I had a local shop provide diagnostics for my ST31000524AS (P/N:9YP154-304, Firmware: JC4B) Seagate drive. He said the media controller board needs to be replaced since there is a Controller Failure on my drive and wanted $900 for it. Is that the same thing as replacing a PCB board? I found a few vendors online that would replace a PCB board with rom reprogramming (PCB Sticker: 6222 M, PCB Number: 100574451 REV B) for a lot cheaper...

I think there is only one board on this drive... so thus I want to confirm the media controller board is the same as the PCB board.

Also, if anyone can suggest an alternative reputable vendor in the US (I'm in Boston), that would be great.

Here is one in Canada that will replace the PCB and transfer the firmware for US$50:
http://www.hdd-parts.com/13092506.html

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Thanks for the referral. Is a Media Controller Board and PCB board the same thing?

Media not PCB board.
Perhaps you do not understand?

Thanks. I did some googling and can't find any media board for this drive.. only board I can find for this drive is the PCB board. So that puzzle me and wondering if the vendor is just using a different phase.

There is no such thing as a "media controller board". I suggest you find an alternative "shop".

Better still, please describe the actual problem. Does your drive spin up?

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

So problem is in two folds:

1) Turn on computer one day, and the drive is missing in Windows.. so to troubleshoot, I jiggle the cable a bit, it spins and it goes in and out...Noticed the sata pins were bent a bit and the plastic L shape that protect the pins are broken.

2) So to try to put the drive in a better position so I can troubleshoot I tried using a different power source so I can have the drive on top of my desktop.. but sadly it sparked.. So I know I fried the PCB board at the least... After that, drive doesn't even power anymore..

So I am pretty sure I need to replace the PCB board and I told my local vendor that. The local vendor (specialize in data recovery and hard drive repair) had my drive for a day now and did some free diagnostics. They gave me a $900 quote for to "replace and reprogram a media controller board" (copy and paste from the quote) since there is a "controller failure" (copy and paste from the quote), which is a bit of a shocker price.

I haven't worked with hard drives before (other than installing/uninstalling). So I was puzzled when I couldn't find anything on "media controller board" for my drive (I assume someone would sell parts at the very least). Thus, I decided to post here, since I suspect it is the PCB board that needs to be replace and the rom chip to be transferred from the old to new board.

Media controller board makes no sense.

As fzabkar suggests, find another "shop" or describe the symptoms as best you can here.

_________________
PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

Drive was spinning prior to me reversed the molex of my PSU where I fed 12v to the 5v line of the drive. After that it wouldn't power on... Before that I bent the data pins after breaking the plastic piece that protects it. So I think the PCB is a good first time on trying to fix this drive.

When I pick up the drive in a few days (Its an hour drive for me)... I'll will use HDD-parts that fzabkar suggested. I hope it is only the PCB board, which I think it is..and not internal.

mizzpenny has told me privately that a "Rosewill RCW-306 - 6" Serial ATA (SATA) II 5.25" Male to 15-Pin Serial ATA Female Multi-Color Power Adapter Cable" was used. It "adapts one 5.25in power connector into one Serial ATA power connector".

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Well, even this one needs some "convincing" to be inserted in the wrong way

Maybe you should "name and shame" these crooks that want to charge $900 for a PCB swap?

These are the sort of ripoff antics that give us DR guys a bad name

_________________
PC Image Data Recovery
http://www.pcimage.co.uk

New!! HDD-PCB.COM for all your PCB and donor HDD requirements!

Yup, someone got the MOLEX connector upside down when they wired it.

_________________
Sabo Computer Repairs & Data Recovery

Yup that is exactly what happened. I was a total noob and didn't realize it each line had a different voltage...

Thanks for the heads up on this. So I am doing a PCB swap w/rom chip and I will see what are my choices on fixing the pre-amp.





Exactly that cable. and yeah I reserved it by accident. I was a total noob and didn't understand that they were different voltage. I just connected them.

Note: I am seeing everyone's post and thank you everyone who have responded. There is a delay time in my response since my post has to be approved by a moderator.

Thanks everyone who posted. I am happy to report that I replaced the PCB plus rom chip and the drive fully works now. I am able to extract all my photos off it.

To give some context, the OP is in Boston where a studio apartment costs $2,000-3,000/mo and a virus scan can cost $300, so the price doesn't surprise me. It's a crazy expensive area and is part of why I get a lot of Boston customers willing to drive down here to Providence to have me recover their data.

I charge $450 for PCB replacement jobs here in RI, but that's for a complete recovery including imaging the data onto another drive, filesystem repairs, logical file recovery as needed, and anything else that may arise including the possibility of needing to replace heads should they fail during imaging (happened twice in the last three weeks). If I know the customer is on a real budget and can't afford it, I may offer to just replace the PCB at a much lower cost. But I make no guarantees about the drive surviving long enough for them to extract all their data. Strangely enough, most people still opt for the full recovery because they like the guarantee. I know in some places (Canada and sub-Saharan Africa ) they do this work for much less, but a lot comes down to the simple cost of life where you are. RI and MA have pretty much the highest tax and insurance rates in the USA once you add it all up. If we don't charge a lot, we end up losing money to just keep the lights on.

_________________
Data Medics - Hard Drive, SSD, and RAID Data Recovery Service Company

Hello everyone. Can someone help me with the firmware for Seagate
ST31000524AS -
P / N: 9YP154-304 -
FW: JC4B-
Date Code: 12032 -
Site Code: SU -
PCB Sticker 6222 J -
PCB Number: 100574451 REV. B
I use HDDoctor Salvation.
Thank you