Jumper Question - Easy but want to make sure

[bpatters69]

Hola All,

I finally got all the parts for the PC I am building. I have upgraded systems before but this is my first actual build. I have some questions on the jumpers which I would like to pose. First of all, the cables on the Mobo have colored and white cables. My assumption is that the white cables are negative and the colored cables are positive, right? There are some single connections where I have to be careful to attach the + and the - cable. As an example the Power LED indicator.

Speaking of the Power LED indicator - See link to picture below which I took from the manual. My comments are in red text.

http://i275.photobucket.com/al...s69/JumperQuestion.jpg

Do I have the pins labeled correctly? The colored Power LED would connect to Pin 1 (top) and the white Power LED would connect to Pin 2 (middle) and the Pin 3 (bottom) would remain open?

Similar question here. This is a 4 pronged connection so would the end with white wire connect to the "speak -" and the end with the colored wire to "speak +"?

http://i275.photobucket.com/al...69/JumperQuestion2.jpg

Many thanks

 

[MichaelD]

Hello,

Congrats on your first build! There's a lot to be said about DIY; you get exactly what you want for less than a pre-built. :thumbsup:

You're referring to the Front Panel (front panel of the case) connections on the motherboard. These can be confusing b/c sometimes the location of the pins on the MB do not "line up" or correspond with the connectors of the case. There's always a way to make it work.

1. You're correct in assuming that the colored wire of the case connector is positive (+).
2. You will NOT blow up/destroy/damage anything by accidentally connecting the front panel connectors backwards. Worst thing that can happen is that the light/switch doesn't work.
3. Just in case the white/colored wires of the case connectors don't line up with the pins on the MB: The wires inside the tiny black connectors are removeable. On one flat side of the connector you'll see tiny little "square cut outs" and you'll see the silver color of the connector inside. If you press down on the silver part with a tiny, sharp object, the wire itself will come out of the black connector. YOu can then insert the wire into whatever hole in the black, plastic connector that it needs to be in.

You're definitely on the right track and I don't think you'll have any issues. Common sense and basic electronic smarts goes a long way in this hobby.

 

[Modelworks]

Doesn't matter for the LED or the power/reset switch. Or the speaker connections. The only thing that will happen with the LED is they will not light, then just reverse them. No harm done.

The main thing to watch for that you can damage are the usb connections.

 

[MichaelD]

Originally posted by: Modelworks

The main thing to watch for that you can damage are the usb connections.

Absolutely! IMO, the OP was just referring to the FP connections. But, USB connections are also made directly to the MB during the build process. Good catch, Modelworks.

These days, most any decent case has the pre-molded, 10-pin USB connector with that one end pin blocked-off...almost impossible to plug it in incorrectly. But not all cases have those pre-molded plugs....some cases still have the individual, single-pin connector plugs.

 

[bpatters69]

Thanks to you both. The USB connection is a bit more fool proof as there is only one way it will connect to the Mobo.

Last question. There is a set of wires where one is red and the other is black that have a tiny speaker attached. This is the speaker that will give the audible beep when the mobo posts. Here again black is positive (right?) and red is negative. Not sure why they did not have a white wire for the negative.

 

[nineball9]

Originally posted by: bpatters69
Thanks to you both. The USB connection is a bit more fool proof as there is only one way it will connect to the Mobo.

Last question. There is a set of wires where one is red and the other is black that have a tiny speaker attached. This is the speaker that will give the audible beep when the mobo posts. Here again black is positive (right?) and red is negative. Not sure why they did not have a white wire for the negative.

Black should be negative for the speaker connection. A close inspection of the actual speaker may reveal polarity markings. If it's a real speaker and not a piezoelectric "speaker", polarity won't matter The little piezoelectric beepers are common these days and are polarized.

Edit: The red wire is usually Positive; if the other wire is black, it's negative. I just checked a Lian Li speaker in a system I'm building: Red is positive (standard electronic marking). The other wire is blue!