WD 2060-810003 USB-to-SATA conversion not working

[Josh256]

Hi everyone,

I'm trying to convert a WD 2060-810003 USB Type C board from USB to SATA but I can't get SATA to work.

So far I've:

Connected the TX/RX lines to E71, E72, E73 and E91.
Isolated/removed the original USB coupling caps.
Checked that the TX/RX polarity is correct and ground is connected properly.
Tried the official MRT SATA converter board as well.
The drive works fine when connected normally through USB-C and shows up in Windows.

I also tried the exact same SATA conversion on two other known-good 810003 boards, and SATA didn't work on either of them. Both boards work normally over USB.

When I connect the board to the MRT SATA port, the power light comes on and the HDD spins up, but MRT doesn't seem to see anything. All the ATA1 status indicators are grey/inactive — no BSY, DRD, DSC, DRQ, ERR, etc. I've attached a screenshot.

I've successfully converted many 800067 USB boards to SATA, so I'm familiar with the process. The 810003 seems to be the only board I've had this problem with.

At this point I'm wondering if the SATA PHY on the 810003 is disabled or held in reset when the USB side isn't active.

Has anyone managed to get native SATA working on the 2060-810003 without swapping the MCU/ROM to an 800065 SATA board?

Any help or ideas would be really appreciated. Thanks!

Attachments

[fzabkar]

https://www.blizzarddr.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Western-Digital-PCB-810003-1.jpg

https://www.blizzarddr.com/convert-wd-usb-to-sata/

Tried the official MRT SATA converter board as well.

Could we see a photo?

[Hardcore Games]

Rather than convert, why not just copy the USB disk to a conventional hard disk. Every WD USB I have ever had come in I copied to a 3.5" hard disk in an enclosure and I trashed the USB based disks as these are notorious for errors.

[Pi0tR]

Rather than convert, why not just copy the USB disk to a conventional hard disk. Every WD USB I have ever had come in I copied to a 3.5" hard disk in an enclosure and I trashed the USB based disks as these are notorious for errors.

Why hasn't he been banned yet?

[Josh256]

https://www.blizzarddr.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Western-Digital-PCB-810003-1.jpg

https://www.blizzarddr.com/convert-wd-usb-to-sata/

Tried the official MRT SATA converter board as well.

Could we see a photo?

Yes, sure. Here are photos of the MRT SATA converter and my USB-to-SATA conversion using wires.

Just to clarify, the copper wires have an insulating coating, and I make sure none of the wires are touching each other during the connection.

I've used this same method successfully on many other WD USB boards and never had a problem. The 2060-810003 USB-C board is the only one I've come across where the SATA conversion doesn't work.

Hopefully the photos help.

Attachments

[fzabkar]

You say you have a 2060-810003 PCB, yet your MRT signal conditioner is made for 2060-800067. Are these PCBs interchangeable? :-?

Can you tell us the markings on U2, U3, U8 and U10? I want to confirm that U2 is a SATA redriver and not an analogue switch, as was the case in some other MRT product.

[Josh256]

When I purchased the MRT adaptor, I was told it was compatible with the WD Charger family, but looking at the pins, it doesn't seem to connect to the correct points on the 810003.

I rarely use the MRT adaptor. I normally prefer the direct USB-to-SATA wiring method, which has been more stable for me. I've successfully used it on many WD USB boards, including 800067. The 810003 is the only one I've had trouble with, even after testing two other known-good 810003 boards.

Chip markings:

U2
LVC601
TI29W
ZI7P

U3
LC125A
1AKG4
AK2G

U8
HDM
2056A4E08
CH840K

U10
HF1xT

Do you know if there's something specific about the 810003 that prevents the direct wiring SATA conversion? That's really the part I'm trying to figure out.

Also, if the 810003 can't be converted to SATA, could the ROM and MCU be transferred to a 2060-800067 PCB? I have an 800067 available and know it converts to SATA successfully, while an 800065 SATA PCB isn't available to me right now.

Attachments

[fzabkar]

Thanks. U2 is a SATA redriver, so you're good.

[fzabkar]

I think U8 is a WinChipHead CH340K.

https://cdn.sparkfun.com/assets/5/0/a/8/5/CH340DS1.PDF

Do you know if there's something specific about the 810003 that prevents the direct wiring SATA conversion? That's really the part I'm trying to figure out.

I only know what is in those Blizzard DR links.

[Pi0tR]

When I purchased the MRT adaptor, I was told it was compatible with the WD Charger family, but looking at the pins, it doesn't seem to connect to the correct points on the 810003.

This is likely clear to the author, but I’ll just mention that MRT doesn’t sell a single universal tool for everything, they offer different types of these equalizers, depending on what you need.