WD20EARX is too green for its own good

  • Thread starter Thread starter Tom Del Rosso
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Tom Del Rosso

A WD20EARX is in a USB dock. If you run this batch file with a sleep delay
of 11 seconds, the Load Cycle Count increments every time. With 8 to 10
seconds, sometimes, and with 5 seconds it never increments.

@echo off
:loop
smartctl -a -d sat /dev/sdg |find /i "Load_Cycle_Count"
sleep %1
goto :loop

So I want to change the sleep timeout. I recall that the firmware update
wdidle3 was discussed in early September, but the utility is made for other
models.

If you use it on the wrong WD model does it safely abort, or make a brick?

This WD20EARX-00PASB0 drive is now connected with a USB dock. Does firmware
update require an internal connection?

I ask because this is also needed on some USB drives like WD20EADS-11R6B1
and WD20EARS-00MVWB0.

Is there a way to update those?

Ideally I wish it wasn't hard-coded, but I don't suppose you can make the
timeout even longer, can you?

And finally, what is the timeout on other brands?
 
Tom Del Rosso said:
A WD20EARX is in a USB dock. If you run this batch file with a sleep
delay of 11 seconds, the Load Cycle Count increments every time. With 8
to 10 seconds, sometimes, and with 5 seconds it never increments.
Click to expand...
@echo off
:loop
smartctl -a -d sat /dev/sdg |find /i "Load_Cycle_Count"
sleep %1
goto :loop
Click to expand...
So I want to change the sleep timeout. I recall that the firmware update
wdidle3 was discussed in early September, but the utility is made for
other models.
Click to expand...
If you use it on the wrong WD model does it safely abort, or make a brick?
Click to expand...

As discussed then, there is a strong warning on the WD page,
but the tool is not that specific. It just works on other,
sufficiently new WD models, so neither ;-)
This WD20EARX-00PASB0 drive is now connected with a USB dock. Does
firmware update require an internal connection?
Click to expand...

Why would you want to do a firmware upgrade? wdidle3 just
sets a parameter.
I ask because this is also needed on some USB drives like WD20EADS-11R6B1
and WD20EARS-00MVWB0.
Click to expand...
Is there a way to update those?
Click to expand...

wdidle3? You can also use the Linux port somebody made of wdidle3:
http://idle3-tools.sourceforge.net/
There is also more info on what command is used on that page.
Ideally I wish it wasn't hard-coded, but I don't suppose you can make the
timeout even longer, can you?
Click to expand...
And finally, what is the timeout on other brands?
Click to expand...

Depends on what was set for the specific disk. This is not
really model-specific, but usage specific.

Arno
 
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