Redesigning SSD for M4 Mac Mini- Part 1

[@iBoffRCC]

Watch how we save heavily mudded iMac from the flood!! :kzbin.info/www/bejne/jpWoqZuvp7B0odEsi=tSxKbhLvojU75vsa

[@PhilsRealm]

This sounds like something that would blow up on kickstarter because of the insane value.

[@fVNzO]

You know, since this requires a lot of engineering work to recreate the proprietary SSD's the value isn't great as such. It's bad compared to the general market - it's good compared to apple prices. Apple could've easily used an existing m.2 standard (like a 2230 or 2242) which would've been even cheaper. So you're still paying a bit of an upcharge because of the work involved, and therefore the value isn't necessarily fantastic.

[@vistaero]

​@@fVNzO It's an insane value anyway even if it costs a bit more than a standard SSD. The base model M4 Mac Mini simply blows out of the water any similar PC costing up to $999, so you do have some room to upgrade the SSD.

[@fVNzO]

@@vistaero Yes but if someone really, really cared about value they would make their own external drive which would be the cheapest.

[@vistaero]

@@fVNzO Make? You should at least buy a quality Thunderbolt case for an SSD that runs macOS.

[@fVNzO]

@@vistaero that is indeed one of the ways to do it of all time.

[@HugoCatarino]

Shut up and take my money! 😊

[@garretreed9709]

Like yesterday!!

[@MG86578]

I would also buy one 😊

[@suburbanflower]

Wow these guys move fast. Can't wait to see wha their future looks like

[@yohanag3408]

lets hope that apple doesn’t buy their company…

[@IkaruzZuraki]

I'm a simple man.. I see new iBoff shennanigans, I click! never change, brother!

[@iBoffRCC]

Thanks for watching! 😄

[@antenedilbert7191]

Thank you for doing this impossible great

[@simonstergaard]

Love you guys... this kind of expertise is the future... its starting to feel like the 90' again, where you could get magnificent cartriges and mods for your c64 or amiga. KEEP IT UP !

[@naserali5211]

I wish I could see the eyes freeze and the faces shocked of Apple engineers. Well done Also, your good reputation and fame is better than the exorbitant profits of that company.

[@iBoffRCC]

Honestly maybe they just should start selling the Upgrade Kit. right?

[@naserali5211]

@@iBoffRCC after your video not should . they must 😂

[@pwhv]

hahahaha! that would be nice to see

[@robertschaaf8606]

@@naserali5211 So all their customers can void their warrantees?

[@noisetin]

I can guarantee you that Apple's engineers knew exactly what they were doing and that this will be the result. This means that Apple will continue to sell memory and storage upgrades to businesses, institutions and schools for huge amounts of money, while giving enthusiasts the option to upgrade for pennies.

[@xPaulRulesTheWorldx]

I just got one of these Mac Minis today and it's been really impressive, I can't wait for you to come out with the 1tb module!

[@BalkansWay]

Good job on this, I’m sure if this goes on sale a lot of people will be happy .

[@antenedilbert7191]

You're a master hacker of apple hardware! The man who breaks apple's titanium wall of closed ecosystem

[@pwhv]

keep the great job friends!!! we love you and will buy from you many storage devices

[@initID]

Wait, does Mac Mini M4 Pro ssd have that infamous TPS62180 as well? I watched somewhere the Pro version has different shape than the non pro.

[@Neberheim]

Thank you for featuring my comment and also providing a commitment before Apple’s holiday return period is up. Mine is going back and I’ll get an M4 Pro with full RAM and the default SSD.

[@PHBEIN]

Hope you get this to work and can market it for people to buy. Can't wait to see this get done.

[@_Hasboa_]

You bring joy to my day. Keep going

[@nick066hu]

2:12 "Apple seems to really love this IC despite its failure since 2018..." - it's a blessing for them, they didn't even need their own engineers to come up with something self-destructive hidden design feature.

[@MaacAbra]

You’re doing wonderful job. I’m saying this as a long-time Apple user… and fan I can say. I remember using machines as ald as Quadra 840AV. That’s why I think I have the full right to criticize Apple and say that their actual repair and upgrade policy totally sucks.

[@alexr6606]

Honestly this will be a game changer. I love the idea of upgrading the hardware, but hate not being able to set it back to stock.

[@christophmuller3511]

Don’t make it larger than the original module, if Apple ends up reusing the same form factor in a different Mac in the future with a more constrained space around the module you will have to redesign the module for no reason.

[@iBoffRCC]

@@christophmuller3511 Good point! Thank you and we'll consider that.

[@fujinshu]

If all the electronics are contained within the same footprint of the original model, then it might be possible to just cut off the handle instead.

[@yagoa]

Great! a PCIe adapter for NVME instead of wifi next?

[@iBoffRCC]

NVMe support for this model is a lot more complicated, but we'll see if something ever come in future.

[@yagoa]

@@iBoffRCC But the wifi must be PCIe right?

[@royk.9347]

0:28 bro has one of the coolest intros ever, then decides to use comic sans for his font 😭

[@Neberheim]

It isn’t comic sans 🙄

[@iBoffRCC]

Hi, you can watch this video (part 1) kzbin.info/www/bejne/e2SxXq1jjp2Wq9k&lc=UgyVsLkY8iNMkvmeY0d4AaABAg and to answer the font question (part 2) kzbin.info/www/bejne/i4SlaquHqp5qoZY Enjoy!

[@DavidFlores-xz9wb]

GOOD INFO👍

[@flaringphoenix]

Very nice work!

[@iBoffRCC]

Thank you!

[@FrankHouston-v5e]

You’re simply the best next level hacker 💪🧐.

[@cibonthesaint8903]

When will the new module that y’all are making be ready and will you notify me? Thank you.

[@NomNomBasti]

Great work! Will it be also compatible with the Mac Mini Pro? That one is shaped differently.

[@alextirrellRI]

A replacement with more reliable components than OEM is fantastic.

[@pogzie]

Doing the lords work.

[@randsons]

Finally excellent news well done chaps

[@krezii]

this is my favourite channel

[@HenryKlausEsq.]

Great work guys.

[@barrjan]

You did it again!

[@ebisuminoru]

I love this. A big “screw your nonupgradeable storage” to apple🎉

[@AKApple-zz5rn]

beautiful information related to ssd work for technician.

[@reatcas]

What about the macbook air m2?

[@TinyWorkshop]

cant wait to see it also for the M4 pro

[@06howea1]

Been waiting for this

[@RoboticsDIY]

Fantastic work!

[@El.Duder-ino]

First steps towards Mac SSD storage freedom starting with the M4 Mini has been taken also thx by u folks, thank u! Hopefully Apple will one day in the future make this as standard for all Mac consumers and won't charge them fortune. Current Apple prices for the SSD storage upgrades r completely ridiculous!👎

[@renaturierungsfan]

Can’t wait for the 4 TB Model

[@paulojose7568]

Never say thank you to a basic feature that should always been there

[@eviain]

My m4 Mac mini is waiting for this 😊

[@Ray88G]

Would it be possible to upgrade the memory.?

[@mark-zd9tk]

What kind of flux and solder do you use for micro soldering? I'm so fascinated by what you do that I would like to try it myself and experiment with it? 😊😊😊

[@thomaschristianbonne]

This is fantastic!

[@abzaman77]

Streight chip swap works? Without any configuration? Like strap?

[@user-pp3dl8id7r]

Excellent content

[@Eissen_meteor]

you do amazing work

[@FREZINO]

Great work. Please also do one for M4 Pro 🙏🏼

[@ryanbotha7256]

When are you doing this for the 16" M2 MacBook Pro? Please! We need it already 😂

[@THA_PROdeuca]

Could you do this to a fresh M4 Mac mini that’s not been booted up yet or would you always have to have 2 Mac’s?

[@wasserprojekt]

If you make this adapter available on the market, is there any possibility Apple disables it in the future with a software update?

[@Andres_tvs]

No.

[@fujinshu]

Probably not, but they could add some extra proprietary hardware to the modules in the next revision that blocks upgrades and repairs.

[@trey_a_12]

Sorry if you’ve already answered this before, but any chance you’ll be doing this for the M1 MacBook AIR?

[@midav0667]

Only one question: How soon it will be available for buying?

[@iBoffRCC]

For now all that we know is next year, the PCB is in active development, and we will post more if we have updates.

[@noritos8907]

@@iBoffRCC Excited to see the development! I'm holding out on purchasing a mac mini just for your product to hit the shelves!

[@midav0667]

@@iBoffRCC if you will able to finish the production of the cards before the beging of the spring that will be amazing!

[@fujinshu]

@@noritos8907 I'd recommend that you should buy one anyway, since warranty will expire and you can then swap out the NAND module anyway. Or you can just buy one second-hand next year.

[@noritos8907]

​@@fujinshu No, because I want more than 256GB base storage without relying on external storage, and I'm not paying Apple the cost to upgrade. I can wait.

[@mikulcek]

So there is no security lock preventing you from swapping chips?

[@memediatek]

Correct, you just need to use another mac to reinitialise the nands, since the controller is on the main logic board (maybe in the soc? not really sure) for performance and security reasons. Apple would have to do the same thing during a swap

[@fujinshu]

There is a lock within the NAND chips themselves, which requires you to reprogram the internal ICs within the chips, which also requires dumping configuration files.

[@tomascima5331]

Amazing. Glad I didn’t order and pay for the upgrade already!

[@arsenalgear3009]

You rock man

[@Phil-D83]

An adapter to use a regular nvme ssd would be nice

[@christophmuller3511]

Won’t happen, Apple integrated the ssd controller into their SoC and the module is just the bare NAND flash chips. There is no PCIe interface here to connect NVMe.

[@QuietOC]

The Wifi module in the base is probably PCIe.

[@rookiegamer-yt]

a module for a full size nvme would be awesome

[@fahimanayet]

mini handle looks like an Apple leaf. I hope this module become reality soon.

[@utubekullanicisi]

Did we find solution to the problem of not being able to get brand new NAND modules that are compatible with Macs that I haven't heard of? Or are we still scavenging NAND chips from used Macs to do this still? How are we out of a sudden getting third party replacement storage modules for the Mac Studio and Mac mini with the promise of high lifespans?

[@fujinshu]

The NAND modules are shared across Apple's entire product stack, from iPhone to iPad to Mac (and presumably Apple TV), so it's relatively easy to source Mac-compatible NANDs nowadays. However, the bigger issue is that these NANDs are special because they have their own small ICs that know what product they were originally connected to, and thus require reprogramming. Only a couple of NAND manufacturers make these NAND chips exclusively for Apple, who also makes them swear to secrecy and forbids them from selling this NAND to anyone else, thus decreasing supply. This needs to be solved by forbidding NAND pairing entirely for the purposes of blocking unauthorized repair.

[@Wannes_]

How about a module with an NVME slot ? It looks like their is some space over the heat pipes, or does the cover come down too far to squeeze an SSD in ?

[@fujinshu]

The SoC already has its own NVMe SSD controller built in, which interfaces with the NAND module.

[@Wannes_]

@@fujinshu forgot about that 😞

[@luqmaanmohideen8422]

where do u get the black nands from

[@06howea1]

Instant subscribe

[@MasterChief4U]

You better move fast. As WD and others are signing deals to make these upgrades for half the price with Apple. Or you could just buy the 512gb SSD upgrade tier 2 model which is twice as fast as the 256gb base model..

[@tokiomitohsaka7770]

What a legend!

[@wiktorpp]

Where do you get the poprietary chip from tho?

[@v0ldy54]

They'll totally block this possibility in the next Mac Mini

[@jawad9757]

I had a feeling this was coming lol

[@supercrazymario404]

I’m curious if it’s possible to put 4tb on a regular M4 Mac Mini by putting 2 2tb NANDs in it. And I’m pretty sure 2tb NANDs exist because the M4 Pro machines have 8tb configurations even with 4 NAND chip spots

[@fujinshu]

Probably not, 2x1tb seems to be the hard limit for the base M4 chip.

[@lyndonliu4958]

@@fujinshu it's not . we have tested 4tb on M4 Mac mini with sumang nand (2tb/pcs) ,it works well. but the price ...emm..

[@sativagirl1885]

Send your children to micro-soldering school, not pubic school.

[@shis10]

Amazing

[@shinnoke8]

Malaysia Boleh 99 punya 🔥🔥🔥🔥

[@ahrrr7690]

I wonder how fast are those SSD chips.

[@arch1107]

as fast or faster han the 128gbs modules, on the models they have done the chip replacement by desoldering and soldering new ones speed increased alot, double or more, the 128gb modules used are quite slow

[@TheArchitect101]

It’s all about price, can you beat apple? otherwise might as well buy the mac with right amount of storage.

[@christophmuller3511]

Of course you can, Apple massively overcharges for increased NAND sizes.

[@arch1107]

apple asks 800 dollars for 2 tbs, 8 tbs m.2 ssd costslike 600 dollars right now on amazon the m.2 ones use more than 2 nand chips, so the limit might be 4 tbs that apple does not offer right now and that depends on finding the right nands size at the right price the pcb itself, no idea how much can it cost to produce and assemble with the chips he mention to feed the nands seems very doable based on the money apple asks in my opinion, and even if it costs more apple trade in program might include this at one point, nothing is clear right now, if they can sell you a new unit or will ask you to buy another and return the one you have now, not sure how they would handle this at the moment

[@shapelessed]

That small handle looks like the leaf in Apple's logo. Seems like a lawsuit 👀

[@robertschaaf8606]

Is 2 GB the limit?

[@arch1107]

gb? you mean TB find those nand modules at decent prices is hard, i heard about 4 tb modules to make 8tb units somewhere but not sure if is true, m.2 nvme at 8 tb use more than 2 nand chips or are you talking about the ram? that one comes glued and looks so hard to remove, no one seems to have done it sucessfully so far

[@Tigerex966]

Ram modules?

[@arch1107]

everybody says it cant be done, they glued those and are too close to everything making it too complicated to do reliably, no one i have seen so far have done it

[@Tigerex966]

@arch1107 they did it on the m1;in China they simply swapped the ram from an absolutely new 8 gb with a 16 gb and then it worked. However new faster very thin low cost scamm in the lunar lake replacement makes it possible in future module's with a slight adjustment in the motherboard No performance is list it's actually faster and uses less energy.

[@carstencroessmann]

C'mon guys grap a coffee and go on, the day got 24 hours as you know. Keep up the good work and don't forget an apple a day keeps the......😂🤣

[@nothingtodo5987]

lets make removable parts great again. 💪🏾

[@mkthords]

Any idea how much 1tb would cost?

[@arch1107]

as he said, this is a prototype, no prices yet, be patient keep in mind that apple charges 800 dollars for 2 tb, so it is under that cost to be viable, design the pcb is what matters now, the nands also matter, i hacve seen them use donor nand chips so far on the chip replacement process

[@KASH-CHEN]

Where to buy?!

[@arch1107]

clearly he said this is a prototype stage design non functional, so nowhere, this will take alot of time

[@midnightmodem]

can I purchase 2tb of that from you ?

[@vladibarraza]

No way this happened so fast 😮

[@9716434994]

Where I can buy this for my Mac mini m4 I need 1tb

[@lyndonliu4958]

1TB 200$, how about it ?

[@arch1107]

nowhere is on sale, it doesnt exist yet, if you need more storage, or return the one you have and buy another, or you buy external storage

[@janzander459]

I think an adapter to nvme would be better.

[@arch1107]

but there is not enough space there to the adapter and a m.2 2240 card it seems, so they focus on the pcb itself

[@remo-pro]

I write my comment on your question on removable SSDs again because I'm not sure if you saw it: I saw a Mac mini M1 with the base 256 GB with a TBW of 1.5 PB and 9% lifetime left! Also an M1 MacBook Air with 512 GB with about the same TBW yet (1.4 PB) that has a remaining health of 56%. So your calculations with only 150 TBW for the 256 GB SSD in M1 Macs is completely wrong. Which means 256 GB = ~1.6 PB and 512 GB = ~3.2 PB Could I send you the Terminal Screenshots somehow for the evidence?

[@iBoffRCC]

@@remo-pro My answer to this question is simple. How do you measure TBW when the SSD already dead on these MacBooks? Dead SSD = Can't On. How do you measure it with any terminal?

[@frankwong9486]

Most SSD dead reason is other things else rather than "running out of / exceed TBW" Most SSD here is talking all SSD ,not just apple thing Include but not limited to firmware corrupted, controller dead, PCB issue,flash nand issue itself, buggy firmware 😂

[@muhammadafiqshahrom9559]

mantop!!!

[@summerWTFE]

Imagine a world where you could also remove the ram. I guess we don’t have the technology yet.

[@arch1107]

back in 1997 apple sold laptops with a motorola powerpc cpu, on a expansion pcb, wit hte ram soldered, so you could change both parts with one new card apple decided to do it this way, makes no sense tbh

[@masterdoge17]

YESSSSSS

[@pig1800]

Why Apple WHY!? Why take 12v for PP2V5 DCDC when it has 3.8V rail!? If PP2V5 is regulated from PP3V8, there will be SO MUCH LESS damage when DCDC fails!

[@steinmar2]

Lets make this real (:

[@AvaBernards]

Awoooga!

[@raguel259]

Imagine… M.2 NVME…

[@randocalrissian9217]

👏😮

[@Littlebrownchicken]

Just as soon as you perfect these things, start to sell them, apple will sell them for $200 on their website, totally OEM.

[@fujinshu]

They're not going to sell this at all unless another government body regulates them and forces them to do so.

[@Littlebrownchicken]

@ how can you be so sure?

[@fujinshu]

@@Littlebrownchicken So far, they only sell NAND modules for the Mac Pro, which are incompatible with the Mac Studio and are only sold because it’s their main enterprise desktop made for audio houses and similar.

[@Littlebrownchicken]

@ yeah, that makes sense, but they’ve gotten way more repairable over the years, especially with their iPhones and the battery removal is just insane. Maybe it’s just wishful thinking.

[@fujinshu]

@@Littlebrownchicken Yeah, and that’s thanks to government intervention and regulation requiring parts to be sold and electronics to be repairable. If the government never intervened, there would be less repairable iPhones as a result. It’s no wonder that Tim Cook was complaining to Trump about the EU’s heavy regulation of Apple (of course, if it was true in the first place).

[@TheBasementChannel]

You said pee pee 😂

[@Youare6uo]

we need removable memory, apple.

[@samgod]

Dude makes up for his broken English in sheer engineering brilliance. Respect!

[@HenryKlausEsq.]

His English was fine. Understood every word.

[@Neberheim]

Why do you even feel the need to comment about his English? How are your second and third languages going?

[@samgod]

@@HenryKlausEsq. no doubt. I understood all of it too. But it was slightly broken.

[@samgod]

@@Neberheim did you forget that I'm complimenting the hell out of the guy? My whole point is NOT judging people for speaking other languages (which many here in the states tend to do). Since you asked, I used to speak 3 languages fluently, now it's only 2.5.

[@Neberheim]

@ There’s a term for that, a backhanded compliment, and it’s the worst kind of “compliment”.

[@AldrichQuaiHoi]

why dont you make a PCB that is socketed so anyone can install nand chips as simplle as SD Cards, without soldering, you can sell bare bones BYO NAND PCB's on mass or have bundled kits

[@arch1107]

nand are smd, surface mounted devices, you cant easily put them and expect decent contact stable, they must go soldered your idea would work if there would be nand modules that do not require the solder part, but i have not seen any of those

[@kenamreemas3295]

How i imagine my ex compares me with her new bf: 00:00