Non-responsive hard drive - help?

[Tony Duell]

> 
> 	Drive *does* make spinning-up and head-seeking noises (once 
> per power-up). LED indicating drive attention does flash, *once*, as 

Does it sound as though it's staying spun-up? It doesn't make spin-down 
noises I hope.

> computer boots up. 5V and 12V supplies to drive look OK to my old 
> analog multimeter.
> 
> 	When running with case open and parts spread out (now more 
> carefully insulated), one chip on the Quantum controller board gets 
> pretty hot pretty fast. That chip is marked   2J4     HA13476     and 
> has a couple of "wings" in place of the middle 4 or so legs that 
> would normally be on either side of a regular DIP package.

Those 'wings' are heatsink tabs, used to conduct heat away from the 
actual chip. It's a standard package for power driver type chips. I would 
guess this chip is either the spindle motor or head actuator driver.

As to whether it should get hot. Well, it is a power device, so it would 
get warm. But if it gets too hot to keep your finger on it for any length 
of time, then I'd start worrying. The chip may not be faulty of course, 
it might be a problem (like a shorted load, or an incorrect drive signal) 
elsewhere in the unit.

-tony