Member Avatar for jayder

hello everyone i got a controller card and i need help installing it is a ultra ata ide controller card(raid 133)can someone help me
thanx
jay

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Regarding 's "led connector" question: the small header on most add-on Ultra ATA/133 (RAID) cards is simply a drive-activity (HDD/IDE) LED header. It is usually a two‑pin connector silkscreened as HDD_LED, IDE_LED, ACT, LED1, or similar. The case front‑panel HDD LED cable fits onto that two‑pin header; the LED is polarity sensitive, so a non‑lighting LED often just needs the plug reversed.

Typical troubleshooting and behavior: identify the header by the PCB silkscreen or the card manual; attach the two‑pin front‑panel plug and check for activity. Reversing the connector corrects most polarity issues. If the LED remains dark while disks are active, the header may not be driven until the card’s BIOS/driver initializes, or the particular controller may not provide a front‑panel signal at all. Tying two activity outputs together (for example the motherboard HDD header and the controller’s header) is not recommended because it can cause signal conflicts; only one activity source should drive a single LED.

Additional context: some RAID/IDE cards also include separate status or fault LEDs for array health (labels like FAULT, FAIL, or STAT), which are independent of the front‑panel HDD LED. As noted, many builders leave the controller LED unconnected because it is cosmetic and does not affect disk operation. Exact pinouts and whether the header is active pre‑boot vary by card model; the card’s manual or the manufacturer’s documentation provides definitive details.

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Member Avatar for DaveSW

plug it into the appropriate socket, boot to OS, install drivers, shut down, add drives, reboot?
Or was there a particular step in that that you wanted help on?

Member Avatar for jayder

led connector

Member Avatar for DaveSW

On the card itself? I usually ignore that one...

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