Brian K wrote:
> I am used to building my own machines, but for financial reasons I found
> it cheaper to buy a Dell Inspiron 570 pc. Things like memory slots and
> expansion slots are easy to figure out. But what about some of the other
> connectors and stuff on the motherboard? Does anybody know where I can
> access a motherboard manual for this machine? I want to add another sata
> drive and some other stuff.
>
> Brian
You could try the Service Manual.
http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...t/en/index.htm http://support.dell.com/support/edoc...n/sm/sm_en.zip
Unzip that, then click "index.htm".
OK, I just found something, clicking "techov.htm" will get you what you want.
At least it tells me what headers are included.
The FP_AUDIO is a 2x5 and looks like "Intel dual standard". Safest wiring
pattern for those (when unknown) is five wires (MIC, MIC_PWR, HEADPHONE_L,
HEADPHONE_R, GROUND). The old standard was AC'97, while the new is HDAudio.
At least those five pins, would be the same on the two connectors. They
don't always bother with the HDAudio side-contact sensor pins, for jack
detect (it's not essential that they be wired up). Jack detect can also
be done by impedance sensing by the hardware.
The three "dual USB2" headers, are 2x5 as well. Two 1x4 sections and an index pin.
The pins would be +5V, D+, D-, GND on each section.
The front panel 2x5 is also likely a standard pattern for POWER_SW, RESET_SW,
HDD_LED, PWR_LED. Just pray there is a legend printed on the silk screen
for those. Or trace them back, and make notes for future reference.
So you're not getting as much info as you'd get with a retail motherboard.
On a retail motherboard (with exceptions), they list a lot of the connector
pinouts. Things like FP_AUDIO and USB headers would have pinouts.
If you need more help with something, post back.
*******
I'd much rather have had this document as a PDF. It's just a nuisance in
HTML format. I nearly missed the tech overview section.
*******
Adding SATA should be relatively easy, in that the four SATA connectors on
the motherboard are out in the open. You'll need a 15 contact SATA power
from the power supply, and a 7 pin SATA data cable. The manual appears
to state, that extra items are screwed directly to the chassis, with
no sliders. And that implies to me, there isn't much in the way of
expansion capacity. Maybe I'm missing a removable tray or something,
in the documentation. Screwing directly to the chassis seems pretty crude,
and a waste of time for the Dell installers.
In some cases, you might need right-angle cables, to make connections.
If a computer case is small, sometimes a regular HDD cable won't fit well,
and a right-angle type might be needed. My Antec case, with side mounted
drives, is like that.
Paul
Dell Inspiron 570 motherboard manual 
Linear Mode
