Problem after Changing HDD

Hi all...

I just changed HDD of my Panasonic CF-T2B Japanese Version from 40GB (Toshiba) to 120GB (Samsung). It is a ATA type. Hardware installation is fine and no problem, and I install Win XP Pro SP2. OS installation was (seem) ok. However, the windows can not run for long time. In 5 - 15 minutes the computer was black out, and I have to release the battery to make it able to restarted. This also happen when I change the HDD with IBM 40GB.

Frustrated, I replace the old HDD (toshiba with one or two sectors are indicated as bad) and run well. My question are:

1. What is going on with HDD? or my Panasonic?
2. What can I do to make the Samsung HDD run on my Panasonic?

IBM : 40 GB, ampere : 1A
Samsung : 120GB, 0.85A
Toshiba : 40 GB, ????? (on computer)

Thank you

Tanjung

 

I'm willing to be you didn't use the correct hard drive. The T2 uses a dual volt drive. The vast majority of laptop drives aren't dual voltage. It uses both 3.3V and 5V and if you try to stick a single volt drive in there, you run into the problems you just described. The sad answer is there's nothing you can do about it beyond getting another dual voltage drive. If your samsung is only 5v, you can't use it as an internal.

You can see on the sticker on the drive itself where it says 3.3v and 5v.

 

+rep for ZeroFlight. I would be willing to bet the Canadian $5 in my wallet on that being the problem.

 

Thank you ZeroFlight and Modly. I just found that the Samsung and IBM has +5V only, but I did not check the Toshiba which run well on Panasonic because I am using it now. Thank you very much for very useful information. So, I am going to look for the dual volt HDD.

 

You can modify your 5V drive to work in your laptop by doing a minor hack on the drive. Simply clip pin 41 which is being fed 3.3V by the laptop and make a connection between pin 41 and pin 42. Pin 42 is +5V motor and the plan is to use this voltage to drive both motor and logic board. You just have to make sure that you clip pin 41 so there is no way for it to connect to the motherboard. Dual voltage drives are very expensive and difficult to find so this is an excellent workaround and will not affect the laptop and the drive can still be used in other computers.

You may also need to clip pin 44 if your IDE cable has a pin block at that location.

 

Nice! I'm assuming that doesn't shorten the lifespan or overload the drive?

 

No it will not adversely affect the drive because you are now giving it the voltage it needs to operate. The computers +5V supply is plenty beefy enough to drive both the motor and the logic. You may see a slight reduction in battery life but should be insignificant.

 

Tanjung... Welcome to the forum!

Zero & Tough.... Way to go... Great advice!

I just love the talented and knowledgeable people here.... Always willing to help out.

 

Does that mean the 3.3v is for a power-saving mode?

 

I would think that running the logic at 3.3V was intended for power saving but installing a 5V drive after doing the mod will probably not have much affect ,simply because now the 3.3V is not being used on the drive so the main 5V supply will just need to put out a little extra current to power both the motor and the logic so it probably all balances out in the end. keep in mind that the motor runs at 5V regardless if it is a dual voltage or single voltage. The dual voltage is only for the logic board.

 

Hi! I am having trouble with Panasonic W2, first the unit has no harddrive but the cable ribbon is present (IDE type). I installed 20gharddrive to test the system but it did't recognize. I changed the harddrive again this time a 40gig harddrive, same result. I am pretty sure all of the harddrive that I installed are in perfect condition. Checked also the ribbon and also fine.

Q? do you think it is the same situation with the T2 series. Lastly, about clipping the pin 41 and 42, I don't understand this type of hack can you specify the basic technic on this. As I understand pin 41 and 42 wiil be cut and then connected to one another, Is that the right words. Sorry about that (ill...ate). Can you explain pls. Thanks.


ohlip

 

No do not cut both pins as that would make your drives useless as they will not have a way to get power. The concept here is to clip pin 41 (logic power) and then bridge the connection to pin 42 (motor power) NOTE some drives already have this connection bridged together in which case all you need to do is clip the pin 41. Just take a meter and check continuity between pin 41 and pin 42. The idea is that power for motor and logic will come from pin 42 I hope this clears things up.

 

Thanks for your quick reply, appreciated. BTW, is it applicable to CF-W2 too.


ohlip

 

yes this applis to all the CF-R1,T1,T2,T5 W2, W5,Y5 etc.

 

Ok! on the harddrive I will start counting the pin from separate 4 pin or after that four pin. If I start after the 4 separate pin the pin 41 is second to the last of an odd no. and 42 is the last pin of even no. I am right? Sorry! man, I am noob with this. Do you have an schematic of this. I just want to make sure that my harddrive not to turn into paper weight, you know.Thanks.



ohlip

 

Pin 1 is labeled on the circuit board all the pins on the same side as pin 1 are ODD numbered 1-43 and the other row is EVEN 2-44.

Ignore the four jumper pins that are before pin 1 and 2. You can google IDE laptop pinout to get a schematic.

 

One last Q? is it really not to show up the harddrive on the bios even if the harddrive is connected without the hack? And for clipping, a piece of tiny wire will do the trick right?Thank again.

 

The hard drive not showing up in the BIOS means that your hard drive already has the Pins 41&42 tied together and as result you are shorting out the 3v and 5v supplies on the motherboard which is not a good thing. This is why you have to cut pin 41 so that it cannot connect to the 3v supply.

NOTE there is usually a pin block on pin 44 of your IDE cable if it was designed for three volt drives. This is to prevent you from doing what I just mentioned above (shorting two power supplys together if you connecr a 5v drive.) So you may also need to cut pin 44 so that it can connect to the cable.

 

tough-2-go, Your the man, It works....it works... Yepee...Thanks alot man, It recognized now. Highly appreciated.

I need a wrapping tool now. he...he..heh


ohlip

 

Excellent glad to hear you got it. Amzing isn't it? clip a pin and save about $200.00 from buying a 3v drive.

Another secret the greedy corporations didn't want you know about.

 

Additional info; after clipping the pin 41 and 42 the unit recognized the harddrive with windows xp on it but the wireless lan is weird and the battery flashes red all the time. By trial and error I came up with this; isolate pin 41 not to connect to the mbo. or to ribbon connector by just bending the pin outward but still connected(by a piece of tiny conductor) to pin 42 and now my wireless and battery signal is doing great.

Ohlip

 

I think you didn't understand the procedure, you were not supposed to clip pin 42 only pin 41. But glad you got it working even though it may have been by accident.

 

I will try once for my cf-r4.

Thanks a lot Tough.

 

Will the 5v->3v procedure work on a SSD?

Also, will anyone sell me a used Panasonic W-series toughbook?

 

I'm surprised to hear this. I have a CF-Y5 and I called tech support today to ask about replacing the HDD, and they told me I could use any (IDE) laptop drive without a problem.

Are the newer Panasonic laptops perhaps at 5V for compatibility?

 

The dual volt only applies to the 4 series mark 1s and back. Ex: T4 mk1, W4 mk1, Y4 mk1, all T2s, W2s, etc. They realized that mistake and started using normal drives on the 4 series mark 2s and up... T4 mk2, W4 mk2, Y4 mk2, T5, etc.