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 Post subject: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 5:10 
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Hello friends, i have a case, and i need some help.

Drive:WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR)
Family:Venicer
Head Mapin ROM:0-2-3

I have an unlocked PCB, and i use MRT Pro.

The problem is:
The drive after spinning up, i hear some normal head movement, two times restarts itself with original, and with unlocked PCB then spins down.

What i have tried so far:
-Disabling loading 02 module in ROM - The drive after spinning up, two times restarts itself then spins down, and can't upload loader
-Disabling loading 30 modules in ROM - I can upload loader, but no SA access (because there is no SA translator loaded i think)
-Disabling 411 module in ROM - Drive spins up, and goes DRDY. I can upload loader, and i have SA access, and can save both copies of SA modules. But when i try load 02 module, then the drive restarts itself, but loaded loader is still in memory. I can upload 02 module with "Establish a virtual start environment" method, but the drive restart itself, when i try upload 03, or 6F module.
-Disabling refresh of module 190 - The drive after spinning up, two times restarts itself, and can't upload loader
-Closing SA access in ROM - Drive spins up, and goes DRDY. I can load loader, and i have SA access (after i opening it in RAM), and can save both copies of SA modules. But when i try load 02 moudule, then the drive restarts itself, loader cleared from memory, but i can upload again. I tried this with enabled, and disabled 190 module.
-Changing SA (ABA) regions - The drive after spinning up, two times restarts itself, and can't load loader
-Head map in RAM after i upload loader - .....cause the drive restarts itself. I note, when i try soft reset the drive with uploaded loader, it always restarts itself.
-Tried with another (newly generated) 02 module, but the drive not comes to life. Two times restarts itself then spins down.
-Tried with same microcode ROM and changing ROM modules one by one, but the drive not comes to life.
-Tried with same microcode ROM without changing anything, but the drive not seeking SA, it simply two times restarts itself then spins down.
-Tried clearing 02 module with "drastic" and "simple" method (and old method to solve slow response), everithing is a same.
-Tried above methods with another loader with same microcode, but the drive not comes to life.

As i seen, 32 relo list module is clear, and there is nothing starnge in ROM, or any other checked SA modules.

You can download full resources from here:https://we.tl/t-cH1IqT7RFZ

I ran out of ideas, please help.


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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 5:33 
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Do you have another set of heads just to drop in and test? I don't think those are helium filled.

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 6:07 
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Hi!
This is not a helium drive, and at the moment i don't have another set of HSA. I think the HSA is okay (because i can read both SA copies without problem), but i'm not opened the drive yet.


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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 6:16 
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Strange thing, is when i disabling loading 30 modules in ROM then there is no SA access.
I tried this with an a diablo 3S drive too, and after i upload loader, i can access to SA.

My bet is i think there is a problem with ROM 30 SA translator module.
hmmm.......


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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 10:30 
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There is an error (confirmed) in the SMR modules and it causes the drive to restart.

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 11:41 
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Are these modules repairable?


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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 16:51 
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Module 190h contains two complete ROYL modules (124h and 6Fh), plus a partial 145h module. Their contents don't match the existing modules in the SA. I don't know if this is just noise (due to incomplete module initialisation), or whether it is corruption, or maybe it is the normal cached location for these SA modules (I don't think so).

There are two sectors which begin with "TIS". Perhaps these sectors define the cached SMR regions???

Do you have a known good version of module 190h? Are there any other "SMR modules" that we need to examine?

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 17:34 
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These are the SMART data in module 21h (in the SA):

Code:
ID  Flg   Cur  Wor  Thr  Raw             Description
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1   2F   200  200  200  00000000000000  Raw Read Error Rate
  2  *A4   100  253    0  00000000000000  Throughput Performance
  3   27   207  205    0  00000000000A41  Spin Up Time
  4   32   100  100    0  000000000003E7  Start/Stop Count
  5   33   200  200    0  00000000000000  Reallocated Sector Count
  7   2E   200  200  200  00000000000000  Seek Error Rate
  8  *A4   100  253    0  00000000000000  Seek Time Performance
  9   32    99   99    0  00000000000393  Power-On Hours Count
10   32   100  100    0  00000000000000  Spin Retry Count
11   32   100  100    0  00000000000000  Drive Calibration Retry Count
12   32   100  100    0  0000000000023F  Drive Power Cycle Count
16  *A2   100  253    0  00000000000000  Unknown Attribute
180  *AF   100  253    0  00000000000000  Unknown Attribute
183  *B2   100  100    0  00000000000000  SATA Downshift Error Count
184  *B2   100  100    0  00000000000000  End to End Error Det/Corr Count
187  *B2   100   99    0  00000000000001  Reported Uncorrectable Errors
188  *B2   100  100    0  00000000000000  Command Time Out
189  *BA   100  100    0  00000000000000  High Fly Writes
190  *A2    69   63    0  0000000000001F  Airflow Temperature
191  *B2    99   99    0  00000000000001  Shock Sense
192   32   200  200    0  00000000000010  Emergency Retract Cycle Count
193   32   200  200    0  000000000009D0  Load/Unload Cycle Count
194   22   116  110    0  0000000000001F  HDA Temperature
195  *B6   200  200  200  00000000000000  ECC on the Fly Count
196   32   200  200    0  00000000000000  Reallocated Sector Event
197   32   200  200    0  00000000000000  Current Pending Sector Count
198   30   100  253    0  00000000000000  Offline Uncorrectable Sector Count
199   32   200  200    0  00000000000000  UltraDMA CRC Error Rate
200   08   100  253    0  00000000000000  Multi Zone Error Rate
206  *A2   100    0    0  00000000000124  Flying Height
240  *B2   100  100    0  000000000001D5  Head Flying Hours
241  *B2   200  200    0  000001BEF598F6  Total LBAs written
242  *B2   200  200    0  000000F7659E43  Total LBAs read
243  *B3   100  100    0  0000000004BCEA  Unknown Attribute
253  *B2   100  253    0  00000000000000  Unknown Attribute
254  *B2   100  253    0  00000000000000  Free Fall Sensor

     * = hidden attribute

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Last edited by fzabkar on July 30th, 2021, 17:41, edited 1 time in total.

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 17:38 
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These SMART data were extracted from the ROYL module (21h) embedded within 190h:

Code:
ID  Flg   Cur  Wor  Thr  Raw             Description
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
  1   2F   100  253  100  00000000000000  Raw Read Error Rate
  2  *A4   100  253    0  00000000000000  Throughput Performance
  3   27   215  213    0  000000000008B1  Spin Up Time
  4   32   100  100    0  00000000000010  Start/Stop Count
  5   33   200  200    0  00000000000000  Reallocated Sector Count
  7   2F   100  253  100  00000000000000  Seek Error Rate
  8  *A4   100  253    0  00000000000000  Seek Time Performance
  9   32   100  100    0  00000000000000  Power-On Hours Count
10   33   100  253    0  00000000000000  Spin Retry Count
11   32   100  253    0  00000000000000  Drive Calibration Retry Count
12   32   100  100    0  00000000000010  Drive Power Cycle Count
16  *A2   100  253    0  00000000000000  Unknown Attribute
180  *AF   100  253    0  00000000000000  Unknown Attribute
183  *B2   100  100    0  00000000000000  SATA Downshift Error Count
184   33   100  100    0  00000000000000  End to End Error Det/Corr Count
187   32   100  100    0  00000000000000  Reported Uncorrectable Errors
188   32   100  100    0  00000000000000  Command Time Out
189  *BA   100  100    0  00000000000000  High Fly Writes
190   22    65   65    0  00000000000023  Airflow Temperature
191  *B2   100  100    0  00000000000000  Shock Sense
192   32   200  200    0  00000000000001  Emergency Retract Cycle Count
193   32   200  200    0  0000000000000F  Load/Unload Cycle Count
194   22   112  112    0  00000000000023  HDA Temperature
195   36   100  253  100  00000000000000  ECC on the Fly Count
196   32   200  200    0  00000000000000  Reallocated Sector Event
197   32   200  200    0  00000000000000  Current Pending Sector Count
198   30   100  253    0  00000000000000  Offline Uncorrectable Sector Count
199   32   200  253    0  00000000000000  UltraDMA CRC Error Rate
200   09   100  253    0  00000000000000  Multi Zone Error Rate
206  *A2   100    0    0  00000000000124  Flying Height
240  *B2   100  100    0  00000000000000  Head Flying Hours
241  *B2   200  200    0  00000000000000  Total LBAs written
242  *B2   200  200    0  00000000000000  Total LBAs read
243  *B2   100  100    0  00000000000005  Unknown Attribute
253  *B2   100  253    0  00000000000000  Unknown Attribute
254  *B2   100  253    0  00000000000000  Free Fall Sensor

     * = hidden attribute

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 19:07 
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Hello Frank, and thank you trying help me....i secretly hope you will be here for help.
Unfortunately i dont have working modules from this drive form the age of working state.
But what does that S.M.A.R.T. data says for you? As is see, this drive has very few working hours.
And on more information from this drive: The copy 1 of 190 modul were not accessible, but i can overwrite with copy 0.


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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: July 30th, 2021, 19:36 
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I'm thinking that module 190h contains bogus data ("noise") that was in RAM when the module was built by the factory. In normal usage this noise would be overwritten. I'm thinking that this noise may be normal for a "young" drive, so I would not pay attention to the SMART data that I retrieved from 190h.

Those two "TIS" blocks appear to each contain 0x35F9 records, but I don't know if these records reflect real SMR cached regions. They may just be noise. In fact there are other records in other areas of the module which have a different format, so I don't know which, if any, are real.

Code:
Offset(h) 00   02   04   06   08   0A

012F3600  5449 5300 0501 0400 0100 0000  TIS.........
012F360C  0000 0000 349E 0000 F446 0100
012F3618  4C56 0600 0000 0000 0000 0000
012F3624  0200 0000 0000 0000 0000 0000
........
012F37F8  0000 0000 0000 0000 0010 0000
012F3804  F935 0000 0400 0000 0000 8D30
          ^^^^ number of 12-byte records

012F3810  A135 C935 AC86 0400 C835 0000
012F381C  CCE6 0200 7F06 0000 F446 0100

012F3828  EC46 0300 0020 FF1F 0000 0000  <-- first 12-byte record
012F3834  EC46 0400 0030 FF2F 0000 0000
012F3840  ECC6 0300 0028 FF27 0000 0000
012F384C  EC06 0300 001C FF1B 0000 0000
012F3858  EC86 0300 0024 FF23 0000 0000
........
0131BFBC  FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF 0000 0000
0131BFC8  FFFF FFFF FFFF FFFF 0000 0000  <-- last 12-byte record
0131BFD4  0000 0000 0100 0000 0000 0000

Do you have a copy of module 190h from any other WD model?

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: August 1st, 2021, 21:28 
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I've been trying to find a good 190h module from other resource dumps (eg Charger or Palmer), but they all show "ERR".

I'm wondering if we could simply zero fill the embedded ROYL sections and rewrite the module? Do you get the same content if you dump the 190h module several times?

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: August 2nd, 2021, 12:11 
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Hello!
I were in long weekend, sorry. I have 190 module from other Venicer. If it helps, i can upload here. https://we.tl/t-UFaXf3kKZ9 This module from a WD40EFAX-68JH4N0 drive.

After i download 190 module again, i got same content.


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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: August 2nd, 2021, 15:44 
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The WD40EFAX 190h module has those same ROYL modules embedded at roughly the same locations. It also has the same TIS sections.

Do you know if there are any other modules which are SMR related?

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: August 2nd, 2021, 16:11 
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I think that if you would like to research module 190h, it might be an idea to perform an enhanced secure erase on a donor drive, and dump the module before and after. Alternatively you could send a TRIM command that TRIMs the entire UA.

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 Post subject: Re: WD30EFAX-68JH4N0 (SMR) I ran out of ideas, please help.
PostPosted: August 3rd, 2021, 15:59 
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it is not possible to TRIM the whole UA in one command. In fact, it is pretty restrictive concerning the number of sectors you can trim in one command.
Anyway, the help is only a few hundred meters away :wink:

pepe

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