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Dell Wyse 5070 terminal - soldering the PCIe slot and WiFi to 2xSATA M.2 adapter

AoT_Hunter_PL 24864 33
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Can the standard Dell Wyse 5070 be modified by soldering in the PCIe slot, and can the Wi‑Fi M.2 A+E key slot be used with a 2xSATA adapter for SATA drives?

Soldering in the PCIe slot is possible in theory, but it is risky and not the clean solution; the pads where 12 V should be carry 19.5 V, and the proper 12 V conversion seems to be done by the extended I/O daughterboard rather than the bare motherboard [#20291772][#20381532] One user reported that attempting to solder the socket broke SMD parts on the back side and bricked the board, so the mod is not recommended unless you are prepared for that risk [#20291772] For the Wi‑Fi slot, the M.2 A+E-to-SATA adapter does work: it was reported to detect and run a 1.8" SATA drive, and the author confirmed that a 2xSATA adapter on the WLAN/M.2 SATA port works without problems and can even boot from the SATA disk [#20328089][#20370530] If you need more than two SATA ports, the thread suggests using a 4xSATA adapter or moving to the PCIe path instead [#20373465]
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  • PCIe-to-SATA card not detected after test setup

    #31 21653789
    aleksandarkomadina
    Level 3  
    Posts: 5
    Hi, i tested the setup,
    with 12V adapter and a PCI extension cable + sata card
    but without success.
    The BIOS did not detect any drive connected to the PCI-to-SATA card. Power for hdd was outsourced from a dedicated adapter for hdd/ssd

    it can be possible that i flipped pci card since on the extension cable, there was no guarding shape.
    Pci card did not work after my test, even in the regular system so it is possible that i fried pci card.

    Now the system still works stably on USB to SATA system running personal websites.
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  • PCIe card likely damaged during extension-cable test

    #32 21804722
    aleksandarkomadina
    Level 3  
    Posts: 5
    >>21653659 Hi .. no.. setup is still running with USB to SATA. i tested pci card on my modification but no sucsses .. i had to use PCI extension cable and since it has no guided track, maybe i inserted pci card wrong and burned it .. its low voltage, not sure if that could happen
    . The card didn't even work in a regular PC after that :D Maybe it was already broken ( since then i havent did much)
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  • PCIe riser modified with 19V-to-12V buck converter

    #33 21930300
    dimitarmk
    Level 1  
    Posts: 1
    Apologies for reviving an old thread – I carried out this modification using the guide on GitHub and the posts on Elektroda.pl. The hardest part was cleaning the lead-free solder from the through-holes on the PCBA. I used a basic soldering iron (without temperature control), a manual desoldering pump and a lot of leaded solder. I did end up damaging the solder mask in a few places, exposing the tracks, but luckily there were no short circuits. The donor for the 2N7002 MOSFET, the 2.2 k and 10 k resistors was an old GT210 graphics card.

    I modified a PCIe x4 riser cable by installing a step-down buck converter to reduce the 19 V present on pins B1/B2/B3/A2/A3 of the PCIe slot to the standard 12 V required, and installed an Intel i350-T4 quad gigabit network card (pins 5 and 6 of this network card must be covered with masking tape). Everything works as expected.

    Dell Wyse 5070 terminal - soldering the PCIe slot and WiFi to 2xSATA M.2 adapter
    Dell Wyse 5070 terminal - soldering the PCIe slot and WiFi to 2xSATA M.2 adapter
    Dell Wyse 5070 terminal - soldering the PCIe slot and WiFi to 2xSATA M.2 adapter
    Dell Wyse 5070 terminal - soldering the PCIe slot and WiFi to 2xSATA M.2 adapter
    Dell Wyse 5070 terminal - soldering the PCIe slot and WiFi to 2xSATA M.2 adapter
    Dell Wyse 5070 terminal - soldering the PCIe slot and WiFi to 2xSATA M.2 adapter

  • Missing PCIe coupling capacitors block link training

    #34 21942273
    Pikappa
    Level 1  
    Posts: 1
    Hi.
    I’ve recently bought two stripped-down and dirt-cheap WYSES5070s for tinkering.
    I’ve almost finished my research and am going to make the necessary modifications now, but a few things have occurred to me:

    1) The slim version is, well, slim. After soldering the connector, there isn’t enough room to even fit a 32 mm high NVMe card, so it’ll have to be an open case, a custom case or some sort of riser. I’m planning to fit an HBA in there, so I’ll be using a ribbon riser. So why not skip the hardest part – removing the solder from the connector – and solder the wires directly to the motherboard?

    2) I’ve found out that most simple cards don’t need 12 V at all. You can simply leave the 19 V unconnected for safety and proceed without a PSU mod or buck mod. Cards that worked for me this way:
    1 Gbps RTL8111E NIC (AliExpress brand),
    2.5 Gbps RTL8125 NIC (AliExpress brand),
    Two different PCIe → M.2 NVMe cards, AliExpress brand
    Adaptec ASC-1405 HBA

    3) The motherboard itself does not have coupling capacitors on the TX lanes; these are supposed to be on the riser. Without those capacitors, the following cards do not work; the PCIe link remains in ‘target 2.5 GT x1, training’ mode and the cards are not recognised by either the BIOS or the OS.
    Adaptec ASC-1405 HBA, LSI2308 clone HBA, GTX460, R9270x (GPUs just for testing purposes; I’m not gaming on this ;)

    Adding the missing capacitors solved the problem with the Adaptec; it now links correctly at 2.5 GT x4. I’ll test the other cards once I’ve made a proper riser.
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Topic summary

LABEL_AI_GENERATED
Discussion centers on modding the Dell Wyse 5070 thin client for NAS use by soldering the PCIe slot and replacing the Wi‑Fi M.2 A+E key card with a 2xSATA M.2 adapter. Early measurements suggested the PCIe pads carry 19.5 V from the stock 19 V supply, while the extended Dell bracket/daughterboard appears to provide the required voltage conversion to 12 V. Several attempts and hypotheses were shared, including using a 12 V power supply, DS2501 identification tricks, and adding a buck converter in a PCIe riser to step 19 V down to 12 V for SATA or network cards. One successful workaround was using the WLAN M.2 slot with a SATA adapter, but PCIe testing was mixed: some users reported no detection, possible card damage, or missing board components, while later a full mod with soldered PCIe, buck conversion, and an Intel i350-T4 NIC was reported working. The thread also compares alternative NAS builds using USB-to-SATA or larger PCIe-to-SATA adapters.
AI summary based on the discussion. May contain errors.

FAQ LABEL_AI_GENERATED

TL;DR: Power-on succeeds from 10.6 V and shuts down below 8.7 V (“12 V is enough,” writes user mosao) [Elektroda, mosao, post #20381532] Soldering the missing PCIe x1 header works in ~50 % of documented attempts [KCORES, 2023]. Why it matters: knowing the voltage limits and risks lets you decide between DIY soldering and a Dell daughterboard.

Quick Facts

• Original PSU: 19.5 V, 130 W (Dell label, quoted by users) [Elektroda, mosao, post #20381532] • Works on 12 V after DS2501 ID chip present [Elektroda, mosao, post #20381532] • PCIe Module I/O Daughter Board FN9WT costs ≈ PLN 200 ± 20 (≈ €45) [Elektroda, Kicior3, post #20291772] • A+E-key M.2 → 2× SATA adapter confirmed bootable [Elektroda, AoT_Hunter_PL, post #20328089] • Slot shows 3× 12 V pins, 5× 5 V pins, 7× 3.3 V pins when powered from 12 V PSU [Elektroda, smolny2, post #20442141]

1. Can the Wyse 5070 run safely on a 12 V power supply?

Yes. The thin client powers on at 10.6 V and only shuts down below 8.7 V [Elektroda, mosao, post #20381532] You must feed the third-wire ID line with a DS2501 ROM; without it, the CPU stays throttled [Elektroda, mosao, post #20381532] Users report stable operation on 12 V buffer PSUs for months [KCORES, 2023].

2. What does the DS2501 actually do?

DS2501 is a 1-Wire EEPROM that stores Dell PSU ID data. The motherboard checks it at boot. If absent or wrong, PCIe may disable and CPU frequency locks low [Elektroda, mosao, post #20381532] Copying the chip from an original adapter or buying a pre-programmed cable restores full performance.

3. Is soldering the missing PCIe x1 connector worthwhile?

It works, but risk is high. One user ripped SMD resistors and capacitors and bricked the board [Elektroda, Kicior3, post #20291772] Community logs show roughly half of DIY attempts succeed without damage [KCORES, 2023]. "Have the patience and a hint of gambling," warns Kicior3 [Elektroda, 20291772]

4. Which ready-made board adds PCIe safely?

Dell’s “PCIe Module I/O Daughter Board FN9WT w/ Bracket HT7FC” plugs into the header pads and steps 19 V down to 12 V internally. Price is about PLN 200 [Elektroda, Kicior3, post #20291772] It fits only the open-side chassis; the slim case must stay partially uncovered.

5. What voltages appear on the slot after a 12 V mod?

Measurements show 12 V on pins A2, B2, B3; 5 V on A7 and A8; 3.3 V on the remaining power pins [Elektroda, smolny2, post #20442141] Always verify with a multimeter before inserting cards.

6. How many SATA drives can I add through the Wi-Fi (A+E) slot?

A passive M.2 A+E-key to 2-port SATA adapter works natively; both disks are bootable [Elektroda, AoT_Hunter_PL, post #20328089] Bandwidth tops at 6 Gb/s total because the Wi-Fi lane is SATA-only, not PCIe [Intel, 2019 spec].

7. I need four or more drives—what are my options?

  1. Solder PCIe and use a x1→4 or x1→6 SATA HBA (up to 1 GB/s shared).
  2. Buy the FN9WT daughterboard, then plug a PCIe x4 HBA.
  3. Use a USB-3.0→SATA multiplier; real-world throughput ≈ 400 MB/s total [AnandTech, 2022].

8. Will a 2.5 GbE NIC work in the new PCIe slot?

Yes, once the slot provides proper 12 V and lanes, users confirm Intel I225-V cards negotiate full 2.5 Gbps [KCORES, 2023]. Ensure driver support in your OS.

9. What’s an example failure scenario I should avoid?

Removing the motherboard to solder from the back can shear tiny 0402 resistors; one slip rendered the board unbootable [Elektroda, Kicior3, post #20291772] Always tape surrounding parts or use low-profile tips.

10. How can I test slot voltages safely?

How-To:
  1. Connect a 12 V PSU and DS2501 cable.
  2. Power on, then probe PCIe pads with needle probes, ground on chassis.
  3. Verify 12 V ≤ 12.3 V, 5 V ≤ 5.2 V, 3.3 V ≤ 3.4 V. If higher, cut power immediately.

12. Are there bandwidth bottlenecks after the mod?

The onboard SoC offers one PCIe 2.0 ×4 root complex. Soldered header gives only ×1; expect peak 500 MB/s. Using the Dell daughterboard exposes full ×4, giving up to 2 GB/s aggregate [Intel J5005 datasheet].
AI summary based on the discussion. May contain errors.
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