Toshiba MQ01UBD100 not detected any more

[taalas2]

Hi,

I am currently trying to recover a (seemingly broken) external Toshiba HDD for a friend. It is an external USB3 HDD, when connecting the LED lights up, the drive spins, but is not detected by the OS any longer.

I have read that it might be possible to get a replacement for the PCB (or convert it to SATA), but I am not sure what the best way forward is in this case. Here is information that I was able to gather from the board:

FKN9NA
A5A003448010
P5B003448180
PCB: G3448A
88i9317-RAl2

I would be glad for any help/information on how to proceed/what to check. I would gladly buy a replacement board, I am able to solder (theoretically) but if a chip transfer is required, it might be better if a professional did the transfer.

Thanks!

Attachments

PCB back

PCB front

[northwind]

Hi

when connecting the LED lights up, the drive spins, but is not detected by the OS any longer.

I have read that it might be possible to get a replacement for the PCB (or convert it to SATA),

If the drive spins up, then by 99.999999999% the PCB is fine (especially for these drives).

However, the correct procedure does involve converting the drive to SATA. The 'ROM' chip of these drives that you need to transfer is delicate and can break if overheated, so you must be extremely careful. If you damage it -- game over. (We've stopped transferring chips since a very long time now to avoid such possibility).
After it's turned to SATA, you would need to tackle the initial problem, which could be something relatively simple (like some bad sectors) that can be solved by using some software that knows how to bypass soft errors (like HDDSuperClone), or something a little bit more complicated (like g-list damage/overflow) or some weak head in which case you'd have to ask the help of someone who really knows what s/he's doing.

[digisupport]

+1 as Northwind says "If the drive spins up - PCB is fine"

[taalas2]

I tried again to refresh my memory regarding this drive and while the drive seems to spin (I can feel it spin when touching the drive), no device is generated in the OS (tested in macOS). So I guess tools like HDDSuperClone will most likely not help.

Any advice on how I could proceed to troubleshoot the drive?

[fzabkar]

Is that dust on the VLI bridge IC, or is it a blister?

If you want to convert your USB PCB to SATA, you can use the SATA Tx/Rx traces on this PCB as a guide:

https://sep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-14437584971410/91707116-6.gif

You cannot use this PCB for your conversion (the motor controller is different).

[taalas2]

Is that dust on the VLI bridge IC, or is it a blister?

Sorry, could you explain which part I have to check. I am very new to this and am not sure which part you are referring to.

Edit: Oh, now I see what you mean. I will check.

[taalas2]

So, I tried to take a picture. There definitely seems to be something wrong with the chip. There are bumps or holes visible on the surface of the VLI bridge IC.

How should/can I proceed?

Attachments

[fzabkar]

It appears that the bridge IC is dead, in which case your PCB must be one of those very rare 0.000000001%.

I would transfer IC602 to a donor PCB. You must not damage this IC, as data recovery will be impossible if you do. I suggest you contact a PCB supplier such as hdd-parts.com. They will include a chip transfer in the price.

BTW, here is a similar case:

https://forum.hddguru.com/viewtopic.php?f=1&t=35526