HDD GURU FORUMS

Hey there,

I have a broken Sandisk Extreme Portable SSD. The data is not critical, but would be convenient if I could recover it, but not worth spending $700 for a professional service. After watching this video (starts at 6:05) (https://youtu.be/Lj_JozUx9GU?si=ROGzgQU79heRymFT&t=365), and another: (https://youtu.be/DLwA6I4d9LE?si=xv_VEBs-r1FaAk0H&t=104), I'm certain my problem is the same as these with the 90430VM330 Power Management IC. I have the same exact voltages as measured in the first video. Seems like the proper solution is just reball or replace the PMIC.

One commenter on the first video was able to repair his SSD by simply heating it like a XBOX red circle of death repair. I did try this but without success. I've read some comments claiming it might be possible to simply bypass the PMIC by injecting the various needed voltages onto the board. This image (https://forum.hddguru.com/download/file ... &mode=view) from this thread (https://forum.hddguru.com/viewtopic.php ... 1&start=20) shows the voltages from a very similar SSD and PMIC.

So my question: Is this at all possible or am I just dreaming this could work? Thanks for any encouragement or discouragement.

This blog shows what happens to these SSDs:

https://www.neowin.net/news/no-firmware-may-ever-fix-sandisk-extreme-pro-fails-and-deaths-as-it-can-be-hardware-issue/

If you are willing to try something that is a little zany, cut two squares out of a thick rubber pad, then sandwich the PMIC and its support components between these rubber squares and gently clamp them in a vice.

I have actually seen a video where someone was able to recover an SSD in this way. Even more hilarious, and perhaps a little sad, is an official "repair" by that multi-trillion-dollar company, Apple, which uses exactly this technique to address a soldering defect on one of its motherboards.

As for replacing the PMIC with external supplies, this should work, but some care needs to be exercised. That's because the PMIC is designed to power up the supplies in a preprogrammed sequence. I don't know how strict this requirement is, though.

@fzabkar Thanks for the reply. clamping looks like a great first option to try. I'll report back with my results.

More amusing-and maybe a bit depressing-is an official "repair" by that multibillion-dollar corporation, Apple, which employs just this method to fix a soldering flaw on one of its motherboards. It appears that replacing or reballing the PMIC is the correct course of action.