What site do you recommend for ordering an LT switch? The one i normaly uses wants $10 to ship them and the rest are in EU. So i was just looking for some different options before ordering.
Personally, I would get the Xtractor pro + Vampire or the CK3 + Probe2. Will save you a lot of time versus trying to solder the LT switch in. Once you have dumped the firmware, use a trace repair pen to fix your traces.
More and more people have been coming across these 9 series drives here, and thus far I've turned them away waiting for an easier solution, how simple are these methods? Is it still worth waiting a bit, or is this probably as easy as it's going to get?
All you have to do is cut the 2 traces, probe the 2 holes with the Vampire/Probe2, and then read the firmware. Once you have a good dump, repair the traces with a trace repair pen and you're done. I wrote a tutorial for it HERE. Pretty easy to do, was done in 30 minutes or so the first time. I admit, cutting into the PCB is a little bit intimidating, but once you do it, you will get the hang of it. Practice on some old PCBs first.
This may seem a silly question, but what might one use to make those cuts as safely as possible? Also, and recommendations where to get that pen you speak of inexpensively?
All you have to do is cut the copper connection. You can practice on dead PCBs to get the hang of it. You can get a refurbished Xtractor Pro for $30 and the Vampire is $15. If you have friends who need this done, you can easily make your money back. http://www.vgcrepairs.biz/zen_store/index.php?main_page=index&cPath=2_37
I already have a CK3 Pro, so I'd probably go the probe2 route so I'm not rebuying similar crap. Thanks for the advice though!
just build your own vamp probe http://hackingjungle.com/viewtopic.php?f=54&t=670&sid=4cf6637df46cb5896e52d98e6d4a9044
Which trace repair pen should I get ? Silver , nickel ? I am repairing traces manually now with solder and this would help me out load. I am still using the wire MRA method which takes about 1 hour per drive , my vampire is on order.
You can use an exacto knife (hobby knife) to cut the traces. I just solder. I made my own switch and use a fiberglass pen and trace pen. I use a multimeter to make sure my cuts are good. It takes about 15 minutes to prep a board. A little dab of hot glue is nice. Don't have to worry about snagging a wire and accidently ripping off a trace.
ok im so mad,i cut the traces etc did everything and my ck gets hot,looks like i messed up another board this is the 2nd one i have no luck with
