PCIe card AXAGON PCEU-232RS with HP Compaq 8200 SFF

[Millan007]

Will a PCIe card AXAGON PCEU-232RS fit in my HP Compaq 8200 SFF? According to the specifications here   it should work, but I'm not sure about its height...

[Paul_Tikkanen]

It should fit fine because it comes with the low-profile mounting bracket.

[Millan007]

Thanks for the info!
I know about the low profile of this card, but I wanted to be 100% sure about someone who actually used it in an HP 8200 SFF.

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome.

Since I couldn't find any dimensions on the card (you can look up the dimensions of the PC at the link below -- page 21), and there are no posts where someone installed that card in any 8xxx Elite SFF, you will have to take your chances or do without.

IMHO, it would make no sense that the manufacturer would make a card that would not fit in 99% of SFF PC's out there--especially ones made for business use and supply a LP bracket for it.

HP Compaq 8200 Elite Series

[Millan007]

Hi Paul,

I installed the card in my HP 8200 SFF today and it fit fine. But it doesn't work and I still don't know why. Here's how it went: 

Installation (always into PCIe 1x slot) went OK every time, the device was correctly recognized as Renesas Electronics USB 3.0 Host Controller and Renesas Electronics USB 3.0 Root Hub, all without errors. It then responds to inserting a USB 3.0 flash drive into a regular USB 2.0 port (in PC) with a message that the device will work faster in a USB 3.0 port. OK. However, when inserting either a USB 3.0 flash drive or external USB disk (WDE), or even when inserting USB 2.0 devices into the card's USB 3.0 ports, nothing happens - the devices don't even blink and don't appear in File Explorer. From the comprehensive, yet otherwise clear manual, I unfortunately couldn't understand whether the additional power cable for the card CAN be there or MUST be there. If it must be there, then it's clear. If not, then it looks like a faulty card (?) I bought it last week from Mironet in Prague. The PCs are office HP Compaq 8000 SFF (Win7) and 8200 (WinXP) - otherwise fully functional and maintained. I was hoping this card would provide faster disk backup capabilities... 😞

I will be grateful for any advice and help.

Milan

[Paul_Tikkanen]

Hi, Milan:

Glad the card fit, but sorry to read that it isn't working.

Since I don't know how those cards work, but that it has a power input of some kind, and I am assuming that there are no instructions, perhaps you do need to connect a power source to the card in order for it to work properly.

Looking back at the specs on the link you posted, it indicates:

Power supply

from a PC source

Input (power supply):
• SATA 15-pin male power connector.

• Internal SATA power connector for powering the controller from the PC power supply.

What do you connect to the card? 

Is it one of the spare SATA power connectors that would go to the hard drive?

There is no illustration of that connector, so I don't know.

If it would use a SATA connector like what is used for a SATA hard drive and any spare connector you have won't reach, they should sell some extender cables.

Amazon.com: J&D 15 Pin SATA Power Extension Cable (2 Pack), Sata Male to Female Cable, Sata Power Ca...

[Millan007]

Hi, Paul,

thanks for the quick reply!

I'm not sure about the power supply for that card. I assumed it was powered from the PCIe slot. I've now written to the manufacturer at AXAGON whether the additional power cable CAN or MUST be there. If it doesn't, the card may be defective. If it does, I'll probably have a problem with the power supply... There are two square black power connectors on my HP 8200 board, so I would need a cable to the second one (the first one is already used to power drives, etc.), with an end for the SATA drive (it would be the same for that card, I think). Something like this .

But that cables no longer commonly available on Czech market. So my second option is to use a splitter for the existing SATA power cable and power the card through it. But the cable will then power two drives, the CD/DVD drive and the card, which is probably not optimal.

I'll see what the manufacturer has to say. Anyway, thanks a lot for the response!

Milan

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Milan.

Your PC doesn't have an extra SATA power cable for a second drive?

It may be hard to see because of the small form factor setup.

if it does, you can buy one of those extender cables I posted if the cable is too short.

[Millan007]

Hi Paul
so the problem with the card is solved. 😄
Before installing, I downloaded a detailed manual from the manufacturer along with the drivers and then followed it only. That's why I didn't look at the brief paper instructions that came with the card. And that was a mistake. The detailed manual explained the power supply ambiguously; moreover, the installation procedure was reversed from the brief instructions... 😲

Today I received a statement from the manufacturer that the card does not work without the power cable. So I inserted the card back into the HP 8200 (the drivers were already loaded) and connected it via the SATA power cable from the temporarily disconnected DVD drive. Bingo! The card finally started working with connected USB devices...😆

I also got some tips from a seller of refurbished HP computers about the original power cable from the motherboard HP 8200 (there is a 4 pin, but a square one, not the more familiar rectangular Molex). It would be a more efficient solution, but using a SATA splitter and extension cable it will also work (of course I still need the optical drive there).

Adding a PCie USB 3.0 card was one of the last steps in a several-week process of complete SW migration including Windows XP 32 bit Professional from an older HP 7800 (via cloning to new and larger disks) to my more well-preserved and slightly faster HP 8200. I consider myself an advanced user, but this is the first time I have undergone such a process. 🤖  It is challenging (especially with XP), but it can be done.

Thank you for your support!
Milan

[Paul_Tikkanen]

You're very welcome, Milan.

I have an 8200 Elite CMT I still use which is running fine on W11 24H2 and I also have a dc7800 running on W11 23H2 (the processor only supports SSE 4.1 so it can't run W11 24H2).

I had upgraded the PCs with SATA SSD's and maxed out the memory so I never got rid of them because they still run very well.

Cheers,

Paul