Need help with 2.5" HDD to ZIF adapter in an X30 (Pic Link)

[virge]

I'm attempting to put a ZIF SanDisk SSD (from an HP Mini) into my X30. No matter which way I try it, I can't get the X30 to recognize the drive. I've also tried using a USB enclosure with the same result. Either I have some defective parts or I'm not putting them together right. I would appreciate it if anyone with experience ( sjthinkpader!) could take a look at my pictures and tell me if there is something wrong.

http://tinypic.com/r/2d18rxw/3
http://tinypic.com/r/15i4w7n/3

Any help or suggestions would be appreciated!

[sjthinkpader]

This Sandisk card has pin 1 on the other end. My card came with a cable with contacts on reverse sides. You can see the pin 1 marking on my adapter. Pin 1 on the Sandisk card is on the flash chip end and not the controller chip end.



Yes, you need the regulator when using it in a X30. My card is actually doing Readyboost duty on a T43 with Win7 via a USB-ZIF adapter at the moment.

[virge]

I'm not quite sure I understand this.

This Sandisk card has pin 1 on the other end. My card came with a cable with contacts on reverse sides.

1. So Pin 1 is on the right side (in your picture) of the ZIF connector, correct?
2. Do the ZIF cables go into the connector with the metal contacts facing the PCB?
3. IF #1 and #2 are correct, then do I have the wrong cable? The contacts are on the same side so I won't be able to line up Pin 1 on each device.

A cable like this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0200114133


Thanks for the help sjthinkpader!

[sjthinkpader]

I'm not quite sure I understand this.
1. So Pin 1 is on the right side (in your picture) of the ZIF connector, correct?

Yes, correct.

2. Do the ZIF cables go into the connector with the metal contacts facing the PCB?

I don't have it in front of me. Metal side away from the pressure bar.

3. IF #1 and #2 are correct, then do I have the wrong cable? The contacts are on the same side so I won't be able to line up Pin 1 on each device.

A cable like this? http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?Vi ... 0200114133


Thanks for the help sjthinkpader!

This should be the correct cable, contacts on opposite sides.

[virge]

Thanks for answering those questions. It looks like I just have the wrong cable then-- new one is ordered. Now I just have to wait for it to get here from Hong Kong. I'll update this when it arrives.

[virge]

Just wanted to update this thread. Thanks to sjthinkpader, I got the right cables ordered and the SSD is installed and working great. I feels faster than the previous setup using a 5400RPM drive. The bonus is that my X30 runs cooler and is silent most of the time.

[sjthinkpader]

Congratulations and good to hear all the work paid off.

Now no more fear of drive crashing. Run secure-erase once in a while.

[xrated]

I got similar sandisk SSD SDPA3AD-016G and wanted to ask if you have also an arrow on the connector (on the black latch), i thought that was pin1. If you have the connector on top then the arrow is on right side. The above picture suggests that pin 1 is on the left side.

If i understand right the contacts are facing towards PCB?

[automobus]

Hello xrated, also I got a SanDisk pSSD-P2. SanDisk seems to refer to it as alternately 'SanDisk® pSSD™ Gen2'. Mine has two differently marked flash pieces:

• model number SDPA3AD-016G
• SanDisk part number 54-90-12947-016G VER: SSD_5.20
• HP label REV:3.00 SPS:507314-001 / HDD 16GB 2010/05/10
• PCB mark SanDisk©2009 / V13 3509 / 54-50-01925 Rev 2
• controller mark 20-82-00192-3 / S935-P0Y449.00 / SDC1 / TAIWAN
• flash mark D92838312-008G / DP0083697SS / M0928M85D4.01 2-40 / CHINA
• flash mark D92738312-008G / DP0089802SS / M0927M76E6.04 4-17 / CHINA

SanDisk SDPA3AD 54-90-12947 have a "flipped" or "reversed" interface order. Its ZIF connector does have a little triangle arrowhead indented in its 'black latch' lock flap, which points to pin 40. It accepts a "thick" "Hitachi style" ribbon.

SanDisk SDPA3AD 54-90-12934 seems to have a "normal" "forward" common interface.

My SDPA3AD 54-90-12947 is an "OEM part" from HP Mini Notebook PC. Those HP Mini machines must have a reversed/flipped ZIF receptacle, because this OEM drive is connected via a normal straight ribbon cable. (Such ribbon cable has exposed metal electrical contacts on only one side, and other side (back) is fully insulated.) To connect this OEM drive to most of other hosts, a "ZIF flip" or "twisted ZIF" cable is used. (Such ribbon cable has exposed metal electrical contacts pads on opposite sides.)

Somewhere in this world exists a sort-of ZIF stub-flip-extender: a little bit of circuit board with a ZIF receptacle and ZIF flex-cable coming out. This can be inserted in-line, where existing special flex cable must be kept, but a "twist" or "flip" is needed. Such as inside iPod Video. A ZIF "flip-extension" cable.

Here, I made a WGL4 illustration of two ZIF cables.

A common ZIF cable: metal contacts on same side of ribbon.
Each end is a linear symmetric reflection of opposite end.
Side-to-side pin assignment sequence order is reversed.
┌──┬──┬──┬──┬─…─┬──┬──┬──┬──┐ ┌──┬──┬──┬──┬─…─┬──┬──┬──┬──┐
│██│██│██│██│ … │██│██│██│██│ │  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │ │  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │
│01│02│03│04│ … │37│38│39│40│ │40│39│38│37│ … │04│03│02│01│
│  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │ │  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │
│██│██│██│██│ … │██│██│██│██│ │  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │
└──┴──┴──┴──┴─…─┴──┴──┴──┴──┘ └──┴──┴──┴──┴─…─┴──┴──┴──┴──┘

A "ZIF flip cable": metal contacts on both sides of ribbon.
Such cable is rotationally symmetric.
Side-to-side pin assignment sequence order is maintained.
┌──┬──┬──┬──┬─…─┬──┬──┬──┬──┐ ┌──┬──┬──┬──┬─…─┬──┬──┬──┬──┐
│██│██│██│██│ … │██│██│██│██│ │  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │ │  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │
│01│02│03│04│ … │37│38│39│40│ │40│39│38│37│ … │04│03│02│01│
│  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │ │  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │
│  │  │  │  │ … │  │  │  │  │ │██│██│██│██│ … │██│██│██│██│
└──┴──┴──┴──┴─…─┴──┴──┴──┴──┘ └──┴──┴──┴──┴─…─┴──┴──┴──┴──┘

PIN FUNCTION / SIGNAL ASSIGNMENT
01 N/C not used
02 N/C not connected
03 RESET
04 GND ground
37 DASP
38 +3.3 V power
39 +3.3 V supply
40 DEVADR

Large direct sequential I/O (at Ultra DMA mode 5, Ultra ATA/100 host) measured with dd: 83 Mo/s read, 38 Mo/s write. More-"everyday" performance measured with CrystalDiskMark: consecutive read 52 Mo/s, write 33 Mo/s; random 512 Kio read 25 Mo/s, write 2.1 Mo/s; random 4 Kio read 3.1 Mo/s, write 2.1 Mo/s. Performance of this SanDisk seems inferior to performance of tehdude's KingSpec.

'SanDisk pSSD-P2 16GB' reports capable of Ultra DMA mode 6 (some shorten as UDMA6, Ultra ATA/133). Unfortunately, I do not have any host bus capable of such high-performance operation. Its exported storage capacity is 31277232 blocks (16013942784 octet). 'SanDisk pSSD-P2 16GB' firmware 'SSD 5.20' DOES report IDENTIFY DEVICE word 93 (Hardware reset result (PATA)), so its potential will not be misspent/mishandled by IBM's buggy firmware. (Some CompactFlash devices do not set Word 93.) 'SanDisk pSSD-P2 16GB' firmware 'SSD 5.20' DOES support ATA Security (an antifeature), DOES support SMART Attributes (valuable feature).