Can getting front panel connectors wrong cause damage to mobo?

[d3v]

I have a business customer that has two Lenovo business-class desktops and one needs a mobo replacment.

The new mobo arrived just now, but the Lenovo case has a unique front panel header connector in a single block.

I'm pretty sure I can plug this on to the ASRock motherboard in such a way that the power button works, but I'm sure the HDD indicator would not work but this is not so much a problem.

My concern is that could connecting it wrongly cause a short circuit or something?

 

[Martyn]

I would have thought you just use the MB schematic diagrams for the pinouts and a meter if you can't work out the switch wires from the cable.

 

[d3v]

Yes but the thing is the Lenovo case has a single block rather than individual wires/headers.

 

[tcarulli]

just a thought

If the wires are not needed. Cut them.
Or on some connectors out can pop the ends out by squeezing the tabs in, then tape them out of the way or rearrange correctly.
Or cut all of the wires as long as possible, grab a discarded computer and patch ends to the cut wires.

 

[Martyn]

Yes but the thing is the Lenovo case has a single block rather than individual wires/headers.

Ok I don't know the computer, is there no way to get meter probes on the wire ends?

 

[edmar]

I believe it will not damage the mobo, but wrong connection of the usb front panel can damage flash drives and external hard drives.

 

[jbartlett323]

You will absolutely not damage any pin out by conecting them wrong. At least i never have, and i've screwed up alot. And it stands to reason it will be fine as there is very, very little voltage going through those. Shorting the wrong ones is a different story...
As for the proprietary header from the Lenovo case, just move your pins. yes move them. if you look at the connector really hard, you'll see how they are together. Just disassemble what you need to, move them, re-insert. and yes typically that "blank" spot is just a cover, there is a whole there too if you need it...

Pretty much anytime you put an aftermarket board in a proprietary case, you will have this issue.

 

[Larry Sabo]

I don't recall the specifics, but I connected the front panel USB header to the wrong block on a motherboard such that there was +12v going to the USB jack. Fried a USB flash drive before realizing what happened. If I can find the details, I'll update this post.

 

[jbartlett323]

I don't recall the specifics, but I connected the front panel USB header to the wrong block on a motherboard such that there was +12v going to the USB jack. Fried a USB flash drive before realizing what happened. If I can find the details, I'll update this post.

Oh yes, that does happen. But that's technically a short, just using the flash drive to make the jumper. But he is talking about power header, not USB. Yes USB and Firewire have to be hooked up correctly or it will not function and /or will cause a smoke genie from you attached device (and maybe that particular header too).

 

[FoolishTech]

Other than a mis-connected USB ruining attached devices, I second the fact that you won't damage anything by hooking up the standard pins wrong (e.g. power, reset, LEDs, etc.) I can't count the number of boards over the years I've hooked up these items by mere trial and error when no pinout specs were available or I wasn't able to trace the existing pinouts.

 

[Tekko]

I have a business customer that has two Lenovo business-class desktops and one needs a mobo replacment.

The new mobo arrived just now, but the Lenovo case has a unique front panel header connector in a single block.

I'm pretty sure I can plug this on to the ASRock motherboard in such a way that the power button works, but I'm sure the HDD indicator would not work but this is not so much a problem.

My concern is that could connecting it wrongly cause a short circuit or something?

I would just remove the wires from the block and re-pin them, or just snip the wires and reconnect them to some standard headers.

http://www.ebay.com/itm/PC-Case-Fro...-Power-Switch-Button-/320837294994#vi-content

 

[d3v]

Thanks for the education pin headers, I'll sure need this someday but for now I just opted to use a different case with a standard pin header that fitted the motherboard perfectly. This info will certainly be of use when I'm out of spare cases, though!