Front Case USB

Shadowsilence · Posted: Mon, 04 Apr 2005 22:35:03 Post Subject: Front Case USB

I have two USB ports on the front of my case that I never hooked up and the wire to hook them to the motherboard header are MIA. I'm looking at the 5 1/2 card readers + USB ect but they all use pass through cables to plug into existing USB or Firewire ect. Does anyone know of ones that will connect to the headers on the mobo?

dadx2mj · Posted: Mon, 04 Apr 2005 22:41:04 Post Subject:

I reviewed two panels like you are talking about one a Sunbeam and the other an Enermax(check the review section). On both the panels the card reader cables connected to the mother board header and the pass thru cables that went to USB ports on back panel were only for the front USB ports.

Shadowsilence · Posted: Mon, 04 Apr 2005 22:45:11 Post Subject:

I use all 4 of my USB on the back of my computer, I was hoping to find one that wouldn't use a pass through cable. That way it was all to the motherboard headers. I read through the reviews you said, which is what got me to come up with the question.

dadx2mj · Posted: Mon, 04 Apr 2005 23:04:10 Post Subject:

You could pick up an add on USB card. That is what I did because I was running out of USB ports. They are cheap I got one from newegg for $10 Now the card reader cable goes to the mobo header and the front USB pass thru cables go to the add on card.

Shadowsilence · Posted: Tue, 05 Apr 2005 00:09:45 Post Subject:

Alright, cool thanks.

huwyngr · Rated PG Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Florida

I'm just about to buy from NewEgg a Soyo Bayone drive bay unit that combines card reader slots with USB plus audio on the front panel. It uses connections to the USB header on the mobo.

I have picked up some reports in Compuserve where I'm on staff of some examples (one of which is my own) of the front panel USB sockets not working although plugged into the mobo. One was with an ANTEC case I believe and they have confirmed to the user that case's connectors are incorrectly wired.

My case is PC Power & Cooling and my mobo is ASUS and the USB ports on the front of the case do not work although plugged in. I've not had time to check this with PC P&C but in any case when I fit the Soyo I'll disconnect the case USBs on the front.

I'm well supplied since my case has two on the back and I have an Adaptec DuoConnect with 3 more rear panel sockets and two internal connections plus firewire! <g>

There's a wide selection of these drivebay units some even including mobo temperature readouts. I looked at the details of the InWIn reviewed here but was not sure it handled both of the cards I use.

Shadowsilence · Posted: Fri, 15 Apr 2005 01:21:40 Post Subject:

I actually just had the soyo bay one arrive yesterday. It works great for me. Only problem I have with it is it requires two headers and my mobo only has one. But it gives me the card reader, and 1 USB so I can use the pen drive without being behind the case.

huwyngr · Rated PG Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Florida

Hey Shadow' That's good timing ... for me.

Thanks for the warning but I think I'll be OK, even without looking inside the case. My mobo is the ASUS K8N-E Deluxe with the 64bit compatibility and it says:

Internal I/O Connectors - 2 x USB 2.0 connector supports additional 4 USB 2.0 ports

ISTR it is a double header. But in any case the DuoConnect has at least one internal socket as well as the ones on the back of the case.

Are you by any chance able to confirm that the Bayone (is yours a 9 in 1 or an 8 in 1? -- NewEgg seems to have the latter while the Soyo reference they sent me is to the former) will read xD cards? I have xD and CF card cameras and although the Bayone picture shows the slightly wider gap in part of the SM slot where the xD card goes in my DaneElec reader the website does not list xD although Soyo Canada said it did read them.

BTW If anyone wants a very neat portable reader the DaneElec that NewEgg have is one of the most attractive I've seen with a smooth profile and a USB2 plug that folds into the case so it can't get damaged -- and it comes with an extension cable in case you need that to reach your USB ports.

**Doctor Feelgood** · Posted: Fri, 15 Apr 2005 13:24:13 Post Subject:

Here is a link to a review on the Soyo BayOne... I had never heard of it before, and it seems like any other out there, but with a generic look to it:

http://www.bigbruin.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=5320

huwyngr · Rated PG Joined: 14 Apr 2005 Posts: 10 Location: Florida

Strange I wrote a reply to your message yesterday but it still has not appeared .....

I think I said thanks for the link but it doesn't add more information to that on the Soyo website on the question of xD. I'll post on that when I've got mine and it's instlled. May be early next month.