Connecting 2 extra USB ports (Asus 500gx)

[lada]

Hi everyone,
Asus WL-500gx has 2 more USB ports "hidden inside". Here are some pictures of my 500gx now with 3 USB connectors - feel free to get inspired ;)

I took a USB extension bracket for PC motherboards and unmounted one of the connectors. Some shuffling was needed to create the correct pinhead pinout. The on-board pinhead has only 2xDATA+, 2xDATA- (there are 2 ports) and GND. To make the USB complete, +5V is required. There's a spot prepared for a capacitor nearby - an ideal candidate for +5V and another GND for shielding. However this needs some soldering :eek:

Cable colors in my case are as follows:
DATA+ - green
DATA- - white
GND - black
shielding - black

DATA+ and DATA- are marked on the board as USB_3P/USB_4P and USB_3N/USB_4N respectively.

Mounting the USB connector on the back of the box is just a matter of handicraft. A drill and a sharp knife should suffice to do it nicely.

[Oleg]

Good job, but keep in mind, that extra USB devices will require extra power from your power supply.

[Styno]

Hehe, one can make a software RAID5 array consisting 3 active and one hot-backup HDD's using 4 USB ports on the WL500gx. It sure can use the extra CPU power the gx has to offer. :)

[Mr.EoniX]

Very nice!

I just did this and it works like a charm - I had this shitty USB 2 stick - which always fell apart - so why not put it to proper use and mount in inside of this nice router.

So this was what i did - and now i have a permanent 128mb disk to store my /opt and ipkg systems on :D

Here are some pics of the job I did.

Pic1 (http://www.rtg-party.dk/~eonix/P1010043.jpg)
Pic2 (http://www.rtg-party.dk/~eonix/P1010035.jpg)


//EoniX

[acidbrain]

Hi!

Thanks for your hints! I managed to add a 10 GB 2,5" Harddrive to my WL500g Deluxe :D

56k warning: all images ~500k

I used the IDE-USB-adapter from an external USB-HD-case, which I got from ebay for 10 EUR.
HD with IDE-USB-adaptor (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0003.jpg)
All other parts can be found in the heaps of computer junk any geek has lying around.
But I also heard rumors of shops were you actually by that stuff. ;)

I had to remove the connector from the board and solder the USB cable directly onto it to fit it in the case of the router.
USB-adapter with soldered USB-cable (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0005.jpg)
I did not solder the +5V (red cable) and shielding directly to the board, but instead used a strip. I had to bend the pins a little bit, to be able to push them in.
Strip for +5V and shielding (sorry, a little bit blurry) (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0008.jpg)

Attaching the connectors to the USB-cable took me years.
The two pin connector is from a computer power switch, the 8 pin connector is from a PS/2 port.
+5V/Shielding Connector (Warning: the USB pinout is wrong) (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0009.jpg)
USB Connector (right pinout) (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0009.jpg)
WARNING: make sure you don't mess up the polarity!

A test run. YES! It works! (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0011.jpg)

$ ssh root@192.168.0.25
root@192.168.0.25's password:


BusyBox v1.00 (2005.06.25-07:50+0000) Built-in shell (ash)
Enter 'help' for a list of built-in commands.

_______ ________ __
| |.-----.-----.-----.| | | |.----.| |_
| - || _ | -__| || | | || _|| _|
|_______|| __|_____|__|__||________||__| |____|
|__| W I R E L E S S F R E E D O M
WHITE RUSSIAN (RC1) -------------------------------
* 2 oz Vodka Mix the Vodka and Kahlua together
* 1 oz Kahlua over ice, then float the cream or
* 1/2oz cream milk on the top.
---------------------------------------------------
root@OpenWrt:~# cat /proc/partitions
major minor #blocks name

8 0 9820440 scsi/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/disc
8 1 9820144 scsi/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part1
root@OpenWrt:~# insmod ext2
Using /lib/modules/2.4.30/ext2.o
root@OpenWrt:~# insmod jbd
Using /lib/modules/2.4.30/jbd.o
root@OpenWrt:~# insmod ext3
Using /lib/modules/2.4.30/ext3.o
root@OpenWrt:~# mount -t ext3 /dev/scsi/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part1 /mnt/
root@OpenWrt:~# df -h
Filesystem Size Used Available Use% Mounted on
/dev/root 3.2M 2.2M 1.0M 68% /
none 14.9M 16.0k 14.9M 0% /tmp
/dev/scsi/host0/bus0/target0/lun0/part1 9.2G 34.6M 8.7G 0% /mnt

Ok, but I wanted it nice and clean => closed case :)
A test fit (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0013.jpg)
Well, it didn't work this way. The harddrive touched the tall IC next to the switch.
I used the cover of a cable duct to mount the harddisk.
Mounting 1 (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0015.jpg)
Mounting 2 (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0016.jpg)
And some hot glue art...
As you can see, I've cut out a window to improve ventilation.
Fits like a second skin. (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0017.jpg)

Case closed, without bezels:
Back 1 (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0019.jpg)
Back 2 (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0020.jpg)
Front 1 (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0021.jpg)
Front 2 (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0022.jpg)
Hope you can recognize anything.


Finished! (http://www.stud.uni-karlsruhe.de/~uyty/img/wl500gx/dscf0025.jpg)
I have not installed the rear bezel for better ventilation. I think I will make one from a piece of mesh or something like that.

[Oleg]

Nice work. :) Perhaps you should replace power supply with more powerful.

[fweijers]

Hi,

I just read these tutorials and I'm wondering if anyone succeded to install an extra USB port on the WL500G (the not-deluxe type), which has only one USB port.

Cheers,
Frank

[galmiche]

Hi all,

May I suggest you to go to see Posted file about addition of serial ports.
I put some images and a schematic for additional USB and Serial ports.

Thanks to all of you
Hervé

Bonjour,

Je vous invite à aller voir le Post sur le montage
des liaisons séries. (ou regardez sous mon pseudo)
J'y ai mis des images et aussi un schéma pour
le montage des séries MAIS AUSSI des 2 USB.

Merci encore à ceux qui ont deja mis des posts,
cela m'a beaucoup aidé.

@+
Hervé

[britnet]

This is the english forum, please write in english.

[PHanToMiC]

hi,
one question is it not more smart and easy to use a usb hub?

[wtzm]

one question is it not more smart and easy to use a usb hub?
Easy? Probably.
But it is certainly more fun to use the hidden powers contained in this simple grey case. (Just kidding ;)) IMHO including a storage device inside the router looks much better (because you can't see it from the outside); it's also rather difficult to get it disconnected by accident.

[Red-Bull]

Heya..

i own also a ASUS WL-500g Deluxe and found an old additonal USB Part for my of my old ASUS A7V Board ;)

Pics added..

Question: Can i use one of them to install a usb flash device hard into the router?

http://img226.imageshack.us/img226/2853/sta600275ij.jpg (http://imageshack.us)
http://img217.imageshack.us/img217/5070/sta600289hy.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

[WlanMan]

Hi

This looks promissing, you have large caps for the voltage rail and the series resistors in the rata lines. The other two small parts may be caps aswell, duno (are there on each port two smd parts with numbers on it and two without ?).

It may be simpler to solder cables direktly to your usb flash pen after removing it from his housing other then fitting it with the relative large usb-slot pcb into the router.

greets

[CraigB]

I'm new to the world of WL-500 ownership and have picked up a WL-500G Premium. With one USB port now housing a memory stick and the other connecting to my Topfield TF5800, I'd like to add another USB port for NAS.

How different should I expect the innards of the WL-500GP to be from the Gx ? Is there a final/recommended configuration/set of parts for those considering adding a port ?

From various searches of this forum I'm unclear as to whether additional componentry is recommended over and above a basic USB motherboard connector plus a 5V connector soldered in.

TIA

[WVR]

How different should I expect the innards of the WL-500GP to be from the Gx ? Is there a final/recommended configuration/set of parts for those considering adding a port ?

...
from the posted pics of Premium innards I can't spot the equivalent pcb connector to this:
http://www.rtg-party.dk/~eonix/P1010043.jpg
of the deluxe, so you're probably out of luck.

[Djongambo]

Hi everyone,
I'm trying to connect an extra usb-port but I'm wondering why you all use the pin called "GPI01" on the lower left for GND (not the shielding one) and not the pin above it called "GND"... i thought you need 5V+ for the usb-port and i just measured it: + from capacitor against GPI01 and it's only ~1.7V... (ok, against GND-capacitor it's +5V and against GND-pin it's also +5V... but you use GPI01 ;-) )
Anyone who can help me? just want to be sure that i use the right pins and soldering points and want my router to stay alive...
Thanks.

So long,
Djongambo

[EdP]

Unfortunately many of the photos in this post are no longer available online.
Any chance of hosting them elsewhere?