I currently have a 256Gb M.2 in my Libem13v2 and I’m quickly running out of space, as such I’d like it fit a SSD into the empty slot.
Looking at the system it seems that this is secured in via a single mounting screw, from what I can gather from looking at the layout its a M2x3, is anything else required to fit an SSD into this machine?
Any recommendations for SSDs?
Hi,
the screw size is about right, a flat head screw (not countersunk) is recommended.
Pretty much any M.2 SSD with either SATA or NVME interface should work - the M.2 card should be 80mm length.
We usually use Samsung EVO 860 / 970 or 970pro.
Cheers
nicole
It’s not the M.2 SSD I’m looking to fit but the 2.5” SSD. The screw that fastsens the M.2 seems to be the right size for the regular SSD.
Oh sorry.
For the 2.5" SSD/HDD you need a mounting bracked, two M2x3 screws to mount the bracket to the laptop and four mounting screws for the HDD/SSD’s sides.
Cheers
nicole
Thanks, do you know of a suitable mounting bracket? All the ones I’ve found are tailored for desktop machines and fitting the SSDs into 3.5in bays.
Hey Nicole
I need to wake up this topic because I just tried to expand my 15v3 with a 2,5" hdd but was a bit confused about the situation after opening my librem. It seems that the height of the hdd with 7mm is to much. Without force it didn’t get in and on the other side the keys got pushed up. Seems weired so I removed it immediately.
Can you recommend a type of ssd or hdd and what should I consider when I’ll try to built it in?
Thanks a lot
Um, wait, what?
All standard 2.5" 9mm SATA drives should fit, I am confused…
On the L15 you should first remove the FPC cable that connects the mainboard with the smaller daughter card. Before doing that DISCONNECT the charger! Or you cause a short. For removing the FPC lift the (dark) lever of the FPC connector up and the gently pull out the cable - does not matter on which side.
The SSD needs to go in IIRC “upside down” i.e. the bottom side of the SSD needs to face you when you slide it in. This should fit nicely. If not please post or send me a picture so that I can see what’s going wrong.
Cheers
nicole
I put a 2.5" SSD into the machine but have been unable to find a mounting bracket that fits, I ended up fastening it in place with a bit of foam but it has wiggled out a few times when traveling. I asked before about where to get a suitable mounting bracket but didn’t receive a response. As this thread seems to have come to life again I thought I’d ask again.
So where can I get a suitable mounting bracket?
Please email support@puri.sm - it is not in the shop yet.
Cheers
nicole
Many thanks for your fast answer!
I just tried it again. The exact way you described it. The difference between my first attempt is just the removed FPC cable. With my first attempt I slided the hdd below the cable and moved it into the slot.
Now, same result, though the hdd fits and more to the middle of the case it seems fine but the more it goes to the corner of the casing it is too tight
Pic 1, you can see the overlapping hdd:
Pic 2, the cover doesn’t slightly fit, as it used to. It’s possible to get the cover to fit and screw it down
but as result the keys coming up on the other side, as you can see on Pic 3
Pic 4 for comparison how the keys looking regulary
When I swipe my hand on the upper case/ keboard from side to side I can feel it too. The side where the hhd is under is raised and a bit higher than the rest.
The hdd is definitely 7mm and I changed a lot hdd/sdd on other laptops but this here felt quite unusual.
Could it be because it is a metal cased HDD not a plastic cased SSD?
Thanks for every help
OMG!
Do NOT force it close this way!
The HDD is not fully inserted or something, I’d need a picture from the back side, i.e. looking at the opened bottom side to see where it might hang. The HDD must slide in completely and lay flat - on the picture you can see that it sits there in an angle!
Again, DO NOT FORCE it into the laptop!
Cheers
nicole
My interpretation of it is that this connection lays too far down:
And because it’s so down it pushes the hdd up. Maybe this sketch can show it in a way:
I tried to show the HDD as proper as possible in this sketch because I guessed yesterday that a HDD or SSD without that small part below woul perfectly fit. Except that such drives doesn’t exist, would be 5mm.
What type of HDD/SSD is this?
The slot fits 7mm and 9mm thick 2.5" drives, 12.5mm drives are not supported, they will show exactly this behavior.
Cheers
nicole
It’s a Toshiba L200 with 7mm
Cheers,
Olli
Then there is something else going wrong, this must fit. The SSDs we build into the devices are Samsung EVO series with 7mm. The connector on the mainboard side can not be mounted wrong - then nothing would work and fit.
The SSD must fit without force and lay flat on what you see as black in your picture. If it does not then there is something in its way.
Cheers
nicole
Could it be that the mainboard is mounted too strong or there is something missing between the mainboard and the keyboard? That the connector for the HDD lays too down due to that?
I guess when the device were built, because there was no for a HDD/SSD, it could be such a circumstance which gave that result?
Would it be a way that I unscrew the mainboard a bit to fit the HDD proper?
No, it must fit and pls do not try to modify something else to make it fit.
We have shipped literally thousands of laptop and there has been not a single issue like this. There is something else wrong here.
Ok, to sum that up:
My L15 is supposed to handle this HDD and because I got my device a couple of weeks ago it could be a manufactoring error so I take this to regular support.
Thanks a lot for your time and effort!
Was I so unclear?
No, this is not a manufacturing error, everything looks, from what I can see from your photos, normal. There is something either with the SSD or how you try to use it which causes this.
Sorry, I doesn’t want to sound angry or misunderstanding.
As far as I understood, a 7mm height HDD/SDD should easily fit into it. But the one I have doesn’t and as you said, it seems that something else is wrong.
I could try it with another HDD but I guess when I got such a problem with such a small HDD the problem could be in the Librem itself. And I don’t mean that in an accusing way.
To change a SSD/ HDD wasn’t such a challenge on other devices (still… I’m not accusing) but it felt weird from the beginning. I’m totally with you and used to it that a disk easily slips into the connector but it doesn’t on this and my last guess is that something in the Librem itself must be wrong.
I’ll take a look inside again this evening and could share some more pictures.
