EPoX 8RDA and 8RDA+ owners take note... USB header info

[mechBgon]

I got my 8RDA+ fired up today. After running it for a while and doing some benchmarks, I got around to shutting down and hooking up the LED cables, the Antec case's front USB wiring, and a few other odds and ends.

When I went to start it up, I pushed the power button and nothing happened at all, as if the system were unplugged. So I checked the usual things and when that didn't help, I began to backtrack. Finally I unplugged the case's front-USB-port wiring and what do you know... system was back online.

Pin 10 of the USB3 header (pictured on page 3-11 of the English manual) is marked as "overcurrent." On the Asus boards I've been working with, plugging the extra Antec ground wire onto this pin works fine, but on the EPoX, it turns out to have live 5V power when the motherboard's on (checked it with a voltmeter). I got my first clue when I looked at the extra 2-port USB plate that EPoX includes, and hey, they don't have a wire in the hole corresponding to pin 10.

Taking the extra Ground plug off of pin 10 on the board is the key, if you're using some alternate outlets other than the one that EPoX includes with the board. Incidentally, the front-USB outlets on the case worked fine after I took the Ground plug off pin 10, so evidently no harm was done. Hope this helps someone down the line.

 

[SpideyCU]

I too noticed that the pin-outs were NOT the same on the EPoX as the lines I had (I've got a front-mounted set of USB ports on my case, and I'm familiar with the pin assignments for 'em), so I simply didn't bother connecting it up. I figured this might be a USB 2.0 difference or something. However, I might try just removing pin 10, as you did, and giving it a shot. It'd sure be easier to plug the digicam in through the front!

 

[Mooncalf]

Mech.. So you are saying to just leave pin 9 and 10 unconnected to anything? No harm in not having that overcurrent connection?

I have a 1080AMG Antec case and thought I was out of luck with the front USB access.

Also, how did you connect the front firewire? The MB has what 9 pins and my case has 6 and the manual doesn't list what they are.

 

[mechwarrior]

I also have an 8RDA+ and Antec Easy-USB connections for the front. The Antec USB has two sets of plugs one with 4 wires and the other with 5 wires. Both have a wire marked "Power". I did as suggested in this thread and removed the extra wire from the 5 wire plug. Everything tested out fine and now I can use the USB ports with my digicam.

 

[Mooncalf]

So you just did the two +5V to the epox 2 Vcc
2 ground to epox 2 ground
2 + data to epox 2 + data
2 - data to epox 2 - data

and then nothing on epox pin 9 which isn't there anyway and nothing on pin 10 overcurrent leaving the extra cable from the case unused (ground on mine)? No harm and not having that overcurrent pin 10 empty since the provided epox extra USB bracket has the pin 10?

 

[chizow]

Interesting, the Asus and USB leads on my LL don't have 10 pins, just 9 with an extra ground (NC, no current). No overcurrent. Plugged it up and works great!

Nice find though

Chiz

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Mooncalf
Mech.. So you are saying to just leave pin 9 and 10 unconnected to anything? No harm in not having that overcurrent connection?

I have a 1080AMG Antec case and thought I was out of luck with the front USB access.

Also, how did you connect the front firewire? The MB has what 9 pins and my case has 6 and the manual doesn't list what they are.

Yeah, leave pin 10 unoccupied. Even EPoX's own rear-USB plate doesn't have a wire going to pin 10.

As for the front FireWire jack, I didn't hook mine up. The pins on the motherboard are too short to reliably hold the case's plugs without falling off, and Antec still hasn't made what I keep asking for: a new cable that connects the front circuitboard to a standard Firewire jack.

 

[CraigRT]

I had the same problem with my 4PEA+ except I pulled the mobo to RMA it cause it WOULD NOT BOOT no matter what I did, until I put it on a static bag outside the case and put a CPU, video and memory in that sumbitch and it came on. so I put it back in and it worked again... <---

utterly confused, I vowed never to plug in the header again.

 

[Mooncalf]

[/quote]Yeah, leave pin 10 unoccupied. Even EPoX's own rear-USB plate doesn't have a wire going to pin 10.

As for the front FireWire jack, I didn't hook mine up. The pins on the motherboard are too short to reliably hold the case's plugs without falling off, and Antec still hasn't made what I keep asking for: a new cable that connects the front circuitboard to a standard Firewire jack. [/quote]

Correct me if I'm wrong but the epox's bracket has a pin 10 but no 9. Did I misread that?

So there is no way to utilize the front firewire on my case? Bummer.

 

[mechBgon]

My EPoX bracket has a vacant hole for Pin 10, and the hole corresponding to Pin 9 (the missing pin) is plugged so as to "key" the connector.

If you really wanted to hook up the existing front Firewire port, you could get violent with the motherboard and pull the white plastic retainer off of the board's Firewire header pins, to allow you to put the case's pins on further and more securely.

 

[cowdog]

Cool. You just helped me fix a problem that I didn't know I had yet. I would've found out in short order though when I try to download some pictures this weekend via the front usb.

You da man! Hehe. Thanks.

 

[mechBgon]

 

[Mooncalf]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
My EPoX bracket has a vacant hole for Pin 10, and the hole corresponding to Pin 9 (the missing pin) is plugged so as to "key" the connector.

If you really wanted to hook up the existing front Firewire port, you could get violent with the motherboard and pull the white plastic retainer off of the board's Firewire header pins, to allow you to put the case's pins on further and more securely.

mech... you're bloody brilliant., talk about attention to detail. And I thought I was being thorough. You're right, I just looked yet again and noticed what you were talking about, the 10th pin is false, empty. I must have looked at it a half a dozen times and never noticed that until you explicitly stated such. Thanks, man.

Now get to work coming up with the pin assignments for the firewire so I can hook that up. I am actually going to try writing EPoX and see if I can utilize my front port. Course I don't have any firewire components but they don't call it ocd for nothing.

 

[Mooncalf]

IEEE1394 firewire interface pin layout
IEEE1394 port header pins for IEEE1394 ports.

8 Shield o
7 Shield o
6 TPA1+ o
5 TPA1- o
4 TPB1+ o
3 TPB1- o
2 GND o
1 +12v o

Using non-EPoX brand cables on the motherboard if not properly configured may damage the motherboard. Use non-EPoX brand cables at your own risk.

I overlooked this from their FAQ section as I read it before my board arrived and thought it was in the manual but just stumpled upon it again just now.

That seems very straightforward as long as omitting the 7 and 8 shield pins will not cause any problems. I looked to make sure the EPoX bracket actually uses them and not faux this time.

Can you confirm that omitting the two shield pins will not harm anything?

 

[mechBgon]

I'm a Firewire n00b, no idea what the effect would be

 

[HardwareAddicted]

One question on the NON- "+" MB... just plain ol' 8RDA

Does it have the 2 optional USB 2.0 ports for the case.... or is this just the "+" version.

Just need to clarify b4 I get one.

Anyway... GREAT thread. Good info !!

~ Mark