Home-built Computers USB card connectors

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Subject Author Date
USB card connectors Don Phillipson 11-06-07
Posted by Don Phillipson on November 6, 2007, 9:04 am
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I want to replace the USB.v.1 card in a Compaq Presario
7000CA with a USB.v.2 card. The problem is their connectors.

The old USB card has
1. A standard 4-wire power supply, as used for CD drives.
2. Nine-pin plug (of a type I have not seen before)
connecting to the two front-panel USB jacks.

The new USB card has
1. No extra power supply; presumably it gets power
from its PCI plug-in slot.
2. One USB jack, presumably to connect jacks
(like the custom 9-pin connector on the old card.)

Is this 9-pin connector peculiar to Compaq or just a
discarded standard? I am doubtful what to do next.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)





Posted by Don Phillipson on November 6, 2007, 12:31 pm
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> On Tue, 6 Nov 2007 09:04:08 -0500, "Don Phillipson"
>
> >2. One USB jack, presumably to connect jacks
> >(like the custom 9-pin connector on the old card.)
> >
> >Is this 9-pin connector peculiar to Compaq
> > or just a discarded standard? I am doubtful what to do next.
>
> Presuming you have two USB ports in front of your system not
> one, you have no way you can get two from the single
> internal jack on the USB card. If you can accept having
> only one work, you could get a special adapter cable or make
> your own to adapt the USB male plug to the compaq USB cable,
> but it would be as cost effective (since USB2 cards are
> quite cheap) to just buy another USB card that has the
> internal pin header instead of internal socket.
> Http://www.newegg.com has some with the pin header, look
> through the pictures of their USB2 cards to find them.

This is exactly what I need. (Never looked at USB cards
closely enough to notice some have 9-pin connectors and
others connect via USB cable.)

(No ribbon cable: Compact connects from USB card to
front panel jacks via all 9 separable wires.)

> IMO, an easier solution might be to just buy a USB2 hub for
> *front* USB port access, leaving it sitting on the desk and
> connected to the USB2 card's case rear port. If you did

Noted but my wife's desk habits suggest it impractical.

I am grateful for your informed help.

--
Don Phillipson
Carlsbad Springs
(Ottawa, Canada)




Posted by Paul on November 7, 2007, 1:56 pm
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Don Phillipson wrote:
>> On Tue, 6 Nov 2007 09:04:08 -0500, "Don Phillipson"
>>
>>> 2. One USB jack, presumably to connect jacks
>>> (like the custom 9-pin connector on the old card.)
>>>
>>> Is this 9-pin connector peculiar to Compaq
>>> or just a discarded standard? I am doubtful what to do next.
>> Presuming you have two USB ports in front of your system not
>> one, you have no way you can get two from the single
>> internal jack on the USB card. If you can accept having
>> only one work, you could get a special adapter cable or make
>> your own to adapt the USB male plug to the compaq USB cable,
>> but it would be as cost effective (since USB2 cards are
>> quite cheap) to just buy another USB card that has the
>> internal pin header instead of internal socket.
>> Http://www.newegg.com has some with the pin header, look
>> through the pictures of their USB2 cards to find them.
>
> This is exactly what I need. (Never looked at USB cards
> closely enough to notice some have 9-pin connectors and
> others connect via USB cable.)
>
> (No ribbon cable: Compact connects from USB card to
> front panel jacks via all 9 separable wires.)
>
>> IMO, an easier solution might be to just buy a USB2 hub for
>> *front* USB port access, leaving it sitting on the desk and
>> connected to the USB2 card's case rear port. If you did
>
> Noted but my wife's desk habits suggest it impractical.
>
> I am grateful for your informed help.
>

This card is one of the few, with two internal USB2 ports
arranged on 2x5 pin header. There are also two external USB2
connectors for the back of the computer. The chip on the card
is a VT6212L from VIA, which is not the best brand of chip.
But the card does have the advantage of having two internal
ports.

Koutech USB 2.0 PCI (2xExt+2xInt Header-pin) Model IO-PU222 - Retail $10
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815201008

These items from silverstonetek.com give a drive bay solution
for added connectors. I selected the black color for these two,
because there doesn't seem to be an example of a FP51 in white
on Newegg.

SILVERSTONE SST-FP32-B Aluminum USB/1394/Audio Panel ( Black ) - Retail $14
This is a 3.5" drive bay housing for USB and other ports.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16813999356

Silverstone SST-FP51-B Black Aluminum front panel, steel bracket - Retail $15.40
3.5" to 5.25" adapter to hold the FP32. Slightly convex and not a
flat surface on the front.
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16811999043

What an FP32 looks like, when stuffed in a 3.5" floppy hole, without
using the 5.25" adapter. The door that covers the ports, comes with
that particular computer case, AFAIK.

http://www.bjorn3d.com/Material/ReviewImages/SilverStoneLC17/LC17ports2%20(Medium).JPG

Frontx.com is another source of high quality front panel solutions.
Their solution consists of a framework, and modular assemblies you
stick in the frame. That allows a custom collection of front
panel connectors to be fitted. A bit pricey, if you fill one up.

http://www.frontx.com/detail6.jpg

A Frontx dual USB module, fitted with internal 2x5 header connector.

http://www.frontx.com/cpx108_2.html

If you're good with a Dremel tool and can hack appropriate shaped
holes in the computer case, you could buy just a cable assembly
and do the rest yourself. This particular assembly is kinda useless,
because it has two external connectors on the other end. PCI USB2 cards
generally come with just one internal connector suited for this kind
of solution. You'd need two USB cards, and I don't know how well that
works.

http://www.frontx.com/pro/p108_036.html

You could also take the cpx108_2 apart, and fit that to the computer case.

HTH,
Paul

Posted by Franc Zabkar on November 8, 2007, 3:52 am
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On Tue, 6 Nov 2007 09:04:08 -0500, "Don Phillipson"

>I want to replace the USB.v.1 card in a Compaq Presario
>7000CA with a USB.v.2 card. The problem is their connectors.
>
>The old USB card has
>1. A standard 4-wire power supply, as used for CD drives.

I don't understand this part.

>2. Nine-pin plug (of a type I have not seen before)
>connecting to the two front-panel USB jacks.
>
>The new USB card has
>1. No extra power supply; presumably it gets power
>from its PCI plug-in slot.

Why didn't the old card do it this way? Are you sure you are not
looking at some kind of "intermediate" PCB?

>2. One USB jack, presumably to connect jacks
>(like the custom 9-pin connector on the old card.)
>
>Is this 9-pin connector peculiar to Compaq or just a
>discarded standard? I am doubtful what to do next.

I will shortly be able to get access to an Compaq which AFAIK has a
similar arrangement to yours. If you can wait until the weekend I may
be able to determine the pinouts for you.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

Posted by Franc Zabkar on November 8, 2007, 3:18 pm
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On Thu, 08 Nov 2007 19:52:52 +1100, Franc Zabkar

>>Is this 9-pin connector peculiar to Compaq or just a
>>discarded standard? I am doubtful what to do next.
>
>I will shortly be able to get access to an Compaq which AFAIK has a
>similar arrangement to yours. If you can wait until the weekend I may
>be able to determine the pinouts for you.

Sorry, false alarm.

This old Compaq has two front USB ports connected by a 10-pin ribbon
cable to a 10-pin header (9 pins + key) on the motherboard. There are
two more USB ports at the rear. There is no additional card or power
connector.

- Franc Zabkar
--
Please remove one 'i' from my address when replying by email.

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