Replacement PCB for an EIDE Seagate ST3500830ACE (DB35.3)

[syntaxerror]

Hey there,

well I guess that you pros out there will have noticed at first glance in the subject that these drives are RARE and uncommon beasts. I too had to order one of these overseas, and up to know (heh!) it worked great.

Now from one day to another, the drive went dead as a doornail. No motor noise, nothing.
(NB: Shortly before it "died", I noticed that the huge IC chip in the center of the PCB was PIPING HOT. That's why I decided to put it into the fridge overnight, and that is, in the upper compartment which is not as cold as the lower one. (Note that I'm not an idiot, I said fridge, not freezer! +5 centigrades != -18 centigrades!))

Yet after the "cool-down attempt," the drive stayed dead, though there might have been the small chance of having triggered a protection mechanism due to excess heat. (Like electric household devices would do it if you left it alone w/the hot plate on for too long)

To cut a long story short, I'd like to try with a replacement PCB.
However, as I stated above, the drive is QUITE RARE (especially because it's one of the very scarce 9BK036-505 instead of the more common ...-500), and there is nothing for sale on ebay for this special drive.

Did anyone of you guys ever come across a replacement PCB for a ST3xxxxxxACE, i. e. one of the DB35.3 models?

Specifications

Code:

Model: ST3500830ACE [aka DB35.3]
Series: DB35
P/N: 9BK036-505
Firmware: 3.ACD
Date Code: 08165
Site Code: TK


[BlackST]

It's no problem as donor - not cheap at all but no problem at all. And if you were me you wouldn't need a PCB. The difference is that I don't have a freezer in my tool set.

[SAjunky]

Come on BlackST! OP put drive in the fridge, as chip was hot, so it could cool down a bit. Logical, isn't?

[syntaxerror]

Thanks SAjunky. Yes, it was the fridge, because I know a little bit about (basic) physics and thus I was aware of the fact that there is the "chance" of getting condensate to accumulate inside the drive (when put in the freezer). Well, If water wasn't such a great conductor I might have put it in the freezer indeed.

BTW, it might also be the TVS diode. However, a quick check gave away that there was always some resistance there...yet I'd like to try it, since the PCB is useless anyhow.

[BlackST]

Everything depends on how much data is valued.

But again, if you know what you are doing, PCB is the latest problem (that's why I don't want to send me the PCB with the drive in case it has been poked with, or anyway I act like I don't have it at all).

[syntaxerror]

"have it"? it = the drive? || it = the PCB?

Could you please try to use a more self-explanatory wording? Maybe just one sentence more would do, explaining what you're trying to say. You like to write in a somewhat extraordinary terse style that needs lots of interpretation/guessing into what you actually mean.

I really did not get anything of your last post but the introductory sentence. Sorry 'bout that.

[northwind]

"have it"? it = the drive? || it = the PCB?

How could someone recover data from the drive, if it=the drive?

[BlackST]

Sometimes I wonder what my native language is... but they say the problem is elsewhere.

Option (1) : tinker with the PCB , get the suspected parts and replace one by one till it works or things change. "sometimes" it works when there's nothing to loose, you don't have any documentation and unfortunately only a multimeter doesn't help.

Option (2) : get a donor (it's not true it is rare, it's just matter of how much the wallet is open) and use the PCB to test or fix the problem (IF it is only the PCB)

Option (3) : find a pro with McGyver attitude that will solve the problem (you know, McGyver...)

for completeness - option (4) : forget the drive and carry on.

I don't see any other option left FOR YOU.

[atzensepp]

@syntaxerror: check your PM

[syntaxerror]

Sometimes I wonder what my native language is... but they say the problem is elsewhere.

Option (1) : tinker with the PCB , get the suspected parts and replace one by one till it works or things change. "sometimes" it works when there's nothing to loose, you don't have any documentation and unfortunately only a multimeter doesn't help.

Option (2) : get a donor (it's not true it is rare, it's just matter of how much the wallet is open) and use the PCB to test or fix the problem (IF it is only the PCB)

THANKS! That was more like it. Now I got everything perfectly.

@atzensepp
Yes. Thanks.