[acabtp]

Note the two purple lines in the above picture marking the height of the mPCI-e connector. The SSD connector is taller and designed to accommodate a double sided mPCI-e card. The WLAN connector is shorter and designed to accomodate a single sided mPCI-e card. Due to the tapered design of the laptop it does not look like there would be room to install the taller SSD style connector on the WWAN or WLAN ports due to height restrictions.

I don't know if this is the reason people have been saying that a SSD would not work in the WWAN's PCI-e channel, but it's certainly an obstacle.

[strider_mt2k]

Good stuff there!

This is another one for the reference list!
You're writing the book here so far man!

[acabtp]

Here's what happens if you try to install the 16gb SSD in the WLAN slot.

There's about 3mm of clearance between the card and the mounting posts.

Attempting to mount the screws forces the SSD's flash chips to press against the blank spots for the half height mPCI-e card mounting posts. This causes both the SSD and the Mini's motherboard to flex, which is very bad! The 16gb SSD does not fit in the WLAN slot!

[hcck3d]

Is there a way to solve the clearance issue? What would be recommended if you could

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by hcck3d

Is there a way to solve the clearance issue? What would be recommended if you could

removing the solder from the 2nd set of post connections would free up another 1mm of clearance or so... but really the WLAN's connector is designed for a single sided card and is physically closer to the board than the SSD connector. there's no way to make the SSD fit 'right' in the WLAN slot.

[hcck3d]

so you can take the WLAN adapter out and solder in a mPCI-e adapter?

[acabtp]

Originally Posted by hcck3d

so you can take the WWAN adapter out and solder in a mPCI-e adapter?

I'm not sure what you are asking. The WWAN (unpopulated), WLAN (short), and SSD (tall) all use mPCI-e slots.

[hcck3d]

Originally Posted by acabtp

I'm not sure what you are asking. The WWAN (unpopulated), WLAN (short), and SSD (tall) all use mPCI-e slots.

Good catch... haha Alright, can you just take an SSD adapter that that the mini 9 uses and replace the WLAN(short) one? Hope that makes more sense, still very new to all this!

[acabtp]

oh, gotcha, you're just talking about the slots. no, because of the height/thickness taper from back to front, it does not look like there is room for a SSD style connector in the W(W|L)AN area.

[hcck3d]

Originally Posted by acabtp

oh, gotcha, you're just talking about the slots. no, because of the height/thickness taper from back to front, it does not look like there is room for a SSD style connector in the W(W|L)AN area.

So with that deeper bottom you could have enough room to do that and install two SSD's? How much room do you need?