.

_________________
HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group

See the "-WG" test point on this old PCB (Write Gate, active low, top left corner, near cutout):

https://www.hddoracle.com/download/file.php?id=88&mode=view

https://www.hddoracle.com/viewtopic.php?p=135#p135

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Many thanks.
I'm sure I probably have others with similar markings.
I will do some testing.

_________________
HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group

I just realized this is what Vlad was referring to in a previous post.
"HW block write channel (WG)"

_________________
HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group

Here is another possibility (Toshiba MK2016GAP):

https://bugworkshop.blogspot.com/2020/07/toshibamk2016gap-20gb-hard-disk-drivepcb.html

It has a discrete R/W Channel IC -- Marvell 88C4210.

Not much info here (as is usually the case with Marvell):

https://www.digchip.com/datasheets/download_datasheet.php?id=95107&part-number=88C4200

However, page 155 of this patent has a pinout:

https://patentimages.storage.googleapis.com/e6/9c/f6/d1ac4d3e7e2509/WO2004100131A2.pdf

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Spooky, someone just sent me that one as well.
I am out of the country later tonight for a while so will pick this up when I get back.
If someone shares confidential info I won't post it unless they approve.
But hopefully we can work it out and share with everyone.

_________________
HDD, SSD, Flash and RAID Data Recovery
Founder of The Data Recovery Professionals Group

Is it to avoide new heads writing to sa?

Well,
How many drives have you really killed that you are searching for a hardware solution .Can some of my friends out here say really if a hardware solution is required .

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Regards
Amarbir S Dhillon , Chandigarh Data Recovery Labs [India]
Logical,Semi Physical And Physical Data Recovery
Website-> http://www.chandigarhdatarecovery.com

Hi bro <<
any update here ?

Thanks