Hello there,

I need to change the HSA of HTS543225L9A30. I'm planning on ordering a donor, but as this is my first Hitachi job, I would like to clarify a few things. What do I need to specifically match in order to get a compatible head stack?

P/N: 0A57365
MLC: DA2352

Is it enough to only match the P/N + MLC + MODEL in this particular case? In regards to production date... how important is it if the previous mentioned properties (P/N, etc) are the same? I understand, that it's best to get the production date as close as possible... but will a difference in a few months be futile (my drive is manufactured in JANUARY 2009, what are my chances of being successful with a drive from MARCH 2009)? Will a difference in fw matter, as well? Anything else?

Many thanks.

Hi,

You can use P/N, MLC and model as a guideline to find a good donor, even tough in some cases, that could not even mean compatible heads.
But on Hitachi normally is.

Good info, thank you!

So I found a donor drive, that matches the MODEL, PN & MLC... but the production date is different for 9-10 months! This has resulted in a significant S/N change (images attached). Should I be concerned or there's still a solid chance, that it might play out successfully, for Hitachi, in regards to getting a compatible HSA?

There are some other factors to consider when looking for a donor for a Hitachi. In my experience the P/N and MLC can be way off and the heads can be perfectly compatible. Hitachi's are fairly forgiving in this term.

I'm not at liberty to give out the aforementioned information, however if you get another HTS543225L9xxx you should have a good chance.

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As Nick_CT said, there's some other aspects involved, but I would give it a try with that one.

I'm pushing my luck here, but what might those other factors be? I can only think of the PCB rev. for now... from what I read - it should make a difference when swapping boards, not heads. But I have no idea how much of that holds true though, of course.. The said above clearly varies from that

You have PM

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This info was posted here before in open view. I THINK i discovered this on my own by accident ( if i remember correctly , however i may have read it somewhere ) For the duration of last year i had maybe 10-15 2.5 hitachi drives for head swaps and maybe 5-8 3.5 inch ones. My guide line to them all was model exact, date as close as possible, most had different MLC codes the important part was the sticker on the PCB 2 top lines out of 4 HAVE TO MATCH. Ordering parts for hitachi drives i dont give MLC code to my suppliers anymore.

Interesting Alexii, thanks for your input. Have been searching this info as well. Just to confirm:

0A58732
DA2738D
MzF037
TF86

So if I have this on the PCB sticker - the first 2 is what I would need, correct?

Also, while I have the chance I'd like to ask - is doing 2.5" Hitachis any different / harder than any other brands (say, i.e., Toshibas)? I have looked at a few pics of 2007+ Hitachis and noticed something weird regarding the heads - are the sliders resting on the ramp, too (there seems to be no empty space inbetween them, as they are separated by the plastic edges of the ramp)? Also, if I may ask, what tool are you using for heads? Something retail or self-made?

Ta.

Seagate, WD, Hitachi, etc 2.5" all park their heads on a ramp. Hitachi's are a little more tricky as the bottom magnet is held down by the same screws that secure the top magnet, so be sure to secure the bottom magnet once you've removed the top or else you can end up with a mess.

For me a WD 2.5" swap is far less time consuming than a Hitachi. I use both retail head tools and self made tools, both work and have their advantages and disadvantages.

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Yes , to find the proper donor u need the model and 0A58732 DA2738D. I love doing hitachi, WD , i dislike seagates. My favorites are samsungs and Fujitsus. Toshibas are easy as well. With samsung 2.5 i remember i had a case where i used donor heads from a different model , that even had different shape to them. Original heads looked like a block and donor heads where all arrow shaped , and still a 99.9 percent image =)

I insist... I LOVE Toshibas.
I hate wd's, esp. 2.5".

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Don't lie, you hate ALL 2.5"

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Suposed you have change the HSA of a Hitachi drive, which NVRAM you should use - from the original PCB or from the donor?

Original PCB with original NVRAM.

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Not all, i LOVE toshibas

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What for? Explain.

Toshibas are very forgiving and tolerant, ie. they make my life easier.
WD's, quite the opposite.

Speaking of quality of mechanics, i believe Fujitsu's are far and beyond fantastic.

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I find Hitachi laptop drives very forgiving...if you can get around the magnet. But, as for finding a suitable donor, if you have an odd number of heads, it becomes a bit of a challenge as I have found that even exact date, MLC and Model may not equal same head map. So, I always round up to the next even number of heads. If drive has 1 head, I order the model with 2. If it has 3, I order the one with 4.

Good luck.

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