Mac Mini Core Duo SATA mod

by Henner Malchert

Take the Mac mini apart as described on several websites e.g. http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=91459
You will probably lose the warranty if you carry out this mod.

1. Remove the internal 2.5" SATA drive
2. Prepare a standard SATA bracket from a PC shop
   e.g. www.partsdata.de
   
3. 1. Remove the bracket
   2. Use a small electric drill with a small friction disk and remove all unnecessary parts
      of the large connector, you can use sandpaper and/or a sharp knife as an alternative.
      
   3. The connector should be so small, that it can fit through one of the venting holes in the bottom ot the Mac mini
      
4. Connect the small connector
   
   1. Use two small drops of heat glue on both sides to attach the connector to the interconnect board
      This glue can be removed without a trace if neccessary.
   2. View from side
      
5. Re-assemble the Mac mini
6. Use an external SATA case if possible
   I can't recommend the NewerTech miniStack v2 which I used, the hard drive is getting hot and
   the small ventilator is loud. Despite my concerns, this case and hard disk combination is working since
   May (now August 2006) without any problems.
   My red cable has only a straight plug, not an L-shape connector so I had to cut a hole into the side of
   the miniStack.
   
7. Here are my Xbench results with a 300 BG Samsung HD300LJ SATA drive
   http://db.xbench.com/merge.xhtml?doc1=167768
   The SATA drive is a little bit faster than any hard drive connected to the FireWire 400 port that I was able to test. It also avoids traffic on the FireWire line - e.g. EyeTV 300 has the full bandwidth and doesn't have to share it with an external hard drive.

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