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Tuesday, 19 May 2015 00:00

About soldering

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As We already know, damages of to hard drives we can divide into three main categories:

  • Damaging of the electronic (PCB)
  • Damaging the mechanical part of the hard drive (HDA)
  • Logical damage (every kind of damaged data or elements of the file system)

Damage of the electronics is often caused by buying and using poor quality computer power packs. Sometimes the electronics is damaging automatically by itself which is caused by the factory defect or overheating. It seems that purchasing PCB from the same model and exchanging the electronics is the simplest way to repair it. Unfortunately, reality is different.

Almost all hard drives have internal (in the mask of the processor) or external (in the arrangement serial or parallel flash) memory, in which the configuration of the specific model of the hard drive is stored. Even hard drives produced in one series, in the same factory, one after the other, will have all different contents of this memory. Information stored in the memory on PCB is usually used only at the start up. The HD is loading the map of heads and reading parameters of the Service Area and after that is loading the rest of needed data for correct initiating the software recorded on plates.

What will happen, when the hard drive doesn't read the out memory on PCB correctly? Not-initiating will be the most obvious symptom. The hard drive won't start, or will start under the kernel procedure (in case of HD's which have such a mode). What will happen, if the memory is read out correctly, but parameters in the memory comes from other hard drive than recovered one? Problems can appear in the SA reading, the hard drive can not initiate or it can have tapping heads, like in case of HD's Western Digitalwith the memory taken from different hard drive. WD hard drive with other than original map of heads, will by tapping, when there is a head written which doesn't exist on the map (or some head is damaged).

In such cases a soldering is helpful. Having a programmer it is possible in the very simple way to copy the ROM from damaged electronics and to have a backup for the darkest hour. What in case of the lack of the programmer? The soldering iron and a bit of patience.

We will discuss individual models of hard drives precisely in next entries, every entry with a different model. In this entry we will deal with soldering. Except the screwdriver, good pliers and the clear mind, the soldering iron is a basic tool used in the data recovery from physically/electronically defected hard drives. Cause of the size and the gentleness of elements applied in hard drives, it is necessary to use the hot air soldering iron. There are also existing extreme ways of soldering- heating the tile with lamps or the iron. But cause of the price and the availability of hot air soldering irons these techniques won't be discussed. Work with the hot air soldering iron is so pleasant and safe that all other ways shouldn't be used. One of the recovering data company placed in Los anlegels is using heat gun just like a hot air soldering irons - and is talking about the professionalism.

Before we start to work, we should complete tools. Flux (no matter is it rosin dissolved in the spirit, or the special flux in gel), screwdriver for unscrewing the electronics, solid metal tweezers, good lamp, magnifying glass (for the inspection of soldering), handle to electronics (must be reliable), and of course hot-air soldering iron. Armed in this we can get down to soldering.

It is worthwhile noticing, that majority of contemporary electronics (if not all of them) have one-sided integrated circuit. It is important because We can heat the electronics from the side without arrangements without anxiety that the soldering iron will blow out small elements or will overheat delicate elements. Because we must heat the great area of the tile to the temperature letting for dissolving binder, We should remove ends from the soldering iron - we are soldering with the soldering iron without narrowed exit.

Memory chips are delicate systems, their content is susceptible to the temperature and it is worthwhile assuming the border temperature of the arrangement is 300 C. Above that temperature arrangement will be deleted, but it won't be physical damaged. It can be recorded again. We should solder at the lowest possible temperature.

We are greasing legs of the arrangement with flux and we are running the soldering iron. Heating up the electronics from the bottom is safest for other arrangements and elements on electronics. In case of installing electronics vertically, arrangements can flow down the tile. It is meaningless in case of damaged electronics, but in case of efficient electronics with desoldered and moved systems will be useless. (Click here if you want to know more about data recovery services in Boston)

During heating we are observing the arrangement, which we are desoldering. When binder holding the arrangement dissolves, we are catching the arrangement with tweezers and we are raising it. We should do it without hesitation - if tweezers will slip off the arrangement, legs of the arrangement will be bent or broken. We perform the operation of soldering out on both electronics - the electronics of donor HD (efficient) and the original electronics (damaged).

Desoldering of the arrangement is quite simple. Soldering points should have an appropriate amount of binder for soldering the arrangement. If they don't, we are putting on them a new binder. Again we are spreading flux on a soldering points and we are positioning arrangement - they will stick to points. We are heating up the electronics to dissolve binder. We should care for regular heating up both sides of soldering points, and then arrangement will encounter his place by itself. With a magnifying glass we are checking the correctness of soldering. We are washing electronics from remaining flux.

After installing efficient electronics with the original memory we can start up the hard drive. If nothing more is defected, we can be pleased with a dextrous hard drive with the original content.

Read more about hard drive recovery in New york city

Last modified on Tuesday, 19 May 2015 20:01
Data Recovery Expert

Viktor S., Ph.D. (Electrical/Computer Engineering), was hired by DataRecoup, the international data recovery corporation, in 2012. Promoted to Engineering Senior Manager in 2010 and then to his current position, as C.I.O. of DataRecoup, in 2014. Responsible for the management of critical, high-priority RAID data recovery cases and the application of his expert, comprehensive knowledge in database data retrieval. He is also responsible for planning and implementing SEO/SEM and other internet-based marketing strategies. Currently, Viktor S., Ph.D., is focusing on the further development and expansion of DataRecoup’s major internet marketing campaign for their already successful proprietary software application “Data Recovery for Windows” (an application which he developed).