USB-to-IDE *internal*?

[SUOrangeman]

Before you lambast (is that a word?) me, I'm talking USB 2.0.

I came across a USB 2.0 PCI controller that has 4 external ports and one internal. Has anyone made a USB-to-IDE adapter for connecting internal drives? Sure, external USB hard drives are out there. I assume that there is just an adapter in those that make the conversion to/from IDE. But, is anyone selling just that converter, allowing me to connect internal drives? What else would that internal USB port be use for ... a hub mounted in a drive bay?

-SUO

 

[MrHelpful]

Yeah, but it's spelled lambaste.

Some PCs have a USB bay in the front. Most notably, the Lian-Li PC60-USB.

 

[MrHelpful]

<< Has anyone made a USB-to-IDE adapter for connecting internal drives? >>


The card itself would have to be an IDE controller (a USB-IDE adapter, even if possible, would only serve to transfer IDE signals onto a USB cable) and then pass it on to the North Bridge. I think. I don't know much about motherboard architecture.

 

[CTho9305]

I've seen an enclosure that takes a standard internal IDE hard drive and has a power supply/ide controller built in - the enclosure has a USB connector and a power connector. basically it lets you use an IDE hard drive as a USB drive.

USB is much slower than IDE. maybe the "internal" connector is just another header so you can get external connectors for it? Most motherboards have 2 USB at the back, and two near headers the front. they're not "internal" - you just connect the USB ports from the front of the case to them, or you can buy hings that go in the back of your case and provide 2 usb ports.

 

[AtomClock]

I haven't seen anything like that but it sounds like a good idea to me.

NOTE:

ATA 100 => 100M Bytes / sec
USB 2.0 => 480 M Bits/sec = 60 M Bytes / sec
USB 1.? => 12 M Bits/sec = 1.5 M Bytes / sec
Average Hard disk => 25 M Bytes/sec

Seems like a USB 2.0 to IDE interface would be a good way to add a few internal IDE devices over the limit of four found in most systems.

 

[SUOrangeman]

Yeah, I think USB2 would be a good fit in this case (my current intentions are with an ATA66 drive).

Here is a USB-to-IDE kit, but it doesn't clearly state USB2. Plus, it look like it would be used in an external fashion. I would think that I'd only need one cable for an internal connection.

Here is a USB 2.0 PCI card with an internal connector. I believe that is an "A" connector on the internal side.

My main reason for considering this connection is because the existing system (Dell Dimension XPS D166c, yes a Pentium 166MX) doesn't have USB nor can its BIOS see the 45GB ATA66 drive I'd like to connect to it. Granted, I could pop in a cheap ATA66/100 card and call it a day, but I've got a USB keyboard and mouse ... and I would consider using an all-USB KVM with all of this. With any luck, all of this will be happily running Linux, but that's another story for another day.

Today, I'm just trying to determine if:

USB 2.0 card + USB2-to-IDE internal + USB KVM hopes and dreams <= USB 1.1 card + ATA66/100 PCI + minor inconvenience of hot-swapping USB keyboard/mouse <= ATA66/100 PCI + second keyboard (PS/2) + mouse

Make sense?

-SUO

 

[TimeKeeper]

Seems to be good idea, yet expensive.

usb-to-ide

 

[SUOrangeman]

Agreed, TimeKeeper. And that's not even USB 2.0-compliant.

Oh well. I'll still get a USB 1.1 card so I can hot-swap the keyboard ... with our without the USB KVM. A cheap Promise card will take card of the hard drive.

Thanks all for the short ride on my hopes and dreams.

-SUO