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How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

X60/X61 and X60t/X61t Series
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crashnburn
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How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

#1 Post by crashnburn » Sun Apr 29, 2012 12:46 pm

How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a Thinkpad? or X61T

So, can I make the 7mm Crucial M4 fit into the 9.5mm space of X61/ T61 / any standard HDD caddy/ slot on a Thinkpad?
If so, what do I need?

I want to get a 7mm assuming that when newer machines are out they could be thinner (e.g. X2xx / Newer Ultrabooks/ etc).

Right now its 9.5 mm in X61T, but in future machines might be thinner..
So should I opt for a 7mm drive instead? Future proofing?
T61 8892-02U: 14.1"SXGA+/2.2C2D/4G/XP|Adv Mini Dock|30" Gateway XHD3000 WQXGA via Dual-link DVI
X61T 7767-96U: 12.1"SXGA+/1.6C2D/3G/Vista|Ultrabase
W510 4319-2PU: 15.6"FHD/i7-720QM/4G/Win7Pro64 (for dad)
T43 1875-DLU: 14.1"XGA/1.7PM-740/1G/XP (Old)

Weogo
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Re: How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

#2 Post by Weogo » Mon Apr 30, 2012 11:07 pm

Hi CnB,

I have a 7mm SSD in my X61S.
I simply shimmed with some firm cardboard which is taped in place.
Appears to be working fine.

Thanks and good health, Weogo

crashnburn
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Re: How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

#3 Post by crashnburn » Tue May 29, 2012 12:53 pm

Weogo wrote:Hi CnB,

I have a 7mm SSD in my X61S.
I simply shimmed with some firm cardboard which is taped in place.
Appears to be working fine.

Thanks and good health, Weogo
Can this not work without a Cardboard or placeholder object? Say, just by latching it into the Hard Drive Caddy of the X61?
T61 8892-02U: 14.1"SXGA+/2.2C2D/4G/XP|Adv Mini Dock|30" Gateway XHD3000 WQXGA via Dual-link DVI
X61T 7767-96U: 12.1"SXGA+/1.6C2D/3G/Vista|Ultrabase
W510 4319-2PU: 15.6"FHD/i7-720QM/4G/Win7Pro64 (for dad)
T43 1875-DLU: 14.1"XGA/1.7PM-740/1G/XP (Old)

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Re: How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

#4 Post by twistero » Tue May 29, 2012 1:19 pm

Quoting directly from a PDF file from Hitachi:
The new 7mm drives have a common connector and common mounting points with the 9.5mm models. See figure 2. No changes are required to interchange this new drive form factor into a 9.5mm space with a screw mounting.

http://www.hgst.com/tech/techlib.nsf/te ... eb2012.pdf
Since ThinkPads do use screw mounting (to the HDD caddy), it should be a direct fit with no modifications needed.
X60 tablet 6363-P3U, 3GB ram, 128GB SanDisk Extreme SSD, SXGA+ screen, Intel 6300
T61 Frankenpad in 15 inch T60 body, UXGA LED-lit AFFS LCD, T9300, 6GB RAM, NVidia NVS140m, Intel 6205, 128GB Crucial M4 SSD, 1TB HGST HDD + eBay caddy in Ultrabay
701c butterfly, 75MHz 486DX4, 40MB ram, 1GB CF card

crashnburn
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Re: How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

#5 Post by crashnburn » Thu May 31, 2012 1:11 am

twistero wrote:Quoting directly from a PDF file from Hitachi:
Since ThinkPads do use screw mounting (to the HDD caddy), it should be a direct fit with no modifications needed.
The new 7mm drives have a common connector and common mounting points with the 9.5mm models. See figure 2. No changes are required to interchange this new drive form factor into a 9.5mm space with a screw mounting.

http://www.hgst.com/tech/techlib.nsf/te ... eb2012.pdf
Thank you so much for the link, quoting the information and taking the time to do so Twistero. I read the file and I think it should work fine. I wonder why the other poster was using Cardboard then?
T61 8892-02U: 14.1"SXGA+/2.2C2D/4G/XP|Adv Mini Dock|30" Gateway XHD3000 WQXGA via Dual-link DVI
X61T 7767-96U: 12.1"SXGA+/1.6C2D/3G/Vista|Ultrabase
W510 4319-2PU: 15.6"FHD/i7-720QM/4G/Win7Pro64 (for dad)
T43 1875-DLU: 14.1"XGA/1.7PM-740/1G/XP (Old)

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Re: How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

#6 Post by twistero » Thu May 31, 2012 2:50 am

Even though the screw mount points are compatible, there will still be a gap. :mrgreen: I guess filling the gap with cardboard and tape provides some additional structural rigidity (the HDD caddy does feel slightly flimsy, after all), or at least peace of mind. Personally, I would fill the gap with something as well. :roll:
X60 tablet 6363-P3U, 3GB ram, 128GB SanDisk Extreme SSD, SXGA+ screen, Intel 6300
T61 Frankenpad in 15 inch T60 body, UXGA LED-lit AFFS LCD, T9300, 6GB RAM, NVidia NVS140m, Intel 6205, 128GB Crucial M4 SSD, 1TB HGST HDD + eBay caddy in Ultrabay
701c butterfly, 75MHz 486DX4, 40MB ram, 1GB CF card

crashnburn
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Re: How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

#7 Post by crashnburn » Thu May 31, 2012 5:45 am

twistero wrote:Even though the screw mount points are compatible, there will still be a gap. :mrgreen: I guess filling the gap with cardboard and tape provides some additional structural rigidity (the HDD caddy does feel slightly flimsy, after all), or at least peace of mind. Personally, I would fill the gap with something as well. :roll:
I guess I should ask the guys who got rid of their Placeholders by modding the 9.5 mm drives to 7 mm for theirs? Or just a piece of plastic?
T61 8892-02U: 14.1"SXGA+/2.2C2D/4G/XP|Adv Mini Dock|30" Gateway XHD3000 WQXGA via Dual-link DVI
X61T 7767-96U: 12.1"SXGA+/1.6C2D/3G/Vista|Ultrabase
W510 4319-2PU: 15.6"FHD/i7-720QM/4G/Win7Pro64 (for dad)
T43 1875-DLU: 14.1"XGA/1.7PM-740/1G/XP (Old)

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Re: How: Make 7mm SSD fit & work in 9.5mm Caddy/Space on a X61T?

#8 Post by twistero » Thu May 31, 2012 6:45 am

crashnburn wrote: I guess I should ask the guys who got rid of their Placeholders by modding the 9.5 mm drives to 7 mm for theirs? Or just a piece of plastic?
Well I wouldn't go such lengths just to fill a gap. :roll: Cardboard should be fine, or fold-up paper, sheets from clear plastic folders... You get the idea.
X60 tablet 6363-P3U, 3GB ram, 128GB SanDisk Extreme SSD, SXGA+ screen, Intel 6300
T61 Frankenpad in 15 inch T60 body, UXGA LED-lit AFFS LCD, T9300, 6GB RAM, NVidia NVS140m, Intel 6205, 128GB Crucial M4 SSD, 1TB HGST HDD + eBay caddy in Ultrabay
701c butterfly, 75MHz 486DX4, 40MB ram, 1GB CF card

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