I-MOD2 Technical Frequently Asked Questions

What does it look like installed?

To see the pictures of the kit (installed) click here.

Can anyone install a kit?

The I-MOD2 kit is the easiest to install yet. No drilling or cutting at all! You should have prior experience in installing hard drives and computer upgrades in general.

This is a "technical" project, and there is always a chance you can "fry" your I-Opener. We can not be held responsible if you fry your I-Opener!

How big of a drive fits?

Up to a 17mm thick 2.5" drive will fit without too much "bow out" of the back of the case. (the phone connector on the IO is about 16mm across it's LARGEST points for your size reference) The 17mm drive is in the picture (unless he does a page update later and changes something again). A standard 9mm drive fits just fine. The Lasagna Cooler causes a slight (1mm) bowing of the RF shield anyway.

What fan should I use?

We recommend ordering the Lasagna Cooler, p/n 50-10-5B-C2 (5V dc/S7 clips) fan from TennMax at www.tennmax.com , let them know you are ordering for the I-MOD2 Kit. We hope they will start putting the proper power connector on them soon, if people request it enough. For now you will want to find some small heat shrink tubing (Radio Shack?).

Where does the fan vent to?

The fan vents out the holes in the RF shield that are already there.

What's this fan power cable connector thing?

We get the power for the fan (5V) from the second serial port Pin 9 (GND) and Pin 10 (+5V).

The connectors on the fan (as they come right now) are for .100" spacing pins, like you have seen on standard IDE connectors. The second serial port on the IO is a 2mm spacing connector and the pins are a bit smaller in size.

People have reported pulling the pins out of the fan connector with a small screwdriver, or cutting the connector open, then plugging them on to the serial port one at a time, using heat shrink tubing to insulate them from shorting.

Other people have found old connectors in their "junk bin" and simply splice into the fan wires. One source is a old cordless phone battery, ask a friend.

We have connected our fan up "backwards" just for fun, it doesn't hurt it at all (but we didn't leave it that way!). No worry about connecting it up wrong, but be careful not to SHORT 5V! Please use some tubing, not electrical tape. Electrical tape will unravel after a while when rolled that small, plus the heat will not help the tape stick.

How does the fan stay on the processor?

It simply clips to little tabs that are already there on a standard socket.

Why can't I use a normal IDE cable?

For some reason the IO designers made the connector "swapped", so a spacial cable must be made that "swaps" pin 1,2 then pin 3,4 and so on.

The cable must be very flexible to get a proper install without the chance of a short circuit. If a normal cable was used, it would have to be folded over several times to get to the drive and would cause too much "bow" in the case. It also might short out after the IO is closed and it's squished down by the metal RF shield (with sharp edges) or short to the metal mounting bracket.

Some people have suggested different cable ideas, we feel these have a chance of shorting out, this design has been reviewed closely by two professional electronics engineers!   :)

The kit cable is specially made at a professional cable house with these things in mind, and is electrically tested.

Do all 2.5" drives mount the same?

All 2.5" drives are designed to be screwed into the same mount. It wouldn't be hard to drill some new holes in the mount if you needed to for some strange reason.

How do I get Linux/Windows/BeOS to boot?

That's your problem!   :)

Remember, the IO is basically a standard pentium class PC with a standard BIOS and a 16MB flash memory card.

Please read some of the messages in the "Technical" area on the I-Appliance Discussion Forum BBS, you will find many posts there talking about different OS's and how other installations went.

What do you do with the old heatsink?

Put it in the box with the other spare parts left over from your last car repair!   :)

What do I get in the kit?

Here's what you get:

Custom fit metal mounting bracket.
Very flexible, twisted pair 44 pin, 2mm cable, electrically tested at factory.
Keyboard / Mouse "Y" cable adaptor.
All mounting hardware needed. (longer screws etc...)

For the I-MOD2 Kit you will need a low profile cooling fan, it's NOT INCLUDED in the I-MOD2 Kit!

We recommend ordering the Lasagna Cooler, p/n 50-10-5B-C2 (5V dc/S7 clips) fan from TennMax at www.tennmax.com , let them know you are ordering for the I-MOD2 Kit. We hope they will start putting the proper power connector on them soon, if people request it enough. For now you will want to find some small heat shrink tubing (Radio Shack?).

What's the difference between the 1 and 2 kit?

The I-MOD1 kit requires you to cut a small "notch" in the heatsink and drill holes in it to mount the metal mounting bracket (see the pics again). The drive fits very snug, and you have to cut or bend the RF shield if you want to put it back when you close the cover.

The I-MOD2 kit uses screw holes that already exist to hold the mounting bracket, and the RF shield goes right back on, no cutting or drilling. The only reason you would want the I-MOD1 is if you didn't want a fan for some reason. The fan is very quiet.

How do I order a kit?

See the Kit Ordering FAQ.

You didn't answer my question here!

This FAQ is a work in progress, please post your question in the "Technical" area of the I-Appliance Discussion Forum BBS and we will try to answer it and update this FAQ. Please don't E-Mail us questions before checking the general I-Opener FAQ or the BBS, the BBS has a search feature.