okay hear me out... add a slot

[Kxnii]

So, I own this heavily modded lenovo chromebook (tldr it runs windows 11 and boots with fully custom drivers, uefi fw, and opencore dsdt/ssdt edits)

 

After taking it apart to do some mods, I noticed there is some space that I don't mind losing a speaker in the corner for. Ignore that area inbetween the battery in the first photo. Since this is a chromebook, it only has 128GB of eMMC (which is more than most chromebooks) of storage soldered onto the mainboard. I was wondering, what if I could get an internal m.2 ssd slot in that currently empty space? What would I buy to make that a reality? How would I connect it? I have access to soldering tools but just about no experience with them. Help and ideas appreciated! 

 

https://support.lenovo.com/us/en/solutions/pd500255-product-overview-yoga-chromebook-c630
To clarify, I know it would be very difficult if not impossible to actually connect it to the motherboard directly. But what about connecting it over USB somehow? Just looking for what I might need to buy and how it could be set up.

[GuiltySpark_]

You're going to have to incredibly skilled at deciphering the mainboard schematic to expose either SATA or PCIe lan.. actually the more I type this the crazier this sounds. 

 

This is one of those things that if you have to ask...

[OddOod]

I'm sorry, to be clear, are you asking what it would take to add an m.2 slot to a motherboard that currently doesn't have one? 

 

If that's the case, you'd need to have access to the original mobo PCB manufacturing files, then identify multiple PCIe lanes that are currently unused and are exposable, then use a precision dremel to grind away the resin covering your target lanes, then solder in jumper wires from those lanes to an m2 female connector which you could JB weld or VHB or superglue to the chassis. Once that is done, you have to similarly attach the screw anchor in the corresponding position with sub mm accuracy. Once all that is done you either need access to the BIOS source code or get really *really* lucky with binary BIOS hacks in order to inject nvme functionality on the aforementioned PCIe lanes. Once all that is done, it should just show up as a storage device. 
If you had a crack hacking team of 4-6 people, plus a couple hardware engineers and and embedded firmware engineer and gave them 18 months, you might happen to have picked a lucky model of chromebook that allows you to actually accomplish this. But what the absolute hell would the point be?

[Votivee]

Quote

no experience with them

No.

[Kxnii]

7 minutes ago, OddOod said:

I'm sorry, to be clear, are you asking what it would take to add an m.2 slot to a motherboard that currently doesn't have one? 

Well I would want to get it in the computer, but probably just connect it over USB since I would guess "add an m.2 slot to a motherboard that currently doesn't have one?" is almost or just impossible. 

[Kxnii]

7 minutes ago, Votivee said:

No.

I know somebody who DOES and has no issues doing it for me.

[OddOod]

Again, I ask *why*? 
Just do what I did when I was in college: velcro an external drive to the lid and be done with it

 

[bmx6454]

no offense man, just buy an actual laptop. all these mods to try and make it more like a real laptop, but it's still just a Chromebook.

[Kxnii]

1 minute ago, OddOod said:

Again, I ask *why*? 
Just do what I did when I was in college: velcro an external drive to the lid and be done with it

 

thank you for the idea. It'd just be cleaner if there was no velcro or anything, and it was internal. But that is very much an option.

[Kxnii]

1 minute ago, bmx6454 said:

no offense man, just buy an actual laptop. all these mods to try and make it more like a real laptop, but it's still just a Chromebook.

This really is the only mod other than new fw. I got this thing for $150 in fine condition and it has a respectable processor, fully working touchpad, touchscreen, internet, just about everything you could imagine works. The performance is actually better than a typical windows laptop with this chip due to performance and the cooling design. This computer is just Lenovo's windows laptop c930 with a couple things removed, emmc and chromeos ootb

[GuiltySpark_]

29 minutes ago, Kxnii said:

Well I would want to get it in the computer, but probably just connect it over USB since I would guess "add an m.2 slot to a motherboard that currently doesn't have one?" is almost or just impossible. 

 

Is that not what you asked?

 

29 minutes ago, Kxnii said:

I know somebody who DOES and has no issues doing it for me.

So, just talk to them then? Are they just hooking it up over USB too?

[dizmo]

I'd just sell this, and buy a proper laptop. Since you paid $150 for it, see if you can get that again, or slightly less, and you'll have more than enough to buy a Lenovo T470 or better laptop.