11-02-2019, 10:05 AM
I have sent a copy of this message to Luke; he should be aware of the status of things at this point.
I'll be referencing some pictures, which can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/vLw22LO
Based ENTIRELY on a visual inspection, the nvme adapter I got (keeping in mind I'm one of the 15 in the first batch) does appear to be the new version. Comparing the "Expected Layout" to the picture on the wiki, the end of the nvme adapter extends further under the trackpad, so I believe the bottom of the cable is longer.
However, this causes a problem. Namely, none of the mounting holes line up at all, which means the SSD is kinda just free-floating inside the case. To remedy that, I drilled a hole in the nvme PCB (7/64" [imperial units, sorry] I believe) and taped over it. You can see this here and here. This seems to have worked "well enough". It's not perfect, but it's taking most of the tension off of the cable.
I say "most". There is one additional minor issue with the cable, shown in this picture. In my laptop, at least, the cable (PCB-end) ever-so-slightly extends too far and is blocked by the screw standoff. You can see how the light reflection changes where the cable is bent. I don't believe this is will be a problem any time soon, and is only a potential problem down the road, but it's obviously less than optimal.
Having said all of that, with my mounting solution, I was able to close up the laptop, use it normally, and have the SSD be recognized. I don't know what the original issue was other than "pushing against the trackpad", and I don't really see how this new longer cable fixes that problem, but I don't appear to be having the issue, so I guess whatever it was is now solved. I get a little nervous by resting my palm on the laptop where the ssd is, but as far as I can tell doing so doesn't actually cause an issue.
I'll be referencing some pictures, which can be found here: https://imgur.com/a/vLw22LO
Based ENTIRELY on a visual inspection, the nvme adapter I got (keeping in mind I'm one of the 15 in the first batch) does appear to be the new version. Comparing the "Expected Layout" to the picture on the wiki, the end of the nvme adapter extends further under the trackpad, so I believe the bottom of the cable is longer.
However, this causes a problem. Namely, none of the mounting holes line up at all, which means the SSD is kinda just free-floating inside the case. To remedy that, I drilled a hole in the nvme PCB (7/64" [imperial units, sorry] I believe) and taped over it. You can see this here and here. This seems to have worked "well enough". It's not perfect, but it's taking most of the tension off of the cable.
I say "most". There is one additional minor issue with the cable, shown in this picture. In my laptop, at least, the cable (PCB-end) ever-so-slightly extends too far and is blocked by the screw standoff. You can see how the light reflection changes where the cable is bent. I don't believe this is will be a problem any time soon, and is only a potential problem down the road, but it's obviously less than optimal.
Having said all of that, with my mounting solution, I was able to close up the laptop, use it normally, and have the SSD be recognized. I don't know what the original issue was other than "pushing against the trackpad", and I don't really see how this new longer cable fixes that problem, but I don't appear to be having the issue, so I guess whatever it was is now solved. I get a little nervous by resting my palm on the laptop where the ssd is, but as far as I can tell doing so doesn't actually cause an issue.