Blackbird 002 SATA Slimline Back Plane

Hey guys,

Here's an update on my Blackbird 002 SATA back-plane project. To give a bit of background, the Blackbird 002 computers originally shipped with PATA-IDE slimline drives. These were held in a black plastic caddy and connected through a proprietary back-plane. I couldn't find a SATA plug slim enough to fit between the black plastic flap so I decided to make my own PCB!

This is my first time making a PCB and soldering so it's pretty rough around the edges and adjustments need to be made to the screw holes. But, it works with everything connected! I plan on adding the LED in the next revision. The design was done in KiCad and the prototypes were made by OSHPark, which did a great job making the boards! album

Sweet. I like seeing updates like this. I upgrade the Idol to a dual core a long while back, and I am looking for prices for the newer aopen boards to come down. Dropping a first or second gen i5 in it. Some of the newer mini machines have a mother board that will drop right in the original 915 chassis.