The mystery of the PCChips M572 motherboard connector for add-on USB "card"

Hi gang,

I want to connect a Belkin 2xUSB port "card" to my PCChips M572
motherboard.

The motherboard has a twin USB connector which has 2 rows of 9
pins, with one of the 18 pins missing.

I have the manual, and the first two pins, facing back of
computer, are marked 1 and 2. On the motherboard, /of course/,
they're marked 2 and 1. But I don't think it matters, since I am
pretty sure both rows are the same.

The one "blank" pin is irrelevant, since it is where the S-Gnd
connects, which I believe doesn't matter since 3 of the 4
configs in the Belkin manual do not even use that 5th pin.

The Belkin card has 2 5-pin connectors and a very comprehensive
installation guide, however, seeing as I have 17 pins to work
with of the MB and only 5 pins to work with on each of the 2
cables, I would /prefer/ to connect them the right way, if you
know what I mean.

It's late. I just spent about 2 hours searching for a diagram of
the damn 17(18) pin MB USB connector, no luck. Anyway, I have
the diagram, and the connector, just not sure which pin is the
first one. One would think 1 for the first cable, and 2 for the
second cable, but WHY are there 7 more pins??????

If necessary, I can post pix of the 19-pin MB connector and the
5-pin USB cable connectors to some binary group.

P.S.
I just added a 128 MB SDRAM stick, so I now have 192 MB of RAM.
Things are /really/ moving over here!

Several attempts at putting in 333 and 350 AMD K-6 CPU's have
failed but I know someone who has an Intel 266MHz which I know
the MB will accept, I just have to make HIM upgrade. HE runs XP
on that 266MHz HP behemoth with just 256MB of RAM, I'll never
understand how or why!

I have been trying for a few weeks now to get him to give me the
model number of his HP computer which /he claims/ will not take
more than 256 MB of RAM - I don't believe this, so I want to
find out how much RAM it will take, and also how fast a CPU it
will accept. They give those old CPU's away for free. Then I can
get his 266 - not that it's going to be much of a change from
the 166, still...

The little store I went to had a box of about 80 CPU's ranging
from 386's to 2.5GHz Celerons, but of course nothing between
166MHz - which I have - and 333MHz - which is 33 MHz too fast
for my MB to accept. Sigh.

Also, regardless of the CPU situation, I am thinking of putting
98SE on this machine, to replace the Win95B (sob !!!!)

And if I can get 98 and USB to work, then my ISP can give me a
2wire DSL box to connect via USB (I suppose I could get a LAN
card for 5 bucks if it doesn't work) for LESS than my current
dial-up connection.
Weird, huh? I don't know WHAT is going on here anymore.

I also want to read my email faster. (HAAAR!)

Sorry. A little wired. Just had a cream soda.


--
[from a recent conversation]
thanatoid: So why did you decide you needed broadband?
Neighbor: I wanted to read my e-mail faster.

thanatoid wrote in
:

SNIP!

The previous post originally mentioned a 20(19) pin connector -
I have since realized I was off by 2 pins - and changed it, as
you read.

Also, now that I Googled for an *18* pin connector, I found the
answer almost immediately (http://www.m571.com/m571/usb.htm).

I /think/, but a kind reply/confirmation from someone would
still be appreciated.

As a sort of an excuse, the PCChips MB manual drawing shows
23(24) pins on the connector. Why I saw 20 is another question.

Gotta be careful with that cream soda stuff.



--
[from a recent conversation]
thanatoid: So why did you decide you needed broadband?
Neighbor: I wanted to read my e-mail faster.

"thanatoid" wrote in message
...
thanatoid wrote in
:

SNIP!

The previous post originally mentioned a 20(19) pin connector -
I have since realized I was off by 2 pins - and changed it, as
you read.

Also, now that I Googled for an *18* pin connector, I found the
answer almost immediately (http://www.m571.com/m571/usb.htm).

I /think/, but a kind reply/confirmation from someone would
still be appreciated.

As a sort of an excuse, the PCChips MB manual drawing shows
23(24) pins on the connector. Why I saw 20 is another question.

Gotta be careful with that cream soda stuff.


If the headers have 19 pins
and your plug matches (with 19 pins) it will probably be fine...however:

USB headers have two rows of pins as you see,
but there seems to be no "standard" way of doing things.

Some have both +5 volt pins adjacent
while in other cases, each row is reversed with the +5 volt pins at opposite
ends.

The safest thing to do is actually measure the voltage...even a cheapie volt
meter will do.

Just connect the negative lead to the computer's case and *carefully* touch
the end pins to see which ones are +5


That's really the best way to do it and to be safe.


Not that I would making the connections without checking,
but if you do reverse things and have the +5 and minus pins shorted
together...
the power supply will "see" a direct short and not even turn on...
so chances are you will not damage anything...but I don't suggest guessing!


BTW: Do not, under any circumstances, connect the USB plugs to the headers
with the machine on! If reversed, there will be a nice spark!!!!!

"philo" wrote in
:

SNIP

If the headers have 19 pins
and your plug matches (with 19 pins) it will probably be
fine...however:

USB headers have two rows of pins as you see,
but there seems to be no "standard" way of doing things.

Some have both +5 volt pins adjacent
while in other cases, each row is reversed with the +5 volt
pins at opposite ends.

The "card" has two 5-pin connectors and I apparently have to cut
the extra grounds (5th wires)- - the m571 USB page explains why.
The page (and Belkin manual) also explain exactly how to
connect.

The safest thing to do is actually measure the
voltage...even a cheapie volt meter will do.

Just connect the negative lead to the computer's case and
*carefully* touch the end pins to see which ones are +5

That's really the best way to do it and to be safe.

Not that I would making the connections without checking,
but if you do reverse things and have the +5 and minus pins
shorted together...
the power supply will "see" a direct short and not even
turn on... so chances are you will not damage
anything...but I don't suggest guessing!

BTW: Do not, under any circumstances, connect the USB plugs
to the headers with the machine on! If reversed, there
will be a nice spark!!!!!

I tried this about 5 or 6 years ago, and I /may/ have damaged
something (obviously not very important since everything else
works fine), although there were no "special effects", but it
just didn't work. Not that I could /really/ tell since I only
had a new untested USB Wacom tablet so for all I know IT was
defective. Returned it, took out the USB connector plate and
that was that. Now I have a wireless USB mouse to test it with.
And I know it works.

And the page link mentioned above explains everything. I /knew/
there was a whole site about my motherboard but I forgot it was
called m57*1* and not m572 (which is what I have and which only
differs in one tiny aspect which I forget).

Thanks for the warnings. I have been meaning to buy a voltmeter
for 30 years. Maybe someday. (Why are we humans so weird - or
some of us anyway?)

Take care. I trust all is well with you.

t.

"philo" wrote in
:

Even a cheapie $10 meter will do the trick.

I know... It's not the money, I just hate buying things I know I
will never use... then every 5 years I need one, and then I get
by without it - it's a /very/ vicious circle!

Things have been bussier than hell here.

It's /very/ good to be busy, as you know.

I just got back from Arizona

and in about a week or so, Colleen and I are heading to NY
/Manhattan/Chelsea

Colleen just won the Eli Lilly artistic achievement award,
so we are being flown out to Indianapolis to recieve it.

She has at least started to hit the big time.

Allow me to forward congratulations.

As busy as I am, I still have time to fool with computers
as it's nice and cool in my basement workshop.

SNIP

Sounds like fun. Glad to hear it.

Regards.



--
[from a recent conversation]
thanatoid: So why did you decide you needed broadband?
Neighbor: I wanted to read my e-mail faster.

"thanatoid" wrote in message
...
"philo" wrote in
:

SNIP

If the headers have 19 pins
and your plug matches (with 19 pins) it will probably be
fine...however:

USB headers have two rows of pins as you see,
but there seems to be no "standard" way of doing things.

Some have both +5 volt pins adjacent
while in other cases, each row is reversed with the +5 volt
pins at opposite ends.

The "card" has two 5-pin connectors and I apparently have to cut
the extra grounds (5th wires)- - the m571 USB page explains why.
The page (and Belkin manual) also explain exactly how to
connect.

The safest thing to do is actually measure the
voltage...even a cheapie volt meter will do.

Just connect the negative lead to the computer's case and
*carefully* touch the end pins to see which ones are +5

That's really the best way to do it and to be safe.

Not that I would making the connections without checking,
but if you do reverse things and have the +5 and minus pins
shorted together...
the power supply will "see" a direct short and not even
turn on... so chances are you will not damage
anything...but I don't suggest guessing!

BTW: Do not, under any circumstances, connect the USB plugs
to the headers with the machine on! If reversed, there
will be a nice spark!!!!!

I tried this about 5 or 6 years ago, and I /may/ have damaged
something (obviously not very important since everything else
works fine), although there were no "special effects", but it
just didn't work. Not that I could /really/ tell since I only
had a new untested USB Wacom tablet so for all I know IT was
defective. Returned it, took out the USB connector plate and
that was that. Now I have a wireless USB mouse to test it with.
And I know it works.

And the page link mentioned above explains everything. I /knew/
there was a whole site about my motherboard but I forgot it was
called m57*1* and not m572 (which is what I have and which only
differs in one tiny aspect which I forget).

Thanks for the warnings. I have been meaning to buy a voltmeter
for 30 years. Maybe someday. (Why are we humans so weird - or
some of us anyway?)

Take care. I trust all is well with you.

t.



Even a cheapie $10 meter will do the trick.

Things have been bussier than hell here.

I just got back from Arizona

and in about a week or so, Colleen and I are heading to NY
/Manhattan/Chelsea

Colleen just won the Eli Lilly artistic achievement award,
so we are being flown out to Indianapolis to recieve it.

She has at least started to hit the big time.

Ha!!!!


As busy as I am, I still have time to fool with computers
as it's nice and cool in my basement workshop.

A few weeks back someone gave me an old Sun Workstation
vintage 1994.
It has a 110 mhz cpu and 224 megs of RAM.
Though it has no value, back in 1994, the 224 megs of RAM alone would have
been worth a small
fortune.

Anyway it was an opportunity for me to play with a SPARC machine...
never had done that before.

Since I have a few spare 2 gig scsi drives
I have loaded a number of SPARC ports...
Solaris, Debian, Net BSD and Slackware.

I got Solaris running OK as one would expect
since that was what the machine was designed for.
It was a bit of a challenge getting Debian configured
but I did it.
The Slackware port is proving difficult
at least to get the X-server going.
The hangup was the sun mouse...
and once I gave up and used a serial mouse
and got the x-server going...the keyboard map is all wrong LOL

Anyway, when I get back from NY
I plan to rebuild my main machine as the mobo is starting to get flakey
and I ordered an "obsolete" and cheap mobo. I have a dual core CPU in my
junk box
and hopefull it's good.

I have a nice Gateway tower from a P-1 that I will use.

Anyway have fun with your USB!

Franc Zabkar wrote in
:

On 30 Aug 2008 04:56:57 GMT, thanatoid
put finger to keyboard and
composed:

SNIP

Thank you Franc. I really appreciate your help and knowledge, as
always.

I have DL'd quite a few drivers and BIOS updates for the 572. I
also realize an Ethernet card is a better solution (and I don't
even /have/ any USB stuff except for that wireless mouse which
is for the future when I'm bedridden) but since I have the
Belkin dual port USB "card" I thought I might try it to begin
with and see if I can get it to work. I am also going to put
W98SELite on this machine since I am not really in the mood to
spend hours trying (and most likely failing) to get USB to run
under 95, B or C.

Thanks again.

t.