head swap tool kit

LarrySabo

Member
I see they have added the following since I bought mine from DFL for $195 USD. The only one I really miss is the SX2 3: for the Seagate Samsung ST2000LM003. Heat shrink tubing worked well enough in that case.
Newly added Head combs April 11, 2016:

W3 5: WD 6TB HDD head comb, 3.5″ HDDs, 5 platters 10 heads;
HU2 2: 2.5″ Hitachi SAS hdds, 2 platters.

Newly added On Jan.27 2016 For Fujitsu SAS Laptop Hard Drive
FUS 2 2: Fujitsu SAS 2.5″ HDD, 2 platters, 4 heads (S26361-F4006-L114 )

Newly added for Samsung Seagate Drive:

SX2 3: Seagate Samsung 2.5″ HDD, 3 platters, ST2000lm003 2tb laptop drive;

Newly Added For Seagate SAS 2.5 Drives

SST 2 1: SAS 2.5″ hdd, 1 platter;
SST 2 2: SAS 2.5″ hdd, 2 platters;
SST 2 3: SAS 2.5″ hdd, 3 platters
 
pclab":9ekqjlaq said:
Today I got a head swap toolkit I had bought from ebay: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/272312509203? ... Tags=bu=bu

Seems pretty great so far.
One thing I found out for now: the letters can badly be seen, I had to pass a marker on them to see the letters well.

Tomorrow I will make some tests with it.

Hi ,
Just a Small Update Needed From You According To My Brain You Need 2 Complete Units As You Work On 1 Set [ 2 Drives ] or they are giving in sets
 

LarrySabo

Member
These should perhaps be called, "Not a great head comb suite."

I just ruined a $250 USD donor's heads doing a head swap on a ST2000DM001. What happened was, the ST3-3 (2) comb would not fit because the pivot pin was just too tight a fit, causing it to break off. I decided to use my Level 1 combs (#123) as an alternative and they worked fine.

When I powered up the drive, there was a loud clunk and spin-down. I opened the drive, removed and examined the heads and that's when I found the broken-off pivot pin stuck in the hole between the top two actuator arms. By being there, it blocked the heads from rotating over the platters. I pushed it out and re-mounted the heads but somewhere during the process or removal and re-installation, I managed to damage head #1. If that pin had not been stuck in there, there would not have been a problem; everything else went smoothly. (I even practiced a head swap on a ST3000DM001 beforehand, and the HDDScan read speeds afterwards were better than originally, as often is the case.)

All this just to caution everyone using DFL's head combs suite # 2: be very careful that you don't break off the pivot pin, and if you do, be sure to locate and remove it before proceeding.

I've offered to refund the customer's pre-payment so she can take the case elsewhere, and she just replied she will take it and ask Seagate what they can do for her. Not a great day! :(
 
LarrySabo":33zuehta said:
These should perhaps be called, "Not a great head comb suite."

I just ruined a $250 USD donor's heads doing a head swap on a ST2000DM001. What happened was, the ST3-3 (2) comb would not fit because the pivot pin was just too tight a fit, causing it to break off. I decided to use my Level 1 combs (#123) as an alternative and they worked fine.

When I powered up the drive, there was a loud clunk and spin-down. I opened the drive, removed and examined the heads and that's when I found the broken-off pivot pin stuck in the hole between the top two actuator arms. By being there, it blocked the heads from rotating over the platters. I pushed it out and re-mounted the heads but somewhere during the process or removal and re-installation, I managed to damage head #1. If that pin had not been stuck in there, there would not have been a problem; everything else went smoothly. (I even practiced a head swap on a ST3000DM001 beforehand, and the HDDScan read speeds afterwards were better than originally, as often is the case.)

All this just to caution everyone using DFL's head combs suite # 2: be very careful that you don't break off the pivot pin, and if you do, be sure to locate and remove it before proceeding.

I've offered to refund the customer's pre-payment so she can take the case elsewhere, and she just replied she will take it and ask Seagate what they can do for her. Not a great day! :(

Sir ,
DFL does not make this tool ,This tool is made by some chinese company and these fellows take it from them .I read your answer but could not understand it .Can you please post a picture and explain what happened .As fas as i am concerned seagate recoveries are not too great in lab .Most of the head swaps i do are Grade A but These Drives Are Grade D .I just manage to read the drive SA ,Start MFT Cloning And As Soon As i start Cloning the heads die ,Might Be Its Bad Luck and i am getting media damaged seagate .
 

LarrySabo

Member
Hi Amarbir,

Do you have the Suite 2 combs? If so, see how thin the pin is that fits into the HSA, to act as a pivot so you can rotate the comb and have the teeth enter between the arms at just the right distance from the slider. When the pin breaks off and is left between the top two arms, it prevents the heads from rotating over the platters -- the platters would normally slide between the arms as the head rotates over the platters. I'll have to make a sketch or take pictures and post them later.

My plan is to replace the now-missing pin with a thin nail epoxied into place, so I don't waste that head comb. They were way over-priced and only came with one comb instead of in pairs, as you know.
 

Blizzard

Member
Larry, I can't figure out how it went in tight enough to break off. It should drop in, if you have to use force then it would bend the HSA. I have this set but I don't use the Seagate 3.5". I did check mine though and it does not bind.
 
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