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    Enable extra mini-PCI-e

    Discussion in 'HP Business Class Notebooks' started by nkar, Mar 22, 2011.

  1. nkar

    nkar Notebook Enthusiast

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    I have an 8710p
    I soldered a seat at the extra mini-PCI-e port but the port is not
    enabled
    Tried Vidock but could not make it work
    Any ideas to enable it ?
    I plan to install a sata controller for extra Sata disk at the dvd-rom bay
     
    nkar, Mar 22, 2011
    #1
  2. User Retired 2

    User Retired 2 Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    Can you see if pin 23,25,31,33 (pci-e/wifi) and 36,38(usb/wwan) have tracks on them? If there's no tracks then there is no way it would ever work. If they are attached then you'd probably also need to apply unwhitelisting to them. Best way to do that would be to find an ICH8M machine with that port enabled and working, "save" it's port data (pcieport.px), then load that on your system.

    Based on the lspci output here, I can see the 8710P has:

    port1=root port (probably unconnected)
    port2=wifi
    port5=another port - probably expresscard

    Interestingly, looks like the 8710P/W and HDX9000 shares the same drive caddies. The HDX9000 has mPCIe port layout here.

    The other way of getting a native sata controller would be to tap the ICH8M I/O chip's sata lines. Tricky to do though as would need to fish Here's an idea of what's involved.

    Is there a mPCIe sata controller available? 2510P owner's might want to know about that.
     
    User Retired 2, Mar 22, 2011
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  3. nkar

    nkar Notebook Enthusiast

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    8710 does not have Expresscard
    It has Cardbus instead

    I can see a miniPCIe port with the intel wifi (port2 in which I succesfully installed a USB3 controller)
    and
    next to it it had the signs of a mini-PCI-e connector. In which I installed
    a mini PCIe connector.

    I tried putting both the original (HP whitelisted) wifi card and the usb3 controller at
    (soldered connector) with no success . Nothing is recognised .
    I think this port is NOT crippled (all pins are connected) since it has exactly the same
    pins connected as the working and tested miniPCI-e (number 2) with the installed USB3
    port.
    Any idea where to get the pciport.px from an ICH8m with that port enabled?
     
    nkar, Mar 23, 2011
    #3
  4. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    moral hazard, Mar 23, 2011
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  5. nkar

    nkar Notebook Enthusiast

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    But where do i find the right pins to short out...
     
    nkar, Mar 23, 2011
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  6. moral hazard

    moral hazard Notebook Nobel Laureate

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    I have no idea, I would follow the tracks that come from the miniPCIe slot, that might lead you somewhere. Though I have never done this so I'm not sure how the guy on that website found the right things to short out.
     
    moral hazard, Mar 23, 2011
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  7. nkar

    nkar Notebook Enthusiast

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    nkar, Mar 24, 2011
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  8. nkar

    nkar Notebook Enthusiast

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    nkar, Mar 24, 2011
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  9. User Retired 2

    User Retired 2 Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    You have a working wifi card. Suggest use a DMM to measure the resistence of the pci-e pins relative to GND and compare against your working wifi's pci-e pins. They both go back to the same ICH8M I/O controller so would be the same if connected. If any of the pins have very high readings then they are not connected and should be traced to see if the track can be joined at some point. It may well be that the manufacturer did not include some resistors since the connector was unused.
     
    User Retired 2, Mar 24, 2011
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  10. nbruser

    nbruser Notebook Consultant

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    very interesting, did you manage to get it work?

    i've got 8710p as well, would be good to have an additional mini pci-e slot.
     
    nbruser, May 8, 2011
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  11. nkar

    nkar Notebook Enthusiast

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    I soldered a mini-pcie connector but it didn't work
    Either it is disabled in BIOS OR it is not properly connected
    I found some evidence towards the last option by using the nando4 's
    suggestion with the multimeter
     
    nkar, May 9, 2011
    #11
  12. poople

    poople Newbie

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    poople, Jan 28, 2012
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  13. nkar

    nkar Notebook Enthusiast

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    I don;t have the sata card
    I tried the usb3 card with some hacks to get the needed extra power...
     
    nkar, Jan 28, 2012
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  14. poople

    poople Newbie

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    Yup, I read your another thread about that.

    I have tried in vain to put a ssd in that wlan slot. When hot swapping both, as soon as the ssd is in (in sleep mode), my 8510w shuts down immediately.

    At cold boot, the system never starts. I have wondered how it can detect a non-wlan card without running its BIOS - unless some ssd pins "short circuit" it.
     
    poople, Jan 28, 2012
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  15. User Retired 2

    User Retired 2 Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    It will never work. mPCIe SSDs require SATA pins to be wires to the slot. A wifi slot has pci-e pins instead.
     
    User Retired 2, Jan 28, 2012
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  16. poople

    poople Newbie

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    You are right. It uses a different interface: mSATA vs mPCIe.

    I had fixed my mind to try a mPCIe sata controller to connect the ssd to that slot then I found out an interesting thread about modding a mPCIe ssd for use in a mSATA slot ( http://www.thejoojooforum.com/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=776&p=4961). That's the reverse to my case. But instead of modding the ssd or the mPCIe connectors on the system board, I will mod the mPCIe pins in a mPCIe adapter like this http://www.ebay.com/itm/Startech-HM...799?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_0&hash=item41603d566f. Do you think it will work?

    Updated: I just read your another thread 'mSATA & 1.8" SATA SSDs available' (( http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...ge/541361-msata-1-8-sata-ssds-available.html)) where you state: "Neither mSATA nor mPCIe SATA SSDs can be used in wifi slots". Is that true to a mPCIe ssd with the trick you gave out @ "USB3 mini-pcie card at HP 8710" http://forum.notebookreview.com/hp-...oks/561377-usb3-mini-pcie-card-hp-8710-a.html ?

    Thank you Nando4 for your precious info.
     
    poople, Jan 28, 2012
    #16