Qosmio Laptops

[polyscient]

My Qosmio F45-AV425 (PQF46U-00K005) has a second hard drive bay, but no SATA connector soldered to the motherboard. The motherboard has a pinout location for the connector though! The pinout is labeled CH812. On HD1, the pinout is labeled CH818... this seems to indicate that an additional SATA port exists in the architecture.

I understand that Toshiba uses standardized parts, and having a 2nd hard drive bay doesn't mean you can actually add a 2nd hard drive. However, I have a hard time believing that a $2,000 laptop model would lack the hardware necessary to support a second hard drive when its motherboard has the connections!

I am a Computer Engineering student... I'm not an expert yet, but soldering a SATA connector to my motherboard would be no problem. Unfortunately I cannot find the connector I need for this experiment. Toshiba support and the rest of the world are useless in this regard. All I need is a 22 pin plastic header (the same one that connects HD1 to the board). Any tips?

HD2 missing connector - CH812 pinout:

HD1 connector - CH818 pinout:

[cee_64]

Try reading some of the other threads in this forum that bring this up.  There are a number of them so you should be able to find what you need in one of them.

[polyscient]

I posted a new thread because I had already looked through the others for over an hour, and found contradicting, inapplicable, or inconclusive information. If you know of a specific thread that answers my question, please leave a URL.

[cee_64]

I don't have a specific URL which is why I suggested looking at the other posts.  I don't have one of those laptops so I don't know what the specific part number you need is.  Now I'm sorry I even took the time to post at all.

[polyscient]

OK, I finally found something. Connectors for SATA hard drives:

ALLTOP Technology 

A consumer probably can't buy from this company, but it's a start.

One of the connectors I found on their website looks like what I need:

P980217023

Another user with a Satellite P505D-S8935 posted this part number for the SATA connector: ALLTOP09231

in the thread: http://laptopforums.toshiba.com/t5/Satellite-Laptops-all-other/Have-second-HDD-bay-Wish-to-add-secon...

[lorddethstalker]

You would have to be very good with soldering (an expert) to install that part, I will bet you that the machines that were set up for the second drive had a motherboard with a different part number.

I have a G55 and they used a harness instead that I found at a parts supplier I mentioned in a previous post about secondary drives.  if you can figure out the part number for the board, they also sell replacement mainboards.

It may not be the cheapest way to go, but it is far safer.  You have no way of knowing what other components may be missing from the board that would allow it to work, even if you did get the connector installed correctly.

http://www.sparepartswarehouse.com/

[Gageer]

I have the same system and the associated circuitry is also missing.

[Hari]

Hi, I do have the same kind of laptop, Qosmio f45 and I have wondered about the same. I would like to know if you or anyone has been successful in installing a second hard drive by adding a port on that pinout and then connecting a hard drive to it.  If so, if it is not too much trouble, then please tell me which part to order and from where and any other relevant tips.  I will be visiting a good friend of mine in couple of months who has the skills to solder it.

[jsampedro]

If this is of any help to you guys, I used to buy a lot of my electronics specialty items through digikey . Just google them, I checked and they have board mount sata connectors. I'm not giving any advice on performing this operation or anything else, but telling you a good place to find parts like this. Take care, and good luck.