I/O Shield Tabs, what the hell do I do with these?

[cmccomas]

The I/O shield, that thing that the I/O ports poke through and which connects to the case -- it's got a bunch of metal tabs sticking connected to it. Do I bend those off? Do they serve a purpose? I can't figure it out. Yes, I'm a moron, please advise.

 

[kenton]

Sometimes they get in the way. Here's what can happen with those things:

1. They can prevent the motherboard from sitting right when you're trying to screw it in
2. They can accidently pop out and prevent you from inserting whatever (like a PS/2 mouse or Ethernet cord)
3. They can cause a grounding problem

If they prevent me from sitting the motherboard nice and flat I like to snip the offending ones to eliminate the chances of #3

 

[cmccomas]

Thanks

 

[Peter]

You don't snip them off or anything. They're there to reduce electromagnetic emission from the machine.

Just position them so they touch the metal shielding of the plugs that pass through the plate. The only one to look after is the one above the LAN port, this one tends to end up inside the LAN jack if you're not watching it.

 

[wwswimming]

Do they serve a purpose?

they help the manufacturer get Underwriter Laboratories approval
and to pass other kinds of tests where conducted & radiated emissions
(stray electromagnetic fields) are measured.

 

[Aluvus]

Originally posted by: Peter
You don't snip them off or anything. They're there to reduce electromagnetic emission from the machine.

Just position them so they touch the metal shielding of the plugs that pass through the plate. The only one to look after is the one above the LAN port, this one tends to end up inside the LAN jack if you're not watching it.

Indeed. You may need to bend them slightly with pliers in order to easily get your motherboard's ports through the openings.