13" Sony Vaio SB/SA external eGPU mPCIe port mod [euchrid_eucrow]

[euchrid_eucrow]

First off, i'd like to thank Nando for all his work helping bring eGPUs to the masses. On to the post:

The short of it:

Where I once had a DVD drive that I barely used, I now have 3 low power USB ports and a convenient eGPU port. I’ve designed a caddy of my own in order to manage the new components.

Full photo set: https://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.193840844073776.17933.193579380766589&type=1

The long of it:

This began as a simple 2nd HDD/DVD caddy swap. The more I thought about it however the more the fact that the HDD was physically smaller than the DVD drive, which ultimately meant unused space started to bother me. Incidentally I was also working on getting an eGPU set up but didn’t like the idea of having to take off the 2nd battery and bottom plate off each time I wanted to use the eGPU. The eGPU hardware connects via the mini PCIe slot where the Wi-Fi card is. So I decided to try to permanently embed the eGPU connection alongside a 2nd HDD where the DVD drive used to be. This threw a new wrinkle into the equation, since a permanent eGPU connection would mean disconnecting my wlan permanently. My solution was to go with a USB dongle for my wireless connection.

New problem, where to find the USB connection….and where to hide the dongle. The last thing I wanted was to have it sticking out the side of the computer all the time. So the dongle also had to go into the caddy space. As to the USB connection, well there’s a wwan slot I never use right next to the caddy. While most wwan cards are physically a mini PCIe format and connection, they really work via USB. I found a card which breaks out the USB connection to flying leads (mentioned in the parts list below) and planned on using that to get my USB connection for the Wi-Fi dongle. New problem, most wwan mPCIe ports carry USB signal but not power. The port on the SB works like this. So where do I get 5v from? I could run the port power in parallel from one of the USB ports on the right side of the computer, but those make for some long leads and are difficult to run back to the caddy area. The only easily available source of power on the left hand side is the SATA connection itself. And that was my "aha" moment.

I tend to use my laptop as a laptop when on the road but when at home it’s really working as a desktop. I’ve got a few USB peripherals and a screen I connect it to, plus the aforementioned eGPU. Ultimately I decided that I wanted more USB ports and a convenient eGPU port on the left side of the machine more than I wanted a 2nd hard drive. So I replaced the hard drive in the mod with a USB hub, with enough power to run the wlan dongle, an Asus Xonar USB soundcard, thumbdrives, peripheral dongles (Logitech universal, and Microsoft keyboard, etc.) It won’t power a HDD in a caddy however. I was also having some trouble fitting the hard drive in the original mod, but that’s because I was afraid of taking a dremel to the bottom case of the laptop (I’ve since worked through my fear, though I like the mod as is.)

Things that still need doing:

I still need to shave off a 1mm from everything, and I ended up warping the top case with one of my earlier attempts. I’ve revised the design of my caddy so that I can fasten the 3 screws along the face of the DVD drive which I had to forego with the old design. I also have to model this and get it 3d printed so it’s one integral unit. Also, it looks like the new version of the eGPU hardware (PE4L-PM060A) might have the mPCIe card and the adapter directly soldered to the mini hdmi cord, so I’ll have to revise the mod slightly. Even without revising the design, I have to go in there and clean up some cables now that I’ve had it in for a few weeks and know that it works.

Things to watch out for:

I somehow shorted the speakers on this computer, no idea how I did it but I’ve made my peace with it. Also I killed a couple of usb wifi dongles due to bad solder joints and shorts.

(Will update with parts list soon…)

Photos:

Initial Testing:

First stab at a mockup:

Progress:

End Result:

Pic of the three usb ports with the eGpu port. Its the hole at the end, closest to the screen.

[Rayson Viswas]

this is amazing i might do something similar when i get my 15 inch s series and since i am building a cnc router this is going to rock.

i am supposing that external battery is no go though.

[angerthosenear]

That is so beautiful. Very nice job on the mod.

If you plan on using the PE4L v2.1 (PCIe 2.0) with mPCIe you will have issues using an HDMI connector. It should be ok on PCIe 1.0. As someone else tried in the main post, HDMI connectors and PCIe 2.0 doesn't work. DisplayPort might work, you may want to wait to hear his results.

Very nice work so far.

[Splitframe]

eGPU Carry, so intense.