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Looking for 2MM spacer for 7MM drive

S

StarTech

Senior member
I installed a bare Samsung 830 in a LENOVO W520, and it is loose in the rubber rails. I had planned to move the 2MM spacer from an INTEL 160GB, but when I removed the spacer from the drive, the existing screws are too long for reinsertion on the INTEL drive, so the top plate is left loose, which pretty much makes it unusable, so it is going back in.

Bottom line is that I need a spacer for the SAMSUNG drive. Any ideas of where to get one or how to make one? I just hate to put a piece of cardboard.
 
The LENOVOs use a set of two rubber rails (long boots) that are wrapped on both long sides of the drive. They are for 9.5MM drives, on which they fit snugly, providing some cushioning and holding the drive in place in the internal bay. The problem is that when the 7MM drive is used with the boots, it floats freely with movements of the THINKPAD. I can hear rattling if I move the machine.

The obvious solution is some kind of spacer. My last resort is to come up with something like an H out of corrugated cardboard, so the long sides fit inside the boots and the cross line prevents them from coming out of the boots.
 
You are wrong about Lenovo. They use a drive caddy, and the rubber rails go on the outside edge of the caddy.. Didn't your W520 come with a thin metal caddy? The drive is attached to it with 4 screws. Then the rubber rails slide on the outer wto sides. You are missing a piece of hardware it seems. Maybe it is still attached to your old HDD?
 
I have used Thinkpads and Lenovos for about 20 yrs, I cannot remember how many I went thru. There were times when I was given upgrades within months, but normally every couple of years. I even performed some minor maintenance to replace fan system just to avoid sending the unit for service.

This W520 is my own and I have added memory and replaced the drive with a 256GB SSD 830 plus a 750GB on the removable caddy.

Yes, the internal drive is mounted in a thin metal shield that is screwed to the drive on the sides. Its basic function today is to provide an anchor for the tape that is used to pull the drive out. Years back, they added the rubber rails to provide centering/guide for the drive, as well as some cushioning.

That said, the W520 comes with the shield and the rubber guides. The rubber guides are for a 9.5MM drive. Mounting the 7MM drive in the metal shield results in a 7MM thickness, and when inserted in the rubber boots, there is room for the the drive being able to slightly "hinge" on the SATA connectors, which it is not desirable at all.

Do I make sense?
 
I have a couple of tiny round rubber feet which I would use in this situation. It is about the same size as the clippings of a paper puncher except that it is thick, maybe slightly more than 2mm. You could do the same with off the shelf rubber/silicon feet with sticky backing. 4 rubber/silicon feet in each corner of the SSD should help with the gap.
 
I owned a T60 and know exactly what you are talking about. From memory, I do not believe the drive had a caddy and just had the two rubber rails down each side. Caddy or no caddy though doesn't solve your problem.

In answer to your question, annoyingly 2.5mm spacers are not available for general sale. I have looked all over the shop for them and I cannot buy them anywhere. Intel's SSD spacer solution has a fatal flaw; they do not provide shorter screws, which makes the whole thing pointless.

Samsung do sell a 2.5mm spacer as part of their notebook kit version of the 830 but obviously you only bought the basic kit.

The only thing you have left is to DIY something. Fortunately for me the company I work for buys 2mm thick plastic sheet. I made a piece to the right size, stuck some adhesive sheet on the underside which was about 0.5mm thick and I was done. You need to try and find something 2.5mm thick. It doesn't have to stick onto the SSD, if you can make it the same size and slide the rubber rails over it it'll work.

Edit: Another option is to try and find out the spec on the Intel screws?

Edit2: http://forum.notebookreview.com/sol...rage/570180-intel-320-ssd-7mm-screw-size.html

People in that thread bought some screws for $5.
 
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Star Tech makes sense. This illustrates:
TPad_Cad.jpg


I think OP removed the rails but has left his HDD still mounted in the caddy frame. If he would just place the 830SSD in that frame, the rubber rails would be tight and no spacer would be needed.
 
corkyg said:
Star Tech makes sense. This illustrates:
TPad_Cad.jpg


I think OP removed the rails but has left his HDD still mounted in the caddy frame. If he would just place the 830SSD in that frame, the rubber rails would be tight and no spacer would be needed.
Click to expand...

Never mind.

Thanks to all for the answers. This morning I went to the hardware store and got some cheap plastic parts that I think I can "dremel" to build a separator.
 
The question is - what happened to the drive caddy that came with your Thinkpad? It will accept the Samsung 830 with no modification. Good work around.
 
corkyg said:
The question is - what happened to the drive caddy that came with your Thinkpad? It will accept the Samsung 830 with no modification. Good work around.
Click to expand...

It does not have to do with the caddy, which is installed on the 830, but with the rubber rails themselves. The 9.5MM internal bay caddies shipping today work with 9.5MM and 7MM drives, but not so the rails.

The machines ship with one of (at least) two different rubber rail parts, depending on the drive included. They are both for 9.5MM internal bay, but one is for 9.5MM drives and the other has a molded 2.5MM filler to securely hold the 7MM drives. The 7MM ones can be converted to 9.5MM by cutting the extra rubber webbing with a razor blade, but not the other way around. I have the part number for the second one, which I am trying to locate, but some robbers out there are asking $40 for the set. I am going to try the IBM parts channel just in case. If not I will tape some plastic fillers to the drive.

medium
 
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