Physical Damage to PCB on a Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB

[mmo]

Hi,

I recently had my Power Mac G5 shipped to me overseas. When I received it, the PCB on the Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB drive that I had recently installed had been physically damaged. (See picture attachments below. The corners of the green part of the board where the black plastic adaptor connects have been snapped off.) I discovered this before turning on the computer, so I have not yet had a chance to see if the damage has rendered the drive inoperable or not. Questions:

1. Does the physical damage shown in the pictures look severe enough to guarantee that the drive will not work without first replacing the pcbs? (When I re-attach the power/data connector, all of the pins appear to be aligned and in good contact with the pcb.)

2. Is it worth plugging the computer in and trying it out? Or will running electrical power to the drive create further problems if the pcb is in fact beyond repair?

3. If it is best to replace the PCB, can someone explain how to replace the "ROM"? I have seen the ROM mentioned in other postings, but I haven't yet seen an explanation of how this is done.

Many thanks for your help,
MMO

Attachments

[mmo]

Also, I forgot to give the specifications for the drive:

Seagate Barracuda 7200.10 750GB
S/N: 5QD4...
ST3750640AS
P/N: 9BJ148-305
Firmware: 3.AAE
Date Code: 08493
Site Code: WU

[jono-ats]

You did a nice job of removing connector header . . .

The damage on the left side is to the terminal and speed select pins, which are not critical for drive operation. Hard to tell exactly on the right, but you may be lucky -- it doesn't look like it's too bad.

Offhand, I don't think you'd ruin the preamp & etc. by trying the board as is, but if you'd rather play it safe, I'd buy another PCB. No ROM change may be required if you find an identical drive with the same firmware revision and site code.

Seagate usually uses the same PCB on more than one drive model - the critical thing to match is the 1st nine digits on the barcode. If you have a drive from another model with matching barcode, then you can swap the ROM from your PCB to it. The ROM is an 8 pin DIP package, probably just above the bar code, such as 25P05VP.

[mmo]

Hey Jono-Ats,

Many thanks for the speedy reply. I hope that you're right that the damage is to relatively inconsequential areas of the PCB. I will wait until tomorrow to try it out. (I need to buy an adaptor or transformer before I can plug the computer in to a German outlet.)

In the event that I do need to replace the PCB: I bought the drive less than a month ago and I called the store today to see if they still had other identical versions available. It sounded like the various numbers--ST..., P/N, Firmware, Side Code, etc.--were all virtually identical for the remaining drives in stock. So in that case, if I do need to replace the PCB, am I correct in hearing that I will not need to substitute the ROM from the old PCB to the new PCB in order to get the old drive to work again? Please let me know when you have a chance.

If anyone else has an assessment of the PCB damage and the likelihood that this will still work as is, please let me know.

Thanks,
MMO

[BlackST]

The PCB is multi layer, so probably the inner layers were involved in the "crack". It's careful to play it safe. A new compatible PCB could solve the problem, or a skilled pro can repair it.
Won't be "too" difficult to find, maybe you have to buy a new off-the-shelf drive but the cost is low.
Just curious : how did you damage the pcb ? Never seen (yet)

[mmo]

Hi BlackST,

In answer to your question as to how I damaged the PCB: I think what happened is that I inserted the drive without switching the locking lever that holds the drive in place. Then, when I shipped it to myself, it must have slipped out of place and banged against the inside wall of the computer during transport. Personal stupidity combined with rough handling during shipping.....

[jono-ats]

Please re-read my original reply. The answer is therein.

If your drive is nearly identical, as you say, it should work. If you swap the PCB and for some reason it doesn't work (but the bar code is identical), then swap the ROM.

[BlackST]

Just for advice : if this was the scenario (rough handling and drive banged inside the case, hope that the motor and / or heads haven't suffered damage. We will know it when powering up the drive again. Unlikely, but the mass of platters can bend the axis when the drive is dropped, moreover Seagate drives are known for "taiwan-quality" motors... crossing fingers. In any case, if everything is fine, make a backup and use this drive, if repaired, for non-critical apps. Good luck !

[mmo]

Update: Today I plugged in the computer and the drive turned up on the desktop and all of the files that I have attempted to open do so with no problems. So it seems that I was quite lucky. Thanks to those who replied to my initial posting.

MMO

[pepe]

Don't forget backing up everything because the drive might have received such an impact that some particles became free inside the HDA that can cause severe head and platter damage soon.
So it is better to move critical data to a safe location (2 copies preferably )

pepe

[njzhaobo]

you can change the interface ! get new interface!