Hello,

I discover that my Samsung HD154UI won't anymore start to spin when inserted into my SATA hot-swap slot, and also with my external USB-to-SATA adapter the drive motor won't start.

Is there an easy way to isolate if it's a motor or PCB circuit problem?

I won't try any further if it is the motor itself, but it seems that the PCB could be more likely...

What are the chances to swap the PCB from a donor drive, or where would I get a replacement PCB?

Thanks for any advice,

g.

Here is a thread involving a similar PCB:
samsung-spinpoint-hd753lj-again-any-advice-t22666.html

In that case the fault was a dead motor controller IC. You can determine if this is the case by measuring a few voltages. The test points would be the TVS diodes and coils. Let us know if you need help with this.

There is a forum member (porthas, http://www.donordrives.com) who offers a free "PCB adaptation service". This will be necessary if you decide to replace your board. AIUI, each PCB has unique, drive specific information stored within the Marvell MCU. This information needs to be transferred from patient to donor.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

Would be nice to know what to 'transfer/adapt' - or even 'determine' - if the MCU is shot dead or corrupted and you cannot pry out a single bit out of it, and the rest is not fully functional - maybe not this case. And there's who do all this recovery job for free when buying a pcb/drive? Too good to be true.