Need a 'hard-drive cable connector'/'connector latch' for m18x r1

Described as a 'hard-drive cable connector'(3) here:
Documentation

Also described as a 'connector latch' on page 44 of my Alienware manual.

Not exactly a common part everyone asks for but I could do with one, as mine is broken on the side. So the hard drive cable is kind of loose.
Luckily everything runs fine! But I still want to replace the broken connector.

Anyone know of any good places for Alienware spares? Would like to avoid asking Dell UK as they'll probably ask for a silly price.
Unless the size of these connectors are quite common in various laptop brands and are easy to come across??

Cheers

 

If you are referring to the ribbon clamp on the motherboard port (top illustration, no.3) you wont get a spare from anywhere unfortunately. They are part of the whole Mobo production. Without swapping out boards, I think you will have to make some kind of "DIY" job to ensure that the interposer ribbon is secured to the mobo port.

 

Thanks for the response Stevie.

Seriously that 'latch' (which is detachable) part is only included as part of a mobo purchase?
Just to clarify to everyone this is what I'm after - excuse the poor highlighting ;p

Spoiler

I guess I can try some DIY to make the ribbon more secure, but only when the m18x decides to play up.

 

Yep. That "part" is not readily available to buy as a spare. If you have both parts of the broken latch, you could superglue them back together and then re-attach the latch to the socket, but do NOT glue them in place on the socket as you will be totally screwed. Failing that, a piece of thin plastic, kind of "wedged" in to keep the cable in place should do the trick or taped down with a bit of electrical tape.

If you can find an old mobo selling as spares, you could try and get a latch that way, but I have never seen them getting sold on their own.

 

Ahh, unfortunately the broken piece of the latch has gone walkies somewhere.
The 'wedged' method might be a viable option if things ever play up.

Yeah I can imagine a mobo being available for spares rare and pricey, but who knows I'll keep an eye out.

Thanks for the tips.

 

I had that happen to last machine which ended up not recognize hard drive due to poor connection after a while. If working now don't unplug drives until you source a new motherboard


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

I had that exact same problem with my hard drives when I bought the m18x last year.
I thought my Corsair Force GT SSD was faulty, took a closer look and found that the latch had partly snapped causing a poor connection.
But since I've left the hard drive cable settled in well with the broken latch doing half the job securing it, it's been working without any problems.
It’s just I've only thought about getting a new latch now, and I certainly don't intend to touch that latch until it decides to one day play up on me

Dan so what did you do with your last machine to make it work? Just fiddle about with the cable till everything settled okay?

Plus I'm sure these latches are quite common parts on a lot of devices that have ribbon cables, so maybe just a matter of finding the right size.

 

I was adding a force gt SSD to the HDD cage, and one of the catches of the white retainer clip that holds the sata ribbon cable down, broke!

its such a fragile piece, yet the instructions are to pry it out and push it back in for assembly. I cant find any place that sells replacements and my m18x r2 is out of commission until i can plug my harddrives in

and i heard some people recommend buying a whole motherboard for that tiny little plastic peice that costs probably less then 1 cent to make.

anyone know where i can get some? any help would be appreciated

 

i have the same thing happen, any fix now?

or a place to get space retainer clips?

 

you can still reuse the same retainer, the only purpose these two legs have is to hold it in place after prying it out so it doesnt fall loose somewhere underneath the chassis bethween mobo and components, actually what you wanna do is put in your ribbon the way it suppose to be there and gently press in your little plastic thing to the socket where flex cable of sata adapter went in, it will lock in the flex cable no problem, and just be very carefull press from the middle and gently work sideways so it will even out in level and will nicely sit in the socket along with the flex cable. easy as peanut

 

I had the same problem with the keyboard latches they're telling me I have to send the whole computer and have it worked on since it's part of the motherboard. My keyboard is in operable luckily I use an external keyboard 99% of the time.

 

Same with mine - it was broken when the laptop arrived today I found it when I went to replace the drive with an SSD - 100% did not break myself so must have been during assembly. Is there seriously nobody that sells these as spare parts unless you buy a whole mobo ?

 

Report to Dell that the connector is broken. You will get a new motherboard. My R2 came with a connector 'latch' broken too and I got a new motherboard (I was also offered a refund but didn't want to go through ordering the same thing again).

 

Raised a support query online lets see what happens

 

Hi guys. I have a friend who has this exact problem with an M18 R2. He has phoned Dell and they have said they won't fix it. He has only added an SSD and an additional 1tb drive. He bought it from the Outlet but surely that doesn't matter. There appears to be a drop of glue actually on the connector, so this metal strip which connects the HDD's to the mobo isn't perfect and so the connection is very loose. I'll ask him to try the wedging in method but Dell should absolutely fix this for him, right?

 

The thing needs to be re-designed. Dell insisted to send a tech to replace my mobo when R2 came, and the tech happened to be of this 'early '90s star wars fan', chubby and very talkative. He said that within last 4 months he already replaced 3 alienware mobos (excluding mine, being the 4th) in my area, all because of broken connector latches. This, plus countless reports of the poblem in this forum = seriously bad design screwing with a lot of people. Hey Dell *wink* *wink* *nudge* *nudge*, there's a hint for ya things obviously don't work.

 

No, you don't want online queries. Call the tech hotline and complain the brand new R2 you bought came damaged and the problem needs to be fixed ASAP.

 

I agree that this problem should not exist and the clamp/latch should be a serviceable item. I'm sure it would cost pennies each to have the mobo manufacturer provide a few thousand spares for each connector on the motherboard, which can then be re-sold for out-of-warranty repairs or save thousands of dollars in otherwise unwarranted motherboard replacements. Until that happens, we have this situation frequently recurring. It is clear some of them are broken by the people assembling new laptops, and there is no valid excuse for that. It should never be shipped with that part broken. (I had a different connector broken on a motherboard installed at the repair depot. Fortunately, that one is not causing any issue with functionality for me, so it's not a problem. Had I not dismantled my system for other maintenance work, I would not even know it is broken.)

Here's a suggestion for anyone reading this. There is no reason to disconnect the SATA ribbon from the motherboard unless you are replacing the motherboard. I never disconnect it. If you are adding or replacing drives, you only need to disconnect them from the end of the cable that attaches to the drives. If you are gentle and don't pull on the SATA ribbon it will not dislodge from the connector on the motherboard. If the ribbon cable does pull out, the latch becomes loose and the risk of breaking it is greatly reduced. It would only be broken by pushing it in the wrong direction or by attempting to raise it higher than it should be raised, which will break the clips on the sides. The clips do not break off on the sides when lifting the clamp unless too much force is used. By gently raising it straight up, you can feel when the clips reach the end of their travel and stop applying pressure. It raises very little to release the ribbon cable. I would estimate something like 2mm at the most, perhaps even less.

The wedge method works on the same principle as the factory latch/clamp device, so it is a sound repair. But, it's not what anyone expects to need to do on a brand new machine... even if it were an inexpensive machine. If it's new it should not be broken before it is sold. Dell/Alienware cares, so they will resolve it if it happens to a new machine during assembly before it reaches the customer. I don't understand the rationale for refusing to take care of it on a machine purchased from the Outlet because it is not a cosmetic blemish or minor evidence of wear, such as one should expect on an Outlet purchase. Not sure if there is more to know about that particular scenario, but on first blush it seems that stance on the matter might be coming from the wrong employee. If I were told that, it would be escalated to someone in authority for resolution. That seems pretty silly to me.

 

I don't know how successful you would be going down this route BUT.....quoted from this thread: http://forum.notebookreview.com/alienware-m18x/681111-where-order-m18x-r2-parts.html

Not sure if Heihachi ever got a clamp sent out but might be worth a stab to avoid a mobo swapout.

 

I think Pablo misunderstood what part was needed. If I remember correctly, Heihachi was not able to get that. His response might be posted later on in the same thread. If he sees this, he might comment to confirm.

 

Ahhhhh......I just remember seeing Pablo's post and thinking....nice!

 

I think there were a number of us that were excited about that possibility.

 

I had a brand new factory sealed Alienware M18x R2 delivered with this cheap plastic retaining clip broken and rattling around inside the laptop. On 1/10/13 Alienware tech support informed they don't sell or provide a replcement to this cheap part, recommended a new motherboard and it's not covered under my warranty. Sounds like a parts scam by Dell/Alienware to me.

 

Mine also came broken because as soon as I pryed it out it fell off!! Luckyly I was able to slide it back on there as ultraGSM says, and added some super glue to make sure it stays there. What a ripoff, for such a delicate piece to be installed on the M18R2

 

Just a word of caution. Do NOT superglue parts together that are designed to be separated, you may end up regretting it. Wedge it in by all means to secure it, but don't make it inseparable.

 

I have taken mine apart literally dozen of times. The cable retaining clamp is fragile, but it has never broken using appropriate caution. If you try to move it the wrong direction, use too much force, or try to push it too far it will break... guaranteed it will. Sometimes the people that assemble the machines at the factory or work on them in the Depot break them even though they should already know how to avoid breaking it. It is always best to use your fingertip or fingernail to raise it up. You can monitor the pressure/force being exerted. You cannot feel what is happening if you use a tool of some kind.

The best way to avoid any problem is to know what you need to do before you get started. Below are some photos. As you can see the wireless LAN card is in the way. Remove it to give yourself room to work. Lift straight up on the outer corners. Raise the locking clamp straight up and away from the motherboard. Raise it evenly, and if necessary, alternating from both outer corners to keep it from breaking by being cocked. Do not try to push it laterally (horizontally) or it will break. If you try to raise it too far it will break, so when you feel it stop moving, then you stop trying to move it and investigate visually whether it moved or not. When it releases, you will be able to feel it if you are not using a tool to pry on it. In the third photo from the left, the red arrow is pointing to the fragile piece of the retainer that will break off if you get too rough with it. There is one at each end of the clamping mechanism. The green arrows are showing the only direction it moves in relationship to the motherboard. The white boxes in the last photo on the right are showing where to lift up the clamping mechanism on the outer corners.

PRO TIP: While the HDD caddy is out, remove the two silver screws under the HDD caddy that attach the palm rest. Why? You can avoid having to disturb the SATA ribbon cable forever and still remove the palm rest to perform other maintenance, like replacing thermal paste on the CPU and GPUs. Those two screws are not needed. The palm rest will still fit properly and remain secure without them installed. Trust me when I say that being OCD about leaving those screws out is definitely worth the headache and hassle if you break the the retainer clamp or damage the SATA ribbon cable and you will wish you had followed this advice. Nobody will know or care about the missing screws except for you.

[parsehtml]<blockquote class="imgur-embed-pub" lang="en" data-id="a/8rCqm"><a href="//imgur.com/a/8rCqm">M18x SATA Interposer Clamp</a></blockquote><script async src="//s.imgur.com/min/embed.js" charset="utf-8"></script>[/parsehtml] - - -

 

To be honest, whenever I have had to remove the drives, I hardly ever remove the Sata cable from the motherboard clamp. If I am just changing drives etc and leaving the machine upside down, I just unscrew and lift up the whole caddy, flip it over whilst attatched and then pull the interposer gently away from the caddy. Works well for me as you can firmly hold the caddy whislt the other hand is free to gently (from side to side) remove the interposer from the caddy itself - no need to touch the motherboard clamp at all.

If I am planning on flipping the machine back over whilst the drives/caddy are out, it then becomes a lot easier to remover the ribbon from the motherboard clamp as you have more room....bit like what Brother Fox mentioned above.

 

Thanks Mr Fox this should really help people.

Mine was broken from the factory, fortunately my cage is now full and I do not anticipate having to open it again.

Your advice to take out the wifi card is worth its weight in gold. I encourage your readers to follow it. With my fat fingers this is the only way I can succeed.

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Moderator Edit: Please continue discussion or ask new questions on the subject in this thread - http://forum.notebookreview.com/ali...-troubleshooting-ask-your-questions-here.html

 

i also need that latch now

 

Have both sides of the clip (the smaller hinge/latches) been snapped off?

Reason I ask is because only 1 side of mine is damaged but it's enough to keep the cable wedged in securely.

I'm thinking the middle prongs of a plastic fork would be good alternatives if both sides are broken and you need to wedge some plastic in.

 

If the tab that wedges the clamp into the slot is not broken and the only thing missing is one or both of the hooks on the ends, this will not be a huge problem. The hooks help you avoid losing the clamp, but they do nothing to keep the cable secure. The tab that wedges into the slot is what hold the ribbon cable. Use some Scotch tape to help it stay in place. Fold over 1/4" or so of the end of the Scotch tape to make a "handle" so the tape will be easy to grab and peel off later on.

Here are two suggestions for anyone that disassembles their M18xR1/R2. These suggestions apply regardless of whether or not the retainer has been broken.

• While you have the HDD caddy out, remove the two silver screws underneath the caddy that attach the palm rest. Leave them out indefinitely. The palm rest is more than secure without these two screws... there are plenty of other screws attaching the palm rest. You don't need them and you will not notice any differences in fit, feel or appearance. In the future, should you need to remove the palm rest you can avoid having to disturb the SATA interposer. You will never need to disturb it ever again unless you are changing drives or removing the motherboard. This will greatly minimize the opportunity for complications involving the fragile ribbon cable clamp for the SATA interposer.
  
  .​
• When you need to release the SATA interposer clamp, remove the WiFi card to get better access to it. Only use your fingertip/fingernail to gently raise it up until you feel it stop, then you stop. Using a tool to pry it up often results in the retainer getting broken because it is difficult to gauge how much force you are using. I have lost track of how many times I have worked on mine. I am always tinkering with something involving HDD or SSD. Mine is still intact on the M18xR1 and M18xR2 motherboards after dozens of removals, but I always remove the WiFi card and never use a tool to pry on it.

[parsehtml]<iframe class='imgur-album' width='100%' height="650" frameborder='0' src="http://imgur.com/a/8rCqm/embed"></iframe>[/parsehtml]

 

Wow all this time the discussion carried on with quite a number of people with the same problem.
Although both sides of my clam have snapped off, I could still do with a new one.

Might have to find a DIY person out there who can make a replacement part for this.
Still shocked how Dell can't address this problem with spare parts without buying a mobo. Even if it costs a few pence/cents to make, I would gladly spend a couple of £'s/$'s on this.

 

Wouldn't this be a good application for a 3d printer?

 

Well low and behold while changing my drives the clip pops out -.- its not broken but the little wedge on one side that stops it coming away is broken a little. Now I have rather large hands and I am not light handed so I can accept it may be my fault. The clip easily fits back in and does it's job but seriously these things are made to break over time there so small and fragile, If someone has a 3D printer I would happily pay for clips to be made.

 

After all these years I have never broken a single one of them and I've taken my Alienware systems apart so many times I cannot even begin to guess at the number. I could probably do it with eyes closed. But, many people have broken them, including Dell repair techs. It's not difficult to break, especially for first-timers that don't know it is fragile, and don't know which direction it needs to move in order to release it.

Since it is only there to keep it from getting lost when it is not in the locked position, tt should hold indefinitely with it wedged in place on the ribbon cable, but you'll have to be careful not to lose it if you take it off later when working on the machine.

 

I actually prefer it not being attacked, even with the Wifi card removed I still find it hard getting to it even when using tools.
The thing is I went as gentle as I could and it still breaks 0-o if i went any slower it wouldn't move, plus id was fine the last few times I did it.

 

Hey Mr.Fox I just repaired my connector using some poly cement and it acts good as new. I tried doing it your way by leaving the cable connected and just gently remove the drives but it seams I can't get the hang of it. I was close but the cable that bend over seams to be rather stiff that it either doesn't give enough movement or it just ping's itself out of the connector (leaving it intact and functional )

 

That's great that you were able to fix it.

The best way to avoid a problem with this, whether the clamp is broken or not, is to leave out the two silver screws under the HDD caddy so you never have to disconnect the ribbon cable unless you are changing drives or removing the motherboard. That minimizes the number of opportunities to break it and simplifies working on the machine. Those two screws don't add any value on my M18xR1 or my M18xR2. The palm rest fits nice and lays flat without them, and nobody but me knows those screws are not there.

 

I have exact same problem. Clipers right holder broke. Its holding for now but il need to add another drive soon adn im not sure will it hold on after next swaping.

 

i have the same problem in my wife's m18x r2, just using plastic piece from duracel battery package to get the hdd cable fixed, it's quite strong and has a soft paper side to avoid it from falling out.

i remeber i took some layer of cardboard paper off of it though...

 

also a good way no to break that "connector" is too first unscrew the hdd caddy and pul it out from the other side while it is still connected and then pul the cable out of the mother board at straight angle, after that the "connector" gets loose and impossible to break it anymore. similar way make is easier to connect back too for me.

 

the way they implemented the design of it in general is flawed that's why so many people end up with broken ones...it should have been designed differently for a part that has to be moved and disconnected during every disassembly

edit: has anyone tried super-glueing theirs in place? struggled with mine again last night after changing out GPU's...that little piece of plastic is enough to drive you insane

 

So, for started Dell does not manufactures these connectors. FoxComm or one of a handful of others do. they are common easy to acquire parts assuming that you know the exact part number or the exact specifications of that Part. You can easily order them from DigiKey assuming you can find the exact part needed. thats where the problem comes in sometimes... I don't suppose someone with a broken clip but has all the pieces would mind posting a photo next to a metric ruler so I can get a accurate size of the locking clip? I will hunt down the part and reply but I unfurantionaly was given about 5 laptops all with the clips missing so can't find the needed part. 3d printing is also an option but requires an exact design of the clip (hard todo with out a complete working clip.)

 

Dont superglue it in place you will damage the contacts... if you want a drop of hot glue can work or RTV sealant works well or just some electrical tape.

 

The latch broke on mine as well. Lucky for me tho all i gotta do is push it back in when I put the cable back and it locks into place. Really awkuard piece and so easy to break or lose if not careful.

 

After finding this gold mine web site to help me restore my Alienware M18X R2 laptop back to its OEM condition, or close to it, I also found that my SATA connector recently broke on one side. The cable is in place and snug, but seems too flimsy to just leave it that way. I have only had to remove the HDD maybe 5 times in total and it still broke.

My heart sunk finding out you cannot order that piece alone. I wonder though if someone has found the whole connector as a separate purchase. I assume Dell didn't make that connector and had to purchase it from some vendor who make motherboard components. We could just remove the white clip thing and use it on our system.

And Dell if you are reading this, that connector is completely unacceptable for such an expensive laptop. One of the weak links in the chain of this otherwise good hardware.

 

If someone could mass-produce this connector latch with a 3D printer could sell a lot of these. I think it could sell about it 5~6 dollars a piece and spent only cents in materials for printing. The keyboard and hard drive connector latchs are the most common pieces to break inside motherboard(M18X-R2 for example)

 

After reading up on this more from this site and others I found that the integrity of the connection is still okay even though one of the side pegs broke off the connector. The side pegs are not used to latch the SATA ribbon cable. They are only used to keep the connector attached to the socket so it doesn't fall away and get lost. When the ribbon cable is removed the connector simply falls away onto the board which is expected since a peg latch is missing but needle nose pliers and careful picking I can replace the connector back in place.

Still annoying the connector pegs are so fragile though.

The laptop is back in service with the 1 SSD + 2 HDD. Now to figure out why Alienware Respawn (basic) fails to install. It gets most of the way through and errors out with a cannot find some file message. Well I do have Acronis so maybe that's good enough.

 

We need someone with a 3d printer and some CAD skills to start whipping these bad boys out. mine just broke too. Having intermittent HD faults on Port 1 of my SSD Raid-0 Array. Huge bummer. Can't fathom having to buy a new mobo for a silly plastic clip!

 

After my debacle with having the HDD cable slightly sideways during my GPU upgrade on the M18x R2 I may have a solution. Its not the solution everyone wants which is to just swap out that retainer clip. I have identified a replacement connector for the HDD so this would require taking the motherboard out and to a professional 2M tech to have the old connector removed and the new one reinstalled. I will know the quality by Tuesday when I test my new ribbon cable. I will keep you all posted but this is one way to bring your loose connection back to life and the stock supply of the new connector is limitless.

Now before you say it I already tried to modify the retainer clip on the new connector to fit the old connectors on the m18x R2. I could not get a viable solution to make a solid replacement for it, the legs on the new retainer clip are slightly different.

More to follow.