[mythtv-users] Help with a semi-busted hard drive (with all my recordings)

[Brian Wood]

On Feb 5, 2006, at 1:50 AM, Mark Oliver wrote:

> Kristo Kriechbaum wrote:
>
>> The drive is a Seagate Barracuda 7200.7, 200Gb, model  
>> ST32000822A.  Pictures
>> detailing the damage are at http://robotics.caltech.edu/~klk/drive/
>>
>> I figure alot of people on this list have this drive.  If anyone  
>> who has one
>> of these drives could somehow measure the capacitor I would be  
>> greatly
>> indebted to you.  At the very least, I would buy you many beers if  
>> we ever
>> met :-)
>>
> I have the drive sitting in its box.  Unfortunately, you used the word
> 'measure,' which means I will be of no use to you (unless you like
> guesstimates).  If no one else is able to answer your questions, I can
> run this over to my brother-in-law (who is an engineer), and he should
> be able to help answer your questions.  Hopefully, someone else here
> will be able to help you sooner, but if not, then I can probably get
> something for you by monday night at the latest, depending on dave's
> schedule.


An impedance bridge is not something that a lot of folks have at  
home, plus you would have to remove the component from the circuit in  
order to measure its capacitance.

Fortunately, most capacitors in digital circuits are not all that  
critical in terms of value, and a lot of them are simply for de- 
coupling. Probably anything even reasonably close in capacitance  
would work. Be careful that you have not damaged the extremely tiny  
lands on the PC board, and remember that a lot of those boards are  
multi-layer, once damaged they can rarely be repaired, so be very  
careful.