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UltravioletPhotography

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Today I chanced across my old, failed harddrive, which I had set aside in order to take some photos, and decided to give it a go. I used my usual cameras:

  • VIS: Canon EOS 5DSR
  • IR: Canon EOS 6D, converted to 700 nm
  • FS+UV: Canon EOS 6D, converted to full-spectrum

As lens I used the EL-Nikkor 80mm f/5.6, set at f/16 throughout.

 

Most of the photos are at ISO 100, only the UVIIRF is at ISO 800, and the UV with UV-LED is at ISO 200. For the UVIIRF I still had to use 30s as exposure time.

 

As is evident from the shadows, I didn't put the torches or the flash on a tripod but handheld them, so the angles are not completely the same, which I don't expect to make any real differences. What do you think? I find it interesting how the circuit paths appear and disappear, and I'll definitely have to check out the glowing bits in the UVIIRF.

 

First, VIS-camera, room lights (Standard Osram LEDs with 2700 K) for lighting:

 

post-176-0-57007600-1614888790.jpg

 

Next, VIS-camera, Nemo-torch (365nm):

 

post-176-0-27417400-1614888925.jpg:

 

FS-camera, without filters, room-lighting (Standard Osram LEDs with 2700 K):

 

post-176-0-42074900-1614888969.jpg

 

FS-camera, without filters, full-spectrum flash (Yongnuo VN560III with the cover removed):

 

post-176-0-12329600-1614889046.jpg

 

FS-camera, without filters, Nemo-torch (365nm):

 

post-176-0-79711100-1614889124.jpg

 

FS-camera, UV-filter by Makario, full-spectrum flash(Yongnuo VN560III with the cover removed):

 

post-176-0-21511100-1614889195.jpg

 

FS-camera, UV-filter by Makario, Nemo-torch (365nm):

 

post-176-0-56133500-1614889223.jpg

 

IR-camera, room-lighting (Standard Osram LEDs with 2700 K):

 

post-176-0-47961400-1614889258.jpg

 

IR-camera, full-spectrum flash (Yongnuo VN560III with the cover removed):

 

post-176-0-89379600-1614889285.jpg

 

IR-camera, Nemo-torch (365nm):

 

post-176-0-43053000-1614889324.jpg

 

IR-camera, LED-torch 850nm:

 

post-176-0-64261000-1614889350.jpg

 

IR-camera, LED-torch 940nm:

 

post-176-0-55526500-1614889370.jpg

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Andy Perrin
It would be interesting to see this in transmission, with the light behind the board. Particularly in IR...
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Interesting effects with the different lighting. What was the room light please ?

 

Standard Osram LEDs with 2700 K.

 

It would be interesting to see this in transmission, with the light behind the board. Particularly in IR...

 

I'll try it tonight. Do you expect the board to be transparent in IR?

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Thanks Stephan

 

I edited the original post and added the info.

 

StephanN, not fully transparent, just translucent. Might look cool though.

 

We'll find out :smile:

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There will not be many areas that are even partially translucent on this board.

 

This is a multilayer design with an impedance optimised structure to allow fast signals traveling over the board.

Just below the top layer there is a ground plane of copper that is filling almost all the area except at the edges.

 

This is most visible in the image "IR-camera, room-lighting:"

 

Just below the ground plane there is likely a similar copper plane for power distribution.

 

There will be some small openings in these planes around the via-holes connecting the top layer with layers further down.

I can see four curving high speed differential pair lines with slightly wider line width.

Two pairs to the slanted connection pattern to the drives read/write head assembly and two pairs to the SATA connector at the edge.

The two kinks on the upper head-pair lines are to equalise the line length difference in each pair.

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There will not be many areas that are even partially translucent on this board.

 

Do you have any idea what the glowing bit in the IR with Nemo might be? Just above the left bug, erh CPU or whatever, looks like a small LED, but can't be, I suppose.

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My first guess was a tiny indication LED of some kind, as they often have plastic materials with fluorescence but then I saw four more differently shaped components that also have UVIIRF

It is impossible to tell what they are, at least with this low resolution images and I think it is mainly that some of the materials used making them has fluorescence.

The left "bug" is likely controlling the linear motor for the movement of the head assembly via the four pole spring connector near the bottom center hole.

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Jeez, they are getting very fancy now.

They are!

The most advanced design I have heard about around my work mates is a 14-layer design.

My own designs has so far just needed up to eight layers.

 

An interesting thing to look at when taking a harddrive apart is the details in the head assembly including the flexible circuit-board.

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My first guess was a tiny indication LED of some kind, as they often have plastic materials with fluorescence but then I saw four more differently shaped components that also have UVIIRF It is impossible to tell what they are, at least with this low resolution images and I think it is mainly that some of the materials used making them has fluorescence. The left "bug" is likely controlling the linear motor for the movement of the head assembly via the four pole spring connector near the bottom center hole.

 

I see, thanks. I'll try to get closer with some extension tubes or dedicated macro-lens. As it's IR, it ought work with most lenses :smile:

 

An interesting thing to look at when taking a harddrive apart is the details in the head assembly including the flexible circuit-board.

 

I do intend to take more photos when I continue dismantling the drive, so hopefully more to come in the next weeks.

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I see, thanks. I'll try to get closer with some extension tubes or dedicated macro-lens. As it's IR, it ought work with most lenses :smile:

 

 

 

I do intend to take more photos when I continue dismantling the drive, so hopefully more to come in the next weeks.

 

Looking forward to seeing that.

 

The strong arc-shaped magnets in the linear head motor can be useful to harvest.

If you need to have a very flat surface at hand the actual magnetic disc-platters are nice to have.

(ideas from the hoarder of technical junk)

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So, I went back to my board, in order to take a look at the glowing bits :smile:

 

The horizontal photos were taken with the Canon MP-E65mm, full extension plus one extension tube, monted on a macro-rail. If somebody wants to work out the magnification, the small bug is about 9mm square (my result is 1:5.7). Cameras were the same two used for VIS and IR in the original photos. For the backlit photos I used the EL-Nikkor 80 f/5.6 again.

 

First, here's a crop of the original photo, where I've labelled the five most prominent glow-stars, obviously from 1 to 5.

 

post-176-0-44836600-1614975540.jpg

 

Next, all the numbers, first VIS, then IR:

 

No.1

post-176-0-31436300-1614975898.jpg

post-176-0-40562200-1614975916.jpg

 

No.2

post-176-0-18133500-1614975949.jpg

post-176-0-00494100-1614975967.jpg

 

No.3

post-176-0-78553000-1614975991.jpg

post-176-0-24146400-1614976010.jpg

 

No.4

post-176-0-02052800-1614976030.jpg

post-176-0-72996700-1614976040.jpg

 

No.5

post-176-0-16775200-1614976058.jpg

post-176-0-14767400-1614976067.jpg

 

And two photos where I shone a torch at the backside of the board, first 850nm and then 940nm. So, in terms of transparency or translucency, there are plenty of holes and the bit around the edges. Don't read too much into the different intensity of light coming through the holes, that's just me not being far enough away from the board to achieve parallel rays.But perhaps I ought to show a crop of the board to some astrologer asking for my future to be told :rolleyes:

 

post-176-0-69767700-1614976213.jpg

 

post-176-0-85501800-1614976226.jpg

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No. 1 and 4 are low ohmic resistors of 75mΩ and 470mΩ with an odd wide shape that is both good for producing and connecting such components.

The shape is also giving it a lower inductance that is good for high speed applications. Such components are typically used as measurement shunts to monitor current-flow.

The IR-fluorescence is not something mentioned in a datasheet and is purely accidental, due to used materials. That seems true for all of these components.

 

No. 2 and 3 are ceramic capacitors with different materials than the more usual nougat-coloured ones. The black components of the same shape are resistors.

 

The last one, No. 5 is difficult to tell what it is

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The IR-fluorescence is not something mentioned in a datasheet and is purely accidental, due to used materials. That seems true for all of these components.

 

Thanks, interesting. So no chance of using the fluorescence for the detection of fake components then :wink:

 

The last one, No. 5 is difficult to tell what it is

 

It appears to have three connections, and with a bit of imagination the labelling could mean "p.0", a transistor perhaps?

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It appears to have three connections, and with a bit of imagination the labelling could mean "p.0", a transistor perhaps?

No, I think that is just two connections, but with different shape to indicate a correct orientation.

It could have been a diode or a TVS-transient suppressor, but it is difficult to tell. Also the copper lines to the component looks thin, but there could be hidden via holes under the component

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