X6x second SATA HDD connected directly to ICH8 controller

[ebbano]

I'm interested on attaching a second SATA HDD to X61s

from Intel datasheet we have 3 SATA and 1 PATA port on the controller

my idea is to link one SATA to the ultrabase connector, otherwise at least one eSATA substituting an USB connector on the pc

Searching on the web seem nobody try this, I'm inspired on t43 blogger that made similar mod but the board are totally different

Thanks for your interest

[flyingfishfinger]

Hi,
Good thought, but unless something's changed lately or I missed something that won't work, unfortunately.
Last I checked the other SATA channels are not even attached to any traces or test points, and since it's a BGA there's no physical way of getting at them.
You'll see as much if you look at the schematics I think...

R

[axur-delmeria]

Good thought, but unless something's changed lately or I missed something that won't work, unfortunately.

You're probably the most crazy-awesome X61 modder in this forum, so I don't think you missed anything.

[ebbano]

Nice that you try this way.

Sorry i can't find any schematics, only an hires photo of the board on think wiki.

Solder on BGA is too difficult for me, I'll do a look on the board if there are difference respect yours.

Have you also checked the PATA line?
I read that is used on the ultrabay slot but can't find a pinout for reuse it in true HDD.




Sent from my LT26ii

[flyingfishfinger]

Yes, there appears to be a PATA port that you could connect to a HDD or an optical drive to (as the Ultrabay does), but by definition an PATA "line" has a lot of pins (I count 16 data pins plus several others).
I don't have an Ultrabay, and that's too many wires for me to fit inside the case so I haven't played with it.

If you have physical room or want an external drive, there is this, which allows you to connect a SATA drive to an IDE port.

While it would make a cool experiment, I don't see much sense in it though. You'd either need to make something that sticks out of the bottom of the machine to access the Ultrabay connector (in which case, why not just USE the Ultrabay?) or solder something like 30 wires to the motherboard. While possible, that would be a major pain and a lot of trouble.

Solder on BGA is too difficult for me

There's nothing to solder unfortunately. The two other SATA channels actually just have their RX pair grounded and last I checked none of them even emerge from under the chip.

If you want a 2nd HDD, read threads here and here and a few others. It'll give you some ideas of what's been tried and what works.

Do you have any particular goal you'd like to accomplish?