Current Monitoring for the DeepSpar Disk Imager.


The most common issues that can be identified using this function (and relatively easily fixed) are as follows:

  • Power Circuitries Failure, e.g. failed fuse or power converter chipset;
  • Motor Seizure or Heads Sticking to Disk Platters, i.e. a mechanical issue preventing the drive from spinning up.

Some other failures, such as a failed motor controller chipset or a failed CPU, can also be identified. However, this may require some expertise being based on comparison of graphs taken from a failed drive with graphs from a good drive of the same family. This is because lower level diagnostic is drive specific.

In general, taking into account the fact that most of 3.5” drives consume 5V for CPU & voice coil actuator operation and 12V for motor related circuitries, it is possible to identify an area of the drive where the problem lies. Since all 2.5” drives consume 5V only, their diagnostic is a bit less functional, however common issues, such as the two failures mentioned above, are still easily identified.

The hardware upgrade option for the DDI will be sold separately either with a purchase of a new DDI or as an upgrade to your existing DDI. This upgrade will require soldering a current monitoring mini-PCB to the main PCB inside of the DDI’s enclosure and upgrading the DDI’s firmware using its USB port.

Here are some examples of Current Monitoring Graphs taken from various drives:


Spin-up graph of a good 3.5” drive.
Note: Motor spin-up current on 12V and CPU processing on 5V.

Spin-up graph of a good 2.5” drive.

Power circuitry failure, e.g. a burned fuse.
Note: Drive doesn’t spin. No power consumption on 5V and only “noise” on 12V.

Mechanical issue, such as a Motor Seizure or Heads Sticking to Disk Platters.
Note: Drive doesn’t spin. It is “trying” to spin-up (12V pulses),
but has some mechanical issue(s).

Motor controller failure.
Note: CPU consumes too much power on 5V (possibly due to intensive exception
processing) and motor controller consumes no power at all (only “noise”).

Motor windings failure or a motor controller short.
Note: Power circuitry short on 12V.