Recovering Data from Flash Disk

[[email protected]]

Hello,

A friend of mine has given me his USB flash disk, containing some
important documents he would like to recover. The flash disk was not
being recognized on insert.

I took out the cover and there are marks of something that appears
burnt on a chip made by Chipsbank - it is the controller chip.

I would like to know if a darker color on the dot in the bottom corner
of the chip (the orientation marking) - is indicative of a burnt chip.

The model of the controller chip is CBM1180 and it's serial is
B32095-2.

What steps should I make in order to verify that the chip is indeed
burnt?

Is there a tool I can use in order to remove the flash memory from the
damaged USB device, and from a working one, then replace the flash from
the non working USB device on the working USB controller?

How should I verify the capacity of the flash? It has 48 pins and there
is a marking on it saying
"MR-FLASH
A0542HS28SI"

Would it make a difference if I solder it to a controller board
designed for a chip with a different capacity?

Your help is greatly appreciated.

With Kind Regards,
Avri Schneider

 

[quietguy]

You don't think trying to recover the data with some of the Flash Drive
repair tools is worthwhile? Or perhaps you have tried that already

David - who fixed his flash drive with those free tools

 

[[email protected]]

These tools will only work if the device is recognized by the PC - I
believe the USB controller chip is burnt, so you can't really use any
software tools.

I hope it is only the controller chip (or any other component) that is
burnt, and not the flash chip itself.

Thanks for the reply though...

Regards,

 

[**THE-RFI-EMI-GUY**]

Why don't you find an exact replacement flash drive and solder the flash
chip onto the good board?

These tools will only work if the device is recognized by the PC - I
believe the USB controller chip is burnt, so you can't really use any
software tools.

I hope it is only the controller chip (or any other component) that is
burnt, and not the flash chip itself.

Thanks for the reply though...

Regards,
Avri
quietguy wrote:

--
Joe Leikhim K4SAT
"The RFI-EMI-GUY"©

"Treason doth never prosper: what's the reason?
For if it prosper, none dare call it treason."

"Follow The Money" ;-P

 

[quietguy]

Yeh? Maybe my memory is slipping (again!) but as I recallthe problem for me
was that suddenly theWindows box refused to acknowledge that myflash drive
wasplugged in, but....

anyway good luck

David

 

[[email protected]]

That's exactly what I want to do - how do I do that?

Thanks,
Avri

 

[[email protected]]

Really? Which software tool did you use to recover?
How did IT recognize the USB device?

Regards,

 

[David Nebenzahl]

[email protected] spake thus:

Really? Which software tool did you use to recover?
How did IT recognize the USB device?

Answer: it didn't.

No software tool can overcome basic hardware problems like this. If the
system can't talk to the device, there's no way the software can
magically overcome this.

The software is there to handle formatting (i.e., scrambled file
systems, etc.) kind of problems.


--
Just as McDonald's is where you go when you're hungry but don't really
care about the quality of your food, Wikipedia is where you go when
you're curious but don't really care about the quality of your knowledge.

- Matthew White's WikiWatch (http://users.erols.com/mwhite28/wikiwoo.htm)

 

[Homer J Simpson]

I hope it is only the controller chip (or any other component) that is
burnt, and not the flash chip itself.

I wouldn't assume anything was burnt until there was no other possibility.
It's the result you want least.


--
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
+ Required crap appended to avoid restrictions imposed by brain +
+ damaged idiots.
+
+ Server Response: '441 Posting Failed (Rejected by POST filter)', +
+ Port: 119, Secure(SSL): No, Server Error: 441,
+
+ Error Number: 0x800CCCA9
+
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++

 

[Michael Kennedy]

Take a soldering iorn and unsolder the flash on both units, then solder the
flash chip you want to recover onto the new flash drive's board.

In short I highly doubt you have the soldering skills needed to do this. You
could learn, but it would still be very tricky.


That's exactly what I want to do - how do I do that?

Thanks,
Avri

 

[Baron]

Take a soldering iorn and unsolder the flash on both units, then
solder the flash chip you want to recover onto the new flash drive's
board.

In short I highly doubt you have the soldering skills needed to do
this. You could learn, but it would still be very tricky.


That's exactly what I want to do - how do I do that?

Thanks,
Avri

Without a hot air removal tool.... Almost impossible to remove damage
free ! Also the chip may be bonded to the pcb !

 

[Michael Black]

Without a hot air removal tool.... Almost impossible to remove damage
free ! Also the chip may be bonded to the pcb !

I once used a paint stripping gun to get some memory ICs off an odd
motherboard, and then put them on some SIMM boards that I'd taken
the 256K ram ICs off. It worked, though unfortunately those 1meg
SIMMs I made for my Mac Plus didn't refresh properly in that Mac
Plus, so the whole process was a waste. After it started crashing,
that's when I read that there'd be problems with that scenario because
the higher density ram I was using wasn't compatible with the Mac Plus.

Of course, when I did buy some 1meg SIMMs a bit later, I ended up
using that heat gun to reflow the solder connections on one of the
store bought SIMMs, because one was flakey.

Michael

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Without a hot air removal tool.... Almost impossible to remove damage
free ! Also the chip may be bonded to the pcb !

I used to change 288 pin CPU chips on embedded controller boards by
hand, while working under a stereo microscope. It takes a very steady
pair of hands, lots of practice, and really good tools, but it can be
done.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida

 

[Baron]

I used to change 288 pin CPU chips on embedded controller boards by
hand, while working under a stereo microscope. It takes a very steady
pair of hands, lots of practice, and really good tools, but it can be
done.

Without a doubt ! I never had the luxury of a microscope. <Envy>
The hot air kit cost an arm and a half, but it made the job ten times
easier to do ! From my point of view the component was usually dead
anyway ! It was more important to minimise board re-work damage.

 

[Michael A. Terrell]

Without a doubt ! I never had the luxury of a microscope. <Envy>
The hot air kit cost an arm and a half, but it made the job ten times
easier to do ! From my point of view the component was usually dead
anyway ! It was more important to minimise board re-work damage.

The microscope belonged to the company, but I swiped it from
production so often that they bought me one to use. I did my own rework
on PC boards that cost us over $8000 to assemble. I also forced them to
buy a 100 pound case of .015" Ersin rework solder. I got one of the
engineers to order a sample roll, and passed out a couple feet here, and
a couple feet there. Soon, every assembler, rework worker, and tech was
demanding a roll. ;-)

The ICs I was reworking cost us up to $80 each, in large quantities.
I would inspect a board before I tested it, do any rework it needed,
then run the 20 to 30 page test procedure.


--
Service to my country? Been there, Done that, and I've got my DD214 to
prove it.
Member of DAV #85.

Michael A. Terrell
Central Florida