Single extender card method and system for troubleshooting a personal computer
AssigneeCrystal Group Inc.
InventorRobert Dean Hinds
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A system and method for repairing a PC where an extender card with both ISA and PCI buss connections is used to elevate the motherboard during troubleshooting operations, the extender card includes imbedded thereon, current-measurement stations to aid in efficient assessment of current flow through portions of the motherboard.
Claims24
An apparatus for connecting a single circuit card to a bus connector in a PC, the apparatus comprising:
- a single extender card having a top edge, a bottom edge, a front end, and a back end;
- a first lower ISA bus mating connector disposed on said bottom edge of said single extender card for coupling with an ISA bus in the PC;
- a first lower PCI bus mating connector disposed on said bottom edge of said single extender card for coupling with a PCI bus in the PC;
- a first upper ISA connector disposed on said top edge of said single extender card for receiving the single circuit card;
- a first upper PCI connector disposed on said top edge of said single extender card for receiving the single circuit card;
- at least one ISA conducting line coupling the first lower ISA bus mating connector with the first upper ISA connector;
- and
- at least one PCI conducting line coupling the first lower PCI bus mating connector with the first upper PCI connector.
A single extender card having a top edge and an opposing bottom edge and a connector along said bottom edge for coupling with a bus connector in a PC, the extender having a top card connector disposed on said top edge for receiving a single circuit card and providing at least one signal from the bus connector to the circuit card, and further having a current-measuring device thereon;
- and
- wherein the bus connector is an ISA connector and a PCI connector.
A method of troubleshooting a PC comprising the steps of:
- providing a PC;
- removing a protective cover from the PC to allow access to expansion cards therein;
- removing from the PC a single circuit card having an ISA connector and a PCI bus connector;
- placing a single extender card having a top edge and an opposing bottom edge and having disposed on said bottom edge both a lower ISA connector and lower PCI bus connector in a slot made available by removal of the circuit card;
- coupling the single circuit card, via ISA and PCI bus connectors, to upper ISA connector and upper PCI connector located on the top edge of the single extender card;
- and,
- making current measurements in current flowing through lines on extender card, using a current-measuring device.
A system comprising:
- a rack;
- a plurality of PCs disposed in and coupled to said rack, each of said PCs having a single CPU card therein having both ISA and PCI CPU bus connections thereon;
- a single extender card having a bottom connection along a bottom edge for coupling with an ISA and PCI bus connection in each of said plurality of PCs;
- and
- the single extender card having a top connection along a top edge for coupling with the ISA and PCI CPU bus connections.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.