T2x External disk with pcmcia adapter

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JBUK · #1 Post by **JBUK** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 8:34 am

I am trying to use an external USB HDD on a T23. If I plug it into the usb1 sockets using its Y cable for extra power then it works ok.

If I plug it into a pcmcia usb2 card nothing happens. The card has a power jack and cable to plug into the usb1 port for extra power but clearly this is not enough. The supplied Y cable is not long enough to use for extra power though - so I thought I would ask this excellent forum to see if I can expect any success in using a usb2 adapter before I start getting hold of extension usb cables or ps2 adapters.

So my question is - can I expect any success with this hdd in my usb2 adapter.

nikki605 · #2 Post by **nikki605** » Mon Mar 31, 2008 9:50 am

For quite some time, I have been using a Belkin F5U222 USB 2.0 cardbus (PCMCIA) adapter (see my sig). Click Here. It gets good reviews from other Amazon customers, as well.

It came with an external power supply that is enough to power flash drives and my HDD in an external enclosure. No USB Y-cables needed.

Belkin may have newer models out. I bought this one a long time ago. Just be sure to download the latest driver from the Belkin web site.

JBUK · #3 Post by **JBUK** » Tue Apr 01, 2008 11:30 am

Thanks for the info. I will look into Belkins current offerings.

ashleys · #4 Post by **ashleys** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:00 am

Another vote for that card.
I've used that in my T30 for years, never had any problems.

#5 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:49 am

Why not try the Ultrabay 2000 adapter instead?
http://www-307.ibm.com/pc/support/site. ... IGR-4JW4XW
Pick'em up on fleabay for about $15.-

JBUK · #6 Post by **JBUK** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 3:16 pm

RealBlackStuff,

Yes the ultrabay certainly works well for a second HDD. But I need the flexibility of a usb2 attached hdd as as well.

Up to now it seems that no-one has done this except with the, now obsolete, Belkin pcmcia adapter.

#7 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Thu Apr 03, 2008 8:10 pm

GRRR, I hate you!

Just trying to insert my generic PCMCIA USB2.0 adapter and an external HD in a USB enclosure, and what happens?
My effing T30 developed the Memory Slot problem #"$%&*()_) etc.

Anyway, it would not work off the 2 ports in that adapter, but it works great of the 2 USB slots in the back of the T30.

Grrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr....

JBUK · #8 Post by **JBUK** » Fri Apr 04, 2008 12:45 am

Think yourself lucky. It could have been the usb hdd that got screwed instead

Yea, mine works on the native usb1 ports as well.

JBUK · #9 Post by **JBUK** » Mon Apr 07, 2008 1:33 pm

Still puzzling over this problem and found that when using a pc card with a via chip instead of one with an NEC chip the external USB disk would work normally when the extra power cable was used.
This NEC card works normally with all other usb devices except the internal disk. Weird.

Then I dug out another T23 plugged in the NEC pc-card and ker-ching, the usb disk worked. Weirder.

So, to sum up I have tried 4 T23s. Two of them refuse to enable the external usb hdd when using the nec chipped pc-card. Both of these failing ones have an internal wifi card and run at bios level 64. I unplugged the wifi card but still was unable to use the extra hdd..
The two which do work have lower level bios and embedded controllers (54 and 51). Apart from that I can see no difference.

I am now toying with updating the bios to level 64 but I dont want to lose the hdd usability.

JBUK · #10 Post by **JBUK** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 6:32 am

To continue..............

Decided not to downgrade the bios but upgrade one of the T23s that did work. But after this still no USB disk recognition.

I then acquired another external HDD case. This used an ALCO AU6391 USB to IDE chip. To my surprise this worked fine in all the T23s while the original failing one with a MOAI M110E chip still fails.

What I have now discovered is that the motherboard part no. 12P3770 is in the failing T23s while the alternative mobo 26P8218 is in the thinkpads that will drive both types of USB disks.

Perhaps I have discovered one of the differences between the two mobos which the HMM suggests are not interchangeable.
Does anyone have an idea why there are two types listed and what the differences are. All the other i/o seems to be the same.

#11 Post by **RealBlackStuff** » Mon Apr 21, 2008 9:00 am

I opened up a few T23s.
All the ones with the 12P3770 mobo have a 1.0 or 1.13 CPU, XGA and are non-wifi.
I found one with the 26P8218 mobo, which has a 1.2 CPU, SXGA+ and built-in wifi.
I'm taking this latter one apart in the next day or so. If I find any differences, I'll post them here.

T2x External disk with pcmcia adapter

T2x External disk with pcmcia adapter

Belkin F5U222

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