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PE4L-PM060A mini-pcie extender


cri-cri

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Hi all !

I am about to order my eGPU setup. Since I will plug/unplug the m-pcie adapter quite often, I am worried about excessive wear of my laptop m-pcie slot. So, before ordering, I'd like to know if it's possible/recommended to use an extension cable/ribbon, something like this one (on HWTools site):

KZ-B22

So, is KZ-B22 the only m-pcie extender (I couldn't find anything else with google) or does someone know of another, better product ?

Also, is it OK to use an extension like that or will it affect the GPU signal etc ?

Thanks in advance !

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Hi all !

I am about to order my eGPU setup. Since I will plug/unplug the m-pcie adapter quite often, I am worried about excessive wear of my laptop m-pcie slot. So, before ordering, I'd like to know if it's possible/recommended to use an extension cable/ribbon, something like this one (on HWTools site):

KZ-B22

So, is KZ-B22 the only m-pcie extender (I couldn't find anything else with google) or does someone know of another, better product ?

Also, is it OK to use an extension like that or will it affect the GPU signal etc ?

Thanks in advance !

Great find, and great idea bringing this up. I was thinking of getting something similar, as the bulkiness of the mHDMI cable is currently applying a bit of flex stress to the PM3N board.

I can't confirm with certainty that it won't add any delay to the signal, but such a short cable should not have any major effects.

If you could get a PE4L-PM060 or a PM200a (same card, only difference is length of cable, 60cm vs 200cm) and not notice any degradation of signal to and from the GPU, then it should stand that extending the mPCIe card by something like 10cm should not negatively affect the GPU performance.

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I can't confirm with certainty that it won't add any delay to the signal, but such a short cable should not have any major effects.

If you could get a PE4L-PM060 or a PM200a (same card, only difference is length of cable, 60cm vs 200cm) and not notice any degradation of signal to and from the GPU, then it should stand that extending the mPCIe card by something like 10cm should not negatively affect the GPU performance.

Thanks ! I guess if they sell the PE4L with a 200cm cable there should be no difference in terms of signal... My concern was also related to the fact the KZ-B22 ribbon slides-in, it's not soldered to the end plugs... not sure whether that has any impact on the signal.

I couldn't find any other extender (why are these things so damn hard to find ?) except for the one listed on this site (scroll down to PE-MINI-FLEX) : adexelec

Since my knowledge in electronics is rather limited (to say the least) I don't quite get that theory with the power jumpers removed & all... So I'm not even sure it's the right thing. It looks like it also uses a "slide-in" ribbon.

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Thanks ! I guess if they sell the PE4L with a 200cm cable there should be no difference in terms of signal... My concern was also related to the fact the KZ-B22 ribbon slides-in, it's not soldered to the end plugs... not sure whether that has any impact on the signal.

soldered vs not soldered should not make any difference in the actual signal strength (except if loose cable if not soldered). However, I don't know how this would effect the whole PCI Gen1 vs Gen2 compatibility. I don't think it would negatively affect Gen2, but somebody else will have to confirm that. It's being said over and over again right now that non-soldered cables do not allow Gen2 compatibility, but that is directly related to the PE4x boards, not the actual mPCI-e port in the laptop. My understanding of these mPCI-e extenders is that it simply acts as an extension cable.

I couldn't find any other extender (why are these things so damn hard to find ?) except for the one listed on this site (scroll down to PE-MINI-FLEX) : adexelec

Since my knowledge in electronics is rather limited (to say the least) I don't quite get that theory with the power jumpers removed & all... So I'm not even sure it's the right thing. It looks like it also uses a "slide-in" ribbon.

From the description, I believe the power jumpers acts as a kind of toggle for using external power source or getting power from the source port itself. For example, if power jump is IN then you'll get power from the mPCI-e port itself; if power jumper is OUT then you'll need to power it up from an external source. This kind of ribbon connection is extremely common in laptops - most trackpads and keyboard connectors use this ribbon connector (loose ribbon that you clamp down into place).

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Thanks for the update Hunter20 ! I was about to do the same thing (email BPlus about the KZ-B22) but luckily I checked the forum here first. I guess those of us who want pcie 2.0 support have no choice but to use the eGPU kit 'as-is'. Bummer...

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Thanks for the update Hunter20 ! I was about to do the same thing (email BPlus about the KZ-B22) but luckily I checked the forum here first. I guess those of us who want pcie 2.0 support have no choice but to use the eGPU kit 'as-is'. Bummer...

Not saying that this is a great idea, but nobody said you couldn't extend the cable that comes with the eGPU kits. They are basically mHDMI cables that have their ends soldered to the two boards. All you need to do is buy an extra mHDMI cable, cut off its heads, split the current soldered mHDMI cable, and splice the new cable into the older one. I don't think that cable splicing should have any negative effects on the Gen2 support, because let's face it, copper is copper. All cable splicing would do is extend the total distance the signal has to travel. It shouldn't interfere with the actual compatibility itself...

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Actually that's not a bad idea at all... However, the main reason I asked about an extender is slot wearout prevention. I guess the only option remaining would be to cut the PE4L cable and solder male and female minipcie connectors on both ends. But where do I find those connectors ? That way I would end up with a shorter PE4L cable and an extension, something like this:

post-9615-14494994356274_thumb.jpg

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An effective way of alleviating mPCIe slot wear via a mPCIe extender adapter

It has been mentioned users are concerned about wear imposed on their mPCIe slots from swapping in/out the PM060A. A *possible* solution is to use one of the mPCIe extenders that BPlus have. I say possible because I'm sure this would work at pci-e 1.x speed. The doubt lies in whether pci-e 2.0 works and whether your slot has clearance to allow use of one of these:

US$15 MM2U-C ( Half to Full minicard adapter)

MM2UC_2_1.jpgMM2Uc_5.jpgMM2UC_4.jpg

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I think Im going to test one of this adapters. It would be great if they go on 2.0 speed. And it would be even possible to desolder the half slot and solder a cable in between. So that you have an extension or could place the slot at another place in your notebook.

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@Nando4,

Yes, I already ordered a similar adapter two days ago. It's a PA-EMADP(S) from Delock (aparently there are several resellers of this adapter...). Though I'm not sure when will I have a chance to test it since it's been two weeks now and HIT hasn't replied to my email (via website) or PMs (via NBR forum) concerning the PE4L-PM060A.

post-9615-14494994388447_thumb.jpg

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@Nando4,

Yes, I already ordered a similar adapter two days ago. It's a PA-EMADP(S) from Delock (aparently there are several resellers of this adapter...). Though I'm not sure when will I have a chance to test it since it's been two weeks now and HIT hasn't replied to my email (via website) or PMs (via NBR forum) concerning the PE4L-PM060A.

[ATTACH=CONFIG]6217[/ATTACH]

Did you already received this adapter? If so yes, what are the results?

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  • 2 weeks later...

I bougth the same adapter cri-cri bought and I can confirm, that it works at Gen 2 speed.

Now I would like to try to desolder it and put a cable in between. I want to move my mpcie slot to a position where it is easier to access. Any suggestions on wich cable to use?

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  • 4 weeks later...

Hi,

I made it this way:

Slowly cut the seperate wires and mark them with numbers, each wire on both ends gets a matching number for later.

Solder each end to a HDMI Port, then place the hdmi port somewhere reachable on the laptop.

I have a caddy in my DVD bay to hold a second Hard Drive, there was some space and now it looks like I have a

additional HDMI slot.

Now I just hook both ends together with a HDMI cable.

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  • 4 weeks later...
Hi,

I made it this way:

Slowly cut the seperate wires and mark them with numbers, each wire on both ends gets a matching number for later.

Solder each end to a HDMI Port, then place the hdmi port somewhere reachable on the laptop.

I have a caddy in my DVD bay to hold a second Hard Drive, there was some space and now it looks like I have a

additional HDMI slot.

Now I just hook both ends together with a HDMI cable.

can please upload a photo to explain that

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  • 4 weeks later...
Hi,

I made it this way:

Slowly cut the seperate wires and mark them with numbers, each wire on both ends gets a matching number for later.

Solder each end to a HDMI Port, then place the hdmi port somewhere reachable on the laptop.

I have a caddy in my DVD bay to hold a second Hard Drive, there was some space and now it looks like I have a

additional HDMI slot.

Now I just hook both ends together with a HDMI cable.

Nice job, please upload some pictures. I guess you're limited to Gen1 speed?

-----------------------------------

Also I found this PCIe-gen2-extender, that could do it with some modification?

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My vaio SVZ have two mpcie port , one with a mpcie host , the other with a usb host.

I'm using the first for the egpu , but the second should be used for a wifi card , with usb host.

But i'm losing BT with the egpu , so i'm asking if it's possible to put a wifi+ bluetooth card with a pcie host and use the MM2U. Do you know if it's possible ? If the MM2U can support a half mpcie card with wifi and buletooth and with an mpcie host (like centrino 6235) and can support the usb host of the motherboard ? I'm asking the uestion with this picture :

post-13710-14494995480125_thumb.jpg

If it's not possible , do you know if i can use this card : KZ-B34-USB (USB to MiniCard Extender) , and add this one : Clé USB Bluetooth 3.0 + wifi | LINDY France ?

Thanks a lot :)

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