I highly recommend the Runcore 128 GB SSD for the MBA – 3X speed and performance!

[Scottsdale]

Hi Scotty,

The Runcore LIF connector does not have a tape on its cable. I have tried taken it off, there's a black lid as shown in the photos above that clips the cable down. Lift the black lid up, and the cable comes off easily (Low Insertion Force). Push it back down, it fastens the cable. If you need a tape to secure the cable down, perhaps the black lid has broken?

Interesting, mine doesn't have that! Perhaps we have different models??? How new is yours?

 

[brdnboy]

Pictures comparing OEM 120gb HDD w/ cable to RunCore w/ cable

Below are some photos. You can see the Apple cable is wider than the RunCore cable and that the Apple cable has the 2 littles holes for the black latch on the drive. The black latch has little posts that lock into these holes when the latch closes. The Apple cable will not fit the RunCore drive because of the extra width.

 

[Scottsdale]

Below are some photos. You can see the Apple cable is wider than the RunCore cable and that the Apple cable has the 2 littles holes for the black latch on the drive. The black latch has little posts that lock into these holes when the latch closes. The Apple cable will not fit the RunCore drive because of the extra width.

That's interesting... I have to take it apart again to check this out. Maybe I took the tape off the Apple cable and put it on the Runcore LIF cable? Honestly, I have been on some pain meds, and it's highly possible that I am forgetting what I did now.

Does anyone else have a "black" tab that locks on their Runcore SSD? Mine doesn't have this feature the post by UltraTux says it does? I am wondering if we have different SSDs... maybe his is a new batch? Or, maybe mine was shipped without one? Would explain why I needed to tape the cable in place for sure!

Anyways, when I am feeling a little better than today I will figure out exactly what has happened with mine again. This black locking mechanism that opens and closes and fixes the LIF cable in place has me confused, as I am sure mine doesn't have that and I don't know why.

 

[coast1ja]

hmmm, That cable is very strange. At first I thought he was talking about the Rev. A ZIF connector, because it does have a black retainer clip. Then looking at the pictures, there appears to be something different going on. My old Rev. A did not have the extra-wide cable like that. Perhaps he has a Macbook Air prototype???? This is different than anything I have seen.

 

[brdnboy]

hmmm, That cable is very strange. At first I thought he was talking about the Rev. A ZIF connector, because it does have a black retainer clip. Then looking at the pictures, there appears to be something different going on. My old Rev. A did not have the extra-wide cable like that. Perhaps he has a Macbook Air prototype???? This is different than anything I have seen.

These photos of the factory cable and drive are from a MacBook Air Rev. C (MC233LL/A) built in June of 2009. The drive is a Samsung HS12UHE.

 

[stuart.kearney]

Windows 7

Hey Guys,

Im considering getting the runcore 64gb and I plan to put windows 7 on my rev b air. As I dont have a external dvd drive im planning to try and put windows on by cloning the hdd to the ssd, then booting into that ssd on my mac pro, installing windows, then putting the drive back into the air.

Anyone see any problems with this approach?

 

[breakfast]

@Scottsdale: Would be interesting to see pictures of your model's cables and connectors.

 

[UltraTux]

PCB Bridge Problem - Stock Hdd doesn't work on USB board

Hi Matt,

I reported the same problem to you and have contact MDD. They have issued an RMA but required me to disconnect the drive and send the whole thing back to them. This is very inconvenient. And we see that more people are having this same problem. How do we know we won't get back another unit which has the pcb bridge not working again?

Could you kindly let us know which serial number onwards has the pcb fixed?

Many thanks!

Just like to refresh the above question for Matt again.

 

[MacModMachine]

my pcb is bad for my enclosure, i just purchased it too.

here are my pics.

 

[coast1ja]

I thought they were fixing the issues with the enclosures??? apparently not!

 

[coast1ja]

Has anyone figured out why the previous poster had such a wide cable??? I'm still interested in knowing what that's all about.

If he could check his serial number at appleserialnumberinfo.com and see the production date... that might give us a clue.

 

[Scottsdale]

Has anyone figured out why the previous poster had such a wide cable??? I'm still interested in knowing what that's all about.

If he could check his serial number at appleserialnumberinfo.com and see the production date... that might give us a clue.

I assumed my cable was wide too. I haven't opened my case again, but I did realize that I didn't use my original cable with the Runcore SSD in the MBA. I didn't remember correctly. All I did was use the tape from the original LIF cable on the new LIF cable. Anyways, sorry for the wrong initial information.

Next, I know for certain there is no "black clip" fastener on my Runcore SSD. I don't know if it's a different model or if it's simply missing. I sent Matt from Runcore an email requesting clarification.

According to one poster, this is a clip/lock that you open and close to lock the LIF cable in. This is obviously something an instruction sheet should inform. I can assume that if some people have that clip they're not installing it properly and the cable probably isn't being "locked" into place creating problems. I am sorta assuming that mine is just missing, but it's possible that Runcore has made different models. I know from my experience working on technology that this would be a great thing to have on an SSD... much better than Apple's "tape solution." Yet another benefit to Runcore SSD over stock SSD. If we could just inform people with some instructions, I think a lot of the reported problems would go away.

I hope to report back soon.

 

[brdnboy]

I assumed my cable was wide too. I haven't opened my case again, but I did realize that I didn't use my original cable with the Runcore SSD in the MBA. I didn't remember correctly. All I did was use the tape from the original LIF cable on the new LIF cable. Anyways, sorry for the wrong initial information.

Next, I know for certain there is no "black clip" fastener on my Runcore SSD. I don't know if it's a different model or if it's simply missing. I sent Matt from Runcore an email requesting clarification.

According to one poster, this is a clip/lock that you open and close to lock the LIF cable in. This is obviously something an instruction sheet should inform. I can assume that if some people have that clip they're not installing it properly and the cable probably isn't being "locked" into place creating problems. I am sorta assuming that mine is just missing, but it's possible that Runcore has made different models. I know from my experience working on technology that this would be a great thing to have on an SSD... much better than Apple's "tape solution." Yet another benefit to Runcore SSD over stock SSD. If we could just inform people with some instructions, I think a lot of the reported problems would go away.

I hope to report back soon.

Every Apple OEM drive and 3rd party drive like RunCore (SSD or HDD) should have a hinged clip that flips up and down to unlock and lock the LIF or ZIF cable in place. Every LIF/ZIF connector i have ever seen from any device or manufacturer has this device. If yours doesn't have this it is most likely a manufacturing defect and broke off. If it works without it i guess thats fine, but it will not be held as securely as it should be. Below are photos of these clips that should be attached and working.

 

[Scottsdale]

Every Apple OEM drive and 3rd party drive like RunCore (SSD or HDD) should have a hinged clip that flips up and down to unlock and lock the LIF or ZIF cable in place. Every LIF/ZIF connector i have ever seen from any device or manufacturer has this device. If yours doesn't have this it is most likely a manufacturing defect and broke off. If it works without it i guess thats fine, but it will not be held as securely as it should be. Below are photos of these clips that should be attached and working.

I believe you. I didn't notice it though when I removed the stock SSD. We definitely need to be warning people of this. I certainly need to take everything apart and review it all again. If I make a video, it will all be very clear to people, and all of these problems should cease. It sure would have helped had I paid attention more and reported this with the original instructions. I apologize for that. My Runcore SSD definitely doesn't have that piece though. Perhaps it broke off during shipment. I will look through the packaging again.

 

[Runcore]

Reguarding the PCB for the USB case. Must be an old one got into the mix somehow or it was old stock that was not changed out with the new PCB.

If anyone has a enclosure that is not working and you need another one after receiving support form your vendor tell them Runcore will cover the replacement PCB and not to worry about sending the old one back.

I just confirmed with Doug from MyDigitalDiscount.com they do have extra PCB's available for the cases. Call them and they will ship one out for free.

Matt Dawson
Runcore

 

[Runcore]

I believe you. I didn't notice it though when I removed the stock SSD. We definitely need to be warning people of this. I certainly need to take everything apart and review it all again. If I make a video, it will all be very clear to people, and all of these problems should cease. It sure would have helped had I paid attention more and reported this with the original instructions. I apologize for that. My Runcore SSD definitely doesn't have that piece though. Perhaps it broke off during shipment. I will look through the packaging again.

ScottsDale as far as I can tell they all have had that tab. That is defiantly why you had to tape yours down.

Matt Dawson
Runcore

 

[MacAdvisory]

Defiantly tap?

 

[MickeyVee]

So is it all different for Rev A, B & C. When I installed the Runcore 128GB SSD in my Rev A a couple of weeks ago, I used the original connector.

BTW.. was not able to get the 80GB drive to work in the external enclosure.. no matter, I have 3 external USB drives already.

 

[UltraTux]

Reguarding the PCB for the USB case. Must be an old one got into the mix somehow or it was old stock that was not changed out with the new PCB.

If anyone has a enclosure that is not working and you need another one after receiving support form your vendor tell them Runcore will cover the replacement PCB and not to worry about sending the old one back.

I just confirmed with Doug from MyDigitalDiscount.com they do have extra PCB's available for the cases. Call them and they will ship one out for free.

Matt Dawson
Runcore

Thanks Matt! That helps a lot, saving us all the hassle of having the send it back. Have just emailed MyDigitalDiscount. Hopefully they can ship one to me asap.

Cheers!

 

[Runcore]

So is it all different for Rev A, B & C. When I installed the Runcore 128GB SSD in my Rev A a couple of weeks ago, I used the original connector.

BTW.. was not able to get the 80GB drive to work in the external enclosure.. no matter, I have 3 external USB drives already.

Defiantly due to the PCB call MyDigitalDiscount they have extras to ship out free of charge.

Matt

 

[notatwork]

!28GB SSD shows as 93.68GB--doesn't mount

Excited to receive Runcore 128 SSD for MBA 'A' from MDD. Following instructions, I connected it via USB port to prepare for the cloning step, but the drive fails to mount. Disk Utility shows the following:

Name : RujCkra 128C-C SSD Media
Type : Disk

Partition Map Scheme : Unformatted
Disk Identifier : disk1
Media Name : RujCkra 128C-C SSD Media
Media Type : Generic
Connection Bus : USB
USB Serial Number : 0
Device Tree : IODeviceTree:/PCI0/EHC1@1D,7
Writable : Yes
Ejectable : Yes
Location : External
Total Capacity : 93.68 GB (93,675,937,792 Bytes)
S.M.A.R.T. Status : Not Supported
Disk Number : 1
Partition Number : 0

Seems like 1/4 is missing (and the "RunCore" media label is corrupted). Do I have a defective SSD or USB board? I'm reluctant to experiment further...

 

[Jessie1209]

Hi,
Because the display name of your driver is incorrect.
It may caused by bad touched by the connected ZIF cable. You can try reconnect and make sure full touched.

Otherwise, install the SSD to you MBA, and enter to Disk Utility via mac os installation DVD. Check whether the name of the SSD is "RunCore 128G-C SSD". If not, I think you can contact with MDD for a replacement.

Support Jessie

 

[couto27]

hi , i would like some advice

i sold my macbook air rev A and i have almost a close deal with a 1,86 rev B
but i have some questions.
next monday im going to colect in hand $650 for a 1,86 rev b whithout ssd or hard drive
the seller told me he sold the original ssd drive, but he states the mb air works fine, he also said to me that if i had a hard drive i could bring it and we could test it for piece of mind, with the original dvds etc.


0- i never change a hard drive on a macbook air
1- i dont have any hard drive avaiable to test
2- theres any way i could test it externally ? what?
3- what do i should looking if i open the air?
4- im going to order a runcore 64gb but will take 2 weeks at least to arrive
5- should i wait to the runcore arrive and test it?
6- it will be a waste if i buy the runcore and the air doesnt work.
7- the air has my country keyboard where im from.
8.- i check the serial number it was built in november 2008
9- the guarantee has ended in apple website.
10- the price is great if the machine works fine.
11- ive read ifixit from top to bottom but i still have doubts

any advice ?

 

[Scottsdale]

hi , i would like some advice

i sold my macbook air rev A and i have almost a close deal with a 1,86 rev B
but i have some questions.
next monday im going to colect in hand $650 for a 1,86 rev b whithout ssd or hard drive
the seller told me he sold the original ssd drive, but he states the mb air works fine, he also said to me that if i had a hard drive i could bring it and we could test it for piece of mind, with the original dvds etc.


0- i never change a hard drive on a macbook air
1- i dont have any hard drive avaiable to test
2- theres any way i could test it externally ? what?
3- what do i should looking if i open the air?
4- im going to order a runcore 64gb but will take 2 weeks at least to arrive
5- should i wait to the runcore arrive and test it?
6- it will be a waste if i buy the runcore and the air doesnt work.
7- the air has my country keyboard where im from.
8.- i check the serial number it was built in november 2008
9- the guarantee has ended in apple website.
10- the price is great if the machine works fine.
11- ive read ifixit from top to bottom but i still have doubts

any advice ?

Edit: I didn't paste in my entire reply.

I would have a drive and cable ready to test it and not buy it if you don't have a way to test it. Whether you should use a Runcore SSD or not depends on how you plan to use the MBA and how long you want it for. You could always buy an HDD for a lot less money. It is NOT difficult to add the HDD/SSD yourself. Feel free to ask questions here. For something I missed on the original list of what to do to install, make sure you open the little white tab on the Runcore/HDD to open and replace the LIF cable when connecting cable to the drive. The other side of the LIF cable simply presses into place on the MBA.

I would hope you are going to get the LIF cable for it with the MBA. While you can buy second hand MBA drives, having that original cable is extremely valuable for those uses. I found an LIF cable on another site for sale yet out of stock for $40. If you buy a Runcore SSD, the LIF cable is included, but if you buy any other drive from a secondary market, you will need that cable...

I would advise you that the Runcore 128 GB SSD is a heck of a deal for the performance capabilities. You will have about $450 into a Runcore which adds to $1100 total... is that acceptable? You could go with the 64 GB SSD Runcore for about $300, I think. Or you could buy a stock SSD for around $400 or even a stock HDD for around $85 (yes I have seen them for that price here in the US - but not sure of that being the retail price or was a deal).

It is easy for me to justify $450 for my MBA that I use for work and paid $2000 for including tax, but it's more difficult to justify it if you want a cheap alternative. You're paying $650 for the MBA, and what it your long term plan with it? Is it for work? Buy the Runcore! If you're going to keep it long term, maybe $1100 is fine and the performance would be great. But what if a new MBA is introduced for $1500 with a 256GB SSD and Core i7 CPU and ATI/Nvidia dedicated graphics? Will you want to upgrade? If you want to sell the rev B MBA with Runcore SSD and all installed, you might get your money back... or you might be able to sell the rev B MBA with an HDD for $1000 and make some money on it? I guess I don't know the market where you are at or all of the variables... so I would advise you to think about what you want cheap/performance? You cannot get any better performance than a Runcore SSD! You cannot get any cheaper than a stock HDD for $85!

Good luck whatever you choose to do.

 

[couto27]

thanks for the reply scottdale

i just want a little more performance with the nvidia 9400, i basically use the air for internet email, and a few games.

im going for the 64gb runcore the space is enough.
im the kind of guy that try to upgrade every year, but never new models so dont loose too much money.
if the deal is alright i go for it

in 2008 i had 2x macbook pro 15 2,53...bought used sell used.......
in 2009 i had 1x macbook unibody......buy new and sell used........
in 2010 i had 1x mac mini...............bought new and keep..........
in 2010 i had 2x macbook air .........bought used ,sell one keep the other one
in 2010 probably another air rev B used or a new air model if apple comes with 4gb and 7 hours battery

i use the ebay uk because it has the best market in europe to buy sell etc.

i bought my last revA for $900 and sold it for the same price

if i buy the revB for $650+300$ runcore i spend $50 and get a better model to sell
(hopefully)

thats why i need to try the machine first.

ps:does apple rumors with new upgrades doesnt help either.