new user, old hack (Vaio SZ430N 10k VelociRaptor)

Hi everyone,

While I'm waiting for the new Vaio Z release I figured I would share an old hack of mine. Back before SSDs were cheap I wanted to hack in a 10k RPM velociraptor into my Vaio SZ to increase capacity and provide a much needed boost in disk speed. A lot of people said it couldn't be done for two reasons: 1) not enough room and 2) no 12V on the SATA power. I overcame these issues by dremeling out the bottom of the case (the disk extended about 1mm through the bottom but I covered it with plastic for protection) and building a 12 volt boost regulator to step up the 5 volts already provided to the power connector. It worked and served me well for many years until SSDs became affordable. Heat wasn't really an issue although power consumption increased a bit.

The attached photos are really old and unfortunately I don't have a lot of different angles as I have since replaced the raptor with a SSD. The vraptor hack is obsolete now but it was still really cool for its time.

 

^Pretty cool. I saw the thread title and was all prepared to pop in and scream "it won't work!" - but you made it work. Nice job, did it run hot?

 

Thanks. Heat wasn't too bad, probably because the hard drive wasn't even fully enclosed, but the palm rest did get a little warmer than the stock hard drive under heavy use. I'm pretty certain that the heat sink the velociraptors came with is unnecessary.

 

*Applause*
Now that's a real hardware hack! I actually had plans to do something similar on a Dell Inspiron e1705 but thought it would be too hard to fit. And then you manage to squeeze it into the much smaller SZ!

 

Thanks, you should go for it if you still have it laying around and a spare drive. If you can tap 12V on your board safely you may want to go that route, or even run a switched power supply (step-down/buck regulator or just a LM317) from the battery. It was a fun project for sure.

 

Impressive. I have an SZ740 and love it. Im worried about the reliability of SSDs and still have a mechanical HD.

Are you an engineer?

 

Thanks. I'm a software developer by trade but I've been taking apart and breaking electronics since a very young age.

 

What exactly are you worried about regarding reliability of ssds?

Sent from my Galaxy Nexus using Tapatalk

 

Sudden death syndrome. My hard drives last 5 years on average. Ive read too many SSD horror stories.

Yes, Ive heard the counter arguments, the "you get what you pay for" adage, etc. Ive come to the conclusion that I find HDs the only acceptable medium of storage at this time. Even hybrid HDs dont seem appealing.

Im sure you hold the exact opposite viewpoint, which is fine. I suspect we wont agree and until I find more reliability in benchmark claims, less newegg reviews stating random blue screens, stuttering performance, you name it, I wont be buying any time soon.

 

Whats sata does Sz430n have? is it sata1 or 2 ?

 

I believe its first gen, 1.5Gb/s