[olug] Old Dell 20GB laptop HDD...

[DYNATRON tech]

if the firmware is off, you may be able to flash it.
i once made a device that hooks to the jumper pins which act as a serial
port.
the device had a RS232 chip and a molex for power.
you can initiate a terminal session on the HD through your DB9 serial.
i got the diagram off of a forum, and i've used it numerous times.

if you need to flash the firmware, let me know and you can have it.
i used to use it to unlock seagate drives, but i cracked a ceramic cap on
it.
i think i have a replacement though...


On 3/10/08, Dan Linder <dan at linder.org> wrote:
>
> Thanks - yeah, not much protection needed for a "dead" device. :)
>
> Hold off, I'm checking with some co-workers that have had this same
> make/vintage of laptop and have long since moved on.  From what I found
> via
> Google, it's not even a gurantee to work if even the firmware revision of
> the board is off.  Guess that kind of make sense considering that the
> connecting between the HDD board and the HDD case itself are mostly for
> analog signals which I could see being different even between sequential
> serial numbered parts.
>
> <off topic>
> My father worked for IBM in the 60's and was part of a team putting in
> three
> "hard drives" in the KC area (if I remember correctly).  Anyway, these
> machines were the size of a washing machine and the drive platters were
> interchangeable by opening the case and removing the platter stack (the
> heads and everything else stayed in the chassis).  The customer had three
> locations around town and wanted to be able to physically move the stacks
> between locations to move data (I believe 5-10MB was the stacks total
> capacity.  It was a challenge, but they finally got the three systems
> identical enough so that they could share data with each other in this
> manner.  It required a lot of tweaking of the software and the hardware,
> specifically getting the systems perfectly level with each other so the
> heads moved in the same manner.
>
> Another customer of theirs wanted to help the platters spin-down faster so
> he could change them out quicker.  His method?  After issuing the stop
> command, he would open the door and push a wooden broom handle against the
> edge of the platters as a brake!  Thankfully those old systems had head
> that
> floated above the surface by a larger margin than they do today!
> </off topic>
>
> Dan
>
> On Mon, Mar 10, 2008 at 12:46 PM, Obi-Wan <obiwan at jedi.com> wrote:
>
> > > I don't know what shipping would cost, but it wouldn't need to be
> > insured.
> >
> > It's only about 3/8" thick.  I might be able to throw it into a bubble
> > wrap envelope & drop it in a mailbox.
> >
> > --
> > Ben "Obi-Wan" Hollingsworth                             obiwan at jedi.com
> >   The stuff of earth competes for the allegiance I owe only to the
> >     Giver of all good things, so if I stand, let me stand on the
> >       promise that You will pull me through.  -- Rich Mullins
> > _______________________________________________
> > OLUG mailing list
> > OLUG at olug.org
> > http://lists.olug.org/mailman/listinfo/olug
> >
>
>
>
> --
> "Quis custodiet ipsos custodes?" (Who can watch the watchmen?) -- from the
> Satires of Juvenal
> "I do not fear computers, I fear the lack of them." -- Isaac Asimov
> (Author)
> ** *** ***** ******* *********** *************
> _______________________________________________
> OLUG mailing list
> OLUG at olug.org
> http://lists.olug.org/mailman/listinfo/olug
>



-- 
dynatron digital services
box 191 - 68037
www.dynatron.org
dynatron at gmail.com