USB PCI card

[Don Phillipson]

Most USB PCI cards like
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-PCI-Card-5-...530?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3cb3fa7982
have as well as multiple rear-panel USB jacks a single
USB jack on the card itself, i.e. to connect only inside the
computer case. What is this for?

 

[Jan Alter]

Most USB PCI cards like
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-PCI-Card-5-...530?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3cb3fa7982
have as well as multiple rear-panel USB jacks a single
USB jack on the card itself, i.e. to connect only inside the
computer case. What is this for?

I could imagine that the internal USB jack is to connect a front mounted
block of USB jacks that have a regular USB male connector instead of the
newer USB pin blocks that connect directly to a motherboard.. The older
style front block might fit into a floppy bay or a 5 1/2" bay and provide
several USB connectors. In the earlier days of USB one would mount a block
of jacks into a front opening and then connect its male USB connector
through the computer then through a rear backplate that had a grove large
enough to accommodate the thickness of the passing USB cable and the end of
cable would simply plug into one of the USB female connectors in the rear.
Not particularly elegant, but it got the job done.

 

[VanguardLH]

Most USB PCI cards like
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-PCI-Card-5-...530?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3cb3fa7982
have as well as multiple rear-panel USB jacks a single
USB jack on the card itself, i.e. to connect only inside the
computer case. What is this for?

- To a front-mounted case USB port.
- To a memory card reader (fits in a drive bay).
- Ran through a case or slot hole via cable.
- Ran to a card blank with a USB port.
- To a removable drive bay using USB connection.

Apparently you have yet to install an internal device (in the system
case) that can utilize USB.

 

[Paul]

Most USB PCI cards like
http://cgi.ebay.com/USB-PCI-Card-5-...530?pt=LH_DefaultDomain_2&hash=item3cb3fa7982
have as well as multiple rear-panel USB jacks a single
USB jack on the card itself, i.e. to connect only inside the
computer case. What is this for?

This card reader, has a Type B on the back, so you can run
an ordinary USB cable from this device, to your new cards
"Port #5". Be careful to check the PCI card product description,
to see whether the fifth port is independent, or is common (shared)
with a port connector on the card faceplate. If the USB chip has
one fewer ports on it electrically, than there are connectors
on the card, the design may have taken that kind of shortcut.
If so, you may not be allowed to use one of the connectors
on the USB PCI card faceplate, at the same time.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/20-176-016-S01?$S640W$

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/20-176-016-S03?$S640W$

In a lot of cases, USB devices mounted inside the PC, use the
2x5 USB headers on the motherboard. It is harder to find
a PCI USB add-in card, with a 2x5 pin header instead of the USB
connector. To some extent, there may be a mismatch between the two
design communities (card designs versus toy designs).
They never seem to mate their products well.

http://images17.newegg.com/is/image/newegg/20-176-012-S03?$S640W$

For the "toy maker", they perceive the main market to be people
with 2x5 headers on the motherboard surface. And that is why, most
of the time, the "toy" comes with 2x5 cabling. If the "toy" has
a captive cable on it, it may not be that easy to change the cabling.

All it requires, is some planning in advance. For the PCI USB
card, you'd want to check reviews to see if the card may have
one of those "sharing" problems.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16815124007

"Cons: yes the internal port shares an external port..."

HTH,
Paul