I recently acquired a damaged 500GB Maxtor DiamondMax 11 hard drive, model 6H500F0 that was going to be discarded. (I do not need/want any data on it.) Offhand, does anybody know or is there any simple way to identify the damaged component, an inductor labeled 1R5 ?

While I have no experience doing this, I thought perhaps if I could cheaply obtain a replacement component through someplace like Newark/Digi-Key/etc. it might be satisfying and educational to try to repair and use the drive for a non-critical role, if this component really is the only damage. However i don't know enough about electronics to know if that's an easily identifiable and replaceable part or not. Any info or advice would be appreciated. Thanks!

(I'm not sure if this is only damage though, I see there is a component S501 right next to it that is missing, and I can't tell if that's intentional or not. the solder for S501 doesn't LOOK like anything is broken off, but it also isn't a perfectly mirror-smooth surface either. And of course there could turn out to be internal damage I can't see as well.)

What is the drive 's behaviour? Does it spin up at all? If not, your best bet is to find a replacement pcb, swap over the ROM chip and see how it behaves. ATEOTD it can cost you more to repair the drive.

Maybe someone more experienced in pcb troubleshooting can guide you as to how to measure the board.

Good luck.

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All went well until I plugged the drive in.

S501 is not missing, it's how that board is configured

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All went well until I plugged the drive in.

If it were me I would attempt to repair the broken coil. Should be easy to bare enough wire to solder the coil back to the board. And then hold the case in position with a blob of adhesive or silicone. Don't forget the wire will have an insulative laquer which needs removing before soldering!

S501 is a shock sensor.

The same location is not populated in the following photo (as guru has already said):
http://www.ixbt.com/storage/ata2005/max ... -plata.jpg

L502 and U401 (Q401?) comprise a switchmode regulator (buck topology). That means that one of the board's power supply voltages is missing.

I agree with dick. Repair is better than replacement, and a lot safer, too.

In your case the board has several power supply test points, including +1.2V, +3.3V, -5V.

Q501 appears to be the pass transistor in a linear regulator.

If you are prepared to spend the time to repair your board, I would be happy to help you with your measurements.

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Thanks for the digikey link. I see they also have alternate packaging available so I can order one at a time rather than a minimum of 2000 as well.

Although you can't see it in the photo from the top, the bottom side of the component in question is damaged with a large chunk broken off, so I will try replacing the entire component rather than reattaching the damaged one. I'll post back with results when I'm done (might not be right away, I'll probably order parts for several projects all at once and I'll have to get those organized first.)

Thanks everybody!

Good news! The replacement part just arrived, and after desoldering the broken component and soldering in the new one, the drive is up and running. A few basic tests suggest it works without problems, hopefully it will remain functional.
Thanks again everybody!

good for you

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All went well until I plugged the drive in.