Ultrabay thin (T4x) drive in Ultrabay 2000 (T2x)

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Robbyrobot · #1 Post by **Robbyrobot** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 2:33 am

I gather that an adapter exists to allow an Ultrabay thin drive for the T4x series to be used in a T2x computer, and even have a user's manual for it from Lenovo.

From the user's manual, it appears that the adapter is merely a plastic frame for the drive, and that no changes in the drive connections are required.

My question is whether it is possible to use an Ultrabay thin drive in (specifically) a T21 by attaching a bezel for the T21 from another drive and possibly modifying the bezel, or whether there is absolutely no alternative to the above adapter - which appears to be quite difficult to obtain except (expensively) from Lenovo.

#2 Post by **rkawakami** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 3:36 am

The electrical connections between the two Ultrabays are quite different. Here's a picture of the back end of each type of Ultrabay drive:

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/ub2k_vs_ubs.jpg

Even if you remove the electrical interface on the back of the Ultrabay 2000 drive (T2x), the drive's own connector is different than what is used by the Ultrabay Slim (T4x):

http://www.kawakami-ca.com/images/drive_connectors.jpg

I'm assuming, since I've never seen the Ultrabay Slim to Ultrabay 2000 adapter you are referring to, that the Slim drive plugs into an electrical connector that is similar in design to what is normally attached to the 2000 drive. There's no other way that you could plug the drive into an Ultrabay 2000 and get it to work.

Robbyrobot · #3 Post by **Robbyrobot** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 6:51 am

The electrical connections between the two Ultrabays are quite different... Even if you remove the electrical interface on the back of the Ultrabay 2000 drive (T2x), the drive's own connector is different than what is used by the Ultrabay Slim (T4x)

Many thanks, particularly for the excellent photos.

The user's manual for the adapter is 22p9041.pdf if you want to take a look... and I'm going to have to examine pictures at a higher magnification in the future, since the adapter is by no means just a plastic shell as I thought, but in fact includes an Ultrabay thin socket and an Ultrabay 2000 plug, just as you suspected. I just overlooked this at lower magnification.

You can get a better view of it at:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0134920326

Such a pity... I was looking at a multiburner for the T4x series on Ebay today:

http://cgi.ebay.de/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vie ... 0131327430

and had hoped I might be able to modify it for my T21. But it looks like I can't do anything without the adapter.

#4 Post by **rkawakami** » Sun Jul 22, 2007 1:15 pm

For that particular burner (UJ-822) series, you can generally find the same type in the Ultrabay 2000 form-factor by changing the last number to "0". So, look for UJ-820* ("2" denotes the slim design).

vlyne · #5 Post by **vlyne** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 7:40 am

I've been looking for one of these for a while. You might want to check the Amazon listing at:

http://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/ ... 45-4385506

Just beware, there's one for sale for over $1000!! (misprint for sure)
Cheers

#6 Post by **rkawakami** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 11:36 am

For those prices on the adapter, why not just buy an Ultrabay 2000 drive? I've been able to buy UJ820 and UJ840 drives for under $45 in the last several months.

A little OT:

And no vlyne, that's not a misprint or typo. IT Equipment Xpress is ALWAYS (well, 99.999%) doing that for the items being sold on eBay:

http://search.ebay.com/_W0QQsassZit_equipment_xpress

If you sort by "lowest price first" and read the descriptions of each item, you'll see what I mean. Most everything is a BIN, there's several common prices (lowest one starts at $29.97, not including shipping! and there's over 2200 items at that price alone) for the most mundane items (screws, rubber feet, panels or covers, blank bezels, etc.). Now, reverse the listing and list by "highest price" first and be prepared to be shocked...

#7 Post by **gator** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 3:13 pm

rkawakami wrote:Now, reverse the listing and list by "highest price" first and be prepared to be shocked...

That company should be BANNED from ebay.

vlyne · #8 Post by **vlyne** » Mon Jul 23, 2007 8:37 pm

Yes, that company should be banned but not just from Ebay. This is the equivalent strategy of spam...it only has to work every so often...and apparently it does!

When the adapter costs more than the non-adapted then forget it. It only really makes sense if you have more than one device that needs adapting (one at a time of course).
Cheers
OT: Nice looking bird Ray! - must be a different species to the one on Charlie Chaplin's shoulder.

Ultrabay thin (T4x) drive in Ultrabay 2000 (T2x)

Ultrabay thin (T4x) drive in Ultrabay 2000 (T2x)

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