I have here a WD6400AAVS that has sustained damage to the PCB - burnt TVS diode and motor controller IC.
I've attached photos of the visible damage.
The drive was being used in a USB enclosure from which the PSU may have caused the problem, although I am not sure.


As I understand it, the course of repair would likely involve a board swap and of course swapping the logic controller IC to get the configuration data across, since there is no external EEPROM.

I also assume it would be wise to test the motor first for short\open first so as not to waste time\money.

I am hoping for some advice on how to proceed - should I attempt a swap myself or send to a recovery company? If so, can anyone recommend a good company for this type of work in New Zealand, or someone who accepts international orders?

if the motor ic is burned here , your pre-amp is died and you must go for head swap

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Tawfeek Mokhtar
http://alsafwapc.net
Alsafwa Data Recovery Egypt

Why don't they stick extra protection on the Pre-amp... Its logical that it needs extra protection.

SHane

Are you sure? I was advised by someone else that this is pretty unlikely.

Posting full photos of the board in case it helps.

The 12V TVS diode appears to have shorted. This is the typical result of an overvoltage in an external enclosure. The +5V supply appears to have been untouched, in which case there is a good chance that the preamp is OK.

Normally I would suggest that you send your drive to a particular PCB supplier who advertises a free PCB adaptation service, but I have seen too much negative feedback, so I no longer recommend his services. However, if you are willing to send your drive to Portugal, try contacting forum member Spildit. On some drives the ROM contents can be regenerated from the firmware modules in the System Area (SA).

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A backup a day keeps DR away.