Toshiba launches 60GB 1.8in. hard drive

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whickman · #1 Post by **whickman** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 3:32 pm

For those of you with X40 ThinkPads and a 40GB 1.8in. drive, here's the link to Toshiba's announcement:

http://www.computerweekly.com/Article132463.htm

The release notes that this will be available "before the end of the year."

whickman · #2 Post by **whickman** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 3:37 pm

Ahem ... apparently, this 60GB 1.8in. drive is available NOW.

http://makeashorterlink.com/?V3E721439

eriqesque · #3 Post by **eriqesque** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:15 pm

Yes but it will not fit in the X40
The Hitachi(Standard) and Toshiba 1.8"(Non-Standard) drives use two different type of connectors.

DavidNZ · #4 Post by **DavidNZ** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:32 pm

yeesh - 60 gigs - i still have about 20GB free on my 40 gig drive, so I can't imagine what i would do with so much space.

however, if someone makes a portable housing unit to hold these 1.8" drives, I'm all over it.

DavidNZ · #5 Post by **DavidNZ** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 4:35 pm

I spoke too soon:

http://www.dragonworld.com.hk/p_ext-case.htm

whickman · #6 Post by **whickman** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 5:00 pm

I will try to post a query to Toshiba on the standard and nonstandard difference. However, they are touting this for notebooks and subnotebooks.

I have heard that the drive will be available "in about a month," which would be in the next quarter, as their news release states.

monty cantsin · #7 Post by **monty cantsin** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 5:30 pm

whickman wrote:I will try to post a query to Toshiba on the standard and nonstandard difference. However, they are touting this for notebooks and subnotebooks.

That's a fine example of marketing babble and doesn't mean ANYTHING.

whickman wrote:I have heard that the drive will be available "in about a month," which would be in the next quarter, as their news release states.

That's totally irrelevant to us, because the drive does NOT fit. Please read my posting at the bottom of this page:

http://forum.thinkpads.com/viewtopic.php?t=3172

I've included some pictures that will show you exactly WHY it doesn't fit. No need to ask Toshiba, it's clearly discernible from the pictures that the Toshiba drives are starkly different to the type that is used in the X40.

monty cantsin · #8 Post by **monty cantsin** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 6:02 pm

eriqesque wrote:The Hitachi(Standard) and Toshiba 1.8"(Non-Standard) drives use two different type of connectors.

Your differentiation between "Standard" and "Non-Standard" is somewhat misleading and confusing, as Toshiba 1.8" drives have been around for years and are widely used, while the Hitachi 1.8" are just a very recent and completely new development. Long before that, the layout of the Toshiba drives has become an accepted quasi-standard in the 1.8" field.

The Toshiba drives comply with the older SFF-8120, the Hitachis with the newer SFF-8111 specification.

Data sheets:

ftp://ftp.seagate.com/sff/SFF-8120.PDF
(proposed by Toshiba)

ftp://ftp.seagate.com/sff/SFF-8111.PDF
(proposed by IBM, Hitachi and Fujitsu)

So it doesn't really make any sense to call the Toshiba layout "Non-Standard". The only justification for saying that the SFF-8111 specification is closer to industry standards is the fact that it is derived from the standard for 2.5" drives (ANSI/EIA-720, or SFF-8201 respectively -- cf. the SFF-8111 specs, p. 8).

eriqesque · #9 Post by **eriqesque** » Thu Sep 02, 2004 6:37 pm

Bottom line is the Toshiba won't fit.

whickman · #10 Post by **whickman** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 2:09 am

The photos mentioned above are clear .. the Toshiba won't fit. Simple as that.

But I'm looking at the photos and wondering ... is the Toshiba a PCM device? Would it fit in the PCM slot on the lower right side of the X40, where the "IBM ThinkPad" logo is located?

It looks like a PCM fit, but it looks like it may be too big to fit in that slot, even with the PCM interface. That would be one heck of a PCM device ... probably made to fit in a notebook that had a double PCM slot on it.

Comments?

monty cantsin · #11 Post by **monty cantsin** » Fri Sep 03, 2004 5:36 am

whickman wrote:But I'm looking at the photos and wondering ... is the Toshiba a PCM device?

There is no such thing as a "PCM" device. PCM means Pulse-Code Modulation, or Plug Compatible Manufacturer, or Primary Care Manager, or Powertrain Control Module, or...

What you mean is "PCMCIA", but this term is also outdated, as it refers to an old 16-bit standard. I guess you wouldn't want to connect a modern hard drive to a bus that is only capable of transferring around 1MB/s? Actually what you're looking for is a "Cardbus PC-Card" (32-bit).

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardbus

whickman wrote:Would it fit in the PCM slot on the lower right side of the X40, where the "IBM ThinkPad" logo is located?

Definitely not.

whickman wrote:It looks like a PCM fit, but it looks like it may be too big to fit in that slot, even with the PCM interface. That would be one heck of a PCM device ... probably made to fit in a notebook that had a double PCM slot on it.

Actually Toshiba makes such drives only for that purpose, but the largest size you'll currently get is 5GB:

http://sdd.toshiba.com/cda/localcache/8 ... 000000.pdf

However, these will also fit into the X40's slim (that is: Type II) PC-Card slot.

Toshiba launches 60GB 1.8in. hard drive

Toshiba launches 60GB 1.8in. hard drive

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