T540p Question about ultrabay compatibility

I will be needing a 2nd HDD.

Would any other, older Ultrabay hdd holders or other generic models fit in the new T540p ?

Support linked me to the new Ultrabay IV, which is way too expensive around here.

Thank you for your help!

 

I do no believe so, none of my older adapters that fit the T/W530 fit in the new models. They also switched the Docks and require new style docking stations. Those are important points to take into consideration (along with new power supply connectors) when purchasing the new models.

 

You could try a third party adapter via eBay, though they tend to be a bit more flaky in my experience.

 

I've searched endlessly the last few days for one, no OEM to be found at retail, but did stumble across one on eBay from Honk Kong for around $20. No telling the quality, but at least there was one. Looks like a couple of weeks before they hit stateside.

 

I just received a T540p. The trackpoint "buttons" are not as bad as I thought they would be. I hope that I can learn to live with them after 20 years of working with the traditional buttons.

However, it looks like replacing the ultrabay DVD with a second HHD has become much more complicated than it used to be. Lenovo online help tells me that the ultrabay modules won't be available for another month or so. Did they refer you to an available caddy?

Can you provide more information about the compatible caddy that you found on ebay? Thanks!

 

Not sure where you are located, but the Ultrabay adapter is available from Lenovo in the US and some other markets (just search for the Lenovo part number). Not as cheap as something off ebay, but not bank-breaking either:

ThinkPad 9.5mm SATA Hard Drive Bay Adapter IV | Lenovo | (US)

 

THANKS!
Now why did Lenovo.com help tell me it wasn't yet available. So it goes.

 

Has anyone installed something like this in their T540p or T440p yet:

2nd SATA Hard Drive HDD SSD Caddy for Lenovo ThinkPad T440P T540P | eBay

It looks like it does not have that one screw at the end to screw it in the laptop. Will this be held in place safely without it? Anyone with similar experience?

Thanks in advance

 

A little off topic, but can anybody confirm that t540p main compartment supports 9mm ssd?

HTC One Tapatalk

 

If it fits at all, it will only be held by the tension on the SATA connectors. Which you don't want to be jerking around too much anyway.

Get the Lenovo part.

 

Yes, It does. I just tried it last night. See post above.

 

I ordered the caddy from China on Dec. 5 and received it yesterday (Dec.19). So, count on two weeks for delivery.

It fits snugly into the T540p, but not flush. I've posted pictures for you to see how it looks at Baertracks - Tracking the World to Be More Creative. The faceplate provided with the caddy is actually the cover for a CDRW drive which will be a bit misleading to someone who may try to open your CD/DVD drive! But it works fine!

The caddy can hold either a 7mm or a 9.5 mm drive. I successfully connected both types. I even tried a 12.5mm drive, and confirm that it will NOT fit. BTW, the largest 12.5mm drive that I've found on the market is the HGST Travelstar 5K1500 1.5TB. There is supposedly a Samsung Spinpoint 9.5mm 2TB drive out, but it doesn't seem to be directly available. Has anyone found that drive for sale directly?

The caddy drive did not come with the bracket needed to secure it inside the Thinkpad. However, it does have holes drilled for attaching that bracket (see picture). So, if you are like me and plan to have the secondary HDD in place 95+% of the time, you could switch the bracket from the CDRW drive to the caddy drive.

 

Thanks for the detailed feedback. I was looking at picking that one up also...

 

Thanks for the info Baertracks

One more question: Is it possible to use the original DVD drive faceplate instead of the caddy one, thereby making it perfectly flush?

Thanks

 

Yes, it looks like that will work. I've made the switch and added a picture at Baertracks - Tracking the World to Be More Creative to show how it looks.
FRANK

 

Man, that's pretty clunky.

Here's a pic of the Lenovo part:

 

Has anyone tried using the "official" Lenovo Ultrabay 2nd HDD adapter, the "ThinkPad 9.5mm SATA Hard Drive Bay Adapter IV", part number 0B47315?

I purchased one, and I'm beginning to regret it. The hard drive is extremely loose in the carrier, with approximately a 3mm gap on three sides from the sides of the HDD or SSD when it is inserted. As a result, there is nothing keeping the drive fully plugged into the SATA connector. I'm assuming it requires some base plate which the HDD is screwed into, or something else surrounding the hard drive to keep it in place.

I may have to end up carving some polystyrene bumpers to keep the hard drive in place, which is annoying given how much the !@#! thing costs.

 

I just got the Ultrabay IV and have the same problem, a base plate, side rails, or case is clearly required. Lenovo does offer some hard drive rubber rails (part 41V9756), but it's not clear they will work in a T540. If anyone knows of a solution please post it.

 

I called Lenovo. I spent at least 25 minutes talking to a support person who never understood the problem (that additional equipment is required to anchor the drive snugly), who didn't know what an ultrabay adapter was, and who eventually forwarded me to someone who thought I was looking to replace the hard drive. At that point I gave up and was forwarded to someone who would handle a return.

I thought I would get a no-hassle adapter for my $60. If I'm not then I'll buy a generic from Ebay or Amazon for $22. Lenovo's ultrabay adapter I got for my W510 didn't need additional equipment to use. It's shameful Lenovo's T540p ultrabay adapter doesn't provide a complete solution and even more shameful there's no easy way to even identify what else is needed.

I will say this, their return handling is first class. It is efficient & includes a pre-paid UPS label.

 

I'm having the same problem with the official Lenovo ultrabay caddy in my T440p. I think the clip-on plastic drive carrier from the main bay is what is needed in the ultrabay as well, but how to buy one is a mystery since it apparently has no part number. I ended up buying some rubber rails for the old T-series drives off ebay for $4. Cut off a few corners, shaved the thickness down a bit, and now the drive is well and truly wedged in there

It's an utterly ridiculous situation though. No one at Lenovo has a clue yet they still happily sell an overpriced part not fit for purpose. This iteration of the ultrabay is totally useless in every respect IMO. You have to take the base off to access it, it has no battery option, and the drive caddy simply doesn't work.

 

I just received the 3rd party Ebay adapter ("2nd SATA Hard Drive HDD SSD Caddy for Lenovo ThinkPad T440p T540p"). It is far superior to the official Lenovo offering. The 7mm drive fit snugly and there was a screw that locked it in place (using the supplied screw driver). I moved the anchor bracket from the original DVD drive (as described above). My advice is to ignore the official adapter and grab the Ebay adapter. Save yourself $38 and a lot of headaches.

 

This is the biggest disappointment for me. I ordered my T440p thinking that they'd release an ultrabay battery for it, and it turns out that's not even possible with the ultrabays on the *40 series. Color me upset

 

It's not possible on any ThinkPad with Ultrabay Serial, which is any hundreds series ThinkPad.

 

Not entirely correct: it is possible on T440/T500/R400/R500-Gen, and it is possible for all T4xxs models until the T430s.

 

Ah, yes indeed, after some more search I stand corrected. Thank you.

 

I had the same problem with my W540 laptop. It came pre-configured with Samsung Pro 840 256GB as my primary, and OCZ Vector 150 256GB as a secondary in ultrabay. Both of these are 2.5" SSDs.

The OCZ drive in ultrabay was loose, and became dislodged and stopped working. I had to pop the bottom plate off to remove the ultrabay to find the problem.

One thing I noticed is the Samsung primary SSD is installed with a pop-on wrap uses to secure it vertically into the laptop chassis. When I put the Samsung in the ultrabay caddy, it fit like a glove and was not loose.


You can try this yourself. The same pop-on HDD/SSD wrap is needed for the SSD to fit snugly in the ultrabay caddy too. So now I have to go back to the licensed retailer (CDW.ca) and complain they did not install the SSD properly for me - they should have known that pop-on HDD wrap was needed in addition to the ultrabay cartridge itself.

Lame.

 

Lame indeed, but the problem is just as much Lenovo's fault as CDW's methinks. I bought an ultrabay caddy direct from Lenovo for my T440p and it came with no drive carrier at all. Moreover, Lenovo apparently does not even sell drive carriers like those that are installed in the main drive bay. So I (and many others by all accounts) had to fashion out own drive carrier to ensure the drive fits snugly in the caddy and does not flop around (I cut down some old rubber rails).

Basically Lenovo sells an incomplete package, which is annoying as hell considering the premium price of their ultrabay caddy.

 

For what it's worth, I remember my ultrabay adapter I got for my X60 did require the drive caddy, although I never used it.
Also, this is no ultrabay anymore ,really. Just the usual stuff we find in EVERY other laptops. Good or bad, you chose.

My problem is a bit different though: I wanted to reuse the adapter I used in my Macbook (pretty much the same stuff).
It fits nicely (though the bezel is ugly). When I power the w540, I hear a small bzz (half a second) from the drive and then nothing anymore.
Drive not recognized by the BIOS nor the OS.

Nobody got such a problem? Is this indeed my adapter being the culprit?

 

Thanks for the recommendation. I've had problems with the caddy I've bought from hddcaddy.com for my t540p so will try that.