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The Solution for Seagate 7200.11 HDDs


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Hi Jaclaz,

Thanks for your reply...

My conclusion is...

That as my cable runs 5v, I need really to choke it down to 3v, by using a 2.2k ohm resistor between the red wire and ground....

I'm no electronics engineer - how do I connect that resistor? to my RED cable please?

Also, I'm wondering now about the ground.... I was using the ground from the USB/TTL connector, and the (same) PC SATA power to supply the power to the drive. I would assume that this means I'm usng the same ground for the USB/TTL adapter, and the HD.

Are you saying that I need to connect the USB/TTL ground TO the SATA HD power block's ground?

Cheers

Steve

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I'm no electronics engineer - how do I connect that resistor? to my RED cable please?

You make friends with an electronic engineer (or anyone with a solder iron and a 2.2 Kohm resistance handy) and you make him/her solder the resistor between Tx ( the Red cable) and Ground. ;)

Also, I'm wondering now about the ground.... I was using the ground from the USB/TTL connector, and the (same) PC SATA power to supply the power to the drive. I would assume that this means I'm usng the same ground for the USB/TTL adapter, and the HD.

This is interesting.

Do you think that point #7 of the read-me-first can be interpreted in ANY other way?

Just in case:

Since, as seen above the actual 0's and 1's are obtained by a difference of voltage relative to 0V, it is VITAL, to ensure that TTL level communication works as expected, to have the same 0 V level on ALL equipment involved.

This is obtained by connecting ALL the 0 V or "Ground" or "GRN" or "GND" of ALL devices involved together

Does "ALL" have any other meaning than:

Being or representing the entire or total number, amount, or quantity

:unsure:

The text of point #7 was even amended , see P.P.S.:

P.P.S.: Point #7 slightly modified (thanks to SnakeByte2 for pointing out possible problems in the wording) in order to better convey the suggestion to GROUND each and all piece of equipment involved in the procedure.

If you have a suggestion to add some more explicit wording to that effect, you are welcome to provide it, I honestly think I can do nothing more than that. :w00t:

Are you saying that I need to connect the USB/TTL ground TO the SATA HD power block's ground?

YES. :yes:

jaclaz

Edited by jaclaz
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hehe, Ok, So I'll go buy a 2.2k ohm resistor now,

I'll connect it to the red wire and ground (for the sake of safety, you fancy just doing a simple line diagram to show that please?)

I'll also connect the SATA ground to the USB ground (my question was raised simply because as all power is coming from the same tc, then by that very thig, it all HAS to be from the same ground...)

then I'll try again

If that dont work, I think it'll end with an error 500.... (hard drive going through the window at 500mph!!) :D

Cheers mate

Edited by stevepud
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hehe, Ok, So I'll go buy a 2.2k ohm resistor now,

I'll connect it to the red wire and ground (for the sake of safety, you fancy just doing a simple line diagram to show that please?)

Well, not really brain surgery or space technology, resistors have not any kind of polarity and they tend to have two terminals (an actual 2.2 Kohm resistor depicted below):

2.2K-ohm-resistor.jpg

Now, you solder the RIGHT hand terminal to the RED cable and the LEFT hand one to Ground, or, if you prefer, you solder the LEFT hand trerminal to the RED cable and the RIGHT hand one to Ground, or, even easier, remember this: 1 terminal=1 connection :angel

I'll also connect the SATA ground to the USB ground (my question was raised simply because as all power is coming from the same tc, then by that very thig, it all HAS to be from the same ground...)

then I'll try again

Yes :), if all power is coming from the SAME PSU every ground SHOULD already be COMMON, BUT you never know, for all you know the particular adapter/converter MAY have a decoupler or an induction voltage leak so WHY not grounding, as it costs nothing or next to nothing (a one foot piece of black wire, at the most).

I am perplexed by "SATA power block", the HD has a pin marked GROUND, near to the Tx and RX, you connect to it the GROUND.

If you prefer from the adapter you start with 3 (three) cables: TX, RX and GROUND and connect ALL THREE of them to the corresponding pins on the HD PCB:

05.jpg

If that dont work, I think it'll end with an error 500.... (hard drive going through the window at 500mph!!) :D

Naaah, that is NO fun. :(

Using a sledgehammer is more advised. ;)

jaclaz

Edited by jaclaz
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OK, just been to Maplin and bought myself a 2.2k ohm resistor ( mine has 2.2k ohm resistor has 5 colour bars, red, red, black, brown, brown) indication a 2.2k ohm resistor running at 1% tolerance.

However, upon testing with a voltmeter, my USB/TTL has the following voltages...BEFORE connecting the resistor

Blue: 2.71v

Red: 2.57v

Yellow: 2.57v

This is with no load...

When connected to the 3 terminals...

Red (TX on drive): 0.69V

Blue (RX on Drive):1.16v

Yellow (not connected) as per AVITResearch website)

When connected to the 3 terminals...

Red (TX on drive): 0.69V

Blue (RX on Drive):1.16V

Yellow Pin4: 0.87v

NO SATA connections are made at this time.

I have connected the USB/TTL groupd to the ground on the PSU too.

And guess what... NADA, nothing, zilch,

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One thing to note, if I connect SATA power to the drives, I am no longer getting any amount of drive activity. Before - they would spin up slowly. Not any more though.

Did you test the power cable with another hdd to make sure it is working (or used another cable)?

However, upon testing with a voltmeter, my USB/TTL has the following voltages...BEFORE connecting the resistor

Blue: 2.71v

Red: 2.57v

Yellow: 2.57v

This is with no load...

It certainly seems like the voltage is rather too low than too high :blink: So it is better to try without the resistor (might still be too low).

Edited by BlouBul
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One thing to note, if I connect SATA power to the drives, I am no longer getting any amount of drive activity. Before - they would spin up slowly. Not any more though.

Did you test the power cable with another hdd to make sure it is working (or used another cable)?

Yes, If I use a known working drive, it spins up properly,

I just screwed the PCB back on and connected that same SATA power, and it does infact spin a LITTLE. not fast enough to really feel it, but I can JUST feel it and certainly hear it.

However, upon testing with a voltmeter, my USB/TTL has the following voltages...BEFORE connecting the resistor

Blue: 2.71v

Red: 2.57v

Yellow: 2.57v

This is with no load...

It certainly seems like the voltage is rather too low than too high :blink: So it is better to try without the resistor (might still be too low).

Sorry, I meant these were the readings without the resistor.

I'm guessing then, from your comment that my cable might be fautly.

I'll get in touch with the guy I bought it from and point him to this thread again and see what he makes of it..

Still think it'd be quicker, easier and safer if I posted my disks to someone who could do this :)

Edited by stevepud
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Are you using a Voltmeter or an Oscilloscope?

Are you typing like mad in hyperterminal when measuring the Tx voltage level against Ground? :whistle:

The site:

http://www.avitresearch.co.uk/usb_to_ttl.htm

says that you should have +5V on the Yellow wire - still measured against ground (Black wire).

and this +5 V should remain UNchanged no matter if a resistor is newtween Red wire and Ground (Black wire)

and this Yellow +5V MUST NOT be connected ANYWHERE.

3v3/5v TTL - The cables use 5v TTL logic levels but can be made 3v3 TTL Levels (if the 3v3 circuit is not 5v tolerant) by adding a 2.2k ohms resistor between Tx (Red wire) and ground. Note that the power pin will still supply +5v (as do the 3v3 FTDI cables).
Wire

Function FTDI cable equivalent

Black

Ground Black (pin 1)

Red

PC serial Tx (TTL Rx) Orange (pin 4)

Blue

PC serial Rx (TTL Tx) with 10k pull-up Yellow (pin 5)

Yellow

+5v Red (pin 3)

jaclaz

Edited by jaclaz
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Voltmeter...

I think it's the cable,

I just connected the voltmeter to the cables ground, and measured the voltage of all Blue, Red and Yellow.

ALL were under 3v

The swapped the USB port on the PC, all just about 4.97v

Left the USB in the same port, but remeasured Blue, Red and Yellow again, and dropped to below 3 again.

So, NOTHING changed, and the voltage output dropped from 5 to below 3v.

I'm just about to connect it all up again, and see what happens to the voltage whilst i type like crazy in Hyperterminal...

Back in a few minutes

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I've tried 2 ports on the front of the PC and 2 on the rear.

Each time, I can get 5v from the yellow, for a moment, then it drops to 2.57v, and thats all

I started up the laptop, and now I'm getting a consisten 4.98v from Red and Yellow, and 4.94 from Blue.

HOWEVER, I connected the resistor in series on the red, and measured on the other side of the resistor, and still 4.98v

COnnected the resistor to red and across to the Ground from the USB, 4.98 before the resistor, and 0.00v the other side of the resistor

I'm not getting anything from the laptop either, other than more consistent 4.98v.

I've had enough. I'm just getting more and more annoyed.

Jaclaz, thanks for your help, but it's now time to find someone local ish to me that I can get to look at it, before I really do throw the **** thing at the wall.

If anyone local to London has done this, and wants to help out, please let me know. I'm happy to pay - I just want to get it done ASAP please.

Cheers

Steve

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There is something wrong (actually several things).

  1. You CANNOT measure the TTL max level on the Tx with a Voltmeter. (NO, not even typing like mad, you need a signal analyzer or an oscilloscope)
  2. It makes NO sense whatever to measure the Voltage at BOTH Tx and Rx.
  3. The Yellow +5 V cable MUST have +5 V.

I cannot say what is the problem but the +5 V should come STEADY out of the Yellow wire, just as it comes (or should come) STEADY at +5 V level from the USB port.

jaclaz

Edited by jaclaz
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There is something wrong (actually several things).

  1. You CANNOT measure the TTL max level on the Tx with a Voltmeter. (NO, not even typing like mad, you need a signal analyzer or an oscilloscope)
  2. It makes NO sense whatever to measure the Voltage at BOTH Tx and Rx.
  3. The Yellow +5 V cable MUST have +5 V.

I cannot say what is the problem but the +5 V should come STEADY out of the Yellow wire, just as it comes (or should come) STEADY at +5 V level from the USB port.

jaclaz

Cheers mate,

I've given up for today and emailed Adrian to see if he understands whats going wrong.

Steve

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Hi all and many thanks for the guide on trying to recover these terrible Seagate HD's.

I have understoood everything, I have all the required bits in place - and I am lucky enough to have some other HDs to experiment on before I go to try and recover the important one (my hunch is it is stuck in BUSY.)

So first go (I have a little TTL to USB board) loopback functioning (using puTTY for access) and I'm stuck at the simplest step. How on earth to you connect anything to those tiny pins on the HD (GND, RX,TX)???

I'd rather not solder directly to the pins, but even then, they are too small - or am I just too inexperienced with a soldering iron?

Is there a particular type of edge connector that I can plug in here and instead plug/solder some wires to that?

Any hints on this part of the process much appreciated - it seems I am the only one with probs at this stage!

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How on earth to you connect anything to those tiny pins on the HD (GND, RX,TX)???

I'd rather not solder directly to the pins, but even then, they are too small - or am I just too inexperienced with a soldering iron?

Is there a particular type of edge connector that I can plug in here and instead plug/solder some wires to that?

Any hints on this part of the process much appreciated - it seems I am the only one with probs at this stage!

Hi psynrg,

Welcome to MSFN :hello:

The easiest way is to just roll a piece of insulation tape around the wires (with enough space to push it into the pins). Alternatively, you can use an old cd rom audio cable, and make it to fit the pins. :) See here and here and here

Edited by BlouBul
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