Hello there,

I've read somewhere about the possibility of making two PCBs compatible when they are not, and I'm not sure if this case applies to this particular case, but I have to give it a try.

I have a Samsung M101MBB/ST1000LM024 (M8E 2.5") manufactured by Seagate, with bad heads. I have a possible donor, with different P/N and as for what I can see on terminal log, different and incompatible preamps (patient PCB, donor HSA):


This way the drive doesn't even spin in order to protect itself from any damage. Using donor PCB without changes (no ROM transfer, etc.) the drive spins up and tries to callibrate. Terminal output is:



The drive remains BSY after this point. The question is, can I make these 2 PCBs compatible somehow, or is it a real MUST to get a full compatible donor?

I haven't been able to write original ROM into donor PCB because PC3K does not support platform ID's 0x43 nor 0x4D (only up to 0x2D) - it loads the writing loader into disk's RAM but then it is unable to upload the binary. Physical ROM transfer is an option, but these flat ROM chips are a little dangerous to move - sadly, they easily break apart.

Thanks in advance

What are you trying to achieve here ?
Why not swap ROM and get going.
I may be wrong here

Samsung Spinpoint M8 1TB ST1000LM024 HDD P/N: HN-M101MBB/ST1000LM024 PCB: BF41-00354A M8_REV.03 RevA Circuit Board with Firmware Transfer:
http://www.onepcbsolution.com/229283181s.html

Sale price: US$40

Firmware Transfer without previous PCB purchase:
http://www.onepcbsolution.com/firmware- ... t-pcb.html

US$20

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

1) I have never broken a chip , using preheater and smd rework station with flux. In some case I use infrared as an option.

2) plan B : IC read and write.

Otherwise work on the other side.

You will need a different donor. Previously any one of these drives with same model would have sufficed, but recently they seem to have changed the preamp type.

Easy way to test if the preamp (and therefore heads assembly) is compatible is to put the patient PCB on the potential donor and make sure you don't get the preamp error. If it spins up you're pretty much good to go and swap heads.

_________________
PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

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I would let it find what is searching for...

I broke once one of these flat ROM chips, although fortunately I had copy of its contents. I have copy of this ROM also, but it is really tough to unsolder it even with dense flux and the SMD station. Soldering iron doesn't seem to undergo a phase change to liquid at any moment, and I'm afraid to burn the chip.

Anyway, I think I just need a good donor - new challenge, since it seems hard to know if preamps are going to be compatible in the first place.

Also, Samsung terminal looks blocked somehow. Some commands like HE, etc. would give a new blank like as an answer, but nothing else.

@deftrue, I don't understand what you hoped to do with a ROM swap. ISTM that you have identified an incompatibility between the preamp and the firmware. If you now transfer the firmware to a donor PCB, wouldn't you still end up with the same incompatibility?

I notice that in some Samsung models there is a label with code letters that identify the manufacturers of the drive's heads and platters. Assuming that all head stacks from the same manufacturer use the same preamp (???), and if your drive has similar labelling, then wouldn't this be a way to screen your donors?

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Dear fzabkar,

Yes I know about that sticker but this particular drive hasn't got it. I just wanted to exhaust all the possibilities before start buying donors blindly. My hope was that maybe the PCB/preamp compatibility was not dictated by firmware in external ROM but maybe by other built-in MCU routines, if that even makes any sense. Examining ROM dump, on the other hand, it shows information about a specific preamp ID which is different by one digit from the one from the donor drive, so I guess it is time for new donors...

Thanks

Probably you missed it .

P.S. use infrared instead of hot air or iron , it's lead free alloy and maybe the chip can be stuck to the board.