Archived from groups: alt.comp.periphs.mainboard.asus (
More info?)
In article <mGq4d.724$zG1.672@newsread3.news.pas.earthlink.net>,
"Silvertip" <sparksr1@earthlink.net> wrote:
> I have the above mobo and also have a Antec SLK3700AMB case. The case has
> two front mounted usb ports. Has anybody been able to hook these up with no
> problems? I have read in several places that the ASUS connectors, in a lot
> of cases, aren't compatible with the way the connectors are wired. If
> anyone has this combo please let me know if you were able to connect the
> front ports easily.
> Silvertip
This posting talks about the Sonata, a close cousin of the SLK3700.
The poster found two wires reversed in the Antec wiring on the Sonata
case.
http://groups.google.com/groups?selm=5XDEb.408%24Mn.878%40news-srv1.fmr.com
I've traced wiring errors on an Antec 635 case, where the two pairs of
Firewire data wires had their (+) and (-) wires in each pair reversed.
My advice is, if you are going to use the front ports on an Antec
case, you should use an ohmmeter to verify which wire is which. I lash
sewing needles to the tips of my ohmmeter probes. I stuff one needle
into the female pins inside the case, and then use the other needle to
probe the USB connector. That way, I can confirm the wiring.
(Actually, I'm sufficiently sick of Antec's inability to do front
panels, that when I bought a Sonata, I immediately ripped the front
panel assembly and the three cables that hang from it, out of the
case. So, I didn't get to experience the joy of finding yet another
wiring error. The posting above shows I wouldn't have been disappointed
if I had left it in and tested it with an ohmmeter :-( I left
the blue LEDs in the case, as they make a dandy flashlight.)
I believe Antec is also the manufacturer that puts USB 1.1 compatible
front panel assemblies in their cases - on purpose. If you contact
them and complain, they'll send you a USB 2.0 compliant front panel.
I even found a web page on the Antec site, where they actually had
the nerve to list the case models that got a USB 1.1 panel by default,
which means it is not a design error, it is some kind of penny pinching
move. This too, is one of the contributing factors to my need to
just rip their assembly out of the case, because I don't even want to
look at it.
My approach is just a little bit extreme, but at least you should
use an ohmmeter to verify the labelling and position of the connections.
If you plug in a USB 2.0 device and it won't run at USB 2.0 rates,
then it is possible it is a limitation of the assembly, as stated
above.
And it doesn't matter who made the case - case manufacturers as a
lot, no nothing about electronics. They know how to cut, hammer,
and bend sheet metal, but seem capable of getting the wiring
right. That is why all cases should get the ohmmeter treatment.
HTH,
Paul
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