FRONTX tension Computer Ports System
FRONTX tension Computer Ports System
 By Dale Farris, Secretary Golden Triangle PC Club September 2002 FRONTX tension (Front X-tension) is a new product invented to relocate and transfer computer ports to the front of your PC system. This handy device is so versatile, you can even configure your own ports selection. Once you see this cool system, you will wonder why all the computer manufacturers have not yet thought of this. Since they have not, we have the FRONTX folks to thank for coming up with an ingenious solution to an age-old annoyance in computing, namely the troublesome finding of rear ports and the weird body postures we have to go through in order to connect external devices to these rear ports. Now, with this FRONTX tension Computer Ports System, you can just sit yourself down for a change, and just plug your device into its respective port, right on the front of your computer. See how easy this can be, Dell, Gateway, Compaq, etc., etc., if you would only think about it? Maybe you might want to talk with the FRONTX folks about how you can integrate their FRONTX tension engineering design into future models. How Does It Work? The FRONTX Casing has 4 port holding bays, including 1 large bay and 3 small bays. The FRONTX Port is simply an extension cable fitted onto a custom designed port holder, which can be slotted into the port holding bay. Each port holding bay can hold a maximum of 2 computer ports, which means the FRONTX Casing can hold a maximum of 8 computer ports. As the design is modular, ports are totally exchangeable. For example, an audio port can go into any of the 3 small bays, top or bottom space. Similarly, a game or USB port can go into either the top or bottom space of the large bay. The voids of the unused or partially used port holding bays are covered by slotting blank plastic plates. The FRONTX Casing is installed into a spare 5.25" drive bay of your PC system, and the extension cables are re-routed inside your PC chassis and exit at the back through the opening of a PCI/ISA slot. A metal plate is used to hold the speaker socket and to "seal" the gap of the PCI/ISA opening. A neat pull-down front lid opens and closes with ease, and the bay doors slide up and out with equal ease. This device has been very well designed, and you will never perceive anything "cheap" about this system. As the product is upgradeable, any wear out, or damage of a port can be replaced easily, without the need to replace the entire product. Not sure what your needs are in the future? Don't worry. With FRONTX tension, additional ports or new features can be easily added later. You are free to re-customize your ports configuration anytime. No high cost is incurred, since you do not have to replace the entire product. Unwanted FRONTX ports can be used as an extension cable. Just remove the port holder from the cable and you get a 3 feet extension cable. If you run out of port holding bays or drive bays in the future, you can still fix the port on the front panel of your PC case by the do-it-yourself method, further described in the product guide. Connecting to the Motherboard FRONTX USB and Serial ports come with internal versions which can be connected directly onto the motherboard pin-outs (motherboard header). These cables are commonly known as front USB cable and front serial cable. Now you can use the unused USB pin-outs (USB header) on your motherboard, and bring additional USB ports to the front panel of your PC case at minimal cost. You can easily configure your ports selections. Purchase one CPX088 FRONTX Casing (US$9.90), plus the ports of your choice. Prices start at US$3.90. Alternatively, you can purchase a packaged multimedia ports system, and you can also purchase additional ports to add to this package. Packaged Multimedia Ports FRONTX multimedia ports come with the FRONTX Casing, and the package of soundcard ports includes game, headphone, microphone, and audio-in ports. You will quickly see how convenient it is to have these ports mounted on the front side of your CPU tower / PC case. Plugging in a headphone set usually always cuts off the speaker operation. Now, with FRONTX tension you never have to crawl to the messy ports at the back of your computer case. The front mounted headphone jack works just like a hi-fi system. Speakers can be permanently connected to the back, while the handy headphone socket at the front is ready when you need it. With the game port placed on the front panel of the computer case, the gaming device can be easily connected when needed. You no longer need to waste desk space with rear-connected joysticks. Also, because swapping game control devices is made so easy, you can plug in the appropriate device, such as a game pad or a joystick, to suit your various games. The front loaded or front accessed audio-in (line-in) jack is convenient for sound input and sound recording. You can now make your own MP3 recordings with ease. This port is seldom utilized by most users because it is hard to reach. The convenience of a front mounted microphone jack is obvious. Also, remember that by placing the headphone and microphone jacks adjacent to each other, this supports easy connection of your headset. Easy Installation Installation is very simple, and no drivers are needed! Just follow the four easy steps, that are included in the accompanying installation guide. First, open the computer case, and remove a 5.25" drive bay cover. Install the FRONTX Casing into the drive bay, and let all the cables pass into the computer chassis. Screw the FRONTX casing tight. Choose a free PCI/ISA opening and remove the cover plate. Let all the cables pass through the PCI/ISA opening. If you are installing Multimedia Ports or a Headphone Port, screw the Speaker Socket onto the Metal Plate provided. Screw the Metal Plate onto the PCI/ISA hole. The Metal Plate should be positioned below the cables, to allow the cables to pass through the narrow gap created by the Metal Plate. Plug all the FRONTX Connectors into the relevant computer ports and push the access cables back into the computer case. If you are installing Multimedia Ports or a Headphone Port, plug your existing speakers into the Speaker Socket. Close the computer case, and the installation is completed. The installation is so simple and straightforward even an inexperienced user can handle it. Typical Uses of the Device FRONTX tension is tailor-made for relatively older machines that have no USB or other functional ports on the front of the machine. In fact, even with today's newer, USB complete machines without a serial or a parallel port (legacy-free machines), these USB ports are not always engineered to be accessible on the front of the machine. While some OEMs do produce USB ports on the front, unfortunately not all of them do this. This means computer buyers are more likely to not have USB ports on the front of their new machines. Even rarer are front accessible serial ports, game ports, microphone ports, sound ports, or any of the other types of ports that are available from this FRONTX tension Computer Ports System. Even if a customer went with one USB FRONTX tension port, this does open the door for easy access to this front end USB port for a multi-port USB Hub device that can then be used to connect other USB devices. Any computer owner who regularly adds and removes devices to their computer will most definitely want to seriously consider this important addition to computer hardware. Since so many OEMs do not necessarily take into consideration their customer wishes when they decide on an engineering approach to their motherboards, these FRONTX tension ports will definitely come in handy when computer owners find all their existing ports located in the back of the machine. Over the many years of computer architectural design, port access has mostly always been located in the rear of the machine. The thinking seems to be that connecting devices to ports in the rear of the machine resulted in less clutter of cabling in the front of the machine. However, with the easy way we can now attach USB devices, this has opened up a market for all sorts of new USB types of devices, especially as we quickly enter the era of USB v. 2, that supports a much faster data transmission rate than USB 1. With this major increase in speed, this will stimulate even more interest in these fast USB 2 devices, and further expand the already rapidly growing interest in the functionality of USB. I suspect most all computer owners will find these FRONTX tension Computer Port Systems to be a very interesting and useful idea that will most definitely make it much more easier to access their external devices from the front of their machine. Installation and Setup Those brand new to computers may want to request technical assistance when considering adding a FRONTX tension Computer Port System to their machine. While the installation is not overly complicated, it will require opening up the case and connecting the device to a free front bay, and installing the ports to the machine in order to provide access to these ports in the front of the machine. Any PC technician with any degree of experience in building or troubleshooting PCs will find the installation quite simple. I think this relative ease of installation is a testament to the crafty engineering that has been solidly designed into these nifty devices. Price $10.90 price for the casing $ 9.90 promotion pricing $28.90 multimedia ports (includes casing and ports) $26.90 promotion pricing $ 8.50 price for the headphone port $ 7.50 promotion pricing $ 4.90 price for the headphone v.2 port $ 3.90 promotion pricing $ 6.90 price for the game port (serial, joystick type of port) $ 5.90 promotion pricing $ 4.90 price for an audio-in port $ 3.90 promotion pricing $ 4.90 price for the microphone port $ 3.90 promotion pricing $ 8.90 price for the USB Type A 1.1 / 2.0 port $ 7.90 promotion pricing $ 8.70 USB Type A Internal 1.1 / 2.0 port $ 7.70 promotion pricing $ 7.90 price for Serial 9-pin port $ 6.90 promotion pricing $ 7.70 price for Serial 9-pin Internal V.1 port $ 6.70 promotion pricing $ 7.70 price for Serial 9pin Internal V. 2 port $ 6.70 promotion pricing $14.90 price for IEEE 1394 (Firewire) 6-pin port $10.90 promotion pricing $ 7.90 RCA Video port $ 6.90 promotion pricing Components All components listed below are included in the CPX100 Multimedia Ports, or the CPX088 Casing. Please purchase these components for replacement purpose only. Flipping Door $2.50 Plastic Plate $2.30 Metal Plate $2.50 Metal Plate M2 $2.50 About FRONTX CPX SDN. BHD. Frontx CPX Sdn. Bhd. is a start-up company incorporated in Malaysia in August 2000, and is financially backed by the Malaysian Technology Development Corporation (MTDC). MTDC was formed by the Malaysian Government in 1992 to spearhead Malaysia's technology development. MTDC is a venture capital company providing financing to commercially viable projects, and is the national body that serves to commercialize technology developed by local research institutions. The management team of Frontx CPX Sdn. Bhd. consists of 8 responsible and committed staff who have plans to expand in line with the progress of the project. The company's managing director, Matthew Goh Kok Soon, is entrusted by the Malaysian Government to lead and manage the company diligently and professionally. Matthew Goh is also the President of K S Goh Architect, a well known and established architectural firm in Malaysia. The mission of FRONTX CPX SDN. BHD. is to commercialize FRONTX successfully, both locally and internationally. Their products are assembled and packaged in their assembly plant in Penang, Malaysia. Components are sourced both locally and overseas to ensure that the products are ready on time to meet the worldwide demands. The company focuses on the protection of FRONTX's intellectual property, and the trading and efficient distribution of FRONTX's products in the worldwide market. Contact Raymond Yap Sales Manager FRONTX CPX SDN. BHD. Kompleks Adorna Gold 107-5-12, Jalan Gurdwara Penang 10300, Malaysia +604-2272962 FAX +604-2275962 raymond@frontx.com Support E-mail: technical@frontx.com www.frontx.com |