Tweet
I originally posted this on the customers section in late 2005, but recently I noticed some of the links I included at the time expired, so I decided to post it again but this time here for all and to substitute external links with attached images. Hope someone will find this useful. I'm still using it.
What you need:
1) A molex extension cable (see molex.jpg)
The cable I used was shorter, but any length will do, anyway.
2) An on off switch, a little one (see switch.jpg)
3) Some electrical cable to connect the switch to the molex connector.
4) A low power soldering iron (15-30W) with soldering wire.
5) A small screwdriver with a flat head
6) Some kind of drill to make a little hole in the case to accomodate the switch.
How to proceed:
The molex cable is made by four distinct cables (see pictures): two blacks in the center (the grounds), one red (+ 5V), one yellow (+ 12V). We need to cut and made "switchable" the RED one.
First of all you need to extract the red cable.
To do so you need the small flat screwdriver. The two pins (male and female) of the red cable have two "little wings" each one preventing the pins to slide off from the connector.
You need to push down a little the two wings, while doing so you will pull the cable and the pin attached to the cable will pop-out from the connector.
Repeat for the other connector, again for the red cable.
Now you should have the molex extension with only three cables attached (black, black, yellow) and one red cable with two copper pins in your hand.
Cut the red cable with scissors, and take only the two pins with you. Discard the remaining of red cable.
Now solder two electric cables to the two pins of the switch. Two adiacent pins: the one in the middle and one of the other two.
Now solder one extremity of the cables to each one of the copper pins.
Now you have a switch with two cables, and each cable has a copper pin taken from the molex connectors soldered to it.
Something like this:
.. //
. //
-----
|....|
-----
| | |
" "
" "
" "
" "
" "
I I
Now re-insert each one of the two pins in its own connector. The male with the other males, the female with the other females.
Before doing so, please raise back a little the two wings of each pins, to be sure the pin will stay in place when inserted.
See the picture for the actual result. This should help a lot.
Some notes:
- The result picture is a fake :-)
Initially I tried with the 12V line, but then I opted for the 5V after some tests with more than one drive (better to cut off the electronic of the drive than the power line for the motors).
The picture you see was taken with the yellow line interrupted.
So I "recolored" the red cable in yellow to match my instructions here.
You simply consider you have to interrupt the red line, as the picture suggest.
- I put a couple of little plastic tubes on the two switch's pins to protect them from possible short circuits. It's a little overkill, you can skip this one if you like or use some insulating tape instead.
- I put the switch to the back of my pc, but near the top. So I can reach it easily but not accidentally.
- I suggest you to flip the switch with the power off. You can doing it while resetting, before the bios detection phase, but I prefer to play it safe.
(addendum - how to connect it)
Take your normal power wire and unplug it from your CD/DVD drive and plug this extender on it.
Then plug it back into your CD/DVD drive.
Or, in case you have two IDE CD/DVD drives use a Y cable adapter (see y-cable.jpg) to connect both drives to the switch.
Have fun,
Luis
What you need:
1) A molex extension cable (see molex.jpg)
The cable I used was shorter, but any length will do, anyway.
2) An on off switch, a little one (see switch.jpg)
3) Some electrical cable to connect the switch to the molex connector.
4) A low power soldering iron (15-30W) with soldering wire.
5) A small screwdriver with a flat head
6) Some kind of drill to make a little hole in the case to accomodate the switch.
How to proceed:
The molex cable is made by four distinct cables (see pictures): two blacks in the center (the grounds), one red (+ 5V), one yellow (+ 12V). We need to cut and made "switchable" the RED one.
First of all you need to extract the red cable.
To do so you need the small flat screwdriver. The two pins (male and female) of the red cable have two "little wings" each one preventing the pins to slide off from the connector.
You need to push down a little the two wings, while doing so you will pull the cable and the pin attached to the cable will pop-out from the connector.
Repeat for the other connector, again for the red cable.
Now you should have the molex extension with only three cables attached (black, black, yellow) and one red cable with two copper pins in your hand.
Cut the red cable with scissors, and take only the two pins with you. Discard the remaining of red cable.
Now solder two electric cables to the two pins of the switch. Two adiacent pins: the one in the middle and one of the other two.
Now solder one extremity of the cables to each one of the copper pins.
Now you have a switch with two cables, and each cable has a copper pin taken from the molex connectors soldered to it.
Something like this:
.. //
. //
-----
|....|
-----
| | |
" "
" "
" "
" "
" "
I I
Now re-insert each one of the two pins in its own connector. The male with the other males, the female with the other females.
Before doing so, please raise back a little the two wings of each pins, to be sure the pin will stay in place when inserted.
See the picture for the actual result. This should help a lot.
Some notes:
- The result picture is a fake :-)
Initially I tried with the 12V line, but then I opted for the 5V after some tests with more than one drive (better to cut off the electronic of the drive than the power line for the motors).
The picture you see was taken with the yellow line interrupted.
So I "recolored" the red cable in yellow to match my instructions here.
You simply consider you have to interrupt the red line, as the picture suggest.
- I put a couple of little plastic tubes on the two switch's pins to protect them from possible short circuits. It's a little overkill, you can skip this one if you like or use some insulating tape instead.
- I put the switch to the back of my pc, but near the top. So I can reach it easily but not accidentally.
- I suggest you to flip the switch with the power off. You can doing it while resetting, before the bios detection phase, but I prefer to play it safe.
(addendum - how to connect it)
Take your normal power wire and unplug it from your CD/DVD drive and plug this extender on it.
Then plug it back into your CD/DVD drive.
Or, in case you have two IDE CD/DVD drives use a Y cable adapter (see y-cable.jpg) to connect both drives to the switch.
Have fun,
Luis