USB power cable through case

	USB power cable through case
	; USB power cable through case
Created	2008
Creator	Loopy
Based On	n/a

From Classicamiga

Jump to: navigation, search

Project details

Many times you use your PC to install/copy software onto an HDD to use in your real Amiga. If you have a 3.5" HDD and you don't have a case enclosure to use a 3.5" HD, opening the PC case all the time is not be a good solution, so this project is a way to overcome this by providing a PC with an external power output for the HDD.

The objective of this project was to pass the power cable for the HDD through the front of the PC, for a permanent power supply outside of the PC case. To achieve this I used a 4 pin male-female connector from an uhf cb radio microphone for the setup.

Setup of the power output

Originally the PC case cover was removed to get the power cable rooted out of the case.

Here is the solution to the problem, with the 3.5" harddrive wired and working.

I used a 4 pin male - female connector from a uhf cb radio microphone set up for this, but you can use many other things.

I made a long cable with the 4 wires:
1 = yellow 12v positive
2 = black earth chassis
3 = black earth chassis
4 = red 5v positive.

The custom power connector installed into the front of the case.

The internal wiring and harness going through to the custom power connector on the front of the case.

This shows the wiring routed out through a whole in the case to the custom connector mounted on the front of the case bezel (the hole that was already in the case). The power lead from this custom connector to the harddrive is the same 4 wires as in the first picture.

The cb microphone pins are numbered 1 to 4, as is the plug for the harddrive. The microphone male - female plug used for the custom connector has a lockout, so it only goes together one way (this prevents it being plugged in the wrong way).

Note: I've made a screw on cap, so when cable is not plugged in the live connector on the case front cannot be accessed/touched by anything metal, which could cause a short and be dangerous.