Q900 expansion capabilities

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ThyDamned
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2021 11:58
Product(s): Esprimo Q900

Q900 expansion capabilities

Postby ThyDamned » Wed Dec 08, 2021 15:42

Hello, everyone.
By now the Q900 is a rather old piece, yet still has a lot of punch to offer (not necessarily as a personal computer). Some things can be seen right away, others - with a bit of work.
Its small size makes it the perfect media player, but some capabilities can be expanded further (if not already offered in the initial config). Adding memory up to 8GB is quite easy, as well as replacing the HDD with an SSD (if required). The capabilities requiring special support would be:
1. Memory cards. What is the P/N / Code for the 6-in-1 card reader that can be installed? Is it still available to purchase as an option?
2. Bluetooth. What is the P/N / Code for the internal Bluetooth adapter? Is it still available to purchase as an option?
3. There's a half-size mini-PCIe slot available (just above the battery, opposite direction to the USB3.0 module). Is there a half-size mini-PCIe module / option that integrates both controller and storage chips? The storage size would be a relatively small one (from 32GB to 128GB), just enough to host an OS and a player, while the HDD could be used just to store media files (or even swapped for a larger one, same purpose). I know that technically you could just add a PCIe-to-M.2 adapter / controller (either SATA or NVMe, but I guess this BIOS would only recognize SATA), and then add an M.2 SSD module, but this would surely not fit the cramped space available within this tiny box.
Thanks.

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Ask Fujitsu
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Re: Q900 expansion capabilities

Postby Ask Fujitsu » Thu Dec 09, 2021 13:54

Hi there :)


Since Esprimo Q900has reached End-of-Support stage, we do not have spare parts numbers nor any details in our database to help. Suggested spare parts or components can be obtained only from 2nd hand market like eBay etc. We can’t guarantee the working solutions obtained that way.


From archives we can suggest:
CARD READER ASSY 6IN1 3,5'
Material number: 34032329
Part number: AOU:59.MD00C.0110


BT MODULE KIT Q900
Material number: 34032330
Part number: AOU:59.MD001.0010


Hope his information could be helpful.

Kind regards,
Support Team

vincero
Posts: 2
Joined: Thu Dec 16, 2021 17:53
Product(s): Lifebook S762
Esprimo C910

Re: Q900 expansion capabilities

Postby vincero » Fri Dec 17, 2021 0:46

The mini-PCIe socket on these are intended for use for Wifi cards - I doubt they have an alternate SATA mode in their wiring capability - also note that sometimes some pins may not be connected exactly to spec when intended for only certain functions. Ideally FTS could clarify this but as the product is EOL I doubt you will get any info for this.

You would most likely need a mini-PCIe SSD that either has its own HBA chip (so it appears as another SATA/AHCI boot ROM) as I doubt the BIOS has support for a native PCIe SSD memory device or an NVME device.

ThyDamned
Posts: 2
Joined: Wed Dec 08, 2021 11:58
Product(s): Esprimo Q900

Re: Q900 expansion capabilities

Postby ThyDamned » Fri Dec 17, 2021 16:09

Hello,
Thank you very much for responses.
For the Bluetooth and Card Reader options - apparently I will have to create them. The parts are very difficult to find and, when you fid them, they are quite pricey. But the connectors to the mainboard seem to be standard USB (fully compatible with USB headers like those to be used on Intel NUC). Tested with such headers and a Bluetooth dongle connected to one and an USB stick connected to the other and, as long as they are enabled from BIOS, they are seen as normal USB devices. The only drawback is the lack of space to just use headers and USB devices, so there are 2 options: either I find 2 narrow USB-A plugs and connect them instead of the dedicated modules (card reader and Bluetooth, and everything else would be externally connected; quite nasty looking, but allowing swapping the devices with other ones, just like any other USB port) or I start using regular internal USB modules (or external ones, stripped of their cases and plugs, but with proper wiring soldered so they become internal modules).
For the Mini-PCIe slot, I am still a bit puzzled on how would it be used: there's no slot to add external antennae, there are no more places to add 2 more internal ones, so a 2nd WiFi card would not have the proper signal. The 2 existing ones are already connected to the existing Mini-PCIe WiFi card (placed between the battery and the connector linked to the drives cage). Clearly I cannot use a longer module (it has to be half-sized), and very unlikely to be available for comms (4G or WiFi cards need antennae). Maybe a Mini-PCIe AHCI device (if found in half-size) could do the trick.
Thanks.


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