Cutting off redundant parts of a 1394 PCI card??

**bigEcruiser** · 09-17-2009, 01:21 AM

This may be a horribly silly question, but I'm trying to get the lowest profile firewire card in a custom case I've built. The mobo only has a standard PCI slot so I'm limited to it. There are several manufacturers that make a pretty small card, but it has 2-4 firewire ports and really, all I need is one. I am looking at the Rosewill RC-501, and am wondering if I could, quite literally "cut along the dotted line":

Would the one internal port (and the card as a whole) function normally if I cut the rest off??
I'm a software guy, so I know nothing when it comes to hardware at this level, so this may be a very easy question to answer...

If different angles would help, the newegg page has a few more: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-002-_-Product

Also, this is a different manufacturer but still looks like the same guts and has higher-res shots: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produc...-020-_-Product

Anyway, I'd just like to run it by a few of you experts before I go shredding $15....

thanks guys!

**DarquePervert** · 09-17-2009, 05:43 AM

I doubt it would work if you hacked it up like that.
Would it fit if you removed the backplane?

**hakkow** · 09-17-2009, 05:46 AM

I think it could work.. If there is only one connector at the back, there is no problem I guess..

Just slice it

*Not giving any warranties here*

EDIT:

Wait a minute.. There are some tiny small parts at the bottom on the left in the picture.. I Don't think you want do cut them off.. So, maybe only the top side then?

**soundman98** · 09-18-2009, 01:24 PM

it does look like there are components down on the bottom of the area that you want to remove, so i would have to say, that you can't cut it off, but removing the mounting plate should help drastically with space.

**bigEcruiser** · 09-18-2009, 08:41 PM

thanks guys, i have to agree with you all that it doesn't look like a good idea where i have my "slice plane" currently.. however, upon further inspection, i think it would still fit in my case if i did it this way:

looking at the close-ups I feel pretty confident that the only circuitry on the board above the line is that which is fed to the top port. so, cutting it would leave raw, unterminated connections, but this is the same as an unterminated, unused firewire port, right??

someone please knock some sense into me if this is wrong

**coreyspeed** · 09-19-2009, 03:14 AM

cut it just above the compontents at an angle then you should lose the two unwated connecteds and it will still function as it did before

**derek0606** · 09-26-2009, 08:35 PM

O.o

**Curiosity** · 09-26-2009, 11:43 PM

It is possible to cut off the whole thing like in the first picture, but you'd have to desolder the components R11, C26 and C27 and recreate the circuit somewhere on the remaining board possibly by scratching off the coating on the traces and resolder them on. Not something you want to screw up.

**justchat_1** · 09-27-2009, 01:47 AM

Originally Posted by Curiosity

It is possible to cut off the whole thing like in the first picture, but you'd have to desolder the components R11, C26 and C27 and recreate the circuit somewhere on the remaining board possibly by scratching off the coating on the traces and resolder them on. Not something you want to screw up.

Isn't that just an RC stabilization/filtering circuit for the other port. I would say cutting along the original should be fine.

**Curiosity** · 09-27-2009, 02:16 AM

Yes, it looks like it, but it could also be used for detecting a device plugged into that port, so not having it could leave that sensing input floating.