The power supply/ data transfer slot of my old WD Elements external HDD broke off

[TheCatWithAHat]

Hi guys,

I have an old WD Elements Portable, External Hard Drive (1.5TB - USB 3.0 - WDBU6Y0015BBK-WESN) from 2019, but the outer circuit board slot is broken. I wasn't able to find the same model used.
Now I have two questions:

1. Could it work if I find a circuit board that fits my external HDD even if it hasn't the exact model number?
2. Is there a workaround for the slot on the hdd (marked on the pictures)?


Thanks alot

[TheCatWithAHat]

Oops, the pictures here are quite big.
Anyway, I was thinking of using the yellow marked slot on the HDD somehow, but without a circuit board with a bios the hdd won't be recognized or?

[Ned Seagoon]

I doubt the solution is to use a different model circuit board, however if the only damage to the existing board is the longitudinal crack behind the sockets it may be reparable. Soldering some stout copper wire in several places across the break together with a bead of glue along the crack on the other side, may do the trick.

Good luck.

[Ensign Tzap]

Originally Posted by Ned Seagoon

I doubt the solution is to use a different model circuit board, however if the only damage to the existing board is the longitudinal crack behind the sockets it may be reparable. Soldering some stout copper wire in several places across the break together with a bead of glue along the crack on the other side, may do the trick.

Good luck.

I agree with Ned.

Switching out the controller board for a working one, won't work.
The drive platters, and the controller board's ROM have a identical digital signature.
If they don't match, then it won't read the data on drive platters.

Repairing the controller board, would be VERY HARD!
The Printed Circuit Board {PCB} is multi-layered.
You need special tools to get at the copper traces.
Then carefully bridge the breaks in the copper traces with solder.

I've repaired Double Sided PCB's, and even that was no picnic!

If you have backups of the data on this hard drive.
Stop messing with it, and just write it off as a loss, and send it to the E-recycler.

Is the data on the drive important enough, to spend a few hundred dollars at a Data Recovery Service?

You have to decided that for yourself.


Signed: Ensign Tzap