Samsung HM161HI - fried TLS chip

[fzabkar]

I was wondering if there should be a DIY forum so people who want some advice and help can get it. IT MUST COME WITH A HEALTH WARNING that any advice acted upon is at the owners risk!

I think fzabkar could administer that forum as well!

@fzabkar Got to say I enjoy reading many of your posts and it is clear you have a technical and analytic mind but sometimes I think you waver, lose your way a little.

The thread I linked to has success stories, and a warning by one of your own. I'd say that was a balanced view. Moreover, if people were told that professional data recovery was their only option, and if the quoted price was out of their reach, then they may choose to discard their drives. In my view it would unconscionable not to advise such people that a slap on the casting may be enough to recover their data.

As for other DIY "cures', such as freezing, I have never even considered doing such a thing, but after seeing Doomer's comments on the matter, and after reading about other DR pros who have resorted to such a practice, it makes me wonder whether I should visit Doomer's Russian forums and see the empirical evidence.

[guru]

The only point a which I have ever slightly frozen a HDD is when I was debugging a PCB and that was only specific to the area of interest

[fzabkar]

The only point a which I have ever slightly frozen a HDD is when I was debugging a PCB and that was only specific to the area of interest

A hair dryer and a can of freeze spray are standard tools in a technician's armoury.

Are you saying that you froze the *whole* drive to troubleshoot a thermal fault on a PCB? Now that would bring a laugh from my colleagues.

That said, I do accept that slapping a drive is laughable, too. Obviously no DR guy would recommend such a course of action, for the same reason that an AV tech would advise against hitting an errant TV or amplifier. The risk of serious damage, to power supplies and output stages, is not insubstantial. However, if one is desperate, then a smack on the cover may close up a dry solder joint for just long enough to see Australia defeat Brazil in the World Cup football final. Afterwards you can buy a new TV (or a new house, depending on the size of your wager).

[guru]

I think you have been drinking far to many cans of XXXX


Quote:- "Are you saying that you froze the *whole* drive to troubleshoot a thermal fault on a PCB? Now that would bring a laugh from my colleagues"

Colleagues all wearing stripped jumpers and smoking a pipe while checking the time on their binary watches?


Now a "A hair dryer" in a standard tool kit like yours does make me LMFAO.. Makes sense now

Attachments

[guru]

And NO I did not freeze the whole HDA. As I said I froze a specific area in question while debugging the electronics..

Do you need help in understanding Franc ? I can give you some links it is very simple.

[Alexii]

Dont waste ur breath Frank. HddSpaz got burned so badly with his smooth talk , yet noone even paid attention. To busy stomping u down. Dont feed the trolls. Do what u do and move on.

Now if u read Franks posts, u know that the guy is no kid. I am sure he is elder to most of the ppl here. And u gonna make Scottish Fud jokes with him Spaz? No matter whats the size of ur bank acc ur still a cheap dime store hood (c.)

[Alexii]

@ quasimodo. Most regulars use this forum to fish for extra customers. "I can do it send it to me." or "XXX comes highly recomended , he is close to u" in lots of posts. And funny , its against EULA. Yet u dont mention it in ur post.
And dont lie to uself. Noone shares any info here. If it worth anything. The most u do is share loaders. However there are some rare cases where a veteran here will work with a veteran , but thats done in PMs. So, tell me again. What this forum is for ?

Ill have to edit. I did get some minor info that i found helpfull, so its not all that bad. But then again i am in the field. Overall i find this forum helpfull. But some of the veterans here make me wanna be able to smack ppl over TCP/IP.

Last edited by Alexii on April 27th, 2010, 13:15, edited 1 time in total.

[drc]

Most regulars use this forum to fish for extra customers

BS. People volunteer to work when they know that most others are not going to be able to handle it (ie WD alignment) or recommend competent talent near to the poster as a favor so they don't get ripped off.

[Alexii]

Most regulars use this forum to fish for extra customers

BS. People volunteer to work when they know that most others are not going to be able to handle it (ie WD alignment) or recommend competent talent near to the poster as a favor so they don't get ripped off.

No matter how u swing it. Its against the EULA. And who are those "most others" u are talking about ?

[quasimodo]

And dont lie to uself. Noone shares any info here.

Either you can not read or you are just to lazy to read the posts. This forum has provided more information on data recovery then any other openly and freely available source. If that's not enough for you then I don't know

[Alexii]

[/quote]
PS. I've experienced real FUD. Have you? [/quote]

I felt compeled to add. The first time smbd experiences scottish fud is magical i agree. Yet dont go bragin on the forum right away m8. When was that ? Yesterday ? Day before ? Anycase, my congratulations to u and the bearer of the said Fud. Cheers.

@ quasimodo i edited. Ill have to say that despite some bad apples this forum is very helpfull to me.

[BlackST]

Its against the EULA.

Many things are against the EULA.

[HDD Spaz]

Dont waste ur breath Frank. HddSpaz got burned so badly with his smooth talk , yet noone even paid attention. To busy stomping u down. Dont feed the trolls. Do what u do and move on.

Now if u read Franks posts, u know that the guy is no kid. I am sure he is elder to most of the ppl here. And u gonna make Scottish Fud jokes with him Spaz? No matter whats the size of ur bank acc ur still a cheap dime store hood (c.)

FUD!

[guru]

Quote "However, if one is desperate, then a smack on the cover may close up a dry solder joint for just long enough to see Australia defeat Brazil in the World Cup football final"

I see Franc does have a sense of humour

[BlackST]

It's the final confirmation that I am right : who won the last World Cup Football final ? ITALY.

Because we don't slap TVs.



(sorry couldn't resist and at this time some humor is needed....)

[fzabkar]

And NO I did not freeze the whole HDA. As I said I froze a specific area in question while debugging the electronics..

Do you need help in understanding Franc ? I can give you some links it is very simple.

Sounds like damage control to me.

If you had specifically used spray freeze, then you should, or would, have said so.

Based on what I've seen in this group, it wouldn't surprise me at all if nobody has heard of this stuff.

Here, knock yourself out:
http://uk.farnell.com/freezer-sprays

BTW, if I want to strip paint, I'll buy a heat gun. However, a $10 hair dryer does the job nicely in most cases, except of course where a particular component needs to be heated in isolation. As I said, it's standard equipment, and a standard technique. If that amuses you, then you are showing your ignorance.

[fzabkar]

Fzabkar,

I think that you are going a little to far. If you and some other members have some personal issues then you should work this out in private. Also, please do not speak for the entire forum, Thank you!!!

I apologise if my outburst seems disproportionate to the criticism I have received. In my defence, I ask people to see my reaction, not in the context of this single thread, but in the totality of my experience in this forum.

I understand there are good people in the industry, and I have been contacted privately by some. Kudos to them. Hopefully they will understand that it is not my intention to tar everyone with the same brush.

That said, while you, quasimodo, claim to be different, your ridicule says otherwise. The reason I have plenty of time is that I am retired (and tired). I care for two people who rely on me for their medical emergencies, and for many other things. I see this forum, and others, as a way to keep my brain active (and to stave off Alzheimer's).

Since my first day at this forum, I have been ridiculed. The fact that I like to help people is derided. In fact, an entire thread has been dedicated to this. Incredibly, I have even been abused by a "guru" for daring to help him, even when my advice was correct, and given in good faith. I have been ridiculed for providing detailed explanations (aka "spoon feeding"). I have been ridiculed for providing copious references, the reason being that a "guru's" statement should be sufficient in itself.

Your charge that I have a "humongous ego" is both bewildering and hurtful. Arrogance is the human character flaw that I despise the most. I see it as the precursor to all other character flaws. If it appears that I enjoy a battle of wits with the "gurus", then you misunderstand me. I merely use the opportunity to deflate overblown egos, and to bring self indulgent "gurus" back down to earth. I accept that I am relatively ignorant about modern hard drive technology, but I'm not stupid. The age of the polymath is well and truly in the past. Today the most that anyone can aspire to, is to know a little about a lot, or a lot about a little. I expect that I'll only ever know a little about a little. "Gurus" need to know that not every visitor to this group comes as a beggar or a leech, to beg or steal scraps from the master's table. Some have knowledge, and experience, that can complement their own. In fact, I've even had to show a "guru" how to use a multimeter. I, myself, have benefited a great deal from the tutelage of much younger colleagues, and I am grateful for their patience and understanding. I have an engineering degree, but I admit that the only good thing about having one is that I don't have to worry about not having one.

As for my electronics knowledge, I don't even remotely claim to be a "guru". I despise such terms. In fact I have repeatedly stated that my electronic contributions are nothing more than standard troubleshooting techniques that every junior technician knows, or should know. Every TV or AV guru knows how to test a uP based circuit. Every technician knows how to test and repair a switchmode PSU, especially something as manifestly simple as a stepdown regulator on a hard drive PCB. These are no more complicated than what you'll find in a car charger for a mobile phone. Other than that, my contributions have been largely to do with TVS diodes and serial EEPROMs, and the Seagate 7200.11 bug fix.

My impression of the DR industry is that it is extremely precarious. It is steeped in FUD and mystique, precisely to intimidate the public, and to protect its own fragile "secrets". In general I have no problem with the amounts of money been charged for DR work. A person can demand a lot, without being rapacious. I would be a hyprocrite if I were to criticise the DR fraternity on this basis alone. In fact I earned much more in my time, and that was 25 years ago.

The strangest thing that a "guru" said to me was by way of a PM, in which s/he expressed the fear that I would divulge precious secrets to the wider community. Is the DR industry seriously dependent on shorted diodes and serial EEPROMs for its economic viability? Are DR "gurus" really that insecure? To this day, I still don't know how to respond to this person.

In fact, I'm in a quandary as to how to respond to the DR fraternity as a whole. I suppose I should look for positives. For example, if bad people hate me, then that's a double negative, which means it must be a good thing. OTOH, if bad people were to love me, then that would be disconcerting, and would warrant some serious soul searching.

That said, I often think that it would have been better to have lived my life as a sociopathic hedonist. Unburdened by conscience, I would have trampled all over everyone to get whatever I wanted. People would have hated me, but at least I would have had their respect.

[guru]

hmmmm

[guru]

Quote "If you had specifically used spray freeze, then you should, or would, have said so."

I thought it was too obvious after using it for the last 13 years.

Freezer spay I use when needed. If I run out I use aero duster upside down.... ;O)

Anyway I am fed up with this bickering now. Believe as you wish, I do not need to prove myself to you.

[quasimodo]

That said, while you, quasimodo, claim to be different, your ridicule says otherwise. The reason I have plenty of time is that I am retired (and tired). I care for two people who rely on me for their medical emergencies, and for many other things. I see this forum, and others, as a way to keep my brain active (and to stave off Alzheimer's).

I am happy for you; for the reason that you have the opportunity to enjoy your retirement. I am also glad to hear that you have found ways to stay mentally alert. As for myself, I don't recall ever claiming to be different. I only spoke my mind. For me the chapter has been closed since I need to get back to work.