Replacing PCB Board on Hitachi 7k500-500

[Jaybot31k]

Hello,

So a power surge seems to have fried the PCB board on my Hitachi HDD (P/N: 0J13965), which was pulled from a 2011 Macbook Pro for use in a Desktop PC. I've found a replacement PCB on ebay: (http://www.ebay.com/itm/171105367181?_trksid=p2055119.m1438.l2649&ssPageName=STRK%3AMEBIDX%3AIT), which would save me about $400 from having a pro do it. Does anyone know if this drive would require swapping the BIOS IC?

UPDATE: I was able to get my hands on a similar drive, though the part number is one digit off (0J13965 vs OJ13964). It seems possible it might work... do I risk damaging my drive even further if I try a PCB that doesn't match this model exactly?

 

[kanewolf]

Yes you do risk losing your data. If your data is important enough, then pay to have it done professionally. Would you have your buddy to dental surgery on you? It is kind of the equivalent for your disk drive.

 

[SuperSoph_WD]

Hey, Jaybot31k!

As @kanewolf already said and gave a pretty good example if the procedure, I'd also highly recommend contacting your manufacturer's tech support for assistance and guidelines what to do next.
Without the technical knowledge and specific environment to perform this 'surgery', you will further damage the drive as well as lose the data on it.

Good luck though!
SuperSoph_WD

 

[Jaybot31k]

Thanks, guys!

 

[fzabkar]

AIUI, some Hitachi models will rewrite their NVRAM chips under certain conditions, so it is inadvisable to replace PCBs without first transferring the NVRAM contents from patient to donor.

If this is your PCB ...

http://ep.yimg.com/ay/yhst-14437584971410/hts545032b9a300-0a58732-0a58720-0a90161-0a70343-da2987-oa58732-oa90161-oa58720-2-5-sata-pcb-board-fw-5.gif

... then the firmware is stored in either U3 or both U3 and U6. U3 looks like the "ROM" while U6 looks like it might be the "NVRAM".

PCB suppliers such as the following will transfer the firmware at no additional cost.

http://www.onepcbsolution.com/
http://www.hdd-parts.com/

That said, there is a fuse (F2) near the SATA power connector. If it blown, then there look to be two components (D1 and D2) which could be TVS diodes. I would measure the resistances of these components with a multimeter. If you are lucky, there may be a simple, no cost, DIY solution.