 | .DIY ViDock Discussion |
New thread created to share the PE4L/PE4H user experience
Nando4 started a new thread
DIY ViDock - My experiences so far to share performance, and configuration experiences using the finished
PE4H/
PE4L products beginning with his own. The configuration details should apply also to ViDock as well as any other DIY method below, so is a valuable resource.
I would suggest we move the user experience to that thread and allow this thread to continue with discussion of
Let's Figure out how to make a DIY ViDock, ie: creating the hardware and various other miscellaneous related topics.
__________________________________________________________________________________________________
| The aim below is to create something as shown on the right (courtesy of Loppy) a functional equivalent to a $309 ViDock2. It would need external 12V psu to drive it. A 16x card WILL work in a 1x slot as explained here so the 16x to 1x adapter is unnecessary if you melt/cut the edges of the 1x slot to allow the 16x card to slot in. |  |
Current status of DIY ViDock Project
As a result of this thread,
hwtools have developed their
PE4H /
PE4L products that can be connected to an expresscard (EC2C) or mPCIe (PM3N) port. PE4H is x2 1.0 link capable by combining an expressport + mPCIe port. x2 1.0 offering greatly improved performance as shown
here, surpassing ViDock's x1 1.0 performance. Some placemarkers of interest in this thread are:
1/
DIY ViDock - My experiences so far shares performance and experiences using the finished
PE4H /
PE4L products.
2/
Progress link: info on how the PE4H/PE4L/EC2C/PM3N hwtools product is progressing.
3/
Specifications link: hardware specifications requested for hwtools product.
4/
A name to replace DIY ViDock as there may be copywright issues.
DIY ViDock using hwtools products
Consider either a PE4L or a PE4H based on your requirements. If cash strapped consider too
Cheapest practical x2 mode: 8 soldered wires to add a x2 link mode if you decide to purchase the PE4L.
- US$55 PE4L: x1 open-ended pci-e slot, USB, 12V via DC jack OR molex
- US$85 PE4H: x16 pci-e slot, USB, x2 capable, 12V from regulated 16~20V/4.5A power adapter OR molex
These are connected using either one for x1 mode, or two for 2x mode, of the following
- EC2C: expressport adapter
- PM3N: mini pci-e adapter
Expresscard: US$55 PE4L-EC2C or US$85 PE4H-EC2C
mPCIe: US$55 PE4L-PM3N or US$85 PE4H-PM3N
DIY ViDock cheaper options
DIY US$12-US$20US mini pci-e to pci-e adapter (with 12V input and flexible extension lead)
Image: combined
PE4L+
PM3N schematic, with edits: removed USB lines and regulated 3.3V.
Circuit extract above shows 21 wires between the two adapters:
- 16 lines: Tx/Rx/CLK/SM each with 2 signal lines and GND signal on either side to minimise external interference
- 2 additional lines: PERST# and WAKE#
- 2 power lines: DVCC_3.3V and GND are provided by mini pci-e socket pins
- 1 psu 12V line on pci-e socket molex end (see pic below)
$5US-delivered ZIF to Mini-PCI E Express adapter + (
$1.50US-delivered IDE cable OR
$2-$4US PCI Express X1 Male to Female Riser ribbon cable) +
$8.30US PCI-E PCI-Express 1x Riser Card Adapter + soldering effort
One way of doing it would be to use a
$5US-delivered ZIF to Mini-PCI E Express adapter as the blank on the mini pci-e end. Scrape/melt resin close to the pins on the base but far enough to allow it to still plug in. This reveals tracks to then solder 21 wires to. OR solder right on the inner edge of the pins.
Solder 21 wires from
pcie riser cable onto mini pci-e adapter's tracks and run it through to the desired other end. Cable could even be threaded internally to poke out of the pcmcia slot or optical drive slot Attach a molex directly to the riser cable's 12V and GND tracks so can attach a external PSU. Melt/cut the 1x pci-e socket ends to allow a 16x card to be inserted.
Optionally: Use an additional
$8.30US PCI-E PCI-Express 1x Riser Card Adapter.
DIY 12V PSU to drive the pci-e card
| Good if you don't have a 12V PSU, but might have some older notebook adapters lying around. This tells us the pci-e specification says 75W is needed. I would suggest a adapter needs to be rated between 12V-32V with 60W or more. A $2 LM338T voltage regulator (Tandy/Radio Shack/DSE)+tiny heatsink plumbed in to can then deliver up to 5A. See pictures on right. |  12V pci-e card circuit |  |
MiniFAQ
1. Will this be compatible with my system?
The answer is "highly likely". Consider reviewing the
ViDock Compatibility listing but also note nando4's PCI Bridge Script workarounds and commentary in the the
DIY ViDock - My experiences so far thread. Such workarounds suggest then the DIY ViDock likely can be made to work on any system.
2. How much performance is lost running at x1 1.0 or x2 1.0 link speed instead of x16 2.0?
See
PCI-E scaling Analysis.
3. How to deal with bios whitelisting of pci-e adapters?
There are two sorts. The first where the bios halts the boot process with an error if an unknown device is found. PM3N has a jumperable 6.9s reset delay so bios does not see the product on bootup to overcome that sort.
The second is as found on HP Business systems. For all intents and purposes the mPCIe port is disabled if a non compatible device found. In that case it is advised the system be booted with the compatible wifi card installed and the PM3N swapped in either prior to OS bootup or if using Win7, a suspend/swap/resume be performed. The PCI Bridge Script batch files
here prompt through such a process.
Lets figure out how to make a DIY ViDock
