dead jukebox? now what?

[tyrd]

My archos seems dead
the firmware screen appears (rockbox), the HD doesn't spin, then
ATA ERROR: -1
PRESS ON TO DEBUG

DEBUG
i see some info i cannot understand, including the last line:
ATA: master, 0x0

if you press off:
*PANIC*
ATA: -1


if tried with fresh batteries, and with the adapter, also connected to the pc.
but it's the same, the HD never starts, it never spins, never connects to the pc.

there's anything I can do? i could change the HD by my self if i was sure that's the only problem.
i don't mind the info in the HD, i have a backup.

i could send it to archos to have it repaired I suppose, that's something i don't like very much because it has the rockbox firmware screen, i flashed the bios, and I suppose that's something they might not like, I don't know if they'll repair it, I don't know what's their attitude towards rockbox OS and rockbox firmware.

any help? thanks.

[LinusN]

This is often caused by broken battery connectors.

http://www.rockbox.org/docs/repairbattery.html

[tyrd]

one of the lines of the debug says:

batt: 4.5V -1%

somehow it reads the battery, would that happen if the connectors were loose?
I don't know, but I don't think so.

[LinusN]

If you have a broken battery connector, the voltage will still look OK, but it can't deliver enough current when the drive wants to spin up.

[tyrd]

i've opened it, the connectors seem fine, I could reheat them anyway, or try to sold them again, but those two wired connections seems perfect:



those are the ground wires, they're connected to the case of the hd and my polymeter agrees.
I've followed the positive and it reaches without problems the inputs of a transistor in the pcb.

any other connection i could check? i don't see any other.

I'm a newbie but I can't find anything wrong. maybe the hd is broken.


now this is better, if I finally send it to archos, they're going to find the warranty seal removed, archos firmware... they'll love it, I may send it dissasembled anyway.

[LinusN]

It's not the wires that are the problem, it is the tabs that connects the small PCB to the chassis. Try to bend the small PCB outwards to see if it is loose or not.