annoyedman

Yeah, I did. I did another loopback test to ensure that it is correct and working... it was correct. I have two dead 7200.11 1TB HDD, and it does not matter, as soon as I plug in the GND wire, I get garbage lines.

I am stuck. I would appreciate some help here. I have connected the (CA-42)RX->TX(HDD) TX->RX and GND->GND. Keep in mind that the HDD is not powered on at all (not connected to PSU). As soon as I plug in GND, I get garbage lines, and they keep refreshing themselves.

Finally found my cable. I cut the end (see pic) and have marked each pin. I would like for you guys to look over and verify that it is correct before I connect it to my dead hdd. When the cable is connected to the computer, the computer recognizes it as a USB/SERIAL and gives it a COM4 port. This means that it is working, correct? EDIT: I connected PIN 6 and 7 together and did a loopback test. It worked. I see text on the terminal screen. I still will not go ahead until one of you guys okay this picture.

Thank you for your help. My reason for going the non-recommended route is two fold: 1. I do not have a serial output on my computer. 2. I already possess a CA-42 wire. I will report back in a few days. @BlouBul: thank you for the link. It will be helpful.

Anyway to verify if I have the correct pinout? Point 10 is not very clear on this point.

NO. The guide uses this one: http://alldav.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=9&products_id=11 the new version of which is this one: http://alldav.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=0&products_id=28 Please notice how the word "TTL" is used in the description of BOTH the above. Notice also how on the product you linked to there is NO mention of "TTL" but mention of "UART". Cannot say if it means anything , but the FT232R: http://www.ftdichip.com/Products/FT232R.htm can output different levels, depending on how the board is made: http://www.ftdichip.com/Documents/DataSheets/DS_FT232R.pdf If pin 4 of the IC is connected to pin 17 it is configured for 3.3 V (right for this use) If pin 4 of the IC is connected to pin 20 or however to + 5v CC (possibly wrong for this use) You are of course perfectly free to do whatever you want , but this is NOT what is recommended, please check point #7 of the read-me-first: jaclaz I understand. Apologises that I replied so late, I had a lot on my plate. My reasoning for getting that item was because I use a modern computer which does not have a serial output, hence requiring me to get something with a USB output. Does the nokia wire work for this method?

Hello fellas, Been trying to debrick my terabyte 7200.11 drives (have two, both of them not showing in BIOS) with no success so far. I bought this http://alldav.com/index.php?main_page=product_info&products_id=21 from this guide http://sites.google.com/site/seagatefix/ So. I soldered four wires to all four access points, and when I connect the RX to TX (loop test, just these two wires), it works. I see my typing in the terminal. So the product works, and is powered if I understand the last few posts prior to my own post. So I do not need to plug in the GND or the 5V+ wire to anywhere on the HDD, just the RX and TX. So. I then plug the RX (PC) to TX (HDD) and vice versa for the other wire and plug the power (sata from PSU). The PCB heats up, meaning it gets power. But Ctrl + Z does not work. It just remains blank. Please help.