Question Shucked white-label WD drive (WD180EDGZ) not working, despite having done all documented precautions.

[54p13n7]

I couldn't get a shucked white-label WD drive to show up in BIOS and I don't know why. It was working with this exact config before.

specs:
- pc parts
- WD Elements 18TB WDBWLG0180HBK-NESN (WD180EDGZ-11B2DA0)

tests:
- tested with the original power/microUSB 3.0 controller PCB; shows up in BIOS (drive is working).
- made sure the SATA power connector is working (pin voltages are confirmed correct by a multimeter) so the SATA power cable is working correctly.
- tried all 5 SATA data cables available, including 3 new ones.
- made sure the polyimide (kapton) tape covers the third 3.3V pin as well as covering all three 3.3V pins; doesn't show up as SATA drive for neither.
- cut the 3.3V wire of the SATA power cable and confirmed w/ multimeter the three 3.3V pins are 0V's; doesn't show up as SATA drive in BIOS still.
- PSU is confirmed working properly; every other components are getting the correct voltage and working as they should.
- PSU port for SATA power cable is working as it should; confirmed w/ multimeter.
- tried SATA slots 2-3 in case slots 0-1 may have been occupied by M.2. nada.

 

[Ralston18]

Hard drives are not meant to be opened ("shucked") and doing so probably killed the drive.

Data recovery companies can do so (sometimes) because they have special clean rooms, filtered air, and tools.

Whatever was on that drive is probably gone forever.

The reason being that the read/write heads are very delicate and actually "fly" above the disk platter surface.

Tolerance being much less than the diameter of a human hair. Any spec of dust or debris will ruin things.

FYI:

https://www.quora.com/What-happens-if-dust-touches-the-surface-of-a-platter-on-a-hard-disk

= = = =

I am not sure if even a data recovery company would make the attempt. Or only do so if enough $ is paid with no recovery guarantees.

Also moving thread from Power Supplies to Storage. More applicable.

 

[USAFRet]

Hard drives are not meant to be opened ("shucked") and doing so probably killed the drive.

I believe he means "shucked out of an external enclosure".
Not the physical HDD opened up to expose the platters.

 

[USAFRet]

It was working with this exact config before.

After the shuck, it was working?
And now not working?

What was the last thing you did before 'not working'?

 

[fzabkar]

Hard drives are not meant to be opened ("shucked") and doing so probably killed the drive.

Data recovery companies can do so (sometimes) because they have special clean rooms, filtered air, and tools.

This is probably a helium model, so the HDA is sealed. I don't know of any DR company that would have a go at these.

In any case ...

"tested with the original power/microUSB 3.0 controller PCB; shows up in BIOS (drive is working)"

I suspect that the drive may be configured to Power Up In Standby (PUIS). If so, then HDAT2 can disable PUIS. Alternatively, as a test, I would boot Linux and see if it can automatically spin up the drive.

 

[hotaru.hino]

There's also the possibility that WD, Seagate, and others make it so the drive has to be used in the enclosure, because often times they sell external drives at the same price or cheaper for the same capacity as internal ones.

 

[USAFRet]

There's also the possibility that WD, Seagate, and others make it so the drive has to be used in the enclosure, because often times they sell external drives at the same price or cheaper for the same capacity as internal ones.

Some can be shucked successfully. I have an 8TB Seagate like that. It currently lives in my NAS.

Amazon.com

(was $140 when I bought it)

But I only bought it after reading many other people who had done it with that specific enclosure, from multiple sources.

 

[punkncat]

I have read several articles stating that many of the new external enclosures use some manner of DRM or similar to keep people from being able to do that.

 

[USAFRet]

I have read several articles stating that many of the new external enclosures use some manner of DRM or similar to keep people from being able to do that.

Correct.
Some cannot.

That is why I only bought that one after reading success from others.

 

[punkncat]

I personally find it a funny position for the drive manufacturers to put themselves in where the same drive only costs more than the enclosure with the controller and case. It made total sense as to why end users started doing the 'shucking' procedure.

The way that most drive prices are going down right now, and I haven't looked at pricing in a few weeks now, that this may have changed?

 

[fzabkar]

What happens if you power up the drive while connected to the bridge PCB in the enclosure, and then hotswap the SATA data cable?

 

[USAFRet]

I personally find it a funny position for the drive manufacturers to put themselves in where the same drive only costs more than the enclosure with the controller and case. It made total sense as to why end users started doing the 'shucking' procedure.

The way that most drive prices are going down right now, and I haven't looked at pricing in a few weeks now, that this may have changed?

That 8TB external was $140 when I bought it in 2019, $198 now.

A Seagate Barracuda or WD Blue at 8TB is currently $99.

 

[54p13n7]

After the shuck, it was working?
And now not working?

What was the last thing you did before 'not working'?

It was recognizable in the BIOS right during testing but then it wasn't after I put everything together, same cable same PSU. I tested pin voltages with a multimeter afterwards and may have shorted the circuit (small sparks) from touching GND and +3.3V/+5V pins. But the unrecognizability was before this shorting.

What happens if you power up the drive while connected to the bridge PCB in the enclosure, and then hotswap the SATA data cable?

Doesn't show up as a SATA drive.

 

[USAFRet]

It was recognizable in the BIOS right during testing but then it wasn't after I put everything together, same cable same PSU. I tested pin voltages with a multimeter afterwards and may have shorted the circuit (small sparks) from touching GND and +3.3V/+5V pins. But the unrecognizability was before this shorting.

So it never actually worked, and then there were sparks?

 

[fzabkar]

You say the drive is still seen by BIOS when in its USB enclosure. Are you sure that BIOS is seeing the drive and not the USB-SATA bridge PCB? I'm assuming that the drive still spins up ...

 

[No Thanks]

Skimming this, it looks like no one ever answered, so for the benefit of everyone here, WD "external" drives are set up to not power on if they detect a pin on the sata power cable that is normally unused. I don't recall of the top of my head which pin. It can be covered with kapton tape or the trace can be cut on the power connector if you really want to and they'll work normally.