[SOLVED] Using HDD's out of a 8TB/10TB WD elements USB drive for internal use

[HideOut]

Thread says it all. I have an 8tb ive had for a while, you see them all the time for about $125 on sale. Thats tons cheaper than a regular 8TB HDD. Anyone just bought the extral for the drive inside? Need 4 to update my NAS...

 

[USAFRet]

Not WD, but the Seagate version, YES.
I bought one of these a couple weeks ago.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07CQJBSQL

Disassemble, and it exposes a standard 8TB Seagate Barracuda.
It is in my QNAP right now.

Apparently, the WD drives like this have the USB-SATA bridge on the PCB, and won't work for this.

 

[fzabkar]

Apparently, the WD drives like this have the USB-SATA bridge on the PCB, and won't work for this.

I haven't heard that. Can you elaborate with a model number?

Generally speaking, it's the 2.5" models (Passport) that integrate the USB-SATA bridge hardware on the HDD PCB. All the 3.5" models I've seen have a separate bridge board.

Here is one success story:
https://goughlui.com/2019/06/02/qui...tal-my-book-10tb-external-usb-3-0-hard-drive/

 

[USAFRet]

I haven't heard that. Can you elaborate with a model number?

Not specifically. I read it during my investigation on the Seagate I eventually bought.
They may have been referring to a 2.5", and I mistook it for something else.

But I know the Seagate is a standard 8TB Barracuda.



Possibly this, but this was from 2017:

Shucking HD's is over?

Looks like all new external WD drives have the controller board soldered onto the HD itself, and it is a USB connection, and there is no SATA port at all. Seagate is also doing this from what I have been seeing. That pretty much means there is no good way to recover data if the USB controller...

forums.anandtech.com

 

[popatim]

My 8Tb WD didn't have the Helium drive in it that others had reported but it has been working fine for well over a year now, almost 2.

These newer drives use the 3.3v line on the power plug as a reset so you may need to cut them (orange) or use an adapter cable that doesn't have 3.3v if your Nas has standard Sata power connectors.