I have a Seagate ST2000DM001 which I bought in either UK or Germany about 10 -15 years ago.
I went to plug it in the other and noticed that the data cable connecter was not longer attached to the board.
I dismantled the unit and identified the problem. On my particular unit there is a mother board pcb. Connected to this board is a secondary pcb (to which power and data cables are attached). It is on this secondary pcb that the data cable connector became detached. As I said, the connector had become detached and even tho it can be soldered back in place the cable connector does not make any electronic connections due to the broken lines on the pcb.I then set about looking for a spare secondary unit on the internet. I can see a lot of replacement mother board pcbs for this model but nothing like the part I'm looking for. Here is a photo of the main and auxiliary(?) pcb's.

Does anyone know what this unit is and what it does? I can get a power/data adaptor to plug into the main pcb. Would that make the unit work again?

Thanks in advance for any help, friendly comments, guidance.

Yes, or just connect it directly to a SATA port inside your computer.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Thanks Fzabkar for the prompt reply. Good to know that there is a workaround. Would you happen to know what this pcb is and what is its function? When I check new models of this same unit I only see a main pcb.

It's a USB-SATA bridge. It converts USB protocol to SATA, and vice versa. It's like an interpreter who translates between two languages. Your computer speaks USB, your drive speaks SATA, and the bridge PCB is their interpreter.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Hallo fzabkar,

thanks again for your reply. I really appreciate your help. Though I don't yet fully understand why it is necessary to have a usb/sata interface I see that I can find a solution with a suitable adaptor and all is not lost. When looking for a suitable adaptor is there anything in particular that I should consider for a compatible match?

You don't need a bridge board if you connect your drive directly to a SATA port inside your computer.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.