Why testing iPod Hard Disks is necessary

Many people are aware that iPods can be placed into Disk Mode for diagnostic purposes, but it is always not as apparent to determine the reasoning for testing these hard disks at a more fundamental level. In many cases, the hard disk of an iPod will be inaccessible via its interface to the PC or Mac. When an iPod hard disk cannot be accessed via the abstracted interface presented by the iPod and its hardware, it is necessary to access the disk directly. In theses cases, the hard disk must be removed from the iPod and connected directly to the IDE bus of an Intel based PC. At this level it is possible then to load a variety of commercial and public domain tools to test the drive at a hardware level, recover data from the disk, and prepare it for insertion back into the iPod.

Equipment for iPod Hard Disk Testing and Repair

Presently iPods use three types of storage–NAND Flash from Samsung, 1′ Microdrives in the CF + form factor from Hitachi and Seagate, and traditional 1.8′ drives from Toshiba. To test an iPod Hard Disk, it is necessary to remove it from the iPod and connect it to an IDE bus for the purpose of diagnostics. After evaluating several manufactures, eXpress Tech has chosen two products from Addonics to fill this need.

For the 1′ Microdrives, we purchased the Addonics IDE CF Adaper.

For 1.8′ Drives, we picked up the Toshiba 1.8″ to 2.5″ IDE connector, also from Addonics, with a 2.5′ hard drive kit to convert the 2.5′ connection to a standard 3.5′ IDE.

It is frivolous to engage in detailed testing of NAND Flash storage found in the iPod Nano as no repair is possible. This memory can be replaced only, as a direct solder to the iPod Nano mainboard. We are presently looking for a supplier. Here are the specfications.

Welcome to the iPod Repair and Recovery Blog

This is where I’ll be publishing details related to commercial iPod service, repair, and data recovery. The company I founded, eXpress Tech, is expanding into this market, and I’m choosing to share the details of our setup as it relates to equipment selection, testing and repair procedures, and the inevitable collection of technical knowledge.