SSD problem on Asus UX31 E

Hello
It's my first time to get into this forum and hopefelly I will find a solution to my problem.
I have a problem with my Asus UX31 E ; I think my SSD is dead, so I'm searching to replace it with another new one but the problem is that the connector was not stadard mSATA, I have a Sandisk SSD u100 with a proprietary connector.
This is my model of SSD:


I did not find it anywhere, so I'm asking if I can replace it wth another model like this one:
OWC OWCSSDAP116G120 120GB Aura Pro 6G Solid State... in stock at OWC

Any kind of help is really apreciated.
Thanks,

 

Unfortunately my friend, that laptop is absolutely notorious for its proprietary SSD. Your only real option is to RMA (if you still have it in warranty) because replacement SSD units for this machine are so expensive its not worth it (they either come from ASUS directly or salvaged from dead machines). I also highly doubt that the OWC SSD will work since its tailored for Apple's proprietary connector.

 

Thank you very much for your help,
It's really a sad situation

 

can I use this converter for example :
eBay | New converter board f Asus UX31 UX21 ADATA XM11 xm11zzb5 SSD to 2.5" sata 22pin

 

I don't think this will work, it converts the output to 22pin 2.5inch SATA which the UX31 doesnt have

 

Hello,
What about this converter :
Sata SSD HDD TO 18pin AS Sandisk SD5SE2 SDSA5JK Adata XM11 FOR Asus UX31 UX21 | eBay

Can it fix the problem ?

 

I'm curious if you ever figured out a solution to your problem? I also have a UX31 with the crappy U100 which still works but it's just horribly slow. ASUS really screwed us on this one.

I've purchased a couple of the SATA SSD HDD to 18pin as sandisk sd5se2/SDSA5JK ADATA XM11 for Asus UX31 adapters to see what I can come up with. I'm not sure but I'm going to try.

I found a few vendors who were willing to sell new ADATA drives for the UX31 but they're pricey, from $300 - $400 depending on what size you got. If you're desperate then that might be an option for you. For me, I'm still holding out that I'll be able to find enough of these whacky Chinese parts to make something of my own that'll work. From what I can gather, the problem is the pin-outs from other drives don't match the proprietary connector from ASUS so if I can make one of these generic adapters (which do fit the connector) connect to something else by altering the board a little bit then I might have something. Or I might be completely nuts...

 

Hi TimDawg,

Curious to know your findings with this. I looked at that as a potential solution as well but I am not sure there is enough room inside my ux31a for the adapter, an ssd cable (which is what connects to that adapter you posted), plus an ssd. Also, I'm not convinced that the adapter you linked to brings power to the SSD but I could be wrong about that. Really hoping you post your results.

 

Hi xgumnyx

Your assumptions are correct. The adapter doesn't supply power which really sucks but I expected that since it's only a standard SATA adapter. It will fit in the UX31 but there's really very little space left. The seller indicated the expected use is to essentially install it in a UX31 then leave the bottom half off effectively negating any portability which seems like an odd path to take.

It might be possible to disassemble an SSD and use the internals with some sort of power hijacked from the ASUS proprietary port. The pins in the slot are effectively unused once you use an adapter like this so it's possible if someone were good enough with a soldering iron or custom PCB then they could route power from the ASUS port to an external drive.

That brings me to my second idea. Create a custom PCB much like the eBay part I listed above to replace the current drive and provide an mSATA port instead of a SATA port. That's what we really need here since that'll give us power and data. There are a variety of ways of going about the custom PCB route and having this adapter in hand at least allows me to get the measurements I need. Now I have to figure out the best way of trying to manufacture a part, on my own or purchase it through something like Fritzing Fab. I got the Fritzing Fab idea from the personal hobby work I do with Arduino's. You can get the design software for free and I believe they'll do a run of any quantity but there are a two more hurdles with this idea. First, installing the mSATA port on the custom PCB (my soldering skills are questionable) and more importantly, somehow acquiring the pin-out of the ASUS port. The adapter I have obviously shows the four pins needed for data but I still don't know what pins are necessary for power and if there's more to this idea than I'm currently aware of. I'm no expert in SATA ports, I'm just trying to come up with a usable solution to this aggravating problem for a laptop that I'm generally satisfied with (outside of this SSD issue).

 

hello, does any one of you managed to get this adaptor to work ?
can you provide us some information.
thank you

 

Tim Dawg mentioned that he found a few vendors who sold new ADATA drives for the UX31 but that they were pricey but did not mention which vendors. You may have forgotten by now, but wanted to at least ask. Thanks,

 

I don't know if anyone has had the time to research this situation but I just wanted to add some information in the hope it'll help someone reading this post. Presently there are a few of these available on eBay in both the 128GB and 256GB mSATA. The part number to search under are SDSA5JK-128G and SDSA5JK-256G respectively. You can also search these part numbers on Google and find they're readily available at numerous resellers - for example the AVERAGE price for the 256GB mSATA SSD is roughly $350.00.

Since the 256GB SSD is the preferred and popular choice it's availability is quite common although you can find the 128GB regularly stocked. I thought I'd post this just in case anyone is looking to either upgrade or replace their present drive.

 

Thanks for the info JLG 1985! Very helpful!

 

yo.. what about this adapter??

SATA SSD HDD to 18 Pin as SanDisk SD5SE2 SDSA5JK ADATA XM11 for Asus UX31 UX21 | eBay

 

I am looking for a USB adapter for the SDSA5JK-128G for my ASUS UX31as. The power jack died and the $250 repair is not worth it for me, so i'm just trying to access my data to transfer it to another computer, but i have been to three computer stores and ordered one adapter so far from Amazon and nothing is fitting. I thought it was an 18 pin micro sata, but i am hesitant to order more adapters online that i'll have to return. thanks for anyone who can provide a link. Bliss

 

Bit late, but who knows: UX21 UX31 series (mSATA mini) to USB 2.0 adapter.
And care to sell that UX? Not my type of system, but could use the 13.3" lcd.

 

That adapter has no power-connector for the SATA SSD, and you won't be able to close the bottom case which eliminates any practical use of the adapter.

This one ( NGFF SSD adapter as sandisk sd5se2/SDSA5JK ADATA XM11 SSD from UX31 UX21 UX51) seems more useful as it includes the power adapter, but I am uncertain whether you will be able to close the bottom case once installed. Does anybody have any experience with it?

Edit: Found this guy who will hopefully report on it soon ( http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...7-will-aftermarket-ssd-adapter-work-ux31.html)