MP 1,1-5,1 Latest cMP upgrade - but WHAT does it do..?

[zedex]

I found this on eBay Maple Titan Ridge osxwifi

I love a good upgrade for my classic Mac Pro but I can't work out what this one does...?

I'm embarrassed to say that I'm baffled - can someone explain the function / purpose of this mini-PCIe device..?

 

[mattspace]

usb input to a thunderbolt PCI card, piggybacking off the usb header for the wireless cards, so you don't have to route a cable from outside the case?

 

[zedex]

So you are just adding an extra USB 2.0 port externally (via titan ridge pcie card) and this device mediates 'sharing' of the internal USB connector between bluetooth requirements [current use] and a sixth USB 2.0 port [new use]?

 

[cdf]

It's an internal USB hub, just like my design:

testing TB3 AIC with MP 5,1

The 4 pin connector goes to the bluetooth header. The single 2 pin connector goes to the WiFi card for bluetooth. And the two 2 pin connectors go to the Titan Ridge card, as shown in my previous post. The hub is really tiny.

forums.macrumors.com

 

[mattspace]

It's an internal USB hub, just like my design:

testing TB3 AIC with MP 5,1

The 4 pin connector goes to the bluetooth header. The single 2 pin connector goes to the WiFi card for bluetooth. And the two 2 pin connectors go to the Titan Ridge card, as shown in my previous post. The hub is really tiny.

forums.macrumors.com

So, the reason for it is... the system doesn't provision (sufficient or any?) USB over the PCI slot?

 

[cdf]

So, the reason for it is... the system doesn't provision (sufficient or any?) USB over the PCI slot?

Right. The Thunderbolt card provides USB 3.1, but it needs a connection for USB 2.0. On a PC, this connection is usually provided by a standard internal USB header, something the cMP is missing. What is available, however, is a nonstandard internal USB header for the Bluetooth card. The idea here is to place a hub between this header and the Thunderbolt card and Bluetooth card. (By the way, I am not affiliated with the seller of this product.)

 

[zedex]

That's a good explanation man. I really appreciate the effort to describe the actual function of this 'hub'.
So that means the hub IS used to share the internal [non-standard] USB header you identified (at the architecture level, it's an xHCI port with similar properties to the more visible external USB 2.0 ports numbered 1 - 5).

INTERESTING EXPERIMENT THAT I RAN ONCE

I think the internal USB connector has a special property because if:
1) you install a bluetooth wifi card in a standard PCIe slot (like a FENVI card used in Hackintoshes); and THEN..
2) connect the bluetooth module with an external USB port (any one of the three on the rear of the cMP)

..then pre-boot configuration of bluetooth for the connection of privileged HID devices (like the Apple Magic Keyboard or Apple Magic Mouse) will not take effect until after 'POST'.

I thought this was weird and I wanted to tell someone

 

[cdf]

with similar properties to the more visible external USB 2.0 ports numbered 1 - 5

One important difference: the header provides 3.3V rather than the usual 5V for USB.

 

[zedex]

That's the sort of detail I'm here for!! Thanks @cdf

 

[jaapaap79]

One important difference: the header provides 3.3V rather than the usual 5V for USB.

Would you consider building some of these for others?