I have written up a clear, documented guide on how to do this modification and hosted it on my website: http://mikejmoffitt.com/articles/0000-t43sata.html
As many know the T43, T43p, X41, X41T, and R52 (I think?) all have an internal Marvell 88SA8040 PATA-to-SATA bridge chip inside, which allows the use of PATA disks inside the drive bay. That was great in the mid-2000s I'm sure, but I think we've all grown tired of that by now as PATA disks become more expensive and SATA drives become faster and more efficient (especially with SSDs with TRIM support).
There has been a mild amount of documentation on users who have performed this on their T43 / T43p laptops, but almost all of the useful information is in german or chinese with inaccessable / broken image links. My goal is to perform the modification based on the much more available information for the X41 laptops, as they use the same chip and the modification should be mostly electronically identical. I intend on documenting the process thoroughly so another user may utilise it.
The plan is as follows:
1) Remove 88SA8040 (I'll be calling it the "Marvell Chip" from here on) or disable the SATA lines going to it, effectively bypassing it
2) Solder in 4 SATA data wires A+, A-, B+, and B- to the pads
3) Solder 5VDC from IDE connector to SATA connector + ground (this is how it differs from the X41 mod, as the X41 only offers 3.3V. The availability of the 5V makes our job MUCH easier.)
4) Mount the drive safely.
5) Optional: Install modified BIOS to hide the 2010 error (should it still come up).
11:11 / 23:11 UPDATE! This picture says everything I want it to.
http://mikejmoffitt.com/img/sata/gentlemen.jpg
Once I've properly mounted the cables and drive, it's time to move on to power. When this is done I intend on exhaustively explaining it so others may do the same.
--IGNORE THE STUFF BELOW THIS LINE--
Before I do any soldering or modification to my motherboard's planar, I have done some research and come up with the following diagrams.
This one I am sure of the accuracy. Optionally pin #11 may be used for drive access indicators.
http://mikejmoffitt.com/images/sata/pins_drive.jpg
This one is what I need clarification or confirmation on. I am almost 100% sure these are the correct 4 pins to use (27, 28, 31, 32) but do not know if I have the correct data lines going to each one. The good news is that, unlike the X41, the T43/T43p has big, easy test pads going to each of these four lines, making the actual wire soldering much easier (You can stick the wire through the hole even for a more stable connection from what I can tell).
Based on additional research it looks like I was nearly correct except that my A lines are swapped. I may test this later. The Korean link I provided in the quote block below has been immensely useful.
http://mikejmoffitt.com/images/sata/pins_marvell.jpg
EDIT: A site I found concerning the X41 modification claims the following based on an elusive datasheet (does anyone have it?)
If I was accurate enough to resolder should I screw up, I would temporarily cut the four traces for these data lines and observe if the drive disappears from the BIOS. If anyone has any input it would be greatly appreciated. I believe I can simply cut the Marvell Chip's SATA data lines and solder in my own without any issues, so if anyone knows the correct pinout I can do that ASAP.From http://translate.google.com/translate?h ... rmd%3Divns
Pin 27: Sata Transmitter Positive (Sata_Tx_ +)
Pin 28: Sata Transmitter Receiver (Sata_Tx_-)
Pin 31: Sata Receiver Negative (Sata_Rx_-)
Pin 32: Sata Receiver Positive (Sata_Rx_ +)