FYI
There seems to be four different Serial ATA interfaces on the market
now. The normal "SATA" and SATA II interface is 22 pins if you include
the integrated power interface. There is also a "Mini SATA", a
"slimline" interface which might or might not be the same as the "Micro
SATA" interface, which is 16 pins. The data portion of the Micro SATA
interface is the same as the normal SATA interface with 7 pins and a
small nob on one end to form an L shape.
At KBS we have a USB adapter from Apricorn called a DriveWire that
supports 3.5" IDE, 2.5" IDE and normal SATA. There are about 5
competitors to this product on the market in the $25 to $40 price
range. There is a new three way USB to SATA adapter from Coolgear that
is advertised to support SATA I & II, Mini SATA and Micro SATA. The
1.8" hard drive from Toshiba that we have is clearly labeled as a 3.3v
device, which does not match the 5v used by normal SATA, and the new
device does not indicate whether it is voltage regulated for Micro SATA.
What I have found is adapters made by two different companies to convert
from Micro SATA to SATA which specify that they are voltage regulated.
There is an adapter from Startech, but it does not specify that it is
voltage regulated.
The two adapters I found are:
Custom manufactured by Computer Assembly
http://estore.circuitassembly.com/products/Micro-SATA-to-22-Pin-SATA-Adapter-with-Voltage-Regulator.html?products_id=293
$56
From two different sites the specialize in Digital Forensics a
Tableau product
http://www.digitalintelligence.com/cart/ComputerForensicsProducts/MicroSATA-Adapter.html
<http://www.digitalintelligence.com/cart/ComputerForensicsProducts/MicroSATA-Adapter.html>
$12.99
At the moment, for us shipping time is the problem.
-Stefan
P.S. and then there are some Firewire products with multiple conversion
interfaces, like the Firefly, and they are in the $200 price range.
Stefan Ozminski wrote:
> We have an emergency situation at KBS for an important laptop and I
> was wondering if someone on MSUNAG has the hardware to help. The
> Director of KBS has a Sony Vaio TT290 laptop that decided not to power
> up anymore on Friday morning. We have been through the
> troubleshooting steps online, and I have called support and they
> decided it needs to be sent in for service. Before we let go of the
> computer, we would like to make a copy of the hard disk and retrieve
> some recent files. However, the 120Gb hard disk has a Micro SATA
> interface.
> Does anyone have a USB to Micro SATA adapter or a Micro SATA to SATA
> adapter that has voltage regulation to provide the disk drive with
> 3.3v power instead of 5v or 12v power? It would be worth a trip to
> campus for us if you had one.
>
> -Stefan
>
> KBS Computer Services Helpdesk:
> [log in to unmask]
> 269-671-2100 (from campus 199-4427)
>
> Stefan Ozminski
> Computer Services
> W.K. Kellogg Biological Station
> Michigan State University
> 3700 E. Gull Lake Dr.
> Hickory Corners, MI 49060
> Phone: 269-671-4427 (from campus 199-4427)
> [log in to unmask]
>
>
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