USB port damaged Western Digital Elements SE 1TB

[vyankatesh]

Hello,

I have Western Digital Elements SE 1TB Portable Hard Drive - Black of model WD BABV0010BBK . I had connection problem with its port.

Unfortunately, executive from service  centre told me that port it damaged & need to be replaced .

Currently port is removed from PCB & I am not able to find compatible port .

Can anyone please help me out?

[Joe_S]

If you had searched this has been discussed a lot. 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

[vyankatesh]

My HDD is out of warranty so i had already checked with local service centres.

Yes Joe_s, I have already serached related posts but the problem is i am not able to find exact port which is comaptible with my HDD.

i found something like this : 

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AO77OVW/ref=s9_simh_gw_p147_d0_i2?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-3&pf_rd_r=0KGFTFT8GHTMN2YX3HHW&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938811&pf_rd_i=507846

http://www.ebay.com/sch/i.html?_trksid=p2050601.m570.l1313.TR0.TRC0&_nkw=+Mini+USB+5-Pin+Female+SMT+Socket+Connector+&_sacat=0&_from=R40

 i am not good in electronics so Can any one suggest me which exact piece i have to buy (Any specific manufacturer) ?

Thanks in advance,

[Joe_S]

Try sending fzabkar a PM he knows the most about these boards and may be able to help.

Joe

[ThePizzaMatrix]

This is always a though one. Most WD external drives use internal drives with native USB connectors or encrypted proprietary SATA controllers, making soldering very difficult.

Have you tried with Ontrack or Drive Savers?

[fcabkar]

Swap PCB can help.

Western Digital Hard Drive PCB Swap Replacement Guide:
Match the board number which is etched on the PCB. The number is printed on the PCB’s back side (the side without chips)

When you get this PCB, you also need to move your original PCB’s BIOS/ Main Controller IC to the replacement PCB.

[fzabkar]

Data recovery professionals will rarely need to transfer an MCU from one PCB to another. The subject drive appears to be a “ROYL” model. These drives often store backup copies of the flash memory in a hidden System Area (SA) on the platters. The professionals simply install the replacement board and then access the SA using their diagnostic software. The “ROM” is then rebuilt and reprogrammed with a single click of the mouse. For this “data recovery” service, the user will be charged anything up to US$2000.

The following article shows how this is done using SalvationData’s HD Doctor.

Fix Identification Problem caused by Corruption of ATA Overlay module or ROM content:
http://web.archive.org/web/20091001164752/http://www.salvationdata.com/blog/fix-identification-problem-caused-by-corruption-of-ata-overlay-module-or-rom-content/

In the OP’s case the DR pros could install a compatible SATA PCB and use it to retrieve the SA contents, or they could use their diagnostic tools to do the same thing via USB or via the 12-pin connector (depending on the tool).

In any case, reattaching a USB connector is a trivial job for a competent junior technician, so anyone who claims to be a DR pro should be able to handle it without difficulty. If you can’t resolder a USB connector, then you can forget trying to move an MCU.

[vyankatesh]

Hello,

I am still not able to find solution for this issue

I tried 2-3 electronice centres and they said port not available .

can anyone please guide me in purchasing port which is compatible with this HDD ?

Thanks,