QUOTE (Interstate @ Aug 23 2012, 04:31 PM)
#1. Get a hard drive to USB (USB 3.0 if can) docking station (make sure it does 2.5 inch IDE obviusly)--prob about 50-100$) or 44pin 2.5 inch IDE to 3.5 inch IDE 40 pin cable adapter--prob about 5$.
#2. Plug in and see if drive spins. I'm assuming it doesn't since you said it is "dead"
#3. If drive doesn't spin check that there are two red wires going to the 2.5 inch (most pins are data but there will be a few for power, you'll have the black for ground and the red for DC input). If there is only one red wire leading into it, check the pinout diagram in my previous post, chances are it is the 5 volts to motor. The logic board power input will be the pin above that one. Splice the red wire and add a solid wire (not twisted) to it, wrap it with electricians tape or whatever... then jam the solid spliced end in the correct pin above the other red wire when it is plugged into the device (adapter should hold solid wire relatively firmly against pin, but careful not to bump it if connection is loose cause could corrupt data if lose logic board power suddenly).
#4. Drive still won't spin or adapter already had proper power supplies. Well you have to evaluate the electronics circuit board AND OR the mechanics inside the drive. You kind of need a clean room and special tool sets etc to do the inside of the drive, so first lets determine if anything is even wrong with the circuit board. You can check the board with a multimeter prob the easiest. Turn the multimeter to volts setting stick the black end on the ground of power ground leading into drive, then stick red end next to end motor test points to see if motor is even getting power. Prob motor phase test points and multimeter will give you average from those points.
#5. If motor is getting proper power at the end of the line on the circuit board then it is probably a problem after that point (not always but most likely). Motor may just be seized can try upping the power to it a tiny bit to see if it goes, if not can try spinning it like a Frisbee (people say this jazz I've read it, never had it work or may even damage drive I dunno but might as well try lol).
#6. If motor isn't getting proper power or want to test more, trace back the part numbers on the integrated circuit boards (IC's, they are the little black squares pretty much on the circuit board). Look up their part numbers and pinouts and check their voltage in pins and check each one to make sure they are all getting proper power. If one of them isn't then trace the line to it and see if there is a basic component controlling power to it that is the point of failure.
#7. There are lots of logic components that will decide things but all they really decide is to provide power or not to a path, so you can pretty much just get by with a multimeter to pin point what is going on more or less and to hack around the pathway depending or replace a part depending. The other option is to buy a logic board exactly the same as your hard drive and replace it that way if it is just the board.
My general approach to debugging an unknown point of failure is to--all sides being equal--split it in half. Then I know which side it is on until I isolate its exactly whereabouts. Binary spanning treeish heh
Thanks for the reply.
I'd like to mention that I have a SATA/IDE to USB 2.0 adapter cable and that my drive is SATA.
When plugged into my laptop using this cable, I can hear a faint ticking sound at regular intervals (every second, IIRC), which, as I understand, is from platter head(s) failure. Assuming that's the case, it would mean that the drive is getting power and that the problem is with the inner mechanics, correct?
Is there a DIY method to repairing it or do I
have to pay the big bucks and send it to a HDD repair center?