Western digital hard drive failures can be caused by many reasons. If we make sure the damage is caused by PCB board, we need to find a way to repair it.
Western digital hard drive pcb failure symptoms:
- Has the burnt marker on the PCB;
- HDD can't spin/have a smoke when it is connected;
- Short circuit; Interface damaged;
- Some abnormal noise also are caused by PCB failure.
How to repair failure western digital hard drive pcb:
Step 1. The best way to repair a failure WD hdd pcb is finding a replacement PCB. To WD pcb boards, in most cases, we just need to check the pcb number, such as 2060-701640-001 . All western digital PCB's board number begins with 2060-, ends with REV A, B, C, P1, P2, etc. PCB number is printed on the board, not on the sticker.
Step 2. You can search with the pcb number on HardDriveParts.com to find a replacement PCB.
Western digital 3.5" hard drive PCB board number 2060-701640-001
Western digital 2.5" hard drive PCB board number 2060-771961-001
Western digital pcb's BIOS chip:
Most HDD boards have the unique BIOS(ROM or NVRAM chip) which includes the unique data to access the HDD system area. If the BIOS information is not compatible with your HDD, there is no way to read the HDD's data. Because of this, we should move the original PCB's BIOS to the replacement PCB. BIOS CHIP SWAPPING IS A MUST.
Please pay attention to the BIOS' words direction. Don't solder it in wrong direction; otherwise, the BIOS will be burnt.
Western Digital PCB 2060-701640-001's BIOS chip
Western digital pcb replacement tools you may need:
- T6/T8 screwdriver, which can unscrew the PCB from HDD;
- Hot-air gun, which can be used to change BIOS;
Note: In general, you can find a local electronics repair shop (cell phone repair shop, AV/TV repair shop, HDD repair shop, etc.) help you change BIOS. The cost is around $10-$20. You can save a lot of money than do data recovery which cost begins with $300.
