Freecom xxs 320GB USB failed

[sathyan]

You have to remove the PCB from the drive , and post a pic of the area around the USB connector, for testing the connections .
But if you are not confident , its not worth taking risk, take pro help

[clut]

You have to remove the PCB from the drive , and post a pic of the area around the USB connector, for testing the connections .
But if you are not confident , its not worth taking risk, take pro help

Yes i know, but it's not the first time i remove a pcb so that no problem for me.

Thanks for your help, i put a picture here later

[clut]

Hey Guys!

Here are 2 more pictures, some strange color at the contacts...

Do i see a broken USB contact on the right side? (click picture and zoom to see)

Attachments

[sathyan]

I Don't see any broken contacts from the pic.
Also the connector looks like its firmly holding on to the PCB.
(does the connector feels firm or loose when connecting the cable?)
You can check if the finger contacts inside the connector are proper(not mashed together due to improper / incorrect insertion)

You mentioned that the drive does not spin up.
Firstly you will have to check if the drive is getting power from the USB port.
Connect only the PCB to a USB port and check with a multimeter.
You should get +5V at the inductor , i think ,because the track runs on the other side of the pcb ,and i dont have its pic (first component to left of the USB connector in your first pic)

[Vulcan]

@clut,

Assuming your brother has given permission to take the risks of DIY, as you could make things worse...

Do i see a broken USB contact on the right side? (click picture and zoom to see)

It's not easy to be sure from just a photo (it would be much easier for someone who had the board in his / her hands) but IMHO that looks like a cracked solder joint, on the right side of the USB connector shield - but if that is the only fault, then that won't affect operation (although it that joint is cracked, then it has weakened the mechanical attachment of the USB connector and should be fixed).

As sathyan said, a multimeter with suitable probes and some experience, could be used to do some testing. Personally I would use a modified USB cable and do some continuity testing of the relevant solder joints on the connector on an un-powered PCB. Unfortunately your photo doesn't clearly show the relevant solder joints, and depending on lighting etc. it can be difficult to get the necessary reassurance with just a photo (although sometimes a problem can be obvious visually).

That "strange color" has been discussed several times before. I hope you are taking sensible ESD precautions when handling the PCB.

[sathyan]

that looks like a cracked solder joint, on the right side of the USB connector

@ Vulcan
Good observation.

And with the 5v connection just next to it, maybe , that connection has gotten dry/cracked too.

[clut]

@clut,

Assuming your brother has given permission to take the risks of DIY, as you could make things worse...

Do i see a broken USB contact on the right side? (click picture and zoom to see)

It's not easy to be sure from just a photo (it would be much easier for someone who had the board in his / her hands) but IMHO that looks like a cracked solder joint, on the right side of the USB connector shield - but if that is the only fault, then that won't affect operation (although it that joint is cracked, then it has weakened the mechanical attachment of the USB connector and should be fixed).

As sathyan said, a multimeter with suitable probes and some experience, could be used to do some testing. Personally I would use a modified USB cable and do some continuity testing of the relevant solder joints on the connector on an un-powered PCB. Unfortunately your photo doesn't clearly show the relevant solder joints, and depending on lighting etc. it can be difficult to get the necessary reassurance with just a photo (although sometimes a problem can be obvious visually).

That "strange color" has been discussed several times before. I hope you are taking sensible ESD precautions when handling the PCB.

@vulcan
That's wat i mean the cracked solder joint, on the right side of the USB connector shield.

What i can do is cut off a usb cable at one sight, and test if the is some resistance (in Ohm). If that is zero it means that the connection is not broken.

Do you have some tips for some tests?

Attachments

[sathyan]

1: Vbus
2: (D-)
3: (D+)
4 & 5( & chassis) : gnd

You can cut a USB cable and check for continuity.
Or improvise a sharp tip(needle) for the probe (if you do not want to cut the cable)

[clut]

Ok i did some tests.

First i cut off one side of a usb cable, and check if there where no faults in the cable.

So the resistance of the red cable was zero
And the resistance of the green one was also zero

So these where not broken

Then i do a test with the cable in the USB connector, the red cable gives me a one at all the 5 points.

The green cable gives me a zero at one point

What are the best steps to take now?

Thanks a lot!

Christian

[Vulcan]

It seems you didn't test all the 4 important connections, but based on your last reply:

the red cable gives me a one at all the 5 points.

Since a "1" display on typical DVMs resistance (or continuity) ranges means no connection, that result suggests you have at least one faulty / dry / broken solder joint between the USB connector and the PCB. Unless you have good soldering skills and appropriate equipment, then there is no low-risk way for you to repair the PCB.

Some "McGyver-style" DIY attempts are possible in this situation, but they are IMHO high-risk and I've seen them make later repair of the PCB more difficult. I suggest that you are now looking at needing professional help to progress beyond this point, unless you are happy taking significant risks (and even taking those risks, you may not be successful and could destroy the PCB and perhaps damage the drive internally).

(P.S. I don't know what the numbers 1-5 down the right-hand side of your photo mean, but I don't think you're trying to label anything there on the right-side - just where you put the numbers next to the connector itself. Or did you mean something when you added those numbers to the right-side too?)

[sathyan]

Your (cut) USB cable should have Four connections, check them all to the pcb, as suggested by Vulcan

And so also the(most likely) problem with the drive and its solutions as well as the risks involved have been mentioned. You have to take the call from here on.(As it will be an easy and risk free job for a pro that shouldn't cost you much either)

[clut]

Thanks for help,

I will bring my PCB to a proffesional. I let you now if it was succesfull but it could take some time, so maybe it will take some time when i post a new reply.

[clut]

The proffesional solder the PCB under a microscoop so i had good hope. But it didn't work, so we go for option 2 now making the sata connection....

[Vulcan]

The proffesional solder the PCB under a microscoop so i had good hope. But it didn't work

Unfortunately saying "it didn't work" is too vague to understand the true situation IMHO. That could mean the soldering was tested and was successful, but made no difference to symptoms; or the soldering was tested and was not successful; or the soldering was tested and was successful, the symptoms changed but drive was still not usable; or the soldering was not tested; or ... Some of those results lead to different conclusions.

[hhddrec]

You must Post a pic of your PCB (both sides) to check it.

USB connector piont checking is needed too.

If not success them think into USB to SATA adaptation.

[fzabkar]

It might be easier to confirm the presence of the +5V supply at the corner of the PCB. I believe the attachment shows a buck regulator which generates the +3.3V supply for the JM20329 bridge IC.

NCP1529, ON Semiconductor, marking DXJ, 1.7MHz, 1A, Adjustable Output Voltage Step-down Converter:
http://www.onsemi.com/pub/Collateral/NCP1529-D.PDF

FYI, here is a reference circuit for the JM20329:
http://web.archive.org/web/201110180744 ... 20open.pdf

I notice that one of the bridge IC's GPIO pins has been programmed in firmware to enable reporting of the USB mass storage device either before detecting the HDD, or after detecting it. A jumper selects one or the other. This means that a "quiet" USB interface does not necessarily imply that the bridge is dead.

Attachments

[clut]

The proffesional solder the PCB under a microscoop so i had good hope. But it didn't work

Unfortunately saying "it didn't work" is too vague to understand the true situation IMHO. That could mean the soldering was tested and was successful, but made no difference to symptoms; or the soldering was tested and was not successful; or the soldering was tested and was successful, the symptoms changed but drive was still not usable; or the soldering was not tested; or ... Some of those results lead to different conclusions.

HI,

First he test the resistant of all the usb connections. One was very high (what could mean a broken connection). So we solder that one, and after that we test it again. This test was succesfull what means that there was no resistant (or very low what the other connections also had).

[clut]

Hi,

I'm back again with some test results. We did a test and the results are in the picture. Does anyone know what this part is?

Thanks!

Christian

Attachments

[sathyan]

The chip inductor (the black component)seems to have failed.
You should get around 5v on both sides.
Check with a multimeter, (you should get a low value in resistance range)and if its open, replace it.

[GreenWD]

Hi,

I'm back again with some test results. We did a test and the results are in the picture. Does anyone know what this part is?

Thanks!

Christian

This is the part where you stop messing with your drive and send it in for PRO data recovery if you ever want to see your files again.

Cheap solutions will not bring happiness, only miserable failure. If you need results pay for it and get the drive serviced by a professional data recovery expert.

It's so funny how people can easily find all sorts of information on "how to do it yourself" and have a huge difficulty on finding using google reputable data recovery centers.

If you really need the data, you should know better and get pro help, because you will need it.