HP DVDRAM GT50N DVD R/W external connector?

[JJx]

Greetings:  I have 'salvaged' the GT50N from a destroyed HP laptop and would like to use it as an external DVD R/W.  

Is there a source for such connectors?  Particularly the Power cord.  The SATA data cord does work.

Thanks!

[mdklassen]

Take a look at: http://www.tigerdirect.com/applications/SearchTools/item-details.asp?EdpNo=5102512&CatId=11645

I can imagine two problems with the above adapter:

1. it draws electrical power from your computer's USB port, which might not be enough wattage for your DVD-drive;

2. the device probably was designed to identify itself to your computer as a "plug-and-play" DISK-DRIVE, not as a CD/DVD drive.

The same web-site (Tiger Direct) has a complete external CD/DVD writer for $40 US -- not much more money than buying an adapter.

[JJx]

Thanks for the link to a standard SATA external adapter.  

However, the HP GT50N has a slightly 'abbreviated' size for the laptop.

The connector on the right (I'm sure there is a name for it) is the standard SATA data, but the one on the left is for the power.   I'm considering further stripping down the laptop to see if I can 'salvage' the power connector, but hope there'a a better solution.

[mdklassen]

> The connector on the right (I'm sure there is a name for it) is the standard SATA data, but the one on the left is for the power.  

To me, those seem to be "standard" SATA connectors for "data" and for "power".

I think that it would be extremely unusual for somebody to build a device (DVD or disk-drive) that has "non-standard" SATA interfaces.  Why would a manufacturer do it ???

[JJx]

Good question, MDKLassen!

HP must have needed the room, though I don't know why the (standard) Power connector had to be larger than the Data connection in the first place.

Though I have salvaged the connector from the laptop, the wires are extremely small and Pins on the opposite end are so close together, it's difficult to determine which does what.

Here's why I was salvaging parts from an otherwise 'perfectly good' HP laptop:

[mdklassen]

> Though I have salvaged the connector from the laptop, the wires are extremely small and Pins on the opposite end are so close together, it's difficult to determine which does what.

Take another look at that "Tripp Lite USB 3.0 SuperSpeed to SATA III Adapter Cable - Storage Controller" that I previously referenced.  It is designed to DIRECTLY connect to the data/power sockets on any standard SATA device, i.e., not needing any other bits from inside your laptop.

Still, I think that any similar external adapter is electronically designed to use "plug-and-play" to identify itself as a disk-drive, not as a CD/DVD optical device.  So, your plan for an external optical device probably is doomed to fail.

[JJx · Accepted solution]

Thanks for the encouragement, MDKLassen!

Here's a picture that shows the HP DVDRAM in the center with it's connector above and a 'standard' SATA connector below.   Data is on the right and power on the left.

Even if I could get the standard one (the TrippLIte you suggested) to physically fit, the spacing of the individual wire connections probably would not be correct.

I think I found it, though, here:

https://smile.amazon.com/StarTech-6-Inch-Slimline-Adapter-SLSATAADAP6/dp/B009JXKQ9O

What I did not know was the name: "slimline SATA adapter."

Thanks, again, for your assistance and motivation.

[mdklassen]

> Here's a picture that shows the HP DVDRAM in the center with it's connector above and a 'standard' SATA connector below.   Data is on the right and power on the left.

I still believe that your DVD drive has a "standard" SATA interface -- makes no sense for any manufacturer to make a "proprietary" interface.

Take a close look at your DVD drive.  I'll bet that there is a press-on "shim" that adapts the "standard" SATA sockets to the requirements of the socket inside your laptop.  Remove that adapter, to expose the "standard" SATA interface.

That "shim" seems to be white, while the SATA connectors are always black.