Internal connectors in the GK3 - expansion?

[dragonpoo]

Yesterday, I decided to pull apart my GK3 system. It's a fun little device, but I was actually wondering if I could connect a 3.5" hard drive in the SATA port, and use this as replacement for my old Plex server that's having issues. I noticed, when I pulled the 2.5" SSD out, that there's an internal USB-C port. See the picture:

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I thought this looked very similar to other ACE systems, like the AK1 that has a mountable dock for a 2.5" drive.

Since the USBC port is blocked by the shiny portion of the case, I went through the extended steps of taking it apart to get access to it. Once it was free, I tried multiple devices in it. It wouldn't recognise a USB-C flash drive or SSD, so I assume it's not active. We also don't have an external USB-C port, and I couldn't tell which, if any, of the USB devices in Windows' Device Manager related to it. So, I'm assuming it's disabled?

Also, I connected multiple 3.5" hard drives to the SATA connection, and none were recognised. I assume this means the SATA connector does not provide enough power for a larger spinny drive. So, it's still keeping a smaller 2.5" SATA SSD inside, along with the included SSD. It was worth a try.

[Gabe]

dragonpoo,

It's very likely that the problem was power. I don't think these provide enough to run a 3.5" drive.

Regarding the USB-C looking connector, it's actually for the drive carriage when the board is used in an AK1 type case. They make the boards so that they can be used in either style case, as in the style with the top cover over the extra drive space, and the style with the detachable carriage underneath for the extra drive. In fact, when I bought my AK3 I actually swapped boards with my GK1, as the AK3 had the better board (better CPU, double the RAM and onboard storage), but the GK1 had the case type I liked more.

You'll notice in the following picture the ports are, more or less, mirror images of each other. This is because the boards are flipped. In the one on the left that USB-C looking port is on the bottom, and in the one on the right on the top. The second pic is with the drive carriage removed, and you can see the receptacle in the drive carriage for that port.

For reference, the left one is the GK1 case with the AK3 board and the right one the AK3 case with the GK1 board.

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The port is active, but not wired for typical USB-C use.

[dragonpoo]

I did suspect the power issue about the SATA port. I'm glad you agree.

For the USB-C port, how does the motherboard show up on your dock? If it's not a typical USB-C connector, just what is it?

[admin]

emmm at the beginning of the design we shared the same motherboard model, so there is a USB-C port on some GK3, but it is only used as a connection dock on the AK1. So we didn't power it up. At the moment it has no role on the GK3.
The picture provided by Gabe is the AK1 on the left. The AK1 has a USB-C port and dock connection, while the dock can be plugged into a 2.5 SATA hard drive. So that's what the USB-C port is for.

[Gabe]

dragonpoo,

Like the admin referenced, it's the connector for the bottom drive carriage. In the design like the silver one in the picture, the extra drive area is under the lid and uses a standard SATA connector that's attached to the motherboard with some wires. In the design like the black one, as in the one that actually utilizes that port, the extra drive space is in a removable carriage that attaches to the bottom of the unit, and which has an SATA connector that utilizes that port.

When compared to your GK3, the system board in my GK1 (the black one) is flipped upside down, so the port is underneath rather than on top, and the board sits right at the bottom of the case. That USB-C looking connector is available for the bottom carriage to connect to. It doesn't protrude from the bottom of the unit, as the unit can be used without that carriage, so it sits flush. The corresponding port on the carriage fits inside the port on the bottom of the unit when the carriage is connected, enabling the use of the extra drive.

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[dragonpoo]

Hey Gabe, apologies that I wasn't clearer. When I asked how the USB-C port shows up, I meant in the Device Manager of Windows. I got the physical aspect of it from your previous post, but thanks for sharing further information anyway.

[Gabe]

Ah, okay. I haven't a clue what it shows up as in the Device Manager. I imagine it might be similar, or even the same, as what the SATA connection shows up as, though I'm not sure if it actually showing up is reliant on whether a drive is connected.

[idaharry]

I just asked the same question and now I read your post about the usb-c connector.
I am glad this has been answered.

I have a few other questions, mainly about whether a microsdhc slot can be made available on my unit. I have a model that does not have that slot. It is a 256Mb hard drive version of the terryza mini pc.

[dragonpoo]

Hey idaharry,

Just to clarify, your system doesn't have a microSD slot, but you wonder if you can use it? If it's not built in, you should be able to use a USB microSD converter. There are plenty on the market, and their prices are really cheap. Although, IMHO, if you were going for USB storage, you might look at something else like a hard drive or flash drive. It depends on your need.

I just asked the same question and now I read your post about the usb-c connector.
I am glad this has been answered.

I have a few other questions, mainly about whether a microsdhc slot can be made available on my unit. I have a model that does not have that slot. It is a 256Mb hard drive version of the terryza mini pc.