connecting to front USB panel

Hi

I got a new case and i wanted to see if i can get the front USB ports to
work.
Im not too bothered about the front sound ones yet.

GA-7ZXE
I got the manual
and it shows to USB2 socket
pins a-

2 10
o ooo
ooo o
1 9

On the cable I have
a four line pin with the marking for each hole [0000] :
(1)GDN
(1)DATA+
(1)DATA-
(1)VCC+
and another four line pin [0000] with the markings for each hole
(2)GDN
(2)DATA+
(2)DATA-
(2)VCC+
and a one pin pin [0] with the marking
Shield

The manual says
Pin No
1 = Definition +5V
2 = Definition GND
3 = Definition USB D2-
4 = Definition NC
5 = Definition USB D2+
6 = Definition USB D3+
7 = Definition NC
8 = Definition USB D3-
9 = Definition GND
10 = Definition +5V

Ive no idea still where the pins go.

Can anyone help?

thanks
Shirl

Shirl wrote:
Hi

I got a new case and i wanted to see if i can get the front USB ports to
work.
Im not too bothered about the front sound ones yet.

GA-7ZXE
I got the manual
and it shows to USB2 socket
pins a-

2 10
o ooo
ooo o
1 9

On the cable I have
a four line pin with the marking for each hole [0000] :
(1)GDN
(1)DATA+
(1)DATA-
(1)VCC+
and another four line pin [0000] with the markings for each hole
(2)GDN
(2)DATA+
(2)DATA-
(2)VCC+
and a one pin pin [0] with the marking
Shield

The manual says
Pin No
1 = Definition +5V
2 = Definition GND
3 = Definition USB D2-
4 = Definition NC
5 = Definition USB D2+
6 = Definition USB D3+
7 = Definition NC
8 = Definition USB D3-
9 = Definition GND
10 = Definition +5V

Ive no idea still where the pins go.

Can anyone help?

thanks
Shirl


"Ive no idea still where the pins go."

Sure you do :-) The problem is, it doesn't really
line up that well. Kinda a mismatch of sorts.

Better to redraw the picture and look at it. I've
positioned your computer case 1x4 connector, next
to the right hand column of pins, for comparison.
Now the mismatch is more apparent.

1 2
+5 X X GND
D2- X ??? GND
D2+ X X D3+ ---- DATA+
X D3- ---- DATA-
GND X X +5V ---- VCC
9 10

To fix this with the existing hardware, you'd need a
1x5 plastic dohickey. You can purchase one here, but
this is certainly a PITA, just to fix this. What you
do, is pull the wires out of the 1x4 plastic on the
computer case cable, then reposition the wires to
match the 1x5 pattern needed above, using the new
1x5 plastic shell. (Basically, you need to move the
GND down by one pin spacing.) There is a little release
tab on each plastic "cell" on the 1x5, and when you
lift the tab gently, the pin and wire can slide out.

http://www.frontx.com/cpx075_1.html

This guide shows how to pull the wire and pin out of
the plastic shell, Shoving it back in is not hard at
all (no tool needed). The plastic tab locks the pin
into place.

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

Now, there are two issues with this. One is, there is
a slight risk, that if you order the parts from FrontX,
maybe the pin and wire won't fit in the 1x5 plastic.
Just a slight risk. The other thing is, the ports on
your motherboard are USB 1.1, when you could be using
USB 2.0 (faster).

Another approach, is to pull the "GND" wire and pin, out
of its 1x4 cell on the plastic shell. Then plug the
bare wire and pin, to the pin 2 matching "GND" on the
header. But that leaves the metal pin exposed. If you
wanted to do that, you could buy some heat shrink
(Polyolefin) tubing, cut a small section, and slide it
over the body of the pin and wire. With the heat shrink
in place, that insulates the outside of the pin, so it
doesn't make accidental contact with anything. (Heat
shrink can be bought at good electronics stores. It
shrinks maybe 2:1, so buy 1/4" to cover a 1/8" thing.
When I'm in an electronics store, I generally buy
three sizes, so I can cover up my mistakes if I get
the size wrong :-) Electrical tape can also be used,
but that stuff tends to make a sticky mess. I like
heat shrink because it is cleaner if properly applied.
But it takes a bit of practice, to learn how to shrink
it without melting everything in the vicinity. So from
that perspective, some electrical tape is another way
to make some kind of safe solution for yourself. Not
all the heat shrink has to be "shrunk", just enough
to hold the insulation in place. Shrinking the plastic
is so it doesn't slide off by accident.)

Polyolefin heat shrink tubing is shown here. Applying
heat to the tubing, causes it to shrink. The trick is,
to apply just enough heat to shrink the plastic, without
burning it. A soldering iron, or the tip of a wood
burning set, should be hot enough.

http://www.nelcoproducts.com/newsDetails.asp?newsID=28

You could also get a USB PCI card and plug that to a
spare PCI slot. This one has a 1x4 header on the
end of the card, for use with your cable. It also
gives more USB2 sockets on the back of the computer.
(It will give 4 USB2.0 on the back of the computer and
1 USB2.0 on the front.) With this solution, there is no
messing with the cable. But this only gives you one port
on the front of the computer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815150097
http://www.siig.com/manuals/04-0216H.pdf (header pinout)

I wish there was a better selection of USB cards, but
there don't seem to be very many with header pins on
them.

Note that, another problem you could run into, is the port
on the front of the computer might electrically only support
USB 1.1 transfer rates. That used to be a problem with older
Antec cases. I think Antec eventually got the message, that
customers thought their ports stunk, and have fixed that.
So, that is another remote issue you could run into. I
don't know of an easy way to predict what kind of job
was done in the design of your computer case - case
makers know how to cut and bend metal, and they aren't
really always good at electrical stuff.

HTH,
Paul

Hi

thanks for all that.

The changing of cables seems complicated to me.
I think the easiest way would be the USB card you said
Maybe they will get a 2 port header one out, i would only use one thou i
expect.

when i looked at the pdf link, it says you cant use the internal usb and
header at the same time, does this mean you cant plug things in the new back
ports off the card and use the front one at the same time? I probably
wouldnt use all anyway.

Thanks, never even knew those types of USB cards existed.

Shirl



"Paul" wrote in message ...
Shirl wrote:
Hi

I got a new case and i wanted to see if i can get the front USB ports to
work.
Im not too bothered about the front sound ones yet.

GA-7ZXE
I got the manual
and it shows to USB2 socket
pins a-

2 10
o ooo
ooo o
1 9

On the cable I have
a four line pin with the marking for each hole [0000] :
(1)GDN
(1)DATA+
(1)DATA-
(1)VCC+
and another four line pin [0000] with the markings for each hole
(2)GDN
(2)DATA+
(2)DATA-
(2)VCC+
and a one pin pin [0] with the marking
Shield

The manual says
Pin No
1 = Definition +5V
2 = Definition GND
3 = Definition USB D2-
4 = Definition NC
5 = Definition USB D2+
6 = Definition USB D3+
7 = Definition NC
8 = Definition USB D3-
9 = Definition GND
10 = Definition +5V

Ive no idea still where the pins go.

Can anyone help?

thanks
Shirl


"Ive no idea still where the pins go."

Sure you do :-) The problem is, it doesn't really
line up that well. Kinda a mismatch of sorts.

Better to redraw the picture and look at it. I've
positioned your computer case 1x4 connector, next
to the right hand column of pins, for comparison.
Now the mismatch is more apparent.

1 2
+5 X X GND
D2- X ??? GND
D2+ X X D3+ ---- DATA+
X D3- ---- DATA-
GND X X +5V ---- VCC
9 10

To fix this with the existing hardware, you'd need a
1x5 plastic dohickey. You can purchase one here, but
this is certainly a PITA, just to fix this. What you
do, is pull the wires out of the 1x4 plastic on the
computer case cable, then reposition the wires to
match the 1x5 pattern needed above, using the new
1x5 plastic shell. (Basically, you need to move the
GND down by one pin spacing.) There is a little release
tab on each plastic "cell" on the 1x5, and when you
lift the tab gently, the pin and wire can slide out.

http://www.frontx.com/cpx075_1.html

This guide shows how to pull the wire and pin out of
the plastic shell, Shoving it back in is not hard at
all (no tool needed). The plastic tab locks the pin
into place.

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

Now, there are two issues with this. One is, there is
a slight risk, that if you order the parts from FrontX,
maybe the pin and wire won't fit in the 1x5 plastic.
Just a slight risk. The other thing is, the ports on
your motherboard are USB 1.1, when you could be using
USB 2.0 (faster).

Another approach, is to pull the "GND" wire and pin, out
of its 1x4 cell on the plastic shell. Then plug the
bare wire and pin, to the pin 2 matching "GND" on the
header. But that leaves the metal pin exposed. If you
wanted to do that, you could buy some heat shrink
(Polyolefin) tubing, cut a small section, and slide it
over the body of the pin and wire. With the heat shrink
in place, that insulates the outside of the pin, so it
doesn't make accidental contact with anything. (Heat
shrink can be bought at good electronics stores. It
shrinks maybe 2:1, so buy 1/4" to cover a 1/8" thing.
When I'm in an electronics store, I generally buy
three sizes, so I can cover up my mistakes if I get
the size wrong :-) Electrical tape can also be used,
but that stuff tends to make a sticky mess. I like
heat shrink because it is cleaner if properly applied.
But it takes a bit of practice, to learn how to shrink
it without melting everything in the vicinity. So from
that perspective, some electrical tape is another way
to make some kind of safe solution for yourself. Not
all the heat shrink has to be "shrunk", just enough
to hold the insulation in place. Shrinking the plastic
is so it doesn't slide off by accident.)

Polyolefin heat shrink tubing is shown here. Applying
heat to the tubing, causes it to shrink. The trick is,
to apply just enough heat to shrink the plastic, without
burning it. A soldering iron, or the tip of a wood
burning set, should be hot enough.

http://www.nelcoproducts.com/newsDetails.asp?newsID=28

You could also get a USB PCI card and plug that to a
spare PCI slot. This one has a 1x4 header on the
end of the card, for use with your cable. It also
gives more USB2 sockets on the back of the computer.
(It will give 4 USB2.0 on the back of the computer and
1 USB2.0 on the front.) With this solution, there is no
messing with the cable. But this only gives you one port
on the front of the computer.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815150097
http://www.siig.com/manuals/04-0216H.pdf (header pinout)

I wish there was a better selection of USB cards, but
there don't seem to be very many with header pins on
them.

Note that, another problem you could run into, is the port
on the front of the computer might electrically only support
USB 1.1 transfer rates. That used to be a problem with older
Antec cases. I think Antec eventually got the message, that
customers thought their ports stunk, and have fixed that.
So, that is another remote issue you could run into. I
don't know of an easy way to predict what kind of job
was done in the design of your computer case - case
makers know how to cut and bend metal, and they aren't
really always good at electrical stuff.

HTH,
Paul

Shirl wrote:
Hi

thanks for all that.

The changing of cables seems complicated to me.
I think the easiest way would be the USB card you said
Maybe they will get a 2 port header one out, i would only use one thou i
expect.

when i looked at the pdf link, it says you cant use the internal usb and
header at the same time, does this mean you cant plug things in the new back
ports off the card and use the front one at the same time? I probably
wouldnt use all anyway.

Thanks, never even knew those types of USB cards existed.

Shirl

The card looks like this. Inside, you can use the "metal"
connector, or you can use the 1x4 header, but not both of
them at the same time. You can use the four ports on the
back, and plug the 1x4 computer case cable to the 1x4_header.
The "Metal_can" in this case, must stay empty, since
you'll be using the 1x4_header for USB 5. You get a total
of 5 working ports, 4 on the back, and 1 on the front.

Back Ports
+-------------+
USB 1 ------| |USB 5
| |--------+------- Metal_can
USB 2 ------| USB | |
| Chip | |
USB 3 ------| | +------- 1x4_header
| |
USB 4 ------| |
+-------------+

I think I've seen a picture of a USB card that had two ports
for internal use, but it never showed up in North America or
Europe that I'm aware of. And the vast majority of the ones
I looked at on Newegg, have the Metal_can inside and no
1x4 header. There used to be more with the 1x4 header style.
I don't understand why they went with the Metal_can, since
a lot of other products are intended for header usage.

If you want a deluxe solution for the front panel, this
product consists of a PCI card, with a Firewire and USB
chip on it. The third chip on the PCI card, is a PCI to
PCI bridge, as that is needed to allow two chips to be
connected to the PCI bus.

On the edge of the PCI card, is a ribbon cable connector. The
ribbon cable connects the PCI card, to a 5 1/4" drive bay
with front panel connectors. The only downside seems to be
the quality of the connectors used. Read the comments on the
second link, before buying.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...82E16815104205
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Custra...82E16815104205

The drive bay is available in a black version or a white one.
This gives you a ton of connectors for the front of the computer:

http://images10.newegg.com/NeweggIma...104-205-07.JPG

HTH,
Paul

That is a VERY non-standard motherboard USB header.

You will have to totally re-pin the connector to get it to work ... you
will need 5-pin connectors, and the order of the wires is different.
Both 5-pin connectors (or two parallel rows of a 10-pin connector, but
one wired in reverse order from the other) will have to be in the
following sequence:

+5 volts
GND
Data-
-key (not used)
Data+

The connectors go on the headers in opposite directions.


Shirl wrote:
Hi

I got a new case and i wanted to see if i can get the front USB ports to
work.
Im not too bothered about the front sound ones yet.

GA-7ZXE
I got the manual
and it shows to USB2 socket
pins a-

2 10
o ooo
ooo o
1 9

On the cable I have
a four line pin with the marking for each hole [0000] :
(1)GDN
(1)DATA+
(1)DATA-
(1)VCC+
and another four line pin [0000] with the markings for each hole
(2)GDN
(2)DATA+
(2)DATA-
(2)VCC+
and a one pin pin [0] with the marking
Shield

The manual says
Pin No
1 = Definition +5V
2 = Definition GND
3 = Definition USB D2-
4 = Definition NC
5 = Definition USB D2+
6 = Definition USB D3+
7 = Definition NC
8 = Definition USB D3-
9 = Definition GND
10 = Definition +5V

Ive no idea still where the pins go.

Can anyone help?

thanks
Shirl