Hitachi Travelstar User manual

1
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
The Hitachi Travelstar
Laptops are quickly overtaking desktops as the computer of choice. The heart of any
laptop, meanwhile, is its hard drive. Explore this image gallery to see how one of the
world's most popular mobile hard disks (the Hitachi Travelstar) is put together to power
countless laptops. You'll gain a new perspective on the main component powering all
those notebooks you see the next time you frequent the local coffeehouse.
The Hitachi Travelstar mobile hard disk. This model sported a 5400rpm motor, ATA
interface and 40GB of data storage.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
Removing the hard drive cage

2
This particular Hitachi Travelstar was removed from a Dell Inspiron laptop.
Several Philips screws (one of which is shown here at the top left corner) must be
removed to free the Hitachi hard disk from the silver hard disk assembly used to hold the
hard drive securely within the Dell Inspiron's hard disk bay.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
The hard disk cage

3
This silver cage, perforated to encourage cooling airflow, holds the hard disk securely
within the Dell's hard disk bay.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
Hard disk cage removed

4
Once the hard disk cage's screws are removed, the assembly falls free from the Hitachi
hard drive. The Hitachi's circuit board, shown here on the right, is then revealed.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
Disassembling the Hitachi Travelstar

5
To continue disassembling the Hitachi Travelstar, next several small Torx screws must be
removed. So, too, must the drive's label.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
Disassembling the Hitachi Travelstar

6
The hard disk's label must be removed to reveal a seventh hidden Torx screw. Once this
last Torx screw is eliminated, the cover freely opens.
It should be noted, of course, that removing the label (even if the screw behind the label
remains) voids the manufacturer's warranty.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
Inside the Hitachi Travelstar

7
Once the seven Torx screws are removed, the drive's front cover (now shown on the left)
easily slips away.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
Inside the Hitachi Travelstar Hard Disk

8
Removing the cover reveals the actual Hitachi hard disk platter (the large silver mirror-
like disk), actuator arm (whose arm begins at approximately the 7 o'clock position in this
image) and spindle motor (the silver circle in the center). Meanwhile, the actuator arm
mechanism, which is responsible for controlling and moving the actuator arm, is the
silver metallic assembly in the bottom left corner.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
The Hitachi hard drive cover

9
Here's a close up of the underside of the Hitachi hard drive's front cover.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
The actuator arm

10
Here you can see the Hitachi Travelstar actuator arm, controller assembly and circuit
board. The actual hard disk head, which is responsible for reading and writing data, sits at
the very tip of the actuator arm.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
The Travelstar read/write head
In this closeup of the Travelstar's actuator arm, you can see the read/write head that sits at
the arm's tip. The head, of course, is responsible for reading and writing data to the
Travelstar's hard disk platter.
Cracking open a laptop hard drive
The Hitachi Travelstar, minus actuator