Installing Media Card Reader in XPS 630i

OK, I'll respond to myself:

 

1) I'm disappointed with there not being a response in these forums. It's hard to believe that nobody who ordered XP on their 630 has tried to install a media card reader.

 

2) I like Dell, after all I bought their 630, in addition to a prior desktop and a laptop. Dell only offered the bluetooth/media card reader as an option when you ordered Vista, I guess as an extra incentive to choose that fine piece of operating software. While Dell is obviously free to do anything it wants, I think not offering the reader as an option to XP purchasers is wrong.

 

3) After much internet research and calls to both Dell tech support and sales, this is what I found out. There is not a free connector or cable to plug in the common USB 5-pin (5x1) connector that is standard on internal media card readers.

 

4) What is available is a 10-pin (5x2, 9 active, 1 key) connector on the I/O board behind the optical drive bays. However, media card readers DO NOT come with this connector. A Google search does reveal literally one or two (backordered/discontinued) readers with such a connector from manufacturers and stores I've never heard of. So, while it is probably not technically true to say there are no such reader/connector combos out there, they are just extremely rare and non-standard.

 

5) This appears to be the definitive forum thread on Dell's wonderfully non-standard media reader connector. Page five of which has a nice photo of the hack necessary to connect the 5-pin to the 10-pin.

 

http://delltalk.us.dell.com/supportforums/board/message?board.id=dim_other&message.id=244178

 

6) I spoke to Dell Tech Support and the advice I got was Hall-of-Fame bad and topped off with a flat out lie. The very nice gentleman I spoke with was, how shall I say...not local. He suggested, no...instructed, me to plug the 5-pin connector into one side of the 10-pin connector. I asked which side and in which orientation and he said just try it until it works. A worse piece of advice for a powered connector I could not imagine. Further, he said that he had had people before with this same problem, and they got it to work doing that. This is a lie, since the five pins needed in the ten pin plug are on both sides and do not line up neatly, in order, on one side. By the way, I have a copy of the chat log to prove this conversation.

 

7) I spoke with Dell sales and they confirmed what I found by searching the Dell site, Dell does not sell ANY media card reader, with bluetooth or without, that has a 10-pin connector. However, they do sell a replacement part, otherwise known as the same bluetooth/reader that is an option with Vista. That replacement part, not advertised anywhere on the site, is #XR947 and costs $54. A little more expensive than typical $10-$15 multi-media card readers.

 

8) My own research (certainly could be wrong), Dell tech, and Dell sales, know of no other option to put a media card reader in the 630 than to buy the bluetooth/reader replacement part.

 

9) The 630 Owner's Manual, p. 65, "For information on installing a media card reader, see "Installing a Media Card Reader" in the Service Manual...." Should say, "For information on installing the Dell Bluetooth Media Card Reader, see...."

 

10) The 630 Service Manual, p. 101-102, item #4, is the 10-pin labeled "media card reader connector (USB_Flexbay)." Should be labeled, "Dell proprietary bluetooth media card reader connector."

 

11) The 630 Service Manual, p. 60, "Installing a Media Card Reader," again should be "Installing the Dell Bluetooth Media Card Reader." Item no. 7, says: "Attach the media card reader cable to the back of the media card reader." My response is what cable? The one that came with my media card reader is already attached to the reader with no place to attach it to the computer.

 

12) There is a USB cable leading from the motherboard that goes right behind the optical drives toward the front panel and connects to the front USB slots. I suppose, a more tech oriented person could pull that out of the motherboard, put in a splitter and hook up a media card reader that way. I have no desire to do this and don't think it should be required to install a simple media card reader.

 

13) Maybe out of ignorance I'm being to hard on Dell, maybe the 10 pins are needed to handle the bluetooth in addition to the media card reader. But, if that is true, shouldn't it be documented somewhere and the Owner's Manual and Service Manual not indicate that you can just buy a third-party reader and install it yourself.

 

14) There absolutely could be some incredibly simple solution that I've missed. If so, Dell tech and sales missed it to. I don't claim to be a computer expert, this is just my journey trying to install a media card reader, take it for what it's worth.

 

15) I've not had any fan, lights, or other problems. Not over-clocking. Bios 1.0.2. Very happy with my 630...I just want an internal media card reader.

Did you have any luck with ordering the actual media reader from Dell?  If so have you been able to get it to work with XP?  I'm kind of in the same boat as they gave me some other external reader for free since I complained about it hard core. I just want the internal reader, I don't care about the bluetooth right now.

Nope, I haven't bothered yet. Haven't had the need nor the desire to hassle with it.

 

Please post back here if you do give it a shot, and I'll do the same.

I think the reader portion should work easily.   It'll be the bluetooth portion that will be hard.  Gonna have to try and find out what kind of bluetooth is really inside the case in order to try and find drivers for it.

Thank you very much for you posts.  It has confirmed what I found last night.  I am mildly disappointed with my XPS 630i.  I had a E510 that the processor fan quit after 2 years only and toasted the processor.  Hence, my new purchase, this time with 4 year warranty as that is about the only way you don't have to buy a whole new system.

 

Now, no, I found no such connector on the motherboard.  I think my solution will be to patch into the usb connector if it is indeed 10 pin behind the optical drives, provided I can find a splitter adapter.  Does anyone know about if this exists and where it can be appropriated.  Since I haven't pulled the drives to look what exists, I am assuming it is a 10 pin connector.

 

Any new information would be appreciated.  Regards.

ok here is what you guys need      Name: CAB-200 P/N: RU730    This is the Bluetooth Media Card Reader that comes with the 630.  You will also need the cable that comes with it....  I for the life of me at the moment can't remember the P/N for it but when you talk to Dell Spare Parts just tell them it's the media card reader cable for the 630. 

 

Now I realize that it isn't offically supported in XP but I used the Vista Drivers on mine (XP Pro SP3) and it installed fine.  I appear to have full funtionality of the reader and the bluetooth.

 

The plug in for the reader is NOT on the Motherboard, it's on the Master I/O board which is just to the left of the motherboard behind a bunch of cables near vertical center.  I have some pictures at home that I can email people if need be....  Just PM me.

 

Hope this helps guys.

Lonewolf ,I have the same problem as everyone else here does.I plugged it into that board on the side where the dell guy says to and i turned on the pc.It doesn't seem to have the light go on.I ipoped in a sd card and still no light or system telling me that the hardware was detected.What vista drivers did you use for the bluetooth reader thats supposed to work with it and where can i download it?

For those stating that they couldn't get the card reader because they have Windows XP, here's a news flash. I just received my XPS 630 Saturday. When I ordered it a week ago Friday (complete with Vista Home Premium) there was no option to order the card reader with it so this is not an XP exclusive issue. I priced many combinations of Dell PCs before deciding on the 630 and all others had the 19-in-1 Reader with Bluetooth option except the 630 so I'm in the same boat as you guys. I'm going to call Dell parts now and follow Lonewolf's advice for installation and hope for the best.

 

 

By the way...The Dell Part# for the cable is CY646 and you DO have to order it separately.