[pic warning] Fake Ultrabay Hdd Adapter

[nicoske]

Hello guys,
I just bought a Ultrabay hdd adapter on ebay for my Thinkpad T43 but I think it's a fake!

When I want to eject the bay it gets stuck, i pull the latch but the drive does not come out. It works fine with original dvd ultrabay.

I use a tool made of wood to extract the hdd bay...
I tried too on a T60 and same problem.. it seems that the bay is a little too large..

Here's is a picture, could someone tell me if it's a real IBM bay ?
Thanks!

[Johan]

... how do you actually know that we are all "guys"?

Have a look in the thread a few days back: T43 2nd drive adapter problem... you problem sounds related?

You may consider getting a genuine IBM - for part number information see ThinkPad 2nd HDD Adapter for Ultrabay Slim - the part number being 41U3148 or the FRU being 41N5661 according to Notebook 2nd Hard Drive Adapter for Ultrabay Slim - Service parts. Also the (= older model) 62P4554 is specified to be usable with T43's. I grabbed such a MINT one of eBay a few days back for around $20 incl. shipping.

PS: See the thread LF Ultrabay Slim IDE 2nd HDD Adapter and follow the link I am pointing to there about "Chinese copy"; an item very carefully marked "IBM" but where the eBay listing at the same time says: "This is not original product, but it has 100% original/genuine quality." Watch out, buyers!!

BR,

Johan

[gator]

This is a chinese "fake" ultrabay ... the original IBM adapter looks like this:

http://i16.ebayimg.com/03/i/000/a9/0f/59d0_1.JPG

[richk]

I have one like that (plus a real one). The fake works fine, but I needed to work on it with an electric sander to get it to fit better.

[nicoske]

Ok so it's a fake and it's very cheap plastic, bad disk lock: the hdd could move inside the laptop..

For information those numbers are on the fake ultrabay:
fru p/n 62p4553
asm p/n 62p4552

Thank you guys and girls

[sktn77a]

Yep, I got the same one off ebay. It's a bad fit in the bay but it works. What I don't understand is why the IBM one is so expensive (it's made in China too - probably costs them 50 cents to make and they sell it for $50)!

Johan: In the US, "Guys" is everyone (not just males).

[exTPfan]

What are the eBay names of those selling dud ultrabay adaptors?

[rkawakami]

Don't know if naming the eBay sellers will do any good since at least one of them appears to sell both the genuine adapter and the knock-offs:

lingqi-tech's current listing for "Ultrabay 2nd hard drive"

(Ultrabay Slims are genuine, Ultrabay 2000 are knock-offs)

What you are looking for are those adapters which have an obvious hole cut out in the bottom and are usually accompanied by the words "for IBM" in the tab area of the adapter.

If you plug in "ultrabay hard drive adapter" into an eBay search, it becomes very obvious which sellers have the knock-offs and which ones have the "real McCoy". Of course that's assuming that the pictures accurately represents what they are selling.

[losmeme]

Actually Ray, if you look closely right under the Description header for even the ultrabay slim it says this:

Features:
NOTICE:This is not original product, but it has 100% original/genuine quality.

I have noticed these really good looking knockoffs several times. They are so close to the original though you have to wonder if it came out of the same factory.

I was looking for one of these a few weeks ago and saw this guys ads, almost ordered, but found a sealed genuine here in the US for $10 more.

Did IBM really send out the pouch with the trays? I have three, one 600, one UB2000 and now the UltraBay Slim (all OEM) and not a one came with a pouch.

[rkawakami]

Ah, that's what I get for only looking at the pictures and not reading the entire story .

Not sure how the Ultrabay Slim and Ultrabay 2000 HD adapters shipped, but the Ultraslimbay one I bought for the 600X only came with a floppy disk, no Ultrabay pouch.

[obpsym]

I've got a few of these, they work fine, I don't have a problem removing the drives. Both the Ultrabay 2000 and Slim.

Funny, living where I do, I've never actually seen a real one...

Hardware aside, I've only seen one post about having to re-activate Vista via the telephone method after installing the drive, what a pain in the ....

Is this usual?