Added 3G/WWAN Connection to M15x

When i bought my M15x i thought it "might" have a sim card holder. When i got it i realized that it did not. so first thing i did to solve the problem was to go and buy a sim card holder thinking that i would be able to use the holder with the normal PCI-e WWAN/3G card and just replace the Bluetooth card as the M15x doesnt have any free slots. But just like other people on the forum who tried i failed.

normal WWLAN Card with Sim Holder attached. (DID NOT WORK)



Mini PCI-e slots have two different connection systems one is PCI the other is USB.
PCI is used in all WLAN cards and in our case the bluetooth card, but most other manufactures use it ONLY for WLAN. the other connection is USB, which other machines use for WWAN, bluetooth, tv tuners and just about anything that is not WLAN.
the M15x has two mini PCI-e slots, one full size, the other half sized. Both of them run under PCI connection.

I looked everywhere for a 3G card that would use PCI connection, but i could not find one. so i decided to find another method of adding built-in 3G.
i found a card that would convert a PCI connection to USB online at HWtools
, i would use the card to add a 3G USB stick inside my system



i replaced my Bluetooth card with the new adapter card, it worked without any drivers, but i immediately ran in to my first problem. The card was too big for system and i was unable to put the palmrest back in place. The USB slot would have to be removed and i have to directly wire the 3g Card.




i removed the casing from the USB stick(so it would be small enough to fit in place), and began working to card. using a solder iron i removed the USB port, and replaced it with wires connected directly. (sorry forgot to take pictures of the process) taped them down so they would not move and decided to test if everything worked correctly. everything was running perfectly and it was now time to disassemble the system and look for a place for the device itself.



the reason i had a long cable was i did not know where the device had any area to fit in, so a long cable would give me some options without the need to having to replace the wire if it was too short.
luckily to the right of the device was some free space which i stuck the usb stick on using double sided tape to avoid moment and rattles.


re-assembled the system and everything worked perfectly.
i should mention that the plamrest is covered with aluminum and kills signal reception, and i think you should attach the BT antenna cable to the device. something i did not do, and now too lazy to go back and give a try.


sorry for missing some images i guess i was a little too excited about the project.

 

Nice hack!! Thanks for sharing!

I rarely use my M15x on the go and in case I need a data connection I simply tether my G1 But your solution is much more comfortable.


I'm wondering why the normal card didn't work...

 

That is some crazy hack. Kudos to you.

 

thanks.
im sharing this in hope people will use the same method to add other devices to there systems.

i use a blackberry and tethering services for blackberry are disabled in my country (even Youtube is disabled, must use wifi).

as to why the normal card didnt work,the normal card uses a USB connection. the M15x doesnt have any PCI-e ports with USB connection they are all PCI and i needed some adapter to do this.

 

The MM2U is a passive adapter. When you attached the USB dongle to it, it only did 2 things:

- regulate 3.3V->5V power to drive the USB dongle
- route the USB dP/DN wires to pin 36/38 (USB) on the mPCIe slot

Isolating WWAN pin20 will probably allow the WWAN card to work in your mPCIe slot

I've used a Dell Inspiron 1440 which also has pci-e and USB lines going to the mPCIe slot. It allows a WWAN card like a MC8781 to work using the SIM ribbon cable as you've shown in your original post. However, the WWAN card would only register itself if I isolated pin 20 with some cellophane tape. pin20 is used to enable/disable the radio.

So I would suggest pin some cellophane tape on pin 20 and try your WWAN card again. It's a much cleaner implementation that can use the antennas for decent reception.

 

I'm not sure that i post in the right place but because i also own an alienware m15X i thought maybe you can help me.

I am new here and i am trying to research for how to setup a eGPU to my system.
I also posted in here and asked about my alienware system but i've been told that it can't be done.

Please help me understand what are my other options for making a eGPU setup.

p.s
Thank you nando for replying in the previous thread (Although, I am a noob in that subject And i didn't quite understand you)

 

I've answered your query here but will summarize it below:

- m15x doesn't have an Intel HD iGPU available

- x1.Opt NVIdia eGPU setup requires a Intel HD iGPU else doesn't engage.

- so then you can do a x1 (non-Opt) ATiAMD or NVidia setup which will be *slower* than your current GTX460M OR you could do a x2 setup which combines your mPCIe port3 + 4 ports. An ATiAMD x2 setup would benchmark faster than your GTX460M.

- because of the complexity of doing such a x2 setup, I've suggest you consider selling the m15x and get a x1.2Opt capable system from here instead.