Date   : Tue, 14 Dec 2010 23:26:16 +0000
From   : afra@... (Phill Harvey-Smith)
Subject: Harddisc fakery using a microcontroller

On 14/12/2010 22:32, John Kortink wrote:
>
> On Tue, 14 Dec 2010 21:05:13 +0000, Wookie<bbcmicro@...>
> wrote:
>> What do these "transil's" look like ?
>
> Like this :
>
> http://uk.farnell.com/jsp/search/productdetail.jsp?SKU=1578892
>
> (see technical datasheet for a more telling picture)

Ahh so a diode where a low reverse voltage causes it to act like a fuse :)

>> and are they on the data lines as well ?
>
> I don't think so. It would be hard to get excessive
> voltages on anything but the power lines.
>
>> Ages ago was using a 3.5" to 2.5" cable to connect a laptop IDE drive to
>> a desktop machine and like a idiot I plugged the cable into the laptop
>> drive upside down and sent the power into the data pins, bingo one dead
>> drive.

Humm unless reversing it put the 5V across the GND and data lines the 
wrong way round I woudn't have thought that would have killed it, after 
all the data lines normally operate at 5V....though I also guess without 
5V connected in the propper place you might have had excessive current 
which may well have smoked something.....

> That's very similar to what I did ... %-(

Heheh I guess we can all tell tails like that I'm sure I've recounted 
the 'I didn't know this 286 board had a power LED......oh S**T that's 
not a LED it's a flame !' story :( :( :(

Cheers.

Phill.

-- 
Phill Harvey-Smith, Programmer, Hardware hacker, and general eccentric !

"You can twist perceptions, but reality won't budge" -- Rush.