TravelMate B118-M - install additional drive help

jongold
jongold Member Posts: 7 New User
edited November 2023 in 2020 Archives
I have the Acer TravelMate B118-M which has 64Gb eMMC.  I'd like to install another drive (any type) if possible as I want to have a Linux drive as there's not enough space on the existing drive.  I can't find any documentation on this model.  Can somebody advise me please about options?  
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Comments

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    It looks like he B118-M supports either a 2.5" drive or an M.2 SATA SSD in addition to the eMMC drive that's soldered to the MB. You'll have to take the drive door off to see if yours has any of the extra pieces used for those. The 2.5" drive bay needs a cable to connect the drive to the MB, and there is a bracket that holds the drive in place, plus eight screws (four to connect the drive to the bracket and four to connect the bracket to the machine. The M.2 slot requires a bracket and two screws, plus the screw for the drive itself. Open your HD cover and show us a picture and we should be able to see what you are going to have to get.
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  • jongold
    jongold Member Posts: 7 New User
    Hi Billsey and thanks so much for the help here, here's the photo of the drive space. 
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    edited April 2020
    OK, the M.2 slot isn't populated on the MB, so no M.2 SSD expansion possible. To put a 2.5" drive in you need the SATA cable, Acer part number 50.VFXN7.00, the HDD bracket, Acer part number 33.VFXN7.001 and appropriate screws, four each M2x4mm and M3x3.5mm. Google those parts and once you have them sourced you can choose the drive. I'd likely go with something like a 500GB SSD...
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  • jongold
    jongold Member Posts: 7 New User
    Thanks that's great information and I found the parts.

    Can you confirm regarding the cabling, is it a single cable ie not a power and data cable and does it connect to that socket in the photo or somewhere else on the MB?

  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    Yes, both power and data in the same cable.
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  • jongold
    jongold Member Posts: 7 New User
    Thanks Billsey, your help was really appreciated, great information.  If only Acer provided technical documentation on the laptop like in the old days.  
  • jongold
    jongold Member Posts: 7 New User
    I got the cable and drive bracket but I'm not sure if this is the right one and how to fit it, can somebody please advise? 
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    They both look good to me, you have the cable plugged in correctly. You put the drive in the bracket and secure with four little screws such that the SATA connector on the drive matches the orientation of the connector on the cable, then you can connect and put the bracket in place. Screw the bracket in with it's four screws and button everything back up. Your new drive should show up in Disk Management, but likely won't have a partition created yet.
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  • jongold
    jongold Member Posts: 7 New User
    I have a major problem with the Acer cable, there is not enough room for the connector when the SSD drive is in place.  The SSD is quite standard size I think so is the problem the cable?  The cable was labelled as "Acer Seal Original spare part" from Zandparts :-(  
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    It looks as if the cable needs to be bent in a loop to position the connector correctly. Is the part number on the cable 50.VFXN7.001? there are lots of different cables, mostly different due to length. See in this image:

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  • jongold
    jongold Member Posts: 7 New User
    @ Billsey

    Thanks again, I'm a total moron when it comes to upgrading this laptop!  

    Seeing your photo was the answer - the drive is installed upside down as you see it from the underneath and the drive fits fine that way.  Problem is all solved now, thanks again for the super help.    
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    No problem! Let me know if there's anything else you have questions about. :)
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  • apgr
    apgr Member Posts: 34 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    i bought that connector too, but once i connect it, even without the ssd, the laptop wont switch on any more and instead gives a high pitch low volume whining noise. am i missing something or does the cable simply have a short inside? can anyone explain the noise seeing this laptop has no moving parts?
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    edited May 2020
    @apgr that pretty much has to be a short in the power wires going to the SSD, or problems on the SSD itself. What happens with the cable plugged in, but the drive disconnected? If it still grumbles about it, it is most likely the cable. If everything seems fine with the cable and no drive then it's more likely the drive. You might be able to test that using an external enclosure...
    Since it sounds like you have already done the first test, and it failed that tells you it's time to contact the vendor who sold you the bad cable and get it replaced.
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  • apgr
    apgr Member Posts: 34 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    thanks. weird though, the cable looks ok from the outside. do you know which ones are the power pins in this type of connector?
  • apgr
    apgr Member Posts: 34 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    so i found the pinout for the "regular" sata plug, now the one of the mainboard would be interesting, especially if it's the same for alle motherboards with this shape of connector.


    somewhere else it said that what is called "reserved" here is for the activity led.
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    edited May 2020
    You might try checking to see if any of those six wires on the power side (+5V and GND) are shorted to each other anywhere.
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  • apgr
    apgr Member Posts: 34 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    they are, but only ground with ground and +5 with +5, that should be ok, right?
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 31,454 Trailblazer
    That should. It's looking more and more like the drive itself is the problem. Do you have any other SATA drives you could try with the cable?
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  • apgr
    apgr Member Posts: 34 Enthusiast WiFi Icon
    as i said, this cable attached to the laptop without a drive prevents the laptop from booting. so this cannot have anything to do with a drive, which btw works fine in another computer.