Toshiba donor boards · Explained
Toshiba Donor PCB Lookup: Which Toshiba Models Share a Circuit Board
A Toshiba hard drive's circuit board carries a board number, for example G003138A, and one board number can be listed with several Toshiba models. Here is how to look a model, HDD code, firmware or board number up in a list of 57 listings on 18 board numbers, and what a published listing does and does not tell you.
4.9 / 5915 reviews · Cleanroom lab (opens Google in a new tab)9 min read · Updated 2026-11-14
Quick answer
A Toshiba drive's board number is printed on its circuit board, apart from the model on the label. Recovery labs sometimes look for a spare board of the same kind, called a donor PCB, and published drive listings show which models were found with the same board number. A shared number is not an approval: the exact HDD code, the firmware, the heads and the drive's own ROM all matter too. Our list holds 57 listings of 27 models on 18 board numbers, and 16 newer enterprise models with no board number. Look up your drive below.
The short answer
What does a Toshiba board number tell you?
A Toshiba hard drive has two sets of numbers. The label names the drive: a model such as MQ01ABD100, an HDD code such as HDKBB96AYA01 S and a firmware version such as AA00/AX001U. The circuit board names itself. On our list, a board number starts with G or 0A.
A board carries part of the drive's own settings, so choosing one is a lab decision. Published drive listings record which board number was found on a drive with a given label, and this page collects 57 of them in one place. Where one board number is listed with several models, our list shows them side by side: G003138A is listed with MQ01ABD050, MQ01ABD064, MQ01ABD100 and MQ01ABD100V. It is not an answer for your drive. Of the 18 board numbers on our list, 7 are listed with more than one model, and 3 models are listed with two different boards.
This list was compiled for CBL, and it is not Toshiba documentation. Each listing is a drive label published with the board number found on that drive, and our list does not claim a bench test of any of them. Hard Drive Recovery covers what we do for a failed drive, and the Seagate SATA PCB Lookup does the same job for Seagate boards.
Look it up
Look up a Toshiba model or board
Type the model from your drive's label, its HDD code or firmware, or the board number printed on the board. The list covers 27 models on 18 board numbers, and 16 newer enterprise models that are listed without a board number.
Try
57 listings · 27 models · 18 board numbers · 16 enterprise models. A list compiled for CBL, last updated 14 Nov 2026. It is not an official Toshiba list, so treat a match as a pointer and read the number printed on your own board. See the full list. Spotted a mistake or a missing model? Tell us.
Step by step
How to read your drive's label and board
Step 1: Read the label
The label carries the model (it starts with MQ, MK, DT, HDW, MD or MG), the HDD code and the firmware. The HDD code starts with HDD, HDE or HDK and usually ends with one letter, S or T. For example MQ01ABD100, HDKBB96AYA01 S, AA00/AX001U. Type the model, or the whole HDD code with its letter.
Step 2: Find the board number
The circuit board is on the underside of the drive, and the board number is printed on it, for example G003138A. If the drive is inside a case or a computer and you cannot read the number without forcing anything, leave it. We read it for you in a free diagnosis.
Step 3: Look it up
Type the model, HDD code, firmware or board number into the box above. The first few characters are enough too, for example MQ04 or G0031. A model that is listed with two boards shows both.
Step 4: Read the other models with care
The answer also lists the other models found with that board number. That tells you which labels share a board, and nothing more. A lab still compares the exact HDD code, the firmware and the heads, and a listing is a pointer only.
Step 5: Know where the list stops
A model can be listed with two boards, so read the number on your own board and not only the model. The 16 newer enterprise models have no board number on our list. A drive that is not on the list may still be faulty: the list just does not cover it. Ask for a free diagnosis.
In the lab
Why a shared board number is not enough
When a Toshiba drive stops responding, a lab finds out whether the fault is in the board, the firmware or the heads. A shared board number answers only a small part of that question.
What a listing tells you
- Which board number published listings give for a Toshiba model, HDD code and firmware.
- Which other Toshiba models were found with the same board number.
- What a lab compares next: the whole board number, the HDD code with its last letter, the firmware and the drive's own ROM.
What it does not tell you
- That another drive's board is the right one for yours: a matching number is not proof, and the HDD code, the firmware and the drive's own settings have to agree as well.
- That the heads match: a shared board says nothing about how many heads a drive has or how they are set up.
- That your data can be read: the list says nothing about the condition of the heads or the platters.
Don't swap boards, move chips or open the drive yourself
Fitting another board, or moving a chip, can destroy the drive's own settings, and opening a drive outside a cleanroom destroys the data. Helium-sealed MG drives must never be opened outside suitable professional facilities. If your Toshiba drive clicks or is not detected, power it off and call us.
The whole list
Toshiba boards and their listings: the full list
The whole list is here. First the 18 board numbers with the 57 listings on them, then the 27 models with the board listed for each HDD code. After that come the 7 groups of drives with what a lab compares for each, the 16 enterprise models that have no board number, the one reported USB-board case and 11 notes. 512e and 4Kn are sector formats and SED means self-encrypting; head map, preamp, translator and adaptive data are explained in the FAQ. Use the box above to find one quickly.
18 board numbers and the models listed with each
0A90380
4 listingsG002439-0A
1 listingGroup: MK (older 2.5-inch)
G002587-0A
1 listingGroup: MK (older 2.5-inch)
G002641A
2 listingsGroup: MK (older 2.5-inch)
G002657A
1 listingGroup: MK (older 2.5-inch)
G002825A
2 listingsGroup: MK (older 2.5-inch)
G002872A
2 listingsGroup: MK (older 2.5-inch)
G003138A
8 listingsG003235B
1 listingGroup: MQ01ABD / MQ01ABF
G003235C
9 listingsG0064A
3 listingsG3686A
3 listingsGroup: MQ02 / MQ03
G3820A
1 listingGroup: MD06 / HDWE
G3918A
1 listingGroup: MQ02 / MQ03
G4311A
13 listingsG4348A
1 listingGroup: MD06 / HDWE
G5B001590000-A
1 listingGroup: MK (older 2.5-inch)
27 models and the board listed for each HDD code
Each line: HDD code, firmware, and the board it is listed with.
DT01ABA200
1 listing- HDKPJ09A0A01 S · AA00/BB0 → 0A90380
Hitachi-derived 3.5-inch · 3.5-inch SATA
DT01ACA100
2 listingsHitachi-derived 3.5-inch · 3.5-inch SATA
DT01ACA200
1 listing- HDKPC09A7A01 S · AB00/BS0 → 0A90380
Hitachi-derived 3.5-inch · 3.5-inch SATA
DT01ACA300
1 listing- HDKPC08A0A01 S · AA00/BB0 → 0A90380
Hitachi-derived 3.5-inch · 3.5-inch SATA
HDWD105
1 listing- HDKPC35AKA01 S · no firmware listed → 0A90377
Hitachi-derived 3.5-inch · 3.5-inch SATA
HDWD120
1 listing- HDKPC09AMA01 S · no firmware listed → 0A90380
Hitachi-derived 3.5-inch · 3.5-inch SATA
HDWE160
1 listing- HDETS10ZPA51 · FS2A → G3820A
3.5-inch SATA
MD06ACA800
1 listing- HDETV11GEA51 · 0603 → G4348A
3.5-inch SATA
MK1676GSX
2 listingsMK 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MK3261GSY
1 listing- HDD2F53 M UL01 T · A0/MC102E → G002872A
MK 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MK3261GSYN
1 listing- HDD2F23 C SL01 B · A0/MH000A → G002872A
MK 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MK3264GSY
1 listing- HDD2E67 S ZK01 T · A0/LH513A → G002587-0A
MK 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MK3265GSX
2 listingsMK 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MK5055GSX
1 listing- HDD2H21 D UL01 T · FG000D → G002439-0A
MK 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MK5055GSXN
1 listing- HDD2H28 B UL01 T · B0/GC002M → G002657A
MK 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MK8034GSX
1 listing- HDD2D38 F ZL02 S · A0/AH301H → G5B001590000-A
MK 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MQ01ABD050
1 listing- HDKEB03J0A01 T · AA00/AX0A1U → G003138A
MQ 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MQ01ABD064
1 listing- HDKBB99T3A02 T · AA21/AX0A4M → G003138A
MQ 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MQ01ABD100
11 listings- HDKBB96A1A01 T · AA00/AX001A → G003138A
- HDKBB96AYA01 S · AA00/AX001U → G003138A
- HDKBB96D0A02 S · AA10/AX002D → G003138A
- HDKBB96D0A02 T · AA10/AX002D → G003138A
- HDKBB96H0A01 S · AA00/AX001C → G003138A
- HDKEB98D2A01 T · AB00/AX0P2D → G003235C
- HDKEB98D2A02 T · AB00/AX0P2D → G003235C
- HDKGB13AYA01 S · AB00/AX101U → G003235C
- HDKGB13AYA31 T · AB00/AX101U → G003235C
- HDKGB13T5A01 S · AB31/AX1P4M → G003235C
- HDKGB20MAA02 T · no firmware listed → G003235C
MQ 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
Listed with 2 boards
Notes: MQ01ABD100: listed with two boards, HDKBB96D0A02 and HDKCB88R0A01: S and T on one board, G003138A: the reported case
MQ01ABD100V
1 listing- HDKBB96Z2A01 T · AA00/AX0U1Q → G003138A
MQ 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MQ01ABF032
1 listing- HDKCB07AZA01 T · AA00/AM001U → G003235C
MQ 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MQ01ABF050
3 listingsMQ02ABF075
1 listing- HDKCB52H0A01 T · AA00/DS001C → G3686A
MQ 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MQ02ABF100
2 listingsMQ 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MQ03ABB300
1 listing- HDKFB06AZA01 T · AA00/JP050U → G3918A
MQ 2.5-inch · 2.5-inch SATA
MQ04ABD200
2 listingsMQ04 2.5-inch, SMR · 2.5-inch SATA
Notes: MQ04ABF100: listed with two boards, MQ04: shingled (SMR) drives, MQ04 boards: not alike
MQ04ABF100
14 listings- HDKCB88A0A90 T · AAZ0/JUML27 → G4311A
- HDKCB88AZA01 T · AA00/JU000U → G4311A
- HDKCB88D0A01 T · AA00/JU000D → G4311A
- HDKCB88E1A01 T · AA01/JU000J → G4311A
- HDKCB88H0A01 T · AA00/JU001C → G4311A
- HDKCB88J1A01 T · AA00/JU0V0Q → G4311A
- HDKCB88MMA02 T · AA30/JU003E → G4311A
- HDKCB88R0A01 S · AA00/JU001J → G4311A
- HDKCB88R0A01 T · AA00/JU001J → G4311A
- HDKCB88S0A01 T · AA00/JU0G0A → G4311A
- HDKCB88ZKA01 T · AA34/JU000A → G4311A
- HDKJB01AZA01 T · AB10/JU003U → G0064A
- HDKJB01D0A01 T · BB10/100001 → G0064A
- HDKJB01H0A01 T · BB31/JU007C → G0064A
MQ04 2.5-inch, SMR · 2.5-inch SATA
Listed with 2 boards
Notes: HDKBB96D0A02 and HDKCB88R0A01: S and T on one board, MQ04ABF100: listed with two boards, MQ04: shingled (SMR) drives, MQ04 boards: not alike
7 groups of models: what a lab compares
What a lab compares, and the limit that goes with it, for each group.
MQ01ABD / MQ01ABF
2.5-inch SATABoard
A lab compares: The exact full board number and revision, the connector, the main controller and the original drive's own ROM. Firmware and HDD code come next.
Limit: The same model is listed with G003138A and with G003235C. Do not assume that one board stands in for the other.
Heads
A lab compares: The exact model and the start of the HDD code, plus the country, the head map and serial clues.
Limit: A matching board number alone is not proof about the head stack.
MQ02 / MQ03
2.5-inch SATABoard and heads
A lab compares: The exact model, HDD code and board number; then confirm the firmware and the head map.
Limit: G3686A is listed for two MQ02 capacities. That is evidence about the board only.
MQ04ABF100 / MQ04ABD200
2.5-inch SATA, SMRBoard
A lab compares: The exact board generation, G4311A or G0064A, then the firmware and HDD code. The original drive's own ROM and adaptive data stay with that drive.
Limit: These are SMR drives, so the drive's own translator and firmware state must be protected. Nothing here shows that the two capacities share the same heads.
Heads
A lab compares: The exact chassis and height, the model, HDD code and country, and the head map and preamp.
Limit: G4311A is listed for both the 1 TB and the 2 TB model. That does not show that the mechanics are the same.
MK (older 2.5-inch)
2.5-inch SATABoard
A lab compares: The exact board and its revision, the controller and the original drive's own ROM, plus the build code that belongs to that MK model.
Limit: G002641A is listed for MK3265GSX with more than one firmware version.
DT01 / DT02 / HDWD
3.5-inch, Hitachi-derivedBoard
A lab compares: The exact board, 0A90377 or 0A90380, the controller on it, and the sticker and firmware.
Limit: 0A90380 is listed with several models, so the number alone does not tell them apart. These drives follow the Hitachi design, so they are diagnosed as Hitachi-family drives, not as MQ models.
Heads
A lab compares: The model, the number of heads, the physical head map, the firmware and the matching build of the head-and-disk assembly.
Limit: 0A90380 is listed with four models. That is not enough to treat their heads as the same.
MD06 / HDWE
3.5-inch SATA, high capacityBoard
A lab compares: The exact board number and the original drive's own ROM. The exact location of the controller and the ROM must be established.
Limit: Nothing in this group links one model's board to another model. Each of the two models is listed once, on a board of its own.
MG08 / MG09 / MG10 / MG11
3.5-inch enterprise, helium- MG08ACA16TA
- MG08ACA16TE
- MG08ACA16TEY
- MG08ACP16TE
- MG09ACA16TE
- MG09ACA18TA
- MG09ACA18TE
- MG09ACP18TE
- MG10ACA18TE
- MG10ACA20TA
- MG10ACA20TE
- MG10ACP20TE
- MG11ACA20TE
- MG11ACA22TE
- MG11ACA24TE
- MG11ACP24TE
Board
A lab compares: Our list has no board number for any of these models, so it says nothing about their boards.
Limit: That a manufacturer lists a model does not tell us its board number, or which other models are listed with that board.
Heads
A lab compares: The same full model, firmware and HDD code, and the exact head map and preamplifier.
Limit: Do not open a helium-sealed drive outside suitable professional facilities.
16 enterprise models: no board number
Newer enterprise models. Our list names them but gives no board number for them.
MG08
4 models- MG08ACA16TA · 16 TB · 4Kn · Standard
- MG08ACA16TE · 16 TB · 512e · Standard
- MG08ACA16TEY · 16 TB · 512e · SIE
- MG08ACP16TE · 16 TB · 512e · SED
MG09
4 models- MG09ACA16TE · 16 TB · 512e · Standard
- MG09ACA18TA · 18 TB · 4Kn · Standard
- MG09ACA18TE · 18 TB · 512e · Standard
- MG09ACP18TE · 18 TB · 512e · SED
MG10
4 models- MG10ACA18TE · 18 TB · 512e · Standard
- MG10ACA20TA · 20 TB · 4Kn · Standard
- MG10ACA20TE · 20 TB · 512e · Standard
- MG10ACP20TE · 20 TB · 512e · SED
MG11
4 models- MG11ACA20TE · 20 TB · 512e / 4Kn · Standard
- MG11ACA22TE · 22 TB · 512e / 4Kn · Standard
- MG11ACA24TE · 24 TB · 512e / 4Kn · Standard
- MG11ACP24TE · 24 TB · 512e / 4Kn · SED
1 reported case
Original drive
- Model
- MQ01UBD100
- Board
- G003250A
Donor in the report
- Model
- MQ01ABD100
- Board
- G003138A
One technician reported a case that paired a USB-board MQ01UBD100 (board G003250A) with the SATA board of an MQ01ABD100 (G003138A). The report calls the outcome a success.
It is one report about one drive. It is not a rule for other MQ01UBD100 or MQ01ABD100 drives, or for other board revisions.
11 notes
MQ01ABD100: listed with two boards
MQ01ABD100 is listed with G003138A in five listings and with G003235C in six. The model name does not settle the board; the number printed on the board does.
HDKCB06H0A01: T and S, two boards
HDKCB06H0A01 is listed for MQ01ABF050 with the letter T on G003235B and with the letter S on G003235C. Apart from that last letter, the model, the HDD code and the firmware are the same, yet the two listings name different boards.
HDKBB96D0A02 and HDKCB88R0A01: S and T on one board
HDKBB96D0A02 (MQ01ABD100, G003138A) and HDKCB88R0A01 (MQ04ABF100, G4311A) are each listed with the letter S and with the letter T, on the same board and with the same firmware. The last letter is part of the label, so it is not dropped when labels are compared.
G3686A: listed for two MQ02 capacities
G3686A is listed for MQ02ABF075 (one listing) and MQ02ABF100 (two listings). MQ03ABB300, the third model in this group, is listed on a different board: G3918A.
MQ04ABF100: listed with two boards
MQ04ABF100 is listed on G0064A in three listings and on G4311A in eleven. MQ04ABD200 is listed on G4311A as well, in two listings, so G4311A is listed for the 1 TB and the 2 TB model. G0064A is listed for MQ04ABF100 only.
MQ04: shingled (SMR) drives
MQ04ABF100 and MQ04ABD200 use shingled magnetic recording (SMR). Such a drive keeps its own translator, media cache and adaptive data, and all three have to be preserved while the drive is diagnosed.
MQ04 boards: not alike
Our list names no ROM part for G4311A or G0064A. Do not take it for granted that G0064A is built like G4311A. Nothing shows that the 2 TB MQ04ABD200 can stand in for the 1 TB MQ04ABF100 on G4311A.
G002641A: two firmware versions
G002641A is listed for MK3265GSX twice, with different HDD codes (HDD2H83 A SK01 S and HDD2H83 E UL01 S) and different firmware (A0/GJ003A and B0/GJ002J). The board number does not tell the two apart.
0A90380 and 0A90377: listed with several models
0A90380 is listed with four models: DT01ABA200, DT01ACA200, DT01ACA300 and HDWD120. 0A90377 is listed with two: DT01ACA100 and HDWD105. Each board is listed under both DT01 and HDWD names.
MD06ACA800 and HDWE160: one listing each
MD06ACA800 has one listing, on G4348A, and HDWE160 has one, on G3820A. No other model is listed with either board, so our list has nothing to compare them with.
G003138A: the reported case
The one reported case on our list names G003138A as the SATA board, a board listed for MQ01ABD100. Four models are listed with G003138A, and the report speaks for one drive only.
Answers
Toshiba donor PCB FAQ
“Donor” is a lab's word for a part taken from a second drive. A donor PCB is that drive's circuit board, and PCB is short for printed circuit board. Which board is right for a particular drive is a lab decision. This page does not make it for you: it shows which board numbers published listings give for Toshiba models, and which models share a board.
A board number such as G003138A, G4311A or 0A90380. On our list every board number starts with G or 0A. It names the circuit board, not the drive: it is not the model, the HDD code or the number of a chip. Read all of it, because two boards can differ by one character: G003235B and G003235C are listed as separate boards.
The HDD code is a longer code on the label that starts with HDD, HDE or HDK, for example HDKBB96AYA01. Most codes end with one letter, usually S or T. Our list keeps that letter as part of the code and does not say what it stands for. The same label can be listed with either letter: HDKCB06H0A01 on the MQ01ABF050 is listed on two boards, with T on G003235B and with S on G003235C.
Yes. Firmware is the drive's own built-in software, and one model can come with several versions of it. Our list shows it as two parts joined by a slash, such as AA00/AX001U, or as a single code. It is one more thing that has to agree, so a lab checks it along with the board number. In our list 3 listings show no firmware, so the box also finds a drive by its HDD code.
Our list does not say why, but makers do change boards while a model is in production, so the model on the label does not name the board. MQ01ABD100 is listed with G003138A on 5 of its 11 listings and with G003235C on 6. MQ01ABF050 and MQ04ABF100 are listed with two boards too. Read the number on your own board instead of guessing it from the model.
Not by itself. The other models our list shows for a board are models whose published listings give that same board number, and that is all it means. A shared number is not proof of compatibility. Before a lab trusts a match it also checks the HDD code with its last letter, the firmware and the drive's own ROM, and even then a listing is a pointer, not an approval.
No. The board is the electronics on the outside of the drive. The heads, which read your data, sit inside the sealed part, the head-and-disk assembly, with a small amplifier called the preamp. A shared board says nothing about how many heads a drive has or how they are numbered and mapped, which a lab calls the head map. For example, G003138A is listed with 4 different models, and that tells you nothing about their heads. Checking the heads is lab work.
Every drive keeps settings made for that exact drive, called adaptive data, such as how its own heads and platters behave. Some of them sit in a small memory chip, the ROM, on the circuit board. The ROM and the adaptive data belong to the original drive and stay with it, so another drive's board carries another drive's settings, not yours. That is why a lab protects the original board and its ROM first.
SMR means shingled magnetic recording. The drive writes its tracks partly over one another, like roof tiles, and keeps a private map of where everything really is, called the translator, plus a cache area for new writes. That record belongs to the drive and has to be protected. Our list has two MQ04 models: MQ04ABF100 on G0064A and G4311A, and MQ04ABD200 on G4311A. A shared G4311A does not show that the 1 TB and the 2 TB drive match mechanically.
These 3.5-inch drives are built on a Hitachi design, so a lab handles them differently from the MQ drives. Our list has two boards for them, 0A90377 and 0A90380, and 0A90380 is listed with 4 different models, so a shared board tells you even less about the heads.
Our list holds 16 enterprise models, MG08, MG09, MG10 and MG11, from 16 to 24 TB. None has a board number on our list: the models exist, but our list has no board for them. They are helium-filled: see the caution above. A drive that is not detected should be left powered off.
One technician reported a case that paired an MQ01UBD100, a drive with its USB connector on its own board, G003250A, with the SATA board of an MQ01ABD100, G003138A. The report calls the outcome a success. It is a single report, listed apart from the 57 listings. It does not show that every MQ01UBD100 or MQ01ABD100 board can be paired that way, so it is a pointer, not proof, and not permission to try it on another drive.
It is a list compiled for CBL from one published set of drive listings: 57 listings of 27 models on 18 board numbers. It is not an official Toshiba list, has not been checked board by board and is not every Toshiba drive. If yours is missing, that says nothing about its condition: a free diagnosis at our lab identifies the exact board, firmware and fault.
No. Switch it off and stop using it: hunting for a board only adds risk, and every extra try can make recovery harder. A free diagnosis tells you what has failed, and you get a fixed written quote before any work begins. Our guides to a clicking drive and a drive that is not detected explain each sign, and external drives have their own page.
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