CF 29 and CF 27 hard drive caddy

I just got a CF 29 and as the same old story no hdd caddy. As I wait for it to arrive, my creative mind is going. Also known as cheap.
I will more than likely get a CF 29 caddy, but I was looking with Dremel in hand and wonder how close is a CF 27 caddy? Is the cable compatible? The connector for the board looks the same. Could someone measure the caddies for me? Aftermarket CF 29 cables are available. I know it's easier to buy the right parts, but what is the fun in that? I don't need the drive heater, so that's not an issue.

Thanks

 

The CF-27 caddy is pretty close, a little shorter and a little taller, about the same width. The main problem would probably be trying to duplicate the floating connector in the business end of the CF-29 caddy. Because of the way the CF-29 caddy slides into the bay there is no way to connect the cable without the floating/self aligning arrangement on the original caddy.
CAP

 

Not the same connector, the CF-29 has a male JA50 while the CF-27 is female.

 

Hmm. I see the different gender in the connectors now that I found a better pic. I would need the cable then. No big deal.

I did not realize the connector was floating. Still possible though. It will require more engineering. Maybe I will pick up a 27 caddy and tinker for the sake of tinkering. I will need to figure out the floating connector before I buy a cable though.

 

Well good luck, but the cable could be the least of your problems. The CF-27 and CF-28 caddies are designed to install with half the bottom off the machine. All of the newer machines have gone to a slide in bay arrangement. The cable needs to plug itself in, and the mounting of the cable is critical, hence the slight float in the cable attachment.
CAP

 

Well I think it will work, but I am in the thinking phase not the doing phase. The hard part is to get the dimensions exact without having an original 29 caddy in my hands. Fabbing the brackets and attaching them would just require some patience.
If I had the dimensional drawings it would be simple.
From what you told me, I am sure I could make a 27 caddy work if I had a 29 caddy here to work from. That sort of defeats the purpose unless I need more than one 29 caddy. This project would save me 25 or 30 dollars. Probably not worth my trouble at this time. Although after I get that first 29 caddy, I may try to adapt a 27 tin just for the sake of tinkering. If the tin turns out, then pick up the cable. If it goes bad, I would only be out 10 bucks. Considering I am a addict of Toughbooks now, I will probably end up with more 29's anyway.

Just what I need, another addiction....I never recover...I just swap addictions...Out with the old and in with the new.

 

I'm not sure what I told you that would make you think you could get this to work. Look here: http://forum.notebookreview.com/panasonic/221725-cf-29-toughbook-hard-drive-swap-tutorial.html
Look at the "cable" it floats in a slot and is located by two pins which guide it into the socket at the bottom of the HD bay.
The CF-27 caddy does not split in half like the CF-29, and it is not made of soft aluminum, its made of quite heavy gauge stainless steel. The top is just a stainless lid. If you are comfortable with some serious pruning which will require abrasive cutting wheels and finding some way to drill the stainless, you will still have to fabricate the entire mounting system for the connector. I'm betting it would be a lot easier to find some aluminum and a sheet metal brake, and just make a CF-29 caddy from scratch. In short, all you get with a CF-27 caddy to move you towards your goal is a stainless box which is almost but not really the right size. Don't say I didn't warn you!
CAP