Maxtor 32049H3 - heads clicking, detected

[kotel]

Hi,

While back I got an Maxtor 32049H3 drive. Powered it on and heard clicking from the heads.
It was getting detected by an PC, but either it would sometimes hang right after it was detected or would not show up in win XP.

Inspected it and found that 1 pin of the Lucent 1181 chip was shorted together with one of the pin near it. Fixed that but to no avail. I also saw an crack on U503 (MOTA HEXFET transistor) but there was 1.7V on the MOTA pad, so I think it's okay. There's also no cracks on the sides so that should conclude that it's only a cosmetic scratch.

Tried the same PCB on an friends working Diamondmax 8 drive and got the same exact clicking noise.

Any ideas?

[jackass25]

It sounds like you're dealing with a classic case of firmware failure on your Maxtor 32049H3 drive. The clicking noise (often called the "click of death") typically indicates one of the following issues:
Possible Causes:
Failed Read/Write Heads
The clicking suggests the heads are trying to recalibrate but failing, possibly due to a stuck or damaged head.
If the same PCB produces the same noise on a working drive, the issue is likely not the PCB but the heads or platters.

Preamp Failure (on Head Assembly)
The preamp (located on the head assembly inside the drive) can fail, causing communication issues between the heads and PCB.
A shorted Lucent chip might have sent excessive current to the heads, damaging the preamp.

Firmware Corruption
Some Maxtor drives suffer from firmware corruption, causing detection issues and repetitive clicking.
A firmware reflash (with a professional tool like PC-3000) might help, but given the physical symptoms, this is less likely.

Spindle Motor or Stiction Issues
If the platters aren’t spinning properly, the heads may click trying to read.
However, since the drive is detected sometimes, this is less probable.


Try a Donor PCB (with matching ROM) If the PCB was shorted, it may still have issues despite your fix.
Swap the ROM chip from your original PCB to a known-working identical PCB (since firmware is stored there).

Check Head Resistance
If you have a multimeter, measure the resistance of the head coils (via the preamp contacts on the HSA).
If any coil reads open circuit (OL) or very high resistance, the heads are dead.

Professional Data Recovery
If the data is critical, a cleanroom head swap might be needed.
DIY attempts on a clicking drive often worsen the damage.
Since the same PCB causes clicking on a known-good drive, the issue is likely mechanical (heads/preamp) rather than electronic. If you're determined to salvage it, a donor drive with matching heads would be needed, but success isn't guaranteed.

[kotel]

It sounds like you're dealing with a classic case of firmware failure on your Maxtor 32049H3 drive. The clicking noise (often called the "click of death") typically indicates one of the following issues:
Possible Causes:
Failed Read/Write Heads
The clicking suggests the heads are trying to recalibrate but failing, possibly due to a stuck or damaged head.
If the same PCB produces the same noise on a working drive, the issue is likely not the PCB but the heads or platters.

Preamp Failure (on Head Assembly)
The preamp (located on the head assembly inside the drive) can fail, causing communication issues between the heads and PCB.
A shorted Lucent chip might have sent excessive current to the heads, damaging the preamp.

Firmware Corruption
Some Maxtor drives suffer from firmware corruption, causing detection issues and repetitive clicking.
A firmware reflash (with a professional tool like PC-3000) might help, but given the physical symptoms, this is less likely.

Spindle Motor or Stiction Issues
If the platters aren’t spinning properly, the heads may click trying to read.
However, since the drive is detected sometimes, this is less probable.


Try a Donor PCB (with matching ROM) If the PCB was shorted, it may still have issues despite your fix.
Swap the ROM chip from your original PCB to a known-working identical PCB (since firmware is stored there).

Check Head Resistance
If you have a multimeter, measure the resistance of the head coils (via the preamp contacts on the HSA).
If any coil reads open circuit (OL) or very high resistance, the heads are dead.

Professional Data Recovery
If the data is critical, a cleanroom head swap might be needed.
DIY attempts on a clicking drive often worsen the damage.
Since the same PCB causes clicking on a known-good drive, the issue is likely mechanical (heads/preamp) rather than electronic. If you're determined to salvage it, a donor drive with matching heads would be needed, but success isn't guaranteed.

Hi, thank you for the detailed reply!
Now I got an question, do you happen to own the firmware for this drive? I can flash it using an eeprom programmer. And yes, I know I'd need to modify the new FW to have the same serial and probably SMART data.

[WebClaw]

Hi, thank you for the detailed reply!
Now I got an question, do you happen to own the firmware for this drive? I can flash it using an eeprom programmer. And yes, I know I'd need to modify the new FW to have the same serial and probably SMART data.

Firmware is located on the platters. You cannot "flash" it. It must be read / written using the heads.
Given the age of the drive, it's more than likely a head or heads have failed and would need to be replaced.