Thinkpads Forum

Im not sure if this has been asked and answered before, havnt checked this site out for a while. I have just ordered my new T61p and it will be delivered next week, getting the T61p - 646074M - Intel Core 2 Duo T7700, 4gb RAM, 160gb hdd etc etc.

I currently have a T43p which i have had for 2 years. Will the UltraBay Slim HDD and Battery i have from the T43p fit into the UltraBay Slim on the T61p? Really hoping they will as i use the extra HDD all the time and the battery is also very handy when traveling, which i do once a month. It will save me a lot of money if i dont need to buy new ones.

Thanks,
Phil.

Your HDD adapter will fit and you can use it, but you cannot use the battery.

I have the same question.

gator, are you sure about this?

The reason I asked again is because the HDD ultrabay slim in T43p uses ATA 2.5" HDD while the new T61p ultabay slim uses SATA. The old T43p uses an intel bridging chip to convert from parallel ATA devices to SATA supported by the intel chipset 915PM.

If it can be used, that'll help me a lot. Thanks.

The T40-series HDD adapter can be used in a T43 and T60 but only with ATA drive, not the SATA drive.

The HDD adapter for the T6-series takes a SATA drive. That adapter cannot be used on your T43.

SkiBunny wrote:The T40-series HDD adapter can be used in a T43 and T60 but only with ATA drive, not the SATA drive.

The HDD adapter for the T6-series takes a SATA drive. That adapter cannot be used on your T43.

Actually, that second part isn't quite true. There's a thread on the forums here, I think in the T4x section, where it was suggested that the T6x SATA adapter could be used in a T43, if only that rear tab was removed. A brave soul tried it, and it worked! I've done the same now, and am using the new Hitachi 200gb 7200rpm drive in the T6x/SATA adapter in my T43p. I'm not ready to move to a T6x machine yet, so this is a lifesaver!

-Paul

I wonder if Ultrabay Slim SATA HDD Adapter will work in T40/41/42. My guess is no.

it surely will. You can use a SATA drive in the T4x with that UltraBay from the T6x series.

SHoTTa35 wrote:it surely will. You can use a SATA drive in the T4x with that UltraBay from the T6x series.

Has anyone actually tried it? I am skeptical because T40/41/42 doesn't have SATA support.

sugo wrote:

SHoTTa35 wrote:it surely will. You can use a SATA drive in the T4x with that UltraBay from the T6x series.

Has anyone actually tried it? I am skeptical because T40/41/42 doesn't have SATA support.

Here's the thread I mentioned above:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.ph ... highlight=

The theory is that the UltraBay interface to the ThinkPad is the only real concern - the fact that the drive itself is SATA/PATA/whatever is irrelevant. That's the theory, anyway. I wish I had a T40/41/42 available to confirm...

The UltraBay connector in the T4x and T6x series are the same. Since the drive isn't connecting to the connector only the HD cage it wont matter. It's the same with those USB 2.0 SATA drives, basically the UltraBay connector inside the drive is the converter back to UltraBay Slim connector in the laptop.

The only issue you might encounter is the fact that the UltraBay SATA HD ones are flat bezel while the T4x series uses the curve bezel. It will fit but it wont be flush like normal T4x drives.

thanks for all the info guys. sounds like it is going to work, although it is a shame about the battery. what is the reason the battery wont work?

i will try the HDD this week when i get my new T61p and let you all know how it goes. after your comments about the battery i dont think i will try that one, just in case it fries something.

Phil.

So, what's the botton line on this? I tried a SATA drive in a USB box to a T40 USB port a couple months ago and concluded it wouldn't work, possibly because the T40 is a PATA box. So I inferred that the PATA wouldn't work in the T60 USB slot either, but never tested it.

Is it the case that whether it's a PATA or SATA thinkpad and a PATA or SATA HDD, that the adapter converts as appropriate? For both the ultra slimbay and the USB box?

John H wrote:Is it the case that whether it's a PATA or SATA thinkpad and a PATA or SATA HDD, that the adapter converts as appropriate? For both the ultra slimbay and the USB box?

Yes -- if the drive fits the adapter, and the adapter fits the machine (i.e., cut off the plastic tab from the SATA 2nd hard drive adapter which prevents it from being inserted fully into a T4x machine) then the drive will be "seen" by the hardware and the software.

John H wrote:So, what's the botton line on this? I tried a SATA drive in a USB box to a T40 USB port a couple months ago and concluded it wouldn't work, possibly because the T40 is a PATA box. So I inferred that the PATA wouldn't work in the T60 USB slot either, but never tested it.

Is it the case that whether it's a PATA or SATA thinkpad and a PATA or SATA HDD, that the adapter converts as appropriate? For both the ultra slimbay and the USB box?

Something else was wrong, because a my SATA-USB adapter works on my T40. It has nothing to do with what controller the machine has.

My guess with the Ultrabay adapter is that it converts SATA to PATA, regardless of what the machine has. Remember, it's plugging into the optical bay which uses a PATA interface, even on the new SATA machines. I've never actually tried it though.

The T6x battery will not work in a T4x and visa versa. The batteries appear to be slightly similar but they are different and will not fit.

One difference is that the T6x battery has the locking slider on the battery and the T4x battery has the locking slider on the ThinkPad.

Brad

I'll try the SATA USB again when I get home in a couple of days.

I'm guessing they changed battery characteristics between the T4x and T6x and so they made the AC adapter connector different as well as the slimbay ultra battery to prevent users from making a mismatch.

Brad wrote:The T6x battery will not work in a T4x and visa versa. The batteries appear to be slightly similar but they are different and will not fit.

One difference is that the T6x battery has the locking slider on the battery and the T4x battery has the locking slider on the ThinkPad.

Just for clarification, I think he's talking about the UltraBay Slim Battery that fits in the slot on the side of the machine, not the main battery that fits in the slot on the back. The UltraBay Slim Battery does not have a locking slider. The locking tab in the UtraBay Slot itself.

ibm_phil wrote:thanks for all the info guys. sounds like it is going to work, although it is a shame about the battery. what is the reason the battery wont work?

Possibly due to the voltage/amperage draws on the two machines. My UltraBay Battery for my T60p says "For Use With ThinkPad, NOM 10.8V 2.7 AH"

What are the voltage/amperage draws for your T43p?

sugo wrote: it surely will. You can use a SATA drive in the T4x with that UltraBay from the T6x series.

Has anyone actually tried it? I am skeptical because T40/41/42 doesn't have SATA support.

Well, considering that even T30s can use SATA drives in the Ultrabay (I have several) other T40 series should be able to as well, if that tab is cut off (or a cheapie tray is used) and the BIOS allows the drive. Someone even mentioned a T22 or T23 and SATA in the Ultrabay, but I can't be sure on that.

cadillacmike68 wrote:Someone even mentioned a T22 or T23 and SATA in the Ultrabay, but I can't be sure on that.

<raises hand> http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?f=28&t=96810

Of course the adapter I used in the T23 will NOT fit in either the T61p or T43p. In those cases one would need an Ultrabay Slim SATA HD adapter.

cadillacmike68 wrote:Well...

Nice necro, Caddy.

After almost 5 years with zero activity, this latest Topic Reply Notification has motivated me to update my profile.

Color me impressed!

Roadster wrote:Nice necro, Caddy.
After almost 5 years with zero activity, this latest Topic Reply Notification has motivated me to update my profile.
Color me impressed!

So now the necro record is at 5 yrs! My wife always calls me a vampire, so what the hey... I think I'm related to Mathias from the movie The Omega Man! Strrange thing, is I like the beach too. hmmmm...

Well, this is the sort of thing that happens when you're up at 0300 , having been up for 18+ hours and the 125 degree heat starts getting to you - you forget to look at the post dates and just add your 2 cents (btw i found 1 of those cents on a gravel lot today, so it was only 1c I guess).

Hey, i thought it was relevant, but apparently it might have been a bit dated.

On the plus side, i think i found the answer i needed WRT SATA HDD Trays and T61s. Now i need to find another T60 series PATA HDD tray, but i have the original Assy & FRU #s for those in my handy dandy Thinkpad parts spreadsheet.