Toshiba Q300 unresponsive

[johnkeates]

Following, I set the boot mode to Legacy. I used MHDD and the SSD was not identified at all (not primary, nor secondary master, nor PC-3000). I have tried to search for it and every time I received the error: Drive not ready.
The temperature of the NAND chips and the Toshiba BGA is higher than the room temperature, the Toshiba chip is also getting warmer than all the NAND chips.
I do not have any ideea on what I should do next. Any further suggestion?...

If you want your data back: stop destroying the SSD and ask a data recovery company.

[labtech]

Yes, post a picture of the status register for confirmation, please. Edit: over USB, yeah - does not matter, nevermind.
Maybe you could try eSATA?!?

[solver_001]

@johnkeates, why do you think I will destroy the data? I am not an certified expert but also not an amateur...I have a Scotle 460 which I regulary use for BGA reballing´or reflow.
@labtech, I will make a screenshot an post here later today. Did you experience cases where it has worked through an eSATA port? (I am tring to explain this logically to myself and cannot understand why it would work through eSATA if id does not through SATA).

[johnkeates]

@johnkeates, why do you think I will destroy the data? I am not an certified expert but also not an amateur...I have a Scotle 460 which I regulary use for BGA reballing´or reflow.
@labtech, I will make a screenshot an post here later today. Did you experience cases where it has worked through an eSATA port? (I am tring to explain this logically to myself and cannot understand why it would work through eSATA if id does not through SATA).

Well, it's just a generic word of caution Anyway, regarding the eSATA: it probably won't work since the problem is with the Sony laptop, its firmware and maybe the chipset. Sony (and most consumer model brands) tries to hide most of the technology, disable options so that users don't 'break' their laptop and call tech support etc. Sometimes the options are still in the firmware but just hidden from the BIOS/UEFI user interface. Then a BIOS-mod can bring back those options.

[labtech]

I am tring to explain this logically to myself and cannot understand why it would work through eSATA if id does not through SATA).

Don't care about ID, care about status register.

[johnkeates]

If you are keen on finding out what's up: dump the contents of all the chips on the PCB. One of them has got to have the config and/or firmware.

[solver_001]

Below are the 2 pictures from MHDD...I only get Drive not ready regardless of what I try...

[johnkeates]

It won't detect anything in AHCI mode.

[labtech]

Looks like it just stays busy, not sure about the error register being lit up. So, yeah, seems like controller issue.

[solver_001]

I am working on the BIOS on my laptop to be able to disable AHCI...I will try again after...

[HaQue]

I am working on the BIOS on my laptop to be able to disable AHCI...I will try again after...

why not just buy an old MB/chip/RAM? any day I can buy an old PC for $20 - it doesn't matter about the specs, say an old core2 Duo or something.

[johnkeates]

Quick update: I now have reports of about 10 additional Q300's randomly failing. All between 1 week en 3 months old.

[solver_001]

Hello, I have now successfully set SATA Mode Bios to IDE in Bios and MHDD does not detect the drive at all.
I still get the in MHDD the message: Drive is not ready.
Any ideas?...

[johnkeates]

Hello, I have now successfully set SATA Mode Bios to IDE in Bios and MHDD does not detect the drive at all.
I still get the in MHDD the message: Drive is not ready.
Any ideas?...

That's because as we already posted a few times: the drive is not going to allow access over SATA/ATA! It's broken.

The only way to get anywhere is via a serial port, which sadly I haven't gotten in to, either because it's not active or because it requires special activation.

[solver_001]

Hello John,
I till try via JTAG...I think a CP2102 is needed.

[johnkeates]

Hello John,
I till try via JTAG...I think a CP2102 is needed.

The CP2102 is a level shifter for serial use. JTAG isn't going to help either at this point.

There is a serial header on the board next to the SATA/Power combo connector, but it's not clear at this point how to use it.

[fzabkar]

FWIW, it appears that Ace Lab don't yet have a solution ...
http://forum.acelaboratory.com/viewtopic.php?t=8881

[johnkeates]

Too bad I don't have a PC3K to register and chat them up....

I do wonder if the PS3110s actually has a working UART to interact with it, and if they already found out why it's unresponsive for those Q300 SSD's after a while.

[fzabkar]

I'm wondering whether adjusting the NAND voltages in-circuit might recover the drive, assuming that the controller is OK. Adjustable switchmode supply modules are available for a few dollars. Otherwise one could achieve the same end via adjustments to the PCB's potential dividers. That would only cost a few cents in parts. In fact the S4/S5 cofiguration resistors (?) look like a promising avenue of attack.

[johnkeates]

I'm wondering whether adjusting the NAND voltages in-circuit might recover the drive, assuming that the controller is OK. Adjustable switchmode supply modules are available for a few dollars. Otherwise one could achieve the same end via adjustments to the PCB's potential dividers. That would only cost a few cents in parts. In fact the S4/S5 cofiguration resistors (?) look like a promising avenue of attack.

I have a few accurate DC power supplies I could use (I also use them for accurate SATA power for external drives), but I wonder if it's the NAND chips getting underpowered that would be the actual problem.