Thinkpads Forum

Seeing a couple of threads a few months ago, got me thinking about this type of adapter:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=18&t=72193
http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=30&t=73468

It converts a standard Ultrabay Slim optical drive for use as an external USB drive. A snap-on adapter fits to the back of the Ultrabay Slim CD or DVD drive and through the use of a standard USB cable, is able to plug into a computer's USB port. No additional power supply is supposed to be needed to operate the drive. Here's the site I've set up to document this type of converter:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com//ultrabay_slim_usb_adapter/

Sourced from eBay seller "notebookelite" for $6, I've verified that it does work to boot the system but I don't know yet if it's really supporting the USB 2.0 speeds like it says it should. I should have that data in a few days. However, I can say that this type of adapter may not be to everyone's liking. Since the bare drive rests directly on the table, there's hardly any room to press the drive's eject button, nor clearance for the tray to open up without sliding/scratching whatever it's sitting on. A better alternative may be this enclosure that the same eBay seller offers.

I've gotten one of the enclosures, but haven't had a chance to try it yet. I hope it'll work out because then the X61 can share an optical drive with my T4x machines. That would be convenient! I'll put up an update when I get a chance to play with it.