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Newer Tech E-Sata Kit

S

Sean_Reid

Guest
I want to thank Jack and Guy for the huge tip about installing this kit without doing the various part removal steps in the manual. One needs not only small needle-nose pliers but also hands the size of an elf to do this. I only had the former but after much fiddling and fussing, I seem to have gotten them installed.

Jack, I suspect that when you're not leading these workshops in beautiful parts of the world, you're a surgeon (or used to be).

For those who never saw the first thread. This kit (http://www.newertech.com/products/esata_cable.php) allows one to use two sata connectors that Apple has hidden behind a fan shroud. (This is very much like working on a later model BMW motorcycle, BTW). Apple doesn't seem to have intended these for DIY use but where there's a screwdriver there's a way.

A couple notes about doing this on the newest Mac Pros:

1) Near the SATA jacks themselves is a thin black wire with a tag labeled "BT" on it. This prevents one from immediately routing the SATA cable up behind the hard drive connectors. Instead one has to bring the cable to the right a bit, past this wire, and then up behind the hard drive connectors. I found that, with judicious positioning, I was able to fasten the SATA cables loosely against the fan housing with a wire tie. When the two left-most hard drives slide in they butt up against the wire tie but there's no actual interference.

2) By the same token, near the back of the case, on these new models, there's a thicker black wire that seems to connect just behind the right hand screw of the hard drive connector. Routing the new cables behind this could run the risk of the cables pulling against the black wire. So I dropped the cables back down (out of the area behind the hard drive) just before the #4 hard drive connector and let them have a clear shot to the jack plate.

Cheers,

Sean

Yes, I can add pictures if anyone wants them.
 
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