Installation - Hardware
You might remember that I recently reviewed a Lian Li PC-G70B-CW case, also submitted by Performance PCs. Well, that case has become my test mule for new toys like the Matrix Orbital MX630. The motherboard inside this case supports an older AMD Athlon XP CPU, and upon close inspection, I've discovered that I'm already using all the internal USB headers. So I am going to stick with the included external USB cable to connect the MX630 information bus, instead of using the optional internal USB cable. I figured that I would use two of the three thermal probes, but that I would also drive one of my case fans (the side panel fan) by using a fan extension cord connected to the General Purpose Output (GPO) connector on the MX630. These GPO connections are capable of controlling high current draw devices, saving power up state, switching to PWM mode and repeating back the RPM via Hall effect sensor.
I identifed a good place to install the MX630 - basically the only open bay in my case. You might find your choice as easy to make as mine was. The basic idea is to put it in a place where you can see the display properly without straining. The extenal USB connection meant I would have to thread the USB cable outside the case so I could plug it into one of my open USB ports. This meant cutting a hole somewhere, and the easiest way to do this was with a PCI port cover (figures 9 and 10).
(click to enlarge) | | Figure 9 We need to make a custom PCI port cover....with metal shears! |
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(click to enlarge) | | Figure 10 A few cuts and here you go, one modded PCI port cover that a USB cable can pass through. |
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After cutting and straightening the PCI port cover, I threaded the USB cable through the back of the case and then installed the "modded" PCI port cover. Now I could concentrate on making my electrical connections to the MX630.
Here's where things started getting a little confusing. The included instruction booklet dedicates one single page to "Installing Your Display". If you follow the instructions exactly, you're basically just slapping it in there and plugging in the USB cable. They don't mention connecting other devices to the backplane (back side of the motherboard where the connectors are), such as the optional thermal probes and fans or what ever you are trying to drive with the three advanced GPO's. They don't mention the floppy-type power connector on the backplane either. I had to do a little research to find out that you should connect a floppy power cable to the power connector, because that way the unit gets power as soon as the computer turns on - even before it boots into your operating system. There's a jumper in there for "high power" or "low power", meaning 12V or 5V, and I left it set to the default "high power" setting because I was driving a fan with one of the advanced GPOs. Figure 11 is a good view of the connections before I installed the MX630 into the drive bay, and figure 12 shows how you need to ensure the faceplate is flush with devices above and below the MX630 so it looks right when you attach the front cover of the case. Nobody mentioned that you need to remove both side panels, did they? Well, you need to get access to the mounting screws, so just about all bay device installations require you to remove both side panels and the front cover. No big deal if you know where the screws and holding tangs are located.
(click to enlarge) | | Figure 11 Close up of the connections made for this install - 2 thermal probes, one fan, USB, and floppy power. |
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(click to enlarge) | | Figure 12 Making sure the MX630 is lined up flush with the other bay devices before the cover goes back on. |
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(click to enlarge) | | Figure 13 Oooohhh. Pretty lights inside this case. |
After attaching the side panels and front cover, it was time to boot the machine back up and see if we had a working MX630. But wait a minute, it's also a good time to look inside your case and admire all the work you did to install some cold cathodes and LED lighting effects (figure 13). You should always take a minute to admire your custom mods, just in case nobody else notices them!
Let's install the software to run this device; please proceed to the next page.
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