Looking for a PBP NVMe/SSD cable

[ab1jx]

There's a flex cable that goes between the CPU board and the NVMe adapter board.  I thought the NVMe adapter from the Pine store would come with it but it didn't.  My PBP got here in eastern US on Jan 13.  There was an original adapter which didn't quite fit around the trackpad and a cable, I got neither of those.

I bought an adapter from the Pine store and an Intel SSD.  But I only just opened up the Pinebook today to try to plug it in thinking I had everything I needed.  I'd had it open once before to flip the UART/headphone switch but I didn't pay attention to the NVMe situation, I guess I thought the original style adapter and cable were in there.

wiki photo:
https://wiki.pine64.org/index.php/File:PBPL_S.jpg


It says SSD right beside it but there's no cable

[bcnaz]

My adapter came with a ribbon cable.
Tight fit, but there are detailed instructions in a few older posts, on how to "make it work"
See thread NVMe adapter does not fit, a few are posted there, among other threads.

[ab1jx]

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have lost the cable, I didn't get one. The Pinebook came 1/13/2020 and within a few days I ordered a USB/eMMC adapter which came in a month or so. I hadn't thought I'd get an SSD, then I read up and looked around and found I could get a 1 TB Intel for $125 which sounded reasonable so I bought one and ordered the NVMe adapter from the Pine Store. Which is a board that goes between the SSD and the cable. Came in a little anti-static bag and in another little bag were 2 screws and 2 washers. No cable. My Pinebook came with no cable plugged into the CPU board for the SSD and I didn't get a 1st generation adapter.

The connector on the board looks like a reasonably standard IDC connector where you squeeze it closed and contacts pierce the insulation on a cable. Except the picture in the wiki shows flex-board cable which is copper foil on a plastic backing, not wires. The connector on the adapter I don't recognize at all.

[bcnaz]

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have lost the cable, I didn't get one.  The Pinebook came 1/13/2020 and within a few days I ordered a USB/eMMC adapter which came in a month or so.  I hadn't thought I'd get an SSD, then I read up and looked around and found I could get a 1 TB Intel for $125 which sounded reasonable so I bought one and ordered the NVMe adapter from the Pine Store.  Which is a board that goes between the SSD and the cable.  Came in a little anti-static bag and in another little bag were 2 screws and 2 washers.  No cable.  My Pinebook came with no cable plugged into the CPU board for the SSD and I didn't get a 1st generation adapter.

The connector on the board looks like a reasonably standard IDC connector where you squeeze it closed and contacts pierce the insulation on a cable.  Except the picture in the wiki shows flex-board cable which is copper foil on a plastic backing, not wires.  The connector on the adapter I  don't recognize at all.

I believe the little ribbon cable was with the adapter board, and the little micro sized screws and slotted post were in a small baggie,
all inside the envelope.

The whole ribbon cable can hide behind the adapter board....perhaps even stuck to the back of the board ?

 total length of the ribbon is approx 3 & 1/4 inches   Not counting the bends in the ribbon, it is approx 7/16 inch wide.

It has two 45 degree bends at one end that form an offset,

and two 45 degree bends at the other end forming a 90 degree total bend.

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I did purchase one earlier that the ribbon cable was loose in the package, the second one I ordered later for my ANSI PBP, had the ribbon packed in with the adapter board.
It is almost paper thin

[tophneal]

You should reach out to support, if you never got the ribbon cable.

[ab1jx]

I'm pretty sure I wouldn't have lost the cable, I didn't get one.  The Pinebook came 1/13/2020 and within a few days I ordered a USB/eMMC adapter which came in a month or so.  I hadn't thought I'd get an SSD, then I read up and looked around and found I could get a 1 TB Intel for $125 which sounded reasonable so I bought one and ordered the NVMe adapter from the Pine Store.  Which is a board that goes between the SSD and the cable.  Came in a little anti-static bag and in another little bag were 2 screws and 2 washers.  No cable.  My Pinebook came with no cable plugged into the CPU board for the SSD and I didn't get a 1st generation adapter.

The connector on the board looks like a reasonably standard IDC connector where you squeeze it closed and contacts pierce the insulation on a cable.  Except the picture in the wiki shows flex-board cable which is copper foil on a plastic backing, not wires.  The connector on the adapter I  don't recognize at all.

---

I took the lazy/fast way out and ordered one from Amerdroid: https://ameridroid.com/collections/new/p...me-adapter

However much I whined here I was still going to have to wait for another one or a cable to ship from China.  Ameridroid stocks most of this stuff in the US.  And they take Paypal.  They tack on their profit margin but in this case it was worth a few dollars to save a few weeks.

[ab1jx]

OK, that came a couple days ago so I opened the PBP back up.  As I understanding it from somewhere (wiki?) somebody's working on the howto for this.  Sure wish I had one.  I worked as an electronics technician for 20 years but I never saw this type of connector used with this type cable.  The connector has teeth, which are usually for piercing insulation in ribbon cable with wires.  Flex-cable like this usually has connectors that just open and shut like a clamp.  Like the camera connectors in a Raspberry Pi.

Is this clamp open?  I haven't changed it, but I didn't seem to be able to stick the cable in.  Or should I take the white part off because this is just some position for shipping?  This stuff is pretty tiny to be messing with at my  age.

I assume to latch it closed I squeeze the white and black parts of the connector together on the cable.  There are probably a couple things to snap outward on the ends to unlatch if I want to open it again.  Or does the cable slide in under it?

One alternative to doing this I found is that NewEgg sells a bunch of NVMe to USB adapters so the SSD would go into a case and become a USB drive.  https://www.newegg.com/p/pl?d=nvme+usb  I already have a few hard drives in adapters like this, they're quite handy being able to plug them into whatever you want.  I love the fact that the MTBF is 182 years on the drive, might pick up a few more.

[tophneal]

Mind sharing which ribbon cable you go from Ameridroid? I'm awaiting my replacement board for the NVMe drive, but I'll probably put the original into my early ISO PBP. I'd love to put a better option in it.

That black piece should lift upward, like a flap, it's hinged by the bottom (white) piece. To secure the cable, lift up the black "flap," seat the cable, then move the black part back down.

[ab1jx]

Which cable, hmm. LXLD11000A dated 2019-11-05.  It's flexboard, foil on a flexible plastic strip, not a real cable with wires.  I might scan it on a flatbed, it's sort of interesting.  Double row of contacts on each end, about 3-3/4 inches long.

I think you're mixing up the black and white.  The black part is mounted on the circuit board, you can see the soldered pins in the picture.  It looks like about a 40 pin IDC connector like on a hard drive cable.  Sometimes the clip-on clamp (white part) is shipped partly clipped on, you need to pull it off, put in the cable, put it back, then squeeze hard which actually pierces the insulation and makes contact.

Those NVMe to USB adapters are everywhere, I just found a page at Walmart https://www.walmart.com/search/?cat_id=0&query=NVMe+usb  I like StarTech's stuff but not at that price.  Monoprice might have it, nope.  StarTech direct https://www.startech.com/Search?search_term=NVMe+usb

[ab1jx]

If I hadn't scanned it I wouldn't have noticed that there's an end for the SSD and one for the board.  But this is the cable from Ameritron.  The connector on the adapter board is a little easier to experiment with because I don't have to have the PBP apart to do it.  I think I can see the unmounted part moving a little when I push with with a fingernail.  I was using a circular fluorescent light with a magnifier in the center plus my reading glasses.  I also have a pair of cheap binocular magnifiers.  No decent binocular microscope or micromanipulater.

I don't know how the business aspects would work out but it would be nice to be able to buy a PBP with one of your choice of a few different SSDs at least connected if not loaded.  I used to be able to see this stuff 30 years ago.