OK, this freecom Toughdrive 3.0 1TB USB3 drive came in, i was sure that it was fine and the plastic usb part was the problem due to bad design. I was right but the data is actually *encrypted*. So here is a mini breakdown showing the Samsung ST1000LM024 inside it and the encryption chip..

My point is that to get the data from this whether its broken or not you need the USB adapter in the pic at the bottom not just the bare hard drive. Will try and zoom in to show it

Freecom ToughDrive 3.0 1TB

P/N 56057 Model SSYACD

Mini tear down of the drive , its actually a Samsung ST1000LM024 inside the funky plastic cover

The USB 3 Connector is where the encryption chip resides. You therefore NEED that to read/recover the data

zoomy zoom of the chip. JMS for those that care. - Leaving this post here so i dont forget and wonder why what i usually do doesn't work