Hello everyone!

I have a problem with a HDD from the title (full info at the bottom of the post). During a power supply failure a PCB got burned (as seen on the picture). I managed to find a donor drive which is very similar, although not completely. The problem is that the donor drive is not working, too. When connected and powered on, it produces a beeping sound (alarm-like), which repeats in 10-20 seconds. I realized that the donor's PCB is missing a pin on IDE connector (pin 11, if I'm not mistaken). When I put the donor's PCB on the burned HDD, it has the same symptoms (alarm-like beeping). So, my questions are:
1. Why do these drives beep, because of the missing pin, or the PCB is faulty?
2. Are the two PCBs even compatible and swappable?

Info on the drive with a burned PCB:
Maxtor 541DX 20GB (K, M, B, A) 2B020H1110511
Model 2B020H1
HDA 11A
PCBA 05A
UNIQUE 11C
CODE WAH21PB0
PCB "code" B3FBA

Info on a donor drive:
Maxtor 541DX 20GB (K, M, B, A) 2B020H1110511
Model 2B020H1
HDA 11A
PCBA 05A
UNIQUE 11A (the sticker is damaged so I can only read A, but I presume it's 11A)
CODE WAH21PB0
PCB "code" A5FBA

Thanks in advance.

Pin 20 is a key. Pin 11 is a data pin.

http://pinouts.ru/HD/IdeInternal_pinout.shtml

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

Replacement PCB is good, but it seems like your Preamp is gone also.

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www.datarecoveryne.com

Thanks for your answer. You too, fzabkar.

I thought if the Preamp is gone too, then the donor's PCB would get fried as well? And both disks acting the same with the donor's PCB? No chance that the missing data pin is to blame for the beeps?

Ah, well, I'm gonna have to ask someone to resolder the pin and see what happens then.

90 percent apparent fried preamp. 10 percent other problem . Should see the drive to sort out exactly .
P.s. Very unstable and poor drive.

IMHO, just find good PCB and swap it. There are some chances preamp is not damaged!

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DataRecovery.bg

Before condemning the preamp, I suggest you confirm that it isn't just a power supply problem. If your donor drive has a bad preamp, and if this has taken out its power supplies, then transferring the donor to the patient would be inconclusive. That is, a bad power supply on the donor may make the patient's preamp look bad, or worse still, it could damage it.

I can't see any switchmode DC-DC converters, but there is a Fairchild transistor (D205) near the bottom right corner of the SDRAM. I suspect that this is the pass transistor for a linear regulator.

There is also an 8-pin device (VR700?) above the TI DSP that appears to be a Voltage Regulator. Can you tell us its markings?

I would measure the resistances between each pin of the 18-pin preamp connector (J2) and each of +5V, +12V, ground, VR200, transistor D205, and the corner pins of the SDRAM. This should locate the supplies for the preamp.

After you have identified the preamp supplies, power up the donor board on its own, and measure the supply voltages at the preamp connector.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Here are two board layouts:
uploaded_images/6472_ATHENA_POKER_1.jpg
uploaded_images/6472_ATHENA_ATA2PLUS_1.jpg

Neither is an exact match for yours (where is the ROM?).

However, VR700/VR200 (?) appears to be an 8V linear regulator. Pin 8 is the input (+12V ?), pin 1 is the output.

UA78L08ACD, 3/8 Pin 100mA Fixed 8V Positive Voltage Regulator:
http://www.datasheetarchive.com/pdf/get ... .pdf&scan=

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

You know from "what" they built them.... How many beers on bet and what are the quotes ?

P.S. get a WORKING donor for parts, not a NON-WORKING one before search for non-existing or double-existence failure.

Thanks for your answers. I'm almost positive that the donor's PCB is not working, so I'm in the search for a second donor (third, actually, I have found another one but it is also fried).

As far as the board layout is concerned, there is a slight difference. The patient is manufactured in late 2002, and the donors in 2001/early 2002. The patient's PCB has a marking Athena ATA-2 Plus LCII 301431100, and the donors are Athena ATA-2 Plus FBII 301430100.

Here are the higher resolution pictures of the patient's and donor's PCBs, just for future reference.

Patient's PCB:


Donor's PCB:


Thanks again, if I manage to find another, I'll post the results.

Prepare to loose
PCB look compatible at first glimpse.

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DataRecovery.bg

You didn't understand, not this ! I'll explain on MSN at break...

Be careful ! It problem might according with bad modules in SA.
So, check temperature of the chip and transistors.
If they hot, then You must use PC3K or something like it.

Bad SA or other.... the problem is that the donor was not working too , so :

1) get a WORKING donor to source parts
2) see what happens

Yeah, that is my intention... it just seems that it's far easier to find a dead maxtor 541dx than a working one.

Thanks for all your help. is there a way I could check for sure (or at least with a fair amount of certainty) whether the disk is alive (that is, preamp not being fried), so I don't waste time searching for donor. I recently "revived" a Diamondmax 9+ for my friend by swapping PCB, and before the swap I checked the resistance between +5V and ground, and -5V and ground (f I remember correctly). But, I haven't been able to find a scheme/diagram for this disk in order to know what and where to measure.

I have dozens of 541DX, re-cert by me and in working order, it is quite common drive and easy to find (working) for low low price, even in local markets.
Don't ask to send the drive outside Italy as the cost for shipping would be much more of the value of the drive or with ordinary mail most probably you wouldn't get it. Simpler to search locally, they sold them in the MILLIONS, I think.

No, no... I was just ironic, since my search ended with two more dead drives... I'm certain I'll find another one within a few days, i just hope the preamp is intact.

Well, in my stats the problems were mostly heads or surface, but the preamp died in case of bad power failures . Cross fingers....

The 78L08A regulator (VR200) provides the +8V supply for the preamp.

Confirm that pin 1 measures +8V, when loaded and unloaded.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

Hello Everybody,
Hello Stripy,

I've got something you will maybe need. It seems to match your model. BUT, the problem is the following: it starts, it spins but it clicks-clicks-clicks... I'd eventually like to save it before throwing it away. Could someone tell me what I could do with it ?
Too, I wondered what are those RADIX and J2 connectors on the PCB.

Many thanks in advance.

Cheers.


http://img687.imageshack.us/i/maxtor2b020h1a.jpg/
http://img522.imageshack.us/i/maxtor2b020h1b.jpg/