The operation of our hard drive is wonderful, until it happens to us that it gets stuck at 5%. Not charging anymore and losing valuable functionality. The problem comes from the deterioration of the battery itself, not from any other part of the disk. Given the solution that WD gives us, I propose to repair it ourselves and in the process modify it so that we do not have to make a new battery pack or buy it. My solution is to replace the battery pack with a battery holder in which we will replace these batteries when they die, resulting in a simple process.
Here I show some photos of the mod, that anyone with basic welding knowledge can do.
the battery holder with the batteries replaces the battery pack in the hole and as you can see, it already charges the batteries again saying goodbye to the 5% problem.
Not exactly, if they are two batteries, in parallel, but they are two NCR18650B, 3,7 V, 3400mAh. They are the same type of battery with which the original battery pack is made, but with 400mAh more,which would lead us to have in a little more time of battery life.
This modification is very simple and cheap, has cost me about 8€
Yes, the original battery has a label with the characteristics of voltage and capacity as well as other information, but it does not tell you the type of battery of which it is composed on that label, you have to disassemble it to see the type of battery
Hello, you simply have to join the two poles together and from these to their place on the controller board, sorry not to have photos of such a connection, but it is very simple when you open the original battery pack you will see it instantly.
I know I’m late to the party and sorry for digging out such an old thread, but I wanted to share my experiences on the matter.
Like the host, I had the idea to place a battery holder in the har drive housing and was positively surprised, when I plugged in the charger and saw more and more battery LEDs lighting up. But once I booted up the drive, the LEDs plummeted down to the measly one. UI still shows 5% charging.
Unlike before, however, when I plug the drive out, it doesn’t immediately crash off, it rathers shuts down “normally”, as if I’ve pressed the button.
Anybody any opinions, or experiences on the matter?
Edit: worked! As I’m on the road as of tomorrow morning, circumstances forced a choice upon me, so to speak. I found two Murata cells lying around in my basement, popped 'em in and those behaved similarly, but more consistently working. While reassembling my drive (had to, no time for new parts to order, I need it, while on the road), two connections loosened. I had used pairs of jumper cables for PCs, as I had those handy and pairs, as to support the current, cause they’re quite thin, as opposed to, what the author used. So I hopped back in the basement, had an old extension cord lying around there, that I no longer has use for; disassembled it and resoldered the whole thing again.
Next stop: new cells, probably Panasonic NCR and a new SSD.
