A third USB port on a CF-19 ?

Hi, I've got a CF-19KHR1PQL (Mk3) and I wonder if I could add a third USB port by using the fingerprint reader connector on the USB interface.
I could get a USB connector on an old CF-18 and use the place of the modem port which is of no use.
Somebody tried it yet ? Thank you.

 

Welcome to NBR Panasonic Toughbook Forum

This sounds like a good question for Shawn. He will be around later on.

 

A CF19 is a challenge due to lack of space inside.
A mini usb port may fit without needing to Dremel the housing.
It is possible to use the fpr connector but you need to watch the amperage.
It may not have as much power as a standard usb port. Standard usb port is 500 mA.

 

Why don't you use a PCMCIA or Expresscard for the extra port? You can get two extra ports and you don't have to modify anything. With an Expresscard, you can get USB 3.

 

@Shawn : of course I could use a mini usb port, but the miniport takes more than 0.5 W of energy ( comparison I've done with a mouse directly plugged and through a miniport ). My CF-19 alone takes around 8 W.
@jonlowe : I want to keep my CF-19 "waterproof" !
Thank you for your answers.

 

You can use waterproof usb hub )

 

Miniport does not use any energy. It is just a connector. The device plugged in uses the energy.
So by your reply, you won't use a mini usb because it uses more than .5W of energy? How is a full size usb port going to work then?
The usb power ratings are based on usb version NOT the port size. Beware the ratings for usb charging ports. Those are not standard laptop usb ports. They are designed for high power charging and have much higher power ratings than a normal usb port has.

usb 1 and 2 are rated at 500mA and usb 3 is rated at 900mA (miliamp NOT miliwatt)

Watts are not AMPS. VERY different.

I said 500mA NOT 500mW or .5W

Amps are how many electrons flow past a certain point per second. It is equal to one coulomb of charge per second, or 6.24 x 10^18 electrons per second. Volts is a measure of how much force that each electron is under, which we call "potential". Power (watts) is volts times amps.

And actually you will find that a CF 19 and CF 31 have 2A as in AMP fuses that go to the factory usb ports. The FPR has a lower sized fuse (less power)going to it.

Confused as to your CF 19 using 8W.. CF 19's (depending on mk) on the 16volt DC side use about 48 watts as calculated by the power supply output.

Just a warning to all-----
The PCMCIA cards are rated at only 500mA (as in miliamps) total. Using those cards WILL overheat the card and toast the motherboard. Many posts on here discuss that.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/USB_hardware
https://www.powerstream.com/Amps-Watts.htm

I have been an electrician and electronics repair for almost 50 years. Laptop and computer modding and repair for about 35years. This ain't my first rodeo.

 

500mA and 900mA (0.5A and 0.9A)
I'm sure you know

 

Whats a decimal point matter anyway?
That's what I get for typing when I am tired.

 

Sorry Shawn, I'm not confusing W and A, I'm in electronic stuff for 45 years.
I don't use the power supply, I feed the computer directly from the battery of my sailing boat. I do that with my previous CF-18 for more than ten years. Below a voltage of around 13.5 V the internal battery doesn't charge, but the energy comes from the external battery. At this moment the battery icon indicates " battery 97%, 694 hours remaining", which means that the internal battery doesn't discharge and isn't in use.
So I can exactly meter the current entering the computer. Whith the screen at mid-light, mouse plugged and doing nothing, the current entering is 0.60 A. The ext battery voltage is 13.2 V ( 4 element of lithium LiFePO4), so the used power is : 0.60 X 13.2 = 7.92 W. This is the real power used by the computer.
Now if I unplug the mouse and I replug it through a mini-usb port, the current increases of 0.04 A, so the power consume of the port is 0.04 A X 13.2 V = 0.528 W. The mini-usb port is not just a plug, there is electronic stuff inside.
The Toughbook charge circuitry is really flexible : even a 9 V entry voltage feeds the stuff. Once by mistake I've sent 24 V, the battery light turned red with an alarm sound but nothing burned. I hope this can help some people and gives some ideas.

 

I'm only 38 and never worked as pro electrician, but during all my known previous lives (5 or 6 times, total 350+ years) I have been marine (sometimes sub-marine after my repairs) electronics electrician. And I can tell you, guys, wattage and amperage are both nothing versus resistance.

 

That depends upon the resistance of the body parts involved.
ZAAAAAPPPPPP---SONOFABIKE..THAT HURTS..

 

For readers confused about the right power supply and all....there is a label on the bottom of the toughbook.

Meanwhile, these guys are talking about real life issues and answers.

Working with battery power (not the toughbook battery) you get very interested in your usage rates.

I live off-grid and have a meter on the INSIDE of the house.

 

no electronics in this mini usb port....

 

Running on 13v instead of the recommended 16v changes the amps/ watts used. Lower the voltage and amperage goes up. Ohms law. Amps goes up and heat goes up. Heat in cpu etc.
Get a vehicle charger (Lind is top quality)connected to the boat batteries. Connect that to the power supply input.
Laptop gets proper voltage and runs better/cooler, lasts longer.
https://lindelectronics.com/product/pa1580-1745/

The numbers you have for watts used by the mouse are inaccurate as well. To get a proper measurement, it must be measured at the usb port and not at the laptop power source. This is because the laptop converts the input voltage to 5v. There are inherent losses in the electronics when doing any voltage conversion. Your .528W figure is based on the laptop input voltage and not the actual 5v used at the usb port. Get a usb power meter and check the reading at the port.
https://www.amazon.com/AboveTEK-Voltage-Current-Monitor-Multimeter/dp/B00JIFMXSK

The other problem with your current(no pun intended) setup is the voltage at your boats battery changes dramatically when the battery is being charged. Low times it may get to 12vdc and while charging jumps up to maybe 16vdc(depending upon alternator/regulator). While this may "work", it is not the proper way to wire in the laptop and is hard on the laptop circuitry. Usually causes random software lockups or issues as well.

Not sure what answers you are looking for at this point.
I can tell you the following for sure as I have one complete CF 19, 5-CF19 motherboards and 3 empty housings within 6 feet of me right now. You will need to completely disassemble the CF 19 and Dremel the opening to fit a full size usb port where you want to. Then blow out all the metal shavings and reassemble. Allow at least 4 hours if you have never tore down a CF 19 before. After all that, you will have an interesting time fitting the motherboard back into the housing as the usb port you want to use will hit the motherboard.

I have replaced mini usb ports before and there are zero electronics inside the connector. Just 5 pins to connect the 2 data lines and the positive and negative 5v power. No magic.

Maybe a usb hub and a tube of silicone....
I'm done here.

 

"Laptop gets proper voltage and runs better/cooler, lasts longer."
Ten years using my CF-18 directly on the battery boat, without any problem.

"Lower the voltage and amperage goes up."
Of course because the inner inverter of the computer does its job. This is not Ohm law but constant power.

"The numbers you have for watts used by the mouse are inaccurate as well."
I'm not interested in the watts used by the mouse, my interest is the total consumption of the computer, energy saving.

"The other problem with your current(no pun intended) setup is the voltage at your boats battery changes dramatically when the battery is being charged."
This would be true with a lead battery, but my batteries are Lithium Iron Phosphate. When in charge the voltage never goes over 13.8 V. The inner resistance is very low so the voltage is very steady, 99% of the time the voltage stays beetween 13.0 and 13.5 V.
But before I get lithium battery ( almost 4 years now ) it was perfectly working on a lead battery too.

"I have replaced mini usb ports before and there are zero electronics inside the connector."
Sorry it's my mistake, I was talking about a mini Usb hub, not about a single port. A external hub includes electronic of course.

 

The important facts are a full size usb port will not physically fit in the location the original poster wants to put it.
A mini usb port will fit. The mini port will work fine and can handle the load of small usb devices.

 

Except of my post, I insist!

 

"I insist that I'm not resistant to trying new things, only to change"...

 

Ha ha ha.......