First of all, one thing I would highly recommend doing is going to www.via.com.tw and going to the "Downloads" section of the site (it's under the "Resources" tab at the top of the home page). There you can go to "Mainboards" and find the manual for the MII 10000 in PDF. Not only does the manual have illustrations and diagrams showing what and where everything is on the Mobo, it has instructions on how to use all of them. It then tells you on what page in the manual you can go to set up that part. So, in the case of the USB 3/4 (USB ports 3&4, as 1&2 are already hard-wired to the board), there is a pin-header on the board for that USB connection. You just buy a 2-port USB Module that can connect to that pin-header and then plug it in there. For mounting, there obviously isn't any place to mount it on the front of the ampie case; you'd either have to run it out the back through one of the aux fan holes or run it out the front through a gap in the facia.

You might have a challenge however through this process; it is difficult to find a 2-port USB module that connects via Pin-Headers - most of them are PCI modules that won't fit in this case (because they are large and the USB ports are attached directly to the PCI card, and not with loose wires).

For example (this won't work!!):


Personally, I am not going this route. I could not find a local retailer or online retailer that sold that specific USB module, and quite honestly I think I need more than just 4 total USB ports. After looking into this I am just going to use a USB Hub. The wires are going to be hidden away, so running a small Hub is no big deal. There are a couple different ways you can go with a Hub. You can get a 2-Port USB adapter that plugs into your PCMCIA card. That gives you two more off the bat and obviously is very easy and clean to install. Downside; you've only got one PCMCIA slot and once you use it for something like that, it's gone. Plus, that still only gives you a total of 4 USB ports.

I am going to run two 4-Port Hubs for USB. Here is how I'm going to run it and why; my CarPC needs to be mounted in the trunk. That is where my Amp Rack is, that is where my battery is, that is where the best airflow is. Because of this I need to run a long USB extension cable to the front of the car. I am going to use a 12ft USB extension cable to run up to the front.

So what do we have to connect up in the front? You have your:

-monitor;
-wireless keyboard and mouse (if you need to do some real computing);
-optical drive (I am mounting my slot load slim CD-RW/DVD ROM in the glove box);
-you may want to have a USB port open for a portable storage or just connecting something in general;

That's four. So I am going to run a USB Extension to the front, and then connect my 4-Port USB Hub there. I may still run a long extension cable for my Firewire and use that to connect to my optical drive, as I think that would be best for movies...but we'll see.

The second 4-Port Hub is just going to mount right at the Ampie case. From there I can connect my GPS module and whatever else I need to connect. That also leaves my Firewire and PCMCIA card open if I need them. My 802.11 Super G wireless card is probably going in my PCMCIA port. My Bluetooth module is probably going in a USB connector at the Ampie case (there is no reason for it to be in the front of the car with the range it has). So, I am left with a lot of options still. With the lack of items that you can connect to your ampie case via PCI cards and the such, USB will be a real commodity so you might as well get the most out of it you can. 8 USB ports should be enough!

Hope that helps.