The damage was caused when I plugged the external case power cable the wrong way around. Never do thing is a rush.

I would like to copy the data off the HD and if possible restore it to use. The HD is out of warranty. Do you guys think it would be enough to swap the damaged chip in the photo below? Could the tiny brown chip next to it is also damaged? Have not decided if I am going to attempt this myself yet.

Thank you in advance
Simon

1st option ( on your own risk ) :
Just remove the burnt diode with soldering iron if you have enough skills to do it and power on.

2nd option ( your data will be safe ) :
Contact a DR guy/company near you in this forum with good rep. And it will be a cheap recovery process with reasonable price - if the damage limited to burnt diode and no further damage - and your data will be in a safe hands and 100% guarantee.

Good luck

agree with unknown20010

_________________
Kuwait Data Recovery - UNIX GTC
The only reason for time is so that everything doesn't happen at once. By: Albert Einstein

some times you need to chang the 2 diods in the same time . or else the full pcb

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Tawfeek Mokhtar
http://alsafwapc.net
Alsafwa Data Recovery Egypt

OK, Exactly what I wanted to hear.

I would prefer 2, but it is very hard to find a DR guy/company around here. e.g. I would have to drive at least 200km before I'd be able to find one and they would probably send it off rather then doing it in house. But what I do have around here are general computer shops that recycle/fix parts. One of the options I had in my head was sourcing the chip and asking them to replace it. Would this be something one of you would be willing to do, if I send you the PCB? I'd prefer someone in Europe. On that note I am very hesitant to send anything off during these protests here in France.

So, I am considering option 1. I have swapped chips on a board before successfully. Pretending that the diode was removed without causing extra damage what are the risks caused by the diode missing?

Provided the drive is powered from a known good working power supply then probably very little risk.
A better alternative would be to replace the damaged 'TVS' with a correct value component before applying power to the drive. Just borrow one from any similar drive available to you. A good tip would be to use a test meter to check for a short circuit accross the pads. If there is still a short after removal then there are more problems. If you are unsure then find a competent repair technician to the job for you though that may be much harder to find than the replacement part.

I removed the diode, did the checks you mentioned, plug it in and hay presto it worked. Thank you all. Now that I have all the data off the drive I would like to put it back into service. I have tried to find a replacement diode but failed. Would someone on the forum be able to supply me one or point me in the right direction?

Check farnell www.farnell.com
You could find the parts. tu peux probablement trouver les pièces la.

Dobre

_________________
Murphy was an optimist

Datarecovery in Belgium, Holland, France and Germany
Datarecoverytools http://www.drtools.eu