Non-responsive hard drive - help?

[Mark Tapley]

At 16:50 -0500 10/4/05, tony wrote:
>  >
>>	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.

Not until powered down, at which point it makes the noises I'd expect 
(taking 2-3 times as long to spin down as the fan, for example).

>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.

Thought I was being clever, but Oh Well.

>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.

Both the head seek and the platter spin noises are consistent with 
what I recall from before the failure, so I'll bet that chip is OK. 
It's warm, but I can keep my finger on it for seconds at a time, with 
no blisters arising.

Started looking for similar drives to mail-order for a controller board-swap.

Thanks to all responses so far!

Progress about to come to a screeching halt on the project, as I'm 
about to hit the road again. Sigh.


-- 
					- Mark
			210-522-6025, temporary cell 240-375-2995