Front Mounted USB/Firewire/Audio Ports

[Clocker]

Just about every motherboard out there now has additional pin-outs for front mounted USB/firewire/audio. The problem I'm seeing is that there are no case accessories available to take advantage of these additional connectors.

Sure, I have seen many of the accessories that are available now (by Vantec, Enermax & others) but these all seem to take the totally lame approach of re-routing the USB/Firewire/Audio connections that are on the back of the case back up inside the case to the front panel. IMO, that's just stupid!

Has anybody heard of a nice 5.25" bay adapter for moving USB/Firewire/Audio to the front (that connects to front mounted motherboard ports)? I know Antec makes the EasyUSB but I'm looking for something with more connections....

Thanks,
C

 

[Dïscfärm]

INEXPENSIVE SOLUTION:

Just turn your computer around 180 degrees, so that the back is now the front.

 

[Tea]

Most new-manufacture cases now have a pair of front USB connectors with a handful of long loose wires that you plug into the mainboard, Clocker. Many of them have audio connectors too, though for these there is a problem in that not many systems have suitable output connectors for them. Firewire is a different matter: I've not seen front Firewire connectors on mass-market cases yet. I have seen several 5.25 inch devices broadly in the category you mention, but confess to not paying them much attention. I don't know if Firewire support is common on them.

 

[Will Rickards]

Routing the cables for those front usb ports on the antec metallic bronze mini-tower I just built for my dad was a pain in the arse. Each wire is separate. There are like ten individual pins on the motherboard. Figuring out which wires go where and getting them all in place took me like an hour alone. And I had wires left over. Can't there be a standard connector?

 

[Tea]

Standard? Ha! There are plenty of standards. At last count, about 631 different ones!

There are three common schemes used by motherboard manufacturers, and a host of others. The most common one is:

V - + E
V - + E

(Where "V"= +5V, "-" = data -, "+" = data +, and E = earth.)

Another variant on this that duplicates the ground pins is also quite common:

V - + E E
V - + E E

as is yet another variant:

V - + N E
V - + N E

(Where "N" = no connection.)

The second-most common scheme is the one used by Gigabyte and several others:

V - + N E
E N + - V

or

V - + E E
E E + - V

which is the same as variant #2 of the most common scheme but with the even numbered pins (2, 4, 6, 8 , 10) reversed. This scheme, nonsensical-looking on first sight, does at least have the advantage that, if by some miracle you have the right connector, you can put it on either way around and it will still work.

Another, fairly uncommon, variant of this one uses:

V - + E
E + - V


Then there is the moderately uncommon constellation of schemes that use one or another variation of this layout:

V - + E V - + E
E E E E E E E E

Epox used to use something like this until they switched just recently to the Gigabyte-style one.

And then there are the ... others. When I get to the office, if I get time, I'll try to transcribe a couple of the really bizzare and utterly stupid ones FIC have used.

As a fruitful source of inventive language, none of which can be repeated in a family environment like this one, FIC USB connectors are second only to Compaq case and motherboard designs. (For ages, I've been asking Tannin what the word "poxy" means, and why is it normally used at least three times in a typical sentence, but he doesn't seem to want to explain it to me.)

 

[mubs]

I know Antec makes the EasyUSB but I'm looking for something with more connections....

I was looking for similar stuff yesterday; try PriceGrabber. You'll get many pages of results but since most items have thumbnail pics of 'em, you can scan them pretty quickly. I saw several Antec EasyUSB type bay adapters with 4 & 8 USB ports.

 

[Cliptin]

Firewire is a different matter: I've not seen front Firewire connectors on mass-market cases yet. I have seen several 5.25 inch devices broadly in the category you mention, but confess to not paying them much attention. I don't know if Firewire support is common on them.

My Antec cases have two USB and one Firewire port in the front under a little cover. I think the model is 660+B.

 

[honold]

http://www.abit-usa.com/products/multimedia/mediaxp/

for those w/abit max boards

 

[Mercutio]

Serously, is there anyone here who would buy an Abit Max board?

The two times I've tried to hook up front USB have been a dismal failure. Once because the case had a block connector instead of individual cables, the second time because, well, I don't know why. Maybe I can't read or something. But the machine didn't boot in any of the arrangements of cables that I tried, so I gave up.

I've basically decied that I'm not gonna bother with front USB until someone standardizes the pinout to a single connector. I thought we moved away from sensitive, non-keyed connectors when the world standardized on ATX.

Not that it's a big deal, since the cases I use don't have front USB slots anyway.

 

[Cliptin]

The leads in my antec cases have matched up perfectly with both my (Clocker's) Epox board and my ECS board. The leads were labeled exactly as the MB manual labeled the header.

Happy Festival of the Sun to you too, Merc.

 

[Buck]

Yes, Clippy-G, the ECS USB hook up is very easy.

 

[honold]

Serously, is there anyone here who would buy an Abit Max board?

the system i'm using right now (and have used for some time) is an abit th7-ii + p4 1.8a (2.4ghz) + 4x256mb samsung pc800 (pc1066)...

 

[Tea]

I'm with you, Mercutio. Hate the damn things. Unfortunately, Tannin says that front USB is a significant selling point (or, to be more accurate, that not having it is a good way to lose a sale) and insists on buying cases that have it. If the case has it, you have to hook it up, otherwise people complain.

He claims that hooking the damn things up is a menial task unsuited to his lofty status, Kristi pretends that she doesn't know how to do them (how does she cope when we are away, huh? Little elves do it for her? I think she's fibbing!) and that leaves me. I guess having four handz helpz, but I ztill don't like it.

sigh

 

[CityK]

Clocker:

There's this: its fairly attractive, has internal wiring and is currently on sale currently for $40Cdn (or ~$26 greenback) - which to me is still expensive for such a device, but others may not think so. Of course you would also have shipping and custums to deal with. Plus I'm pretty sure that they get their inhouse products from a US manufacturer so you'd likely be better off price wise ordering from home. There's a bunch of stuff on this Directron page...I'm sure you could find similar type products elsewheres too (maybe NewEgg, Mwave?)...

Cheers, CK

 

[Clocker]

Thanks! I've been looking around but didn't see THAT one. I'll keep looking but that one has the features I like (but a price I don't like). Also, I don't need the Al finish so maybe I can find something similar for less....someday...

THanks again...

C

 

[Cliptin]

Thanks! I've been looking around but didn't see THAT one. I'll keep looking but that one has the features I like (but a price I don't like). Also, I don't need the Al finish so maybe I can find something similar for less....someday...

THanks again...

C

http://www.compucase.com.tw/
Other Products>USB STATION SERIES leads to:
http://211.20.198.74/online/ecase/products_detail.cfm?productid=86

 

[Cliptin]

http://www.coolerguys.com/Merchant2...roduct_Code=840556010029&Category_Code=CS-ACC

 

[CityK]

Its not quite what he's looking for cliptin:

[/quote="clocker"]I have seen many of the accessories that are available now (by Vantec, Enermax & others) but these all seem to take the totally lame approach of re-routing the USB/Firewire/Audio connections that are on the back of the case back up inside the case to the front panel. IMO, that's just stupid![/quote]