Succeed to install Samsung 1.8" sata ssd on X40/X41

[microwave]

A few month ago, I tried to install a 1.8" 64G samsung sata ssd on my thinkpad x41s.

I did a little hardware and housing case modifcation to install a sata ssd/ hard disk on

thinkpad x41s.

Refer to following link.

[1] Samsung 1.8" sata ssd on X41s && SSD Benchmark

http://www.thinkmania.com/zb40/zboard.p ... c&no=13657

http://www.thinkmania.com/zb40/zboard.p ... &no=130515

*CrystalDiskMark 2.2 Benchmark [ Samsung MCCOE64G8MPP-OVA,SLC, 1.8" Sata SSD, Micro-Sata Connector ]
on Thinkpad X41

SEQ Read: 101.4 MB/Sec Write: 89.87 MB/Sec

512K Read: 97.74 MB/Sec Write: 78.45 MB/Sec

4K Read: 19.99 MB/Sec Write: 5.327 MB/Sec

* CrystalDiskMark 2.2 benchmark [ Intel X18-M ,MLC, 1.8" Sata SSD,Micro-sata Connector] On Thinkpad X41

SEQ Read: 134 MB/Sec Write : 70MB/Sec

512K Read: 118 MB/Sec Write : 72MB/Sec

4K Read : 23 MB/Sec Write : 42MB/Sec
[2] Toshiba 5400rpm 250GByte Sata Hard Disk on X41 && Bench mark.

*http://www.thinkmania.com/zb40/zboard.p ... c&no=13657

* Hardtune Benchmark : http://www.thinkmania.com/zb40/zboard.p ... sc&no=7982

[3] CrystalDiskMark -- Samsung 1.8" MCBQE32G8MPP-OVA ( Sata ssd) on Thinkpad X40
http://www.thinkmania.com/zb40/zboard.p ... &no=133259

You can use 1.8" sata ssd or hard disk on thinkpad x40 by using modified sata to pata converter circuit. ( I have already tried to install and succeed samsung/intel sata ssd on thinkpad x40.

[sjthinkpader]

Thank you for the second interesting post since the LCD modification one a few months earlier.

It would be useful to other forum members if you can be kind enough to include a circuit diagram.

[ricerocket]

Wow. Interested in if you could get the Intel working... Although that's dumping a lot of money into a laptop I paid $350 for.

[sjthinkpader]

...Although that's dumping a lot of money into a laptop I paid $350 for.

At $150-$240, none of these SSD, HDD solutions are particularly attractive in getting X40/X41/X41ts working.

[Luigi.]

That is great to hear, that the SATA problem is possible to solve!!!! Good job @microwave

I want to have it, too.

Now i have it too

Pics from German Board.

http://www.thinkpad-forum.de/thinkpad-h ... post603046



http://www.abload.de/img/atto-testyo95.jpg (Disk Benchmark; 68KB 512x617)

http://www.abload.de/img/hd-tach-testft5n.jpg (HD Tach image; 95KB 798x588)

http://www.abload.de/img/img_8716jtm8.jpg (Close-up drive inside bay; 510KB 2592x1944)

http://www.abload.de/img/img_8717zs92.jpg (Mounted drive; 570KB 2592x1944)

Admin note: Removed last four inline images

[Luigi.]

for information

[sjthinkpader]

Sorry but I can't read German. Showing the end product without the details is not so useful for the rest of us..

[Luigi.]

Sorry but I can't read German. Showing the end product without the details is not so useful for the rest of us..

The Links from microwave have Pics, use the google web-side translator for korean.

I have used the Korean Tutorial for an Thinkpad T43p.

Klick me

Links from Germany (saved Pics)
Klick me

[sjthinkpader]

Thank you for the details,

clearly "here is how to do it" is useful to the rest of us while "look what I've done" is just beating one's chest. If something is secret or proprietary then it doesn't belong here.

[Luigi.]

Thank you for the details,

clearly "here is how to do it" is useful to the rest of us while "look what I've done" is just beating one's chest. If something is secret or proprietary then it doesn't belong here.

But the first post of this thread is "look what I've done" is just beating one's chest.

I have written PM on microwave, but he did not answer. And so i have learned by doing and selfmade.

[sjthinkpader]

Thank you, and that is the beauty of this website, how to do it both in questions and answers.

[Crunch]

Wow, this looks awesome! I just got an Intel 80GB 1.8", along with a Samsung SSD. They're both indicated for the W700, amongst many others of course.

So my question is, where do I put these two babies?? I have a hard drive caddy for my T60p, which doesn't fit into the W700 Ultrabay. I'm sure there is one for the new Thinkpad, which would hold one of those tiny size drives. I need one other spot, though, for the 3rd drive. Since Lenovo is offering RAID config's for the W700's, this is obviously possible, is it not? Can anybody please help me?

SSD_Newbie!

[sjthinkpader]

The newer W700 uses SATA and while the X40/X41/X41t will need the older PATA or PATA/ZIF. So the choices for X40/X41/X41t are much more limited, both in terms of interface and physical size.

[scheiss_freaks]

I also successfully tried the SATA modification just an hour ago.
And I do share my work and findings with others.
There are pictures in my post at the german thinkpad community:
http://www.thinkpad-forum.de/thinkpad-h ... post636135

I think it should be possible to understand what I've done although you don't know german, just by looking at the pictures.

[sjthinkpader]

I guess you have to log on to see the pictures. It will be nice if use can use a photo hosting site.

[scheiss_freaks]

Ah, [censored], I failed on that one.
Ok, so here they are:
Test Setup
SATA Pinout
2.5" HDD
BIOS Post

[sjthinkpader]

Thank you so much. This is the spirit of the forum.

[defor]

Was looking through your data after doing the same ... without knowledge it was already done - oops!
are you sure there's no problems with leaving the sata/pata bridge connected to the sata bus? I removed the caps to separate the signal completely...

[astroidea]

I also want to get an SATA drive hooked up. Looks awesome that someone figured out how to do it.
But how do you get the power hooked up?

[Temetka]

This seems very cool. My question (without opening my x41t) is whether or not I can mod the laptop internally to take a 2.5HD. We are talking a difference of .7" which really isn't that much.

[astroidea]

So could someone please chime in at how to hook up the power for 1.8" drives?

[ZAGNUT]

sorry for digging up old threads but i'll be trying this mod soon and have a couple of questions:

does this in any way affect the optical drive in a dock/ultrabase, like are they still usable?

does anyone know where i can find the data sheet for the marvell chip? all my searches come up empty handed.

thanks,
dave

[codek]

sorry for digging up old threads but i'll be trying this mod soon and have a couple of questions:

does this in any way affect the optical drive in a dock/ultrabase, like are they still usable?

does anyone know where i can find the data sheet for the marvell chip? all my searches come up empty handed.

thanks,
dave

I'd like to know to. This is a very interesting truly one of a kind project.

[ZAGNUT]

I'd like to know to. This is a very interesting truly one of a kind project.

well i'll be reporting back in a week or two after i find time to do it. and forget the datasheet, if one ever existed it was most likely locked up in some area 51 vault. while i'll most likely do some poking and prodding with a multimeter i can already tell that it needs to be either totally disabled or completely removed. disabled because the heat dissipation pads on the backside make me think it sucks a lot of power and totally removed because it'll make the new connections much simpler.

when i get there i'll start a new thread on the subject.

[fasteez]

Hi,

I don't know if you saw that page : http://wiki.marek-walther.de/wiki/proje ... grade_sata

It's the sata mod (chip removal) with quite a lot of details.

ps: I tried to find infos about this for 2 hours (google, here, ibmmania, german boards) with few results. Guess where I found Marek walther's page : thinkwiki. * facepalm *

[frankiepankie]

I would also like to do this with my X41, but without removal of the chip. The reason i want that, is because when the chip is removed, there is no way back

I have read somewhere that the Marvell bridge chip can be disabled by removing some capacitors.

Does anyone know more about that? I know removing the chip is the best solution, but i don't have the tools (hot air soldering station) to do that.

[Raceboy]

You can solder the chip back in place also, where did you get the idea that it is a non-reversible operation?

[frankiepankie]

As i said, i don't have the tools to desolder the chip, and soldering it back is also quite difficult due to the small legs of the chip.

For me it is easier to cut a few traces so the chip is disabled, and then connect the SATA cable wires somewhere.

[sergi]

You can use 1.8" sata ssd or hard disk on thinkpad x40 by using modified sata to pata converter circuit. ( I have already tried to install and succeed samsung/intel sata ssd on thinkpad x40.

Could you please tell me how you managed it? I have a Samsung 1.8 uSata SSD, and want to use it with my Thinkpad x40.

[RealBlackStuff]

You are asking info about a post from 2009!
microwave has not visited this forum since November 2011, presumably he has other interests now.
As an (unofficial) rule: if the last post in a thread is older than 6 months, it's probably better to start a new thread.