Broken plastic from SATA connector

[wongnog]

Okay I made a big boo-boo the other day and broke the plastic around the SATA connector of my 1Gb Seagate 7200.12 drive. Luckily the pins were still intact and my motherboard came with latching SATA cables which made the drive still readable. I immediately backed up the drive and am wondering if the drive is still salvageable, i.e. should I try gluing the plastic bit back on? I have already submitted a warranty claim through Seagate but today I found their page of warranty void items and one of them is broken PCB around SATA connector.
http://www.seagate.com/ww/v/index.j...toid=14de3804f3333210VgnVCM1000001a48090aRCRD

Here's a picture of the damage. How careful do I need to be with the glue, is it okay to apply glue to the side of the plastic which is in contact with the pins in order to secure it in place, or can I only put the glue at the then edge?

 

[C1]

Thought I saw a post some time back about a cable with special connector end to use when this happens. Probably was on this site too. There's a good chance someone will respond and include a suitable link to the needed part.

Try these:

http://www.pcguide.com/vb/showthread.php?t=77205

http://forums.techguy.org/hardware/508277-sata-hard-drive-connector-broken.html

http://www.newegg.com/product/produc...82E16812123107

http://nwgat.wordpress.com/2008/11/11/broken-plastic-connector-on-harddrive-fix/

 

[wongnog]

Actually I was doing some web searching and came across a thread which shows a piece which combines the SATA power and data cables into one connection, thus giving a more snug fit. Only $4 at dealxtreme, I just thought I'd try the free at home glue option first. Once I hear back from Seagate that is if my warranty claim is actually void or not.
http://www.dealextreme.com/p/sata-power-cord-40cm-9283?r=47908780

 

[Jtorrespr1]

yeap your warranty is gone, if you can check to see if you can get a dead drive or something and swith the tabs that might work for your drive. I know I did it to a raptor out of warranty and the drive work fine.

 

[corkyg]

I have never understood how anyone can use a warranty to cover self-inflicted damage - not fair wear and tear. Fix it and move on.

 

[bryanl]

The connector is made of polyester, a plastic that can't be glued very strongly, but super glue (cyanoacrylate) may work adequately, especially if MEK primer is first applied to the surfaces. MEK is included with super glue kits made for reattaching automotive rearview mirrors to windshields. Practice fitting and holding the pieces together with tweezers since super glue works much better when the fit is very good and is made quickly. I would even practice applying the glue to similar broken parts. If you make a mistake, it's possible that the usual super glue remover, acetone, can't be used since it may damage polyester. Let the repair cure a full 24 hours before reuse.

Before attempting repair, you may want to check your credit card's warranty policy since many include 90 days of coverage against theft and accidental damage. I'd normally agree about self-inflicted damage being the user's responsibility, but these SATA drive connectors are made of brittle polyester, and manufacturers really should switch to nylon. I don't know why Seagate won't cover such damage when Antec, whose cases have front USB ports also made of polyester, gladly replaces broken ones free.

 

[wongnog]

update: Well, colour me surprised! I called Seagate support to confirm if the RMA request I submitted is valid and they assured me that yes, physical damage of this sort is still covered under warranty. She said they replace damage like this all the time, such as external drives where the usb plug has been pushed inside the enclosure. The only time it would not be is if I unscrewed the drive or tried to open it up. So I'm glad I didn't try and glue the piece back on yet! I pay for $10 advanced RMA which means they UPS a replacement to me first and then I ship my defective drive back using their prepaid shipping label. So fingers crossed that all works out and they don't end up charging my credit card for the full replacement drive (it says in my order they will if they don't receive my damaged drive within 25 days).

 

[Cr0nJ0b]

I'm glad to hear that Seagate covered this. I had this happen to a Hitachi drive and they replaced it as well. Some of the connectors are a lot more fragile than others. Personally I'm surprised that in the later SATA specs that they didn't require 4 sided connectors. the old connector on a tab is just insane for someone like me who is plugging and unplugging stuff all of the time.