Anyone know if this mobo (for a small form factor Optiplex) has an IDE
connection? And if so, where it is? Better yet, anyone know of a
source for a schematic for this mobo?
Thanks
ME
I generally start with pictures from Ebay for stuff like that.
What I notice, is one GX620 motherboard (for a tower), looks
to use regular sized ribbon cable connectors, and could very well
have floppy and IDE on it.
The SFF I looked at (or at least, what the Ebay seller said
was an SFF motherboard), the ribbon cable connectors in that
case, look like the "laptop kind". They're the smaller Japanese
connector, perhaps using millimeter pitch pins. Maybe the idea
is, you use laptop cabling in the SFF version ? Some of the
drive components may be "slim" like a laptop.
Check the silk screen (white lettering on top of the PCB),
for identifying text strings. The Ebay pictures have
dust on the motherboards, and can't be expected to give clear
views of lettering.
In some case, you don't need a schematic, for example, if
it's known a chipset doesn't have an IDE interface, then
you know right away, there can't be a connector. If the
motherboard has an additional IDE chip, or a SATA to IDE
converter, then the hunt for the connector is on again.
Generally speaking, schematics aren't available, at least
for free. Sometimes you get lucky. But don't count
on getting one, when you need it.
For your purposes, something like this is a better source.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx620/en/ug/A02/sindex.htm
On this page, try "System Board Components" section. Item #8 is
"CD/DVD drive connector (IDE)".
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx620/en/ug/A02/sffabout.htm#wp1078867
On this page, it mentions "One FlexBay drive (floppy drive or Media Card Reader)".
The drawing shows a cable stretching to one edge of the motherboard. So
that may point you to the "Flex Bay connector", whatever standard that is.
You'd need to count pins, and use the pin count to perhaps
dig up some info on it.
http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx620/en/ug/A02/sffdrvs0.htm#wp1136008
Other posters have asked questions like this, and even if you
find parts that claim to be for the machine, you may find they
don't fit when you get them. Since there are so many flavors
of machines, it's easy to get stuck with the wrong one.
Paul