My Seagate Barracuda had a fried SATA power connector (the damage looked quite bad). I replaced the PCB in hope that there were no other problems.

Having installed the new board, the disc gets power and it seems to run fine but is not recognized at all.

I have yet to try any diagnostic software but would first like to know what the range of issues are possible here. I read that a pre-amp could be responsible but I have no clue to be honest. Again, I'm not asking for the solution, just what sorts of problems are possible here.

HDD specs:
Model: ST3320620AS
Size: 320G
Firmware: 3.AAC

I can provide photos if that will help.

Thanks.

It may be easier to repair your board:
http://forums.seagate.com/t5/Barracuda- ... /m-p/46168

If you are lucky it won't cost you anything.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

IMG_3034 by Vomitclaw, on Flickr

I don't know if this is possible to fix but I doubt that the diode is the least of my worries. That, of course, is the sata power connector.

However, the link you provided me did remind me of one issue that I am also encountering - booting my pc with the "repaired" hdd connected (and spinning) is causing a very long start-up time.

Bad choice of donor PCB, maybe. Check the PCB model numbers.

This is from the new PCB:

and this is from the damaged PCB:

Since the new one has lost some visibility, I marked the two faded areas in red and blue - blue being an exact match to the damaged chip while the red being not an exact match.

These were the listed specs for the PCB:

Model : ST3320620AS
Size (available): 320G
P/N: 9BJ14G-300
Firmware : 3.AAC
Data Code : 07181 (match 07xxx)
Site Code : AMK
Main Controller IC: 100404225


I have already contacted someone asking if swapping the chips would be a possible solution but would also like to ask that in this thread. Assuming that the doner PCB is not a bad match, could swapping the chips help?

The 5V TVS diode is probably shorted. If I were doing this job, I would remove the diode and hardwire the power supply inputs. The drive will work without the diode, but you will no longer have any overvoltage protection on the affected supply rail, so make sure your power supply is OK. You can obtain an SMAJ5.0A replacement part from Farnell, Mouser, Digikey.

Otherwise, if you wish to replace the board, then you will need to transfer the 8-pin serial EEPROM, or its contents, from patient to donor. This chip stores unique, drive specific calibration data. Its part number will most probably contain a "25".

These URLs should help you identify the components:

http://hddscan.com/doc/HDD_from_inside.html
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD/HDD_ICs.txt
http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD/TVS_diodes.txt

Here is the pinout of the SATA power connector:
http://pinouts.ru/Power/sata-power_pinout.shtml

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Look closely at the photo. The OP is right he needs a new board. The board could be incompatable or wrong board on this one. You will need to transfer your ROM over for adaptive data to start your drive.

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Iorana Haraharaini

I would look at replacing the power supply too. Some serious damage to this PCB so PSU could be the cause of your original problem.

As for the PCB probably same revision (3.AAC) but different ROM revision.

Which chip are you proposing to swap?

If the data on this drive is important, take the drive to a local DR company. There is at least one that is a poster on this forum.

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If you can keep your head when all about you are losing theirs, you probably don't fully understand the situation. ... Mr Kipling

https://www.mjm.co.uk/

Not really. He can remove the charred bits and hardwire a 4-pin Molex connector to the PCB side of the +5V, +12V, and Ground pins. That's assuming there is no other damage. This is an easy job for a junior tech. The alternative is a ROM swap which should cost no more than $20. Your local TV/AV repair shop should be able to do this.

The following vendor charges US$40 for a PCB, plus $10 for a ROM transfer.
http://www.onepcbsolution.com/

Here is another, but his price is a little higher:
http://www.hdd-parts.com/firmware-transfer.html

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

I have already purchased a doner PCB from onepcbsolution so I will not opt to repair the damaged board. However, I did not know that a eeprom switch was necessary. Thanks to everyone for all the help. I will try to find a local business that can that provide a ROM swap.

As for the PSU, the SATA power connector is damaged but it appears to be working flawlessly otherwise. I have since purchase a 4-pin molex to sata power adapter. Are these adapters likely to cause any problems?

They should be OK in principle, but I have seen several posts from people who have damaged their hard drives using USB-SATA adapters that they purchased on eBay. These adapters use Molex-SATA power cables. I don't know whether the damage was caused by a faulty PSU, or miswired cable, but you should measure the voltages before hooking it up.

Here are the appropriate pinouts:

http://pinouts.ru/Power/sata-power_pinout.shtml
http://pinouts.ru/Power/BigPower_pinout.shtml

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.