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    INFO: How to enable SATA on mba rev.1

    Discussion in 'Apple and Mac OS X' started by User Retired 2, Jun 21, 2009.

  1. User Retired 2

    User Retired 2 Notebook Nobel Laureate NBR Reviewer

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    Hi MBA ppl,

    Some of my investigations on how to get SATA working on my machine may be useful to Macbook Air users with the same chipset. This is a work in progress but is presented for your consideration on how to get a SATA interface where one hasn't been supplied. Same information has been posted on macrumors forum.

    1. Enabling ICH8-M SATA controller

    MacBook air Hacking - USB PORTS     announced there was an unused SATA port on a MBA. This got me curious in finding and enabling a ICH8-M SATA controller on a HP 2510P with the same chipset. I succeeded in enabling the SATA controller to be visible in the OS. Relevant documentation on how to do this is here. All that remains now is finding the 4 SATA I/O from the southbridge pins on the systemboard, plus a 3.3V and GND (6 lines) and connecting it to say the Samsung SSD (below). I present this here so perhaps MBA ppl can do this too, and more importantly, identify if that is *all* that is required to get it working.

    [​IMG] [​IMG]
    Left: test pads from Macbook air southbridge
    Right: SATA I/O pins on southbridge of interest

    Followup

    If anyone has success enabling and using the SATA controller, please chime in with what could be quite useful information to others in the same boat.
     
    User Retired 2, Jun 21, 2009
    #1