Mini USB port broke off 2TB WD MyBook HD

Hi guys,

I have a 2TB Western Digital My Book that I use as an external hard drive for storage with my Macbook. Somehow the mini USB port on the side of it became loose and broke off the green circuit chip. I opened the enclosure to see if maybe it would be a quick and easy fix, but it appears not. I have attached several pictures so you can see what happened. My guess is that I would have to take this to a specialist to solder the mini USB port back on the circuitboard. If so, would it be cost effective to do this? The drive only cost $130. 

Now, supposing that it’s either too expensive or impossible to fix, what are my options? I know this is a perfectly good hard drive, and I would hate to have it go to waste just because the enclosure is broken. In the meantime, there is some data on here I really need to get off ASAP. I have a SATA to USB adapter, but clearly this thing requires much more power than regular 2.5 in HD’s. In the first picture, you’ll notice there is a 8 prong port to the right of the SATA port on the HD. Is that an “alternative” power source I could use temporarily in conjunction with my SATA/USB adapter? 

Thanks for your help! :slight_smile:

James

Welcome to the WD community

Sorry to hear that you cannot access your files. The pins that you see are for jumper settings. Check the link bellow for more information. Unfortunately WD doesn’t offer any in house repair or data recovery services, but you have the option to contact any of our recommended data recovery companies for help. Also please share the model number for the My Book  that you have.

Jumper settings

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/search/1/a_id/1679#jumper

Data Recovery Partners

http://support.wdc.com/recovery/index.asp?wdc_lang=en

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Hello,

Thanks for your response. The P/N of this HD is WDBAAG0020HCH-02. It’s the 2TB MyBook for Mac, purchased in early 2012. 

To be clear, below is a clear picture of the problem. The metal thing in the yellow circle is the mini-USB port that broke off. This is the only thing wrong with the HD;  everything else that is disassembled in the pictures was done properly with a screwdriver. 

I searched and it seems WD does not sell replacement enclosures. Would an aftermarket enclosure work? 

Thanks for your response and help!

James

Since your My Book model has hardware encryption, it is not possible to recover your files by connecting the internal hard drive directly to the computer. I recommend you to contact tech support directly for further support. Follow the link below. 

Tech support

http://support.wdc.com/contact/contact.asp?lang=en

That’s what I feared. In fact, since my first post, some google searching indicates that there are several other threads on this forum as well as several others dealing with this exact same problem.  However, one thing that was not clear from investigating this issue was what if I don’t care to recover the data; I just want a working external HD. Since my first post, I no longer need any of the data on here anymore, and at this point all of the data is entirely disposable. Will a third party 3.5 in. enclosure get me back up and running again?

Best,

James

If you don’t need to recover your files and the My  Book is still under warranty, you can call/write tech support and they will create the RMA order for you.

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions.

My hard drive is out of warranty; it was purchased in January 2012. I want to know whether or not the hard drive will work in a generic enclosure. On Amazon there is a wide variety of 3.5 inch enclosures. Again, the hard drive is not broken, only the PCB that provides the hardware encryption. I no longer care about the data, I just want to have a working, formatted hard drive.

Best,

James

Yes, the hard drive should work with most enclosures, but since this is not supported by Western Digital it is recommended for you to check the compatibility list for the enclosure you decide to buy, this way you can be sure that it will work. 

Installing a WD SATA, SAS, or PATA drive in an external USB/NAS enclosure or Personal Video Recorder

http://wdc.custhelp.com/app/answers/detail/a_id/296

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Mine has done the same thing - it’s obviously a poorly designed item - this plug should NOT break off this easily. WD should provide replacement circuit boards or at least a repair service to replace the port.

Broken USB ports leave the users with only a few chioces. Drives that came with Smartware are hardware encrypted and the data cannot be recovered by connecting as an internal drive or using another case. First if the drive is still in warranty then opening the drive will void the warranty. You can try getting another USB port soldered on at a electronics repair place. I know some have been repaired by soldering fine wire to the board and then the other end to a USB port. You can try getting an identical drive and try that board. These boards change frequently and there is no guarantee it will work. You can look on Ebay for a replacement this link explains a bit about matching up the boards http://community.wdc.com/t5/Off-Topic-Discussions/Bridge-Boards/td-p/353839 again no guarantee.
Joe

I thought I would give an update. The first thing I did was order what was suppose to be an identical model PCB bridge form eBay. I hooked it up, and it flat did not work. So, if you are planning on going this route, just like Joe said above, there is a possibility that it will not work, even if the serial numbers match perfectly. On Monday I took it to a local computer place with a soldering specialist and had them solder it back on. After two days He calls me and said it worked, but luckily I was smart enough to bring my laptop with me and try it right there in the store before paying, and it did NOT work. He insisted I pay anyway which I refused (he originally said if it didn’t work no charge), and walked out. So either He did a lousy job soldering it, or it was damaged beyond repair. That day I ordered a Rosewill external hard drive from Amazon, which works perfectly, although I had to format the hard drive, losing my data (which at this point was dispensible anyway so no big deal). 

WD really should cover this kind of under warranty as I feel this is a design flaw. The USB port has no support at all besides being soldered the PCB. Not only that, before it broke, the thing was very loose, and would constantly disconnect randomly during data transfers. 

WD isn’t the only one with this problem you see this with other USB devices also. I agree they should look for another method of attaching the port or build a support boss into the case. Another thing that enters into this is the use of nonlead based solder. That is causing a lot of equipment failures with new electronics.

Joe

hello james121515,

Can you pls suggest how to chosse external drive or port to solder from amazon or ebay

"That day I ordered a Rosewill external hard drive from Amazon, which works perfectly, although I had to format the hard drive, losing my data (which at this point was dispensible anyway so no big deal). "

I am facing same problem i.e. PCB without port  same as your attached image.

Please help.

Thanks,