Broken USB input on Lacie Rugged

bpk101

I have a 1TB Lacie Rugged Mini with USB 3.0 connection.

I was carrying the hard drive in my bag with the USB cable still plugged in and it bent the USB input socket slightly on the harddrive... the only way i can describe it is it sort of widened the USB input hole a bit.

I've been able to make the drive connect with my MacBook occasionally by teasing the cable and finding the sweet spot where it still connects (just about) but i think the input has finally got too big and given up on me.

Given the drive still works and it's just the input that needs replacing, can this be done? If so where?

Alternatively, where could i go to get the contents retrieved without it costing the earth?

Thanks.

spadoosh

How steady are your hands?

Id guess youve broken a solder connection. A touch of solder on the brake should fix it. Anyone with a soldering iron should be willing to have a look at it for you.

bpk101

It's actually the metal outer sleeve of the USB 3 input that's been bent so it doesn't quite hold the cable in place.

I'd rather not attempt it myself in case i lose all the data (last back-up was a month ago ).

spadoosh

Take it to a computer shop.

Head_The_Ball

bpk101 wrote: »

It's actually the metal outer sleeve of the USB 3 input that's been bent so it doesn't quite hold the cable in place.

I'd rather not attempt it myself in case i lose all the data (last back-up was a month ago ).

Don't worry too much.

I'm not familiar with the Lacie Rugged Mini but that type of portable hard drive is almost certainly just a SATA drive and an interface circuit board inside a rugged caddy.

You should be able to access the data by opening up the unit, removing the hard drive by detaching it from the interface board with the now damaged USB socket and fitting it into another caddy.

You can buy caddies for not much more than a few pounds for a basic non ruggedised model.

My advice is to buy a suitable caddy (SATA 3 if that is what the disk is) and transfer the disk. That will be cheaper than paying for a solder repair or going to a computer shop.

It is an easy DIY job. Just avoid touching any of the exposed electronics on the disk. Hold the disk by the casing edges.

PS: You might be able to buy a new interface board and swap that for the board with the damaged USB socket. Google or search eBay, Amazon, etc.

bpk101

Perfect solution thanks, i'll do just that!

grumpycrab

bpk101 wrote: »

Perfect solution thanks, i'll do just that!

Assuming that means openning it up (as opposed to taking to a shop), look on Youtube for a "disassembly" video.