From OP: Re My Post On Thin Silver Strip Inside FreeAgent Case

[rgsrose]

Hi Guys,

Much thanks for help; really appreciate it.
I had trouble appending to my original Post (will blame it on old age now) so
will start a new Post. Hope this doesn't violate and Group protocols.
( Please refer back to it for my original concerns)

a. I thought also that the thin silver strip might be a light, but no light ever came out of the case to show when on. Of course, the light may have been defective ?

What do you think about the possibility of it being a thermal sensor ?

The numbers on the strip are: 8051 and 6000000010EE

b. The label on the bottom of the plastic case itself says:
Seagate FreeAgent Desktop
750 GB P/N 9NK2A6-510

c. I am not really familiar with SATA connectors.
Was very surprised to see just how thin and small they really are on the
drive board.

I want to be sure that I buy the right cable(s) to connect from these SATA connectors to a USB plug that will plug into my regular PC's USB Port.

Question: Are these likely the "standard" SATA connectors ?
They sure are thin and small.

One connector has a multitude of small thin slots
(perhaps 16 or so), and the other one right next to it seems to
have about 7 or so slots (for the power ?).

BTW: if I get a SATA data cable, do I have to also power the HD thru the SATA power connector, or can I still use the dc wart/power-plug that normally powered the unit ?

Again, thanks so much for the help,
Bob

 

[Mike Tomlinson]

One connector has a multitude of small thin slots
(perhaps 16 or so)

That's the power connector

, and the other one right next to it seems to
have about 7 or so slots (for the power ?).

no, that's the data connector.

It seems unintuitive that the power connector should have more pins, but
that's the way it is.

BTW: if I get a SATA data cable, do I have to also power the HD thru the SATA
power connector
yes

, or can I still use the dc wart/power-plug that normally powered
the unit ?

yes, BUT if the drive also has the old-style Molex 4 pin power connector
(unlikely, it was common on early SATA drives) use that or the SATA
power connection - not both.

 

[SC Tom]

Hi Guys,

Much thanks for help; really appreciate it.
I had trouble appending to my original Post (will blame it on old age now)
so
will start a new Post. Hope this doesn't violate and Group protocols.
( Please refer back to it for my original concerns)

a. I thought also that the thin silver strip might be a light, but no
light ever came out of the case to show when on. Of course, the light may
have been defective ?

What do you think about the possibility of it being a thermal sensor ?

The numbers on the strip are: 8051 and 6000000010EE

b. The label on the bottom of the plastic case itself says:
Seagate FreeAgent Desktop
750 GB P/N 9NK2A6-510

c. I am not really familiar with SATA connectors.
Was very surprised to see just how thin and small they really are on the
drive board.

I want to be sure that I buy the right cable(s) to connect from these
SATA connectors to a USB plug that will plug into my regular PC's USB
Port.

Question: Are these likely the "standard" SATA connectors ?
They sure are thin and small.

One connector has a multitude of small thin slots
(perhaps 16 or so), and the other one right next to it seems
to
have about 7 or so slots (for the power ?).

BTW: if I get a SATA data cable, do I have to also power the HD thru the
SATA power connector, or can I still use the dc wart/power-plug that
normally powered the unit ?

Again, thanks so much for the help,
Bob

The 7-pin connector is data; the larger one is power.

Why did you take it apart (you haven't said in either post)? Is the
interface defective, but you're looking to use the drive anyhow as a USB
backup drive?
If so, there are a number of inexpensive devices that will allow you to do
just that. I have one of these that I use for various reasons:
<http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000VS4HDM/ref=wms_ohs_product>

That one has a SATA data connector and the power connector.

Here's another type of SATA connector with the power connector:
<http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...E16812186155&gclid=COf6i5-79LQCFQUFnQodhxQA7g>
Of course, you'd have to open your PC to access the PC's power connectors.

I'm not too sure how you'd use the FreeAgent's power to run the drive
without it being connected to the internal FreeAgent board. I doubt that
there's an adapter that would go from the wart to the drive without going
through the internal (case) connectors first.

I would have thought the strip was the status lights also, but I can't swear
to it. Does your case look like this one:
<http://www.buy.com/prod/seagate-fre...ve-seagate/204110102.html?listingId=243844792>

According to the video, the orange strip lights up when there's power to it.
Is that about where the strip is located?

 

[Franc Zabkar]

a. I thought also that the thin silver strip might be a light, but no light ever came out of the case to show when on. Of course, the light may have been defective ?

What do you think about the possibility of it being a thermal sensor ?

The numbers on the strip are: 8051 and 6000000010EE

The drive has its own internal thermal sensor. In any case thermal
sensors are usually very small, eg thermistors.

Instead I expect that it may be an LED bargraph display that indicates
the remaining capacity, in which case it may need to be activated by a
software driver. In your original post you stated that the wires
connect to the drive's PCB. Are you actually referring to the USB-SATA
bridge board, or to the PCB on the drive itself?

Does the case have any pushbuttons?

b. The label on the bottom of the plastic case itself says:
Seagate FreeAgent Desktop
750 GB P/N 9NK2A6-510

c. I am not really familiar with SATA connectors.
Was very surprised to see just how thin and small they really are on the
drive board.

The 7200.11 drive inside the case is just a regular desktop drive. It
uses standard SATA connectors.

Product Manual Barracuda 7200.11 Serial ATA:
http://www.seagate.com/staticfiles/support/disc/manuals/desktop/Barracuda 7200.11/100452348g.pdf

- Franc Zabkar