st2000lm007 Donor Quest

[Nick Tech]

Hello new to this forum and basically running into all sorts of issues finding donors for st2000lm007's and st2000lm0035's. Donor Drives has basically nothing and ebay is definitely hit or miss. Any other places to get these models? Im almost coming to the assumption that I have to buy these bulk boxes and hunt for them like old baseball cards. I found a few that are more 6 months apart but not sure if its worth the risk ($$$) to even try them?

currently i need a match for a 1r8174-568 april2019 zdz

Im assuming there are some matches that fall outside of exact part numbers and dates which I'm sure comes out of experience and testing

Thanks for any insights, other then send me the drive for recovery I have them all. haha.

 

[eastcoast]

Ebay is usually where I go.

But I will always have 4 or so in stock of the 1TB/2TB so that I can check the Pre-Amp is compatible (with PC3K).

Sometimes different serials and manufacture dates don't matter that much as I've had drives made years apart that are compatible.

On the Rosewood drives, i usually find after 4 years of dealing with them, getting donors is one thing. I usually check the preamp CTRL-L in the terminal. The the swap of the heads is still super challenging, and I've done over 75-100 of them.

I am assuming you have some experience with swapping heads and have a PC3K or MRT, a laminar air machine and head tools for handling these drives.

Hate to put a downer on it, but if you have none of the above or have no experience I would say you will struggle or the chance of success is going to be super slim.

 

[eastcoast]

Hi Nick,
Definitely try to buy a few that are just Seagate 2TB Slim portables and shuck them out. They will mostly be Rosewoods. It will be cheaper than buying an exact matching one that someone has stripped out. With so many Seagates out there, they will come in handy.

I had another Rosewood case this morning which on inspecting the heads was a totally impossible case. Dust on all sliders.
The inspection I'd say on the heads is a must on these drives. No point putting in a donor set unless the old heads are clean so as not to waste the donor which we know can get pricey, especially as you may need more than one swap that happens sometimes.

 

[eastcoast]

I have a small lab that grew from a Computer Repair Business. Well, as a business I can see their point (ACE) that they wouldn't want to help unless you are a paid up member of TS, but on the other hand the equipment is super expensive so a little more forthcoming sharing on the forum would be good, but possibly dangerous in the wrong hands. That discussion is probably best done elsewhere and at another time.