[uch]

While browsing stores during Boxing Day sales yesterday, I came across this which surprisingly supports RJ45 as an interface. I have tons of EHDDs which do not support this at home. Would I simply be able to wire up a (Type B) USB male head to an RJ45 head via cat5 wire? The pinouts for both look fairly safe. Every USB to ethernet adapters/converters I've seen use a small PCB. Are there any obvious or special concerns I'm neglecting?

This would make the media experience of an Xbox 360 much nicer than requiring it to be hooked up to a PC at all times.

[JohnWill]

You use ONE of the interfaces on the disk at a time. If you use the RJ-45 Ethernet connection, it's designed to connect to an Ethernet network. If you use the USB connection, it's for a direct connection to your workstation.

You can NOT connect the RJ-45 jack with a hacked up connector to a USB port, and there's no reason to try, the unit has a USB connection!

[uch]

Thanks for the quick reply!
I don't think I explained what I'm trying to do well enough or maybe I just need a properly equipped PCB to do this like your post suggests.. I'm sorry for going on if the latter is the case and there's nothing that can be done

A use of the connector that I'm looking for is one that would solve this problem for example.
I'm looking to connect an EHDD (that only has a Female port for USB Type B) to, say, an Xbox 360 (female Ethernet).

I'd need a wire like so to bridge this:
male Type B USB to ethernet/cat5

This would be ideal as I would only have to hack up the end of the USB side, (or make a female USB Type A to male USB Type B).

Hope that helps to clear it up; worst case I'll just need to pick up a SATA PCB that has an RJ45 interface. I only think this may be able to work as there are USB extenders through cat5 that work so easily..

My apologies if just picking up one of those/a SATA PCB supporting RJ45 is all I need

[prunejuice]

The XBOX360 will not work as a USB host device.

Forget it.

[uch]

Thanks for the help guys

My 360 just RRoD'd again, so I guess it doesn't matter anyway