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Damaged micro usb (soldered) on WD Elements SE 1TB External.

21K views 13 replies 3 participants last post by  venn 
#1 ·
Hi guys,

I have a problem with my WD Elements 1TB.
The product number is WDBABV0010BBK-00.
The SATA is WD10TMVV.

I have found some images online.
This is how it looks,



My problem
The micro usb that is soldered on to the PCB is damaged. The external drive is working all good and okay until one day I realize I could not plug in my cable to the micro usb port.

The micro usb is damaged.

Solutions
1) Get professionals to do a data recovery but that is too expensive. And there is a good link here showing you how you could by pass the micro usb and wired the PCB.
How to connect and recover USB-only western digital drives with HD Doctor suite - DATA RECOVERY SALON

2) Get a new micro usb and replace it. I will go with this. Do let me know if this is not feasible. I do realize the micro usb on Western Digital is slightly different. There is this black color, 2 holes thingy underneath it.

- - -

However before I start anything, I need to know what micro usb to buy. I did a bit of research and if I am not mistaken, I think I need a Micro-B.

Here is an image,
File:Types-usb new.svg - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

I have a house mate who is a PhD in electrical engineering. He could do all the soldering for me.
But is there anything I need to tell him so he could be aware of when he is swapping out the damaged micro usb?

Do I need to take out the hard drive from the PCB before any soldering work is done?

Where would be the best place to get electronic parts? I did some research again, it seems mouser.com is the best?

Cheers,
Venn.
 
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#2 ·
I would start with option 2 and yes mouser is a good place to buy parts and have your friend replace the connector for you. The board needs to come off the drive to do the work its only a few torx screws holding it on. Let us know how it turns out
 
#4 ·
steely74 This drive has NO SATA Connection is ONLY USB. The entire WD Elements line and all NEW WD drives in the 2.5" format in External cases are only USB no more sata. Your advice on this one won't work unfortunately. It would for older drives.
 
#5 ·
Thanks for the help.
Anyway, can somebody tell me why the micro usb that is soldered on to WD is slightly different?

There is a a black color, 2 holes thingy underneath of it.
It is different from the other micro usb that are available on the market.

Cheers,
Venn.
 
#7 ·
There is a a black color, 2 holes thingy underneath of it. It is different from the other micro usb that are available on the market.
.
I think the 2 black "thingy's" are just to hold it into place. A picture would help us see what you are looking at as well.

I assume WD has these made to their spec and you may just have to use the "closest" match. If it were me I would use a normal USB connector and wires to the drive to get the data off then recycle the drive. If your goal is to repair for continued use then look for a damaged drive on e-bay for "parts" or local computer shops my guess is they have a few as this make and model is failing on a LOT of people at the USB connector. Its JUNK !
 
#6 ·
Networks said:
steely74 This drive has NO SATA Connection is ONLY USB. The entire WD Elements line and all NEW WD drives in the 2.5" format in External cases are only USB no more sata. Your advice on this one won't work unfortunately. It would for older drives.
Good to know. One more reason for me to stay away from these ;) I've seen a number of these with problems with the usb connection.
 
#8 ·
Thanks Networks, I am wondering what Torx screwdriver will be needed to open that casing? A T-6?

Will it be hard to do the wiring to the PCB?
If I take a clear photo of how the PCB might look like on both sides, will you be able to point me out how I could connect it? I am just afraid I might damage the PCB.

The black color thingy I was talking about will be this,
 
#9 ·
Thanks Networks, I am wondering what Torx screwdriver will be needed to open that casing? A T-6?

In that range most drives are T6 or T8

Will it be hard to do the wiring to the PCB? YES if you have not ever done circuit board wiring / soldering and have some basic electronics skills !

If I take a clear photo of how the PCB might look like on both sides, will you be able to point me out how I could connect it? I am just afraid I might damage the PCB. You will if your soldering skills are not very good !

I thought your friend was going to do the soldering ? Its a TEDIOUS Job! The SATA connector has an industry pin-out a simple google search will show you. You have 2 Data Pins Send Receive and 2 Grounds See this link your connector is halfway down the page
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Universal_Serial_Bus


The black color thingy I was talking about will be this,

I think that's just molded in for height the main USB connector is all we care about
 
#10 ·
Thanks for the quick responses!
You are amazing. :flowers:

Yeap, my friend will be doing all the soldering.
He has another bunch of engineering mates so I would say my PCB will be in good hands.

I will keep this thread going with my findings and progress.

Cheers,
Venn.
 
#11 ·
Hey guys, just to keep you all updated.
There is another solution that another person mentioned to me.

He was saying why all the hassle?

Why don't I just desolder the damaged usb and hard wire the cable straight to the micro usb's spot. I am thinking this is different from bypassing the micro usb and connect it straight to the pcb. Something like this - How to connect and recover USB-only western digital drives with HD Doctor suite - DATA RECOVERY SALON But I am not sure.

I know soldering the cable will be permanent but I guess it is easier?
 
#12 ·
Hey guys,

Good news!
My housemate has managed to get the data off from the drive by soldering fine gauge electrical wires to the individual prongs in the micro usb. Those has to be some mad skills given the fact that micro usb is the smallest among all.

The next thing I will do is to fix the external drive.
I will need to see if my housemate has an idea for that.

Will update.
 
#13 ·
I am going to share 2 links.

They are very helpful and they have the most comprehensive information you need an get when it comes to damaged usb connector on external drives.

It explains clearly what you should do if your data is encrypted or what if your usb is soldered on to the PCB without a SATA connector, etc.

http://forum.hddguru.com/western-dig...ry-t17398.html
http://community.wdc.com/t5/Off-Topi...ds/td-p/353839

Western Digital external hard drives are wreaking havoc around the globe with their lousy usb connectors.
 
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