Western Digital WD5000AAKS 500GB (Apple)

I have a 2010 iMac that was just showing a "?" when powered on. I booted it from an installer USB and the disk utility didn't see a hdd.

So I pulled the drive and placed it in a dock and powered it on. Although the dock lights up, there is no detectable sound coming from the drive and the computer it is connected to does not see it.

I removed the PCB, cleaned the metal contacts and replaced it. No change.

I have searched Google and these forums, and it appears to me that replacing the PCB with one from an identical drive may remedy the situation. Is that the recommended way to go? Do I need to find an identical drive model? Is there a recommended place to look for these or do I just start searching ebay and the usual places?

Please show as pcb photo. Any sound from drive if you will try to hear very close to drive?

I hear no sound at all from the drive when giving it power, and my hearing is pretty good. I can hear my LCD monitor and occasionally the CPU in a laptop.

Photos attached.

First thing to do is check the TVS diodes and "zero ohm resistors" at the bottom left of your last picture.

Easiest way to test is to get a meter with a continuity test (beeps when you touch the probes together).

The TVS diodes (the larger two black components with a small white stripe at one end) should NOT make the meter beep, but the resistors (smaller black components with a "0" on them) SHOULD make a beep.

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C81 and D3 are open across, R64 and R67 make a beep, so I guess that checks out.

Measure the voltages at 3V3, V1, V2, V3. Be careful not to slip with your probes, as catastrophic damage may result.

If you replace the PCB, you must transfer the chip at U12 from patient to donor. A vendor such as hdd-parts.com provides a PCB plus firmware transfer for US$50.

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I'll do it for CA$25.

What would that involve? I ship you the PCB, you ship me a plug-and-play replacement?

I need to test those voltages first to confirm my PCB is faulty? I don't have my voltmeter with me this morning, but I should have it after lunch.

One legitimate reason why a good drive might not spin up is if it is jumpered or programmed to Power Up In Standby (PUIS). It doesn't sound like this is the case, though.

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A backup a day keeps DR away.

I don't see any user-changeable jumpers on this drive, and I would estimate the probability that this iMac was opened by the user to be very low.

If all normal PCB circuit board
You may need to check the cause broken ROM
Find a compatible ROM and rewrite ROM U12

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Results of votage testing:

5V: Good
3.3V: Good
V1: 2.55V
V2: 1.1V
V3: 0

I'm guessing the V3 value of 0 at diode D2 is not what we hoped.

AIUI, all the readings are as expected.

V3 is the negative supply for the preamp inside the HDA. It is -5V when the drive is spinning, but it needs to be switched on by the Marvell MCU (via the motor controller). You may find that the voltage rises to -5V immediately after power-on, but settles at 0V when the Marvell MCU fails to detect the preamp. If this is what is happening, then this would suggest that the MCU is not braindead and that the motor controller is communicating with the MCU.

_________________
A backup a day keeps DR away.

I got board, but problem in rom content and board is working with my drive and my drive rom. I will try to check what is corrupted.