Samsung HD204UI PCB BF41-00314A 00

[madloc]

Hi fzkbar and thank you again. I appreciate your help very much.

I measured tvs diodes in the striped side:

Greetings

[Vulcan]

In case fzabkar isn't around, I'll give a brief comment...

Your photo appears to show that the +12V supply is missing on the PCB. There can be multiple possible causes e.g. shorted TVS (but in that case, why hasn't the PSU shutdown the +5V supply?); open fusible resistor, which seems to be in series with the +12V supply; short-circuit on the +12V rail elsewhere on the PCB; faulty PSU; etc. etc. A missing +12V supply would cause all the 3 missing voltages that you confirmed by following the plan from fzabkar.

(Providing a better close-up photo of the TVS diodes & nearby components would be helpful IMHO.)

Further diagnosis could be done on the PCB, of course. But if it's a problem on the PCB and not external (which, as we've discussed on another thread, does not necessarily mean that the PCB was faulty when it was dispatched to you), then what are you going to do? If you attempt any repair on that faulty PCB, then you'll likely lose any warranty, but your repair attempt may be unsuccessful (depending on the actual cause and diagnosis process). I thought you were negotiating to send that PCB back to the supplier?

Anyway, those are my thoughts - use them (at your own risk) or ignore them, whichever you want to do

[fzabkar]

In case fzabkar isn't around, I'll give a brief comment...

Your photo appears to show that the +12V supply is missing on the PCB. There can be multiple possible causes e.g. shorted TVS (but in that case, why hasn't the PSU shutdown the +5V supply?); open fusible resistor, which seems to be in series with the +12V supply; short-circuit on the +12V rail elsewhere on the PCB; faulty PSU; etc. etc. A missing +12V supply would cause all the 3 missing voltages that you confirmed by following the plan from fzabkar. :(

(Providing a better close-up photo of the TVS diodes & nearby components would be helpful IMHO.)

http://www.users.on.net/~fzabkar/HDD/HD204UI_TVS.jpg

[Vulcan]

Thanks for that, which confirms the 0 ohm resistor's purpose. Since you are around, and after developments in the related thread, I'll stop here.

[madloc]

what are you going to do? If you attempt any repair on that faulty PCB, then you'll likely lose any warranty, but your repair attempt may be unsuccessful (depending on the actual cause and diagnosis process). I thought you were negotiating to send that PCB back to the supplier?

I'm a curious person. I like to learn, and i only want to test what in my first post i was telling: that the PCB i bought was faulty. Of course i am not idiot and i don't want to attempt fix it the PCB that i bought. I have not the knowledge nor the skills to do it. As i said before i'm sysadmin. Neither want to harm the reputation of anyone as long the problem THAT I NO CAUSED can be solved. And of course i will tell here and in the other thread if the company send me a good PCB.

I repeat my only intention is to solve my problem.

[BlackST]

Things are different from what people think , most of times.

This forum (but other are not so different) is full of threads where a SIMPLE problem became a disaster by "induced tinkering" (there's nothing worse than an average joe "in bamba" with the internet-induced illusion of solving HIS problem).
When it's not a SIMPLE failure that cannot even be considered a fault i.e. the TVS saga (only here, BTW. ask all the professionals who see thousands of drives per year and ask them how many TVS related problems we see...) or a SINGLE/FEW discrete component , you don't see the "happy end".
On few case , where there was access to dedicated equipment, it was necessary to change a combo IC or other parts that in any case WAS/WERE NOT AVAILABLE OFF THE SHELF , but pulled out from another working PCB. To do so, you need IR or hot air rework station , accessories and chemicals like flux (BTW it is not a pleasant chemical to work with....) - not exactly things everyone has on his hardware box / garage.

Myth #1 : "a local TV/AV repair shop will do the job for you at.... " - fact : in many places they ask you (as it is supposed to do because of dues and taxes etc.) quite a lot for it, in other simply these kind of shops do no longer exist or are rare , in other they work so badly that you will blame yourself for the idea. It may work, it may not.

Myth #2 : "FREE/CHEAP PCB ADAPTATION" - fact : if it is a simple swap of a SO-8 flash chip, can be. But you still have to supply the original PCB (= shipment costs increase and sum up) OR send a dump from the chip : how will our poor average joe do it ? Will he build or buy a programmer for this one-night-stand situation or refer to someone else with the necessary equipment? Is all this FREE too ?
Would be nice to know if moving a BGA MARVEL 88ixxx chip is still for free in case the PCB is not working and assuming the BGA chip is operational. Otherwise, how much will it cost ? Will still be free or so cheap if you have to supply THE DRIVE (working ? not working?) to extract or determine firmware from the platters ? Also consider in this case that you are shipping YOUR DATA , maybe irreplaceable or unique, with all the risks involved.
Other-otherwise : how will , "di grazia", our average joe supply the PCB seller with firmware details or service area data from the non-accessible HDA , without equipment and know how ?
In absence of clear details and price lists in each case, I have a rule : it is not that way.
HOWEVER, EACH SUPPLIER HAS HIS OWN POLICIES AND RULES AND COMMERCIAL STRATEGIES.

Myth #3 : "POST A PICTURE AND SOMEONE WILL TELL YOU WHAT TO MEASURE..." - facts : see also #1 . If everything leads to a combo/custom/not readily available/problematic IC failed or there is something else, why waste time as it cannot be found in usual ways ? If it is a "simple" failure, trying wouldn't hurt. But again, if it is everything else "a little bit more complicated" than a single or few discrete / passive component, you can caress your PCB or drive with all the most sensual datasheets you were suggested to download from the net, whisper it all you can find on wikipedia, even beat it with the multimeter, scope, spectrum analyzer, MRI SCAN or whatever else including a complete book set of electronics but it won't bring it back to life, especially if your current job is another than tinkering with electronics.
What professionals do, like it or not (because time is money) : determine if the rest is OK just not to fry it, and use a fresh , working PCB. Then make it work - and this is the funniest part.

Myth #4 : "A FREE / CHEAP SOFTWARE OR TOOL WILL ALLOW YOU TO ACCESS FIRMWARE" - facts : in the wrong hands without knowing what to do even the most sophisticated HDD tool will kill patient, donor drives, the ants if you have some in the house and the Ficus Benjamin on the pot but you won't be able to SAFELY do nothing. And most of all, the "working" tools are not cheap and require time to master them (unless the idea is to go on HDDGURU and stress the pros ).

Myth #5 : "THIS VIDEO/TUTORIAL SHOW HOW TO DO IT" - will you be able to contact and get assistance from the author or, as expected, you have just a nickname and nothing else ?

Myth #5+1 : "IT WORKED FOR ME" : and for the rest of the world, it didnt. So what ?

Myth #6 : "BULLSHIT ! I CHANGE TQFP AND BGA WITH HOT AIR GUN" - oh yes, "maybe" someone succeed. Would you dare with your PCB ?

If someone has other myth...

[fzabkar]

I'm a curious person. I like to learn, and i only want to test what in my first post i was telling: that the PCB i bought was faulty. Of course i am not idiot and i don't want to attempt fix it the PCB that i bought. I have not the knowledge nor the skills to do it. As i said before i'm sysadmin. Neither want to harm the reputation of anyone as long the problem THAT I NO CAUSED can be solved.

The first thing you should do is to measure the resistance of the 12V TVS diode. Set your meter on the 200 ohms range. If the problem is indeed as Vulcan and I suspect, then there will probably be an easy, no-cost DIY fix. And from your initial post it is clear that you already have all the necessary tools.

BTW, to see just how damaging libel can be, read this thread:
seagate-barracude-drive-clicking-and-not-detected-bios-t22956-20.html

[Keatah]

I worked in a professional company that had ungar and craftsman heat guns at the rework stations.

[BlackST]

I worked in a professional company that had ungar and craftsman heat guns at the rework stations.

LOL, do you want us to believe it , the company did paintstripping works or are you simply trolling?

[madloc]

I'm a curious person. I like to learn, and i only want to test what in my first post i was telling: that the PCB i bought was faulty. Of course i am not idiot and i don't want to attempt fix it the PCB that i bought. I have not the knowledge nor the skills to do it. As i said before i'm sysadmin. Neither want to harm the reputation of anyone as long the problem THAT I NO CAUSED can be solved.

The first thing you should do is to measure the resistance of the 12V TVS diode. Set your meter on the 200 ohms range. If the problem is indeed as Vulcan and I suspect, then there will probably be an easy, no-cost DIY fix. And from your initial post it is clear that you already have all the necessary tools.

BTW, to see just how damaging libel can be, read this thread:
seagate-barracude-drive-clicking-and-not-detected-bios-t22956-20.html

First, i want to say sorry if i bothered anyone, and to Vulcan. Hi fazabkar thanks to you and northwind and all of you of this great forum.

In the pcb i bought in the tvs diode with the com of the multimeter in the striped side measures continuity but is not a stable measure, later goes to 1 ohm. With the com in the opposite side of the tvs there is not continuity (1). I suppose the right thing is to measure it with the diode removed from the pcb but i'm going to give back the pcb to the supplier.

I also measured the removed tvs diode from the pcb of my broken HDD: 0.662 in both sides.

In my PSU (of an ide/sata to usb adapter) the problem was the wires i fix it before bought the PCB and i was using this PSU (previous measurement of the current) with other (not importants) hard disk without any problem. It was when i used the PSU with the tvs removed and "wired" (with the help of flux by the way) pcb of my broken hard disk that the PSU explode. But anyway i test the purchased PCB only with the PSU of my pc for precaution.

P.D: I read the post that you suggest me.

[schooleydoo]

Good Afternoon everyone,

Apologies for resurrecting such an old thread but I've been following the diagnostic advice here as it's relevant to my own issue.

Firstly let me point out I am aware of PCIMAGE, Donordrives and a few other clearly capable companies, however the data I am trying to recover just isn't worth the considerable outlay. That being said, I would quite like to recover it and am hoping someone with knowledge on the subject may be able to advise. I am also aware that my DIY carries risk of total data loss!

Let me start with the background.

My HD204UI has been running as a slave drive for 3 months with no issue. It had an Acronis image of another drive on it that I wanted to copy to a new drive. I therefore connected the new drive (HD103SJ) and left my HD204UI in place (no cables were moved). At which point (when Acronis could not see the drive), I realised the HD204UI was dead. (No mechanical activity at all). This may have happened in the last few days and I haven't noticed it, or it may have happened when I added the new drive somehow.

As I wasn't sure how it happened, I first proved it was electronic failure rather than mechanical by swapping the controller boards from the new HD103SJ to the suspect HD204UI. It spun up OK but obviously with different firmware, got no further.

Now I knew it was electrical, some Googling led me to this thread. I've read the advice and am trying to ascertain whether I can cut the TVS and copy the image I require from the drive. At that point, the drive can be scrapped. Unless I am mistaken however, the TVS diodes are fine.

Before I give up, I was hoping someone might spare a few moments to take a look at the below and identify any component failure. Many thanks.

10 - 7 = 40 ohm, 0.2v.
9 - 7 = 2.9M ohm, 0v.
8 - 7 = 0.3 ohm, 0v.
1 - 7 = 0.2 ohm, 0v
2 - 7 = 13M ohm, 12v.
3 - 7 = 12M ohm, 5v.
4 - 7 = 0.2 ohm, 0v
5 - 6 = 0.6 ohm, 0v.
5 - 7 = 13M ohm, 12v
6 - 7 = 13M ohm, 12v

[fzabkar]

ISTM that the motor controller chip has failed.

[drHDD]

If you able to move 8pin chip (close to CPU) to other board - I could give you working board.

[schooleydoo]

Morning all,

Thanks for the input.

A replacement board would be fantastic. I can move the flash chip across.

However I may have an identical drive in a server, I may be able to borrow the board from to transfer the image I need from it. I'll check this evening but if not, the board would be very much appreciated.

[fzabkar]

A replacement board would be fantastic. I can move the flash chip across.

However I may have an identical drive in a server, I may be able to borrow the board from to transfer the image I need from it.

Did you by any chance apply an official firmware update? If so, and if you apply the same update to your server drive, you will be able to swap boards without a chip transfer.

[schooleydoo]

I didn't unfortunately, but they were purchased together. I am hoping the firmware will therefore be the same. I'm backing up the potential donor drive now and plan on swapping the boards tomorrow.

Fingers crossed!

[schooleydoo]

Good news. Seems the firmware matched and I was able to retrieve my image using the board from the server drive.

Thanks for the advice Fzabkar, and the offer of a board DrHDD. Very kind, particularly to a newbie!