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Advantech sata adapter question

BORIStheBLADE

BORIStheBLADE

macrumors regular
Original poster
Jun 15, 2008
138
0
So I purchased this adapter that a hand full of people seem to have working.

http://buy.advantech.com/Industrial-Converter-Cards/Converter-Cards/model-PCM-233B-00A1E.htm

Apparently its supposed to plug right into the original Atv cable and work. The problem with my Atv cable is one of the holes is covered from the manufacturers. With this like that the sata adapter wont plug directly in. So I'm wondering if I have a different cable?

Here is what the end that plugs into the HD looks like.

img00083r.jpg
 
You just have a locked EIDA/ATA/PATA cable. They did it to make the cable idiot proof, rather than telling people to make sure the red line is toward the power supply of the device. You can always replace that cable with another one that is not idiot proof, just make sure that colored wire is in the same place when you replace it.

TEG
 
Yeah, i just hacked a slot in it with a knife, but then of course you have to ensure that you have the cable attached in the right orientation.

also, I'd be careful concerning just 'replacing the cable' as I don't think it is a straight through cable.....I'm pretty sure it is a crossover cable.

It's a lot easier just to slice a neat little hole in your existing cable. Mine still connects nicely to a standard IDE drive.
 
richyscot1 said:
Yeah, i just hacked a slot in it with a knife, but then of course you have to ensure that you have the cable attached in the right orientation.

also, I'd be careful concerning just 'replacing the cable' as I don't think it is a straight through cable.....I'm pretty sure it is a crossover cable.

It's a lot easier just to slice a neat little hole in your existing cable. Mine still connects nicely to a standard IDE drive.
Click to expand...

You mean slice a hole in the connector end of the cable right?
 
As is documented in the 750 GB atv thread on these forums and my thread on the handbrake forums ... I straight pin pushes easily through the "blocked" pin receptacle. Typically the plastic covering that receptacle is just on the top. a simple push with a pin opens it up.
 
OK, I did it, but it doesn't work. The Hard drive doesnt turn on.

I ordered a crossover cable to try.
 
at least with the bridge cave and I used. No straight cable, including the stock atv cable will work. it has to do with mirroring. the pins do not line up right. 1 becomes 2, etc. etc. The drive might get the access signal and start spinning a bit but at best you will get the question mark icon on the atv. At least this is what I have found.
 
BORIStheBLADE said:
Ya after a while I get the question mark on the tv.
Click to expand...

To my knowledge there's 2 people that have carried out the 2.5" SATA mod, the only thing I used was the Advantech adapter that you have. Everything else is stock AppleTV. no new ribbon cables were used! The most common problem with people mod'ing their appleTV is not partitioning their drive correctly. It sounds like your drive isn't partitioned correctly.

I've carried out this mod with exactly the same parts you have, so unfortunately it appears you've done something wrong???? The problem is, finding out what that is ;)
 
richyscot1 said:
To my knowledge there's 2 people that have carried out the 2.5" SATA mod, the only thing I used was the Advantech adapter that you have. Everything else is stock AppleTV. no new ribbon cables were used!
Click to expand...
Ah, then I stand corrected. I did not realize you were using a stock ribbon with that adapter. Interesting. There is not doubt the stock cable does not work with bridges like the Syba we used in the eSata mod.
 
richyscot1 said:
To my knowledge there's 2 people that have carried out the 2.5" SATA mod, the only thing I used was the Advantech adapter that you have. Everything else is stock AppleTV. no new ribbon cables were used! The most common problem with people mod'ing their appleTV is not partitioning their drive correctly. It sounds like your drive isn't partitioned correctly.

I've carried out this mod with exactly the same parts you have, so unfortunately it appears you've done something wrong???? The problem is, finding out what that is ;)
Click to expand...

I could be doing something wrong, but I don't know what it could be.

In this thread I had Dyna verify for me that my new HD was setup right and he said it was.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/791855/

Does that info show it was partitioned right?
 
BORIStheBLADE said:
I could be doing something wrong, but I don't know what it could be.

In this thread I had Dyna verify for me that my new HD was setup right and he said it was.

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/791855/

Does that info show it was partitioned right?
Click to expand...

Dyna....here is the link to the thread where I have gone through what I have done.....https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/683178/

Boris, I can only speak from personal experience, and I.....like most.....have had nothing but trouble with partitioning my drives correctly.

It seems to me that Apple TV is the most fickle device ever to grace this earth. I have partitioned my drive 10 times in the past, using the same method again, and again, and again.....and finally on the 10th time Apple TV has, all of a sudden, decided that it now likes my partitioning. When I partitioned my old 250Gb IDE drive, it consistently took me 4 attempts to get it in a condition where AppleTV would take it.

If I were you, I'd try re-partitioning your drive, and wouldn't give up until you've tried at least 5 times. Failing that (if you are 100% sure that your partitioning is up to scratch), I'd point the finger at a dodgy SATA to PATA adapter, and request an exchange from AdvanTech.

p.s, are you sure you've got your ribbon cable attached to your adapter, the right way around?
 
Well, yes partitioning the atv drives can be tough. I used to use a long text file of commands to do it via the terminal. I am not plugging atvCloner since I make nothing off of it. But basically all it does is run the same commands ... in order via NSTask. Making it alot easier to replicate a working set of commands.

Now, yes it my be a bad drive setup, which I cannot say. the only way to know is hook it up to a known working atv with a known working harware mod and see if it boots.

one note from atvCloner's disk report. The order of and type of partitions is correct. The sizes however do seem a bit off.

I am still betting on hardware.
 
richyscot1 said:
Dyna....here is the link to the thread where I have gone through what I have done.....https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/683178/

Boris, I can only speak from personal experience, and I.....like most.....have had nothing but trouble with partitioning my drives correctly.

It seems to me that Apple TV is the most fickle device ever to grace this earth. I have partitioned my drive 10 times in the past, using the same method again, and again, and again.....and finally on the 10th time Apple TV has, all of a sudden, decided that it now likes my partitioning. When I partitioned my old 250Gb IDE drive, it consistently took me 4 attempts to get it in a condition where AppleTV would take it.

If I were you, I'd try re-partitioning your drive, and wouldn't give up until you've tried at least 5 times. Failing that (if you are 100% sure that your partitioning is up to scratch), I'd point the finger at a dodgy SATA to PATA adapter, and request an exchange from AdvanTech.

p.s, are you sure you've got your ribbon cable attached to your adapter, the right way around?
Click to expand...


Ya I have the red strip on the same side you do. I inspected your pictures very closely.

When repartitioning my HD. What should I have OSX erase it as?
I'm sure it does, but ATVcloner does the partitioning you guys are talking about right?


thanks
 
atvCloner first partitions the entire drive as hfs+, which is probably redundant but is sort of a "to be sure" step.
 
btw, a full activity window log copied to a pastebin site and linked here would tell me exactly what atvCloner did. and more importantly how it came out.
 
BORIStheBLADE said:
So if I erase the HD as a journaled drive then setup wih ATVclone Im fine?
Click to expand...

well, you *should* be. I have not had one yet that isn't, but that doesn't mean it never will f'up.

Note that atvCloner does that in its first step. But you can always try it.
 
So I got the two cables today and gave it a try.

Neither got the HD to spin, but the with the cross cable a red light turned on on the adapter that I never knew about. Still not working though.
 
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