How to connect front-panel USBs to motherboard?

[David Cook]

I just built another computer (Asus A7V880 mobo) and
the case has two USB-ports on the front panel.

The wiring harnesses (2, one for each of 2 ports) each
have 7 separate wires, labeled very differently than the
corresponding pins on the motherboard.

Thus, I am at a total loss as to how to 'map' each of the 7
labeled wires onto the corresponding 8 pins.

(Sorry...don't have the case open right now, so for now at least,
I won't mention the specific various names on each of the 8 mobo-pins
and the other names on each of the 7 wires.)

But, based on my description of this issue, can someone point me
to some method of determining what this mapping might be?

(The mobo manual describes the mobo-pin names clearly but just
naively assumes the their chosen names will be identical to the names
on the wires coming from the case-front-panel.)

Ideas?

Dave [Ok...I'll follow up shortly and open the case and post all the
names in a reply to this note.]

 

[John]

I just built another computer (Asus A7V880 mobo) and
the case has two USB-ports on the front panel.

The wiring harnesses (2, one for each of 2 ports) each
have 7 separate wires, labeled very differently than the
corresponding pins on the motherboard.

Thus, I am at a total loss as to how to 'map' each of the 7
labeled wires onto the corresponding 8 pins.

(Sorry...don't have the case open right now, so for now at least,
I won't mention the specific various names on each of the 8 mobo-pins
and the other names on each of the 7 wires.)

But, based on my description of this issue, can someone point me
to some method of determining what this mapping might be?

(The mobo manual describes the mobo-pin names clearly but just
naively assumes the their chosen names will be identical to the names
on the wires coming from the case-front-panel.)

Ideas?

Geez Ive had this problem too. I always skip it , dont bother its just
a hassle. Why in the heck dont they standardize it and just have one
plug SHEESH ! Its ridiculous.

I did see a site and successfully did one a while ago .

Here try this one.
http://www.directron.com/installusb.html

 

[kony]

I just built another computer (Asus A7V880 mobo) and
the case has two USB-ports on the front panel.

The wiring harnesses (2, one for each of 2 ports) each
have 7 separate wires, labeled very differently than the
corresponding pins on the motherboard.

Thus, I am at a total loss as to how to 'map' each of the 7
labeled wires onto the corresponding 8 pins.

(Sorry...don't have the case open right now, so for now at least,
I won't mention the specific various names on each of the 8 mobo-pins
and the other names on each of the 7 wires.)

But, based on my description of this issue, can someone point me
to some method of determining what this mapping might be?

(The mobo manual describes the mobo-pin names clearly but just
naively assumes the their chosen names will be identical to the names
on the wires coming from the case-front-panel.)

Ideas?

Dave [Ok...I'll follow up shortly and open the case and post all the
names in a reply to this note.]

The (standard-for-Asus?) pin header for your board should
be,

Pin Function USB Port # (relative)
---------------------------------------------
1 5V 1
2 5V 2
3 Data - 1
4 Data - 2
5 Data + 1
6 Data + 2
7 Gnd 1
8 Gnd 2

So you have the 4 pins per each port # in a sraight row of
5V, Data -, Data +, & GND.

On "most" cases (IF they're correctly color-coded) the
colors would be:

5V - red
Data - white
Data + green
Gnd black

if your case connector is like this already you could check
for continuity with a multimeter but you're probably done.
If it doesn't match that then you will have to rearrange the
wires as appropriate.

 

[David Cook]

Geez Ive had this problem too. I always skip it , dont bother its just
a hassle. Why in the heck dont they standardize it and just have one
plug SHEESH ! Its ridiculous.

I did see a site and successfully did one a while ago .

Here try this one.
http://www.directron.com/installusb.html

That site looks like EXACTLY what I was hoping for.

(I haven't followed it yet, but the pictures alone convince me
that it should fill the bill nicely.)

Thanks again, John, for the info.

Cheers...

Dave

 

[Tony]

I just built another computer (Asus A7V880 mobo) and
the case has two USB-ports on the front panel.

The wiring harnesses (2, one for each of 2 ports) each
have 7 separate wires, labeled very differently than the
corresponding pins on the motherboard.

Thus, I am at a total loss as to how to 'map' each of the 7
labeled wires onto the corresponding 8 pins.

(Sorry...don't have the case open right now, so for now at least,
I won't mention the specific various names on each of the 8 mobo-pins
and the other names on each of the 7 wires.)

But, based on my description of this issue, can someone point me
to some method of determining what this mapping might be?

(The mobo manual describes the mobo-pin names clearly but just
naively assumes the their chosen names will be identical to the names
on the wires coming from the case-front-panel.)

Ideas?

Dave [Ok...I'll follow up shortly and open the case and post all the
names in a reply to this note.]

The (standard-for-Asus?) pin header for your board should
be,

Pin Function USB Port # (relative)
---------------------------------------------
1 5V 1
2 5V 2
3 Data - 1
4 Data - 2
5 Data + 1
6 Data + 2
7 Gnd 1
8 Gnd 2

So you have the 4 pins per each port # in a sraight row of
5V, Data -, Data +, & GND.

On "most" cases (IF they're correctly color-coded) the
colors would be:

5V - red
Data - white
Data + green
Gnd black

if your case connector is like this already you could check
for continuity with a multimeter but you're probably done.
If it doesn't match that then you will have to rearrange the
wires as appropriate.

Related to this topic, I had mine connected and working. I'd use the
headphone and firewire port only. Didn't even connect the usb.
One day, I plugged in my headphones and "poof"! Display went black,
fans were still running but would not reboot. After pulling / swapping
cards & memory, I replaced the motherboard and all was well again.
After setting up windows again, (four hours later), I sat down to
listen to some mp3's, plugged the headphones in and it happening
again!
That was the last time I connected the FP audio! I miss having it
though as now I have to go behind the machine to connect/disconnect
headphones.

Before all this happened, I'd been using the fp audio for 8 or 9
months (since I got that case) with a few different headphones with no
problems.
The first time, I thought it might have been static but after the 2nd
I suspected something wrong with the case wiring.
Has anyone seen this before?

 

[kony]

I just built another computer (Asus A7V880 mobo) and
the case has two USB-ports on the front panel.

The wiring harnesses (2, one for each of 2 ports) each
have 7 separate wires, labeled very differently than the
corresponding pins on the motherboard.

Thus, I am at a total loss as to how to 'map' each of the 7
labeled wires onto the corresponding 8 pins.

(Sorry...don't have the case open right now, so for now at least,
I won't mention the specific various names on each of the 8 mobo-pins
and the other names on each of the 7 wires.)

But, based on my description of this issue, can someone point me
to some method of determining what this mapping might be?

(The mobo manual describes the mobo-pin names clearly but just
naively assumes the their chosen names will be identical to the names
on the wires coming from the case-front-panel.)

Ideas?

Dave [Ok...I'll follow up shortly and open the case and post all the
names in a reply to this note.]

The (standard-for-Asus?) pin header for your board should
be,

Pin Function USB Port # (relative)
---------------------------------------------
1 5V 1
2 5V 2
3 Data - 1
4 Data - 2
5 Data + 1
6 Data + 2
7 Gnd 1
8 Gnd 2

So you have the 4 pins per each port # in a sraight row of
5V, Data -, Data +, & GND.

On "most" cases (IF they're correctly color-coded) the
colors would be:

5V - red
Data - white
Data + green
Gnd black

if your case connector is like this already you could check
for continuity with a multimeter but you're probably done.
If it doesn't match that then you will have to rearrange the
wires as appropriate.

Related to this topic, I had mine connected and working. I'd use the
headphone and firewire port only. Didn't even connect the usb.
One day, I plugged in my headphones and "poof"! Display went black,
fans were still running but would not reboot. After pulling / swapping
cards & memory, I replaced the motherboard and all was well again.
After setting up windows again, (four hours later), I sat down to
listen to some mp3's, plugged the headphones in and it happening
again!
That was the last time I connected the FP audio! I miss having it
though as now I have to go behind the machine to connect/disconnect
headphones.

Before all this happened, I'd been using the fp audio for 8 or 9
months (since I got that case) with a few different headphones with no
problems.
The first time, I thought it might have been static but after the 2nd
I suspected something wrong with the case wiring.
Has anyone seen this before?

Some boards have 5V on the FP pin header... if the case
connector took that 5V to the front then there was a wiring
mismatch, headphone socket came loose or other defect, then
it could be problematic.

If you only need headphone out, the safest route would be to
only run the 5 leads- Gnd, L-Out, L-Return, R-Out,
R-Return. This would be with a HP jack having integral
switch so that it mutes the rear output jack when headphones
are inserted. If rear mute is not needed or not desired
then the Out & Return pins need to be shorted together
always, whether it be by the connector or by running both of
these via the front-panel wiring and conecting them at the
front panel.

 

[mhaase-at-springmind.com]

I just built another computer (Asus A7V880 mobo) and
the case has two USB-ports on the front panel.

The wiring harnesses (2, one for each of 2 ports) each
have 7 separate wires, labeled very differently than the
corresponding pins on the motherboard.

Thus, I am at a total loss as to how to 'map' each of the 7
labeled wires onto the corresponding 8 pins.

(Sorry...don't have the case open right now, so for now at least,
I won't mention the specific various names on each of the 8 mobo-pins
and the other names on each of the 7 wires.)

But, based on my description of this issue, can someone point me
to some method of determining what this mapping might be?

(The mobo manual describes the mobo-pin names clearly but just
naively assumes the their chosen names will be identical to the names
on the wires coming from the case-front-panel.)

Ideas?

Dave [Ok...I'll follow up shortly and open the case and post all the
names in a reply to this note.]

The (standard-for-Asus?) pin header for your board should
be,

Pin Function USB Port # (relative)
---------------------------------------------
1 5V 1
2 5V 2
3 Data - 1
4 Data - 2
5 Data + 1
6 Data + 2
7 Gnd 1
8 Gnd 2

So you have the 4 pins per each port # in a sraight row of
5V, Data -, Data +, & GND.

On "most" cases (IF they're correctly color-coded) the
colors would be:

5V - red
Data - white
Data + green
Gnd black

if your case connector is like this already you could check
for continuity with a multimeter but you're probably done.
If it doesn't match that then you will have to rearrange the
wires as appropriate.

Related to this topic, I had mine connected and working. I'd use the
headphone and firewire port only. Didn't even connect the usb.
One day, I plugged in my headphones and "poof"! Display went black,
fans were still running but would not reboot. After pulling / swapping
cards & memory, I replaced the motherboard and all was well again.
After setting up windows again, (four hours later), I sat down to
listen to some mp3's, plugged the headphones in and it happening
again!
That was the last time I connected the FP audio! I miss having it
though as now I have to go behind the machine to connect/disconnect
headphones.

Before all this happened, I'd been using the fp audio for 8 or 9
months (since I got that case) with a few different headphones with no
problems.
The first time, I thought it might have been static but after the 2nd
I suspected something wrong with the case wiring.
Has anyone seen this before?

I had a case that had the +5 and Ground connections reversed on the
front panel USB connector (shorting the 5 volt rail of the PS when it
was connected).

Machine wouldn't boot (or do anything) after I assembled it.
Discovered the problem by process of elimination (which included
eventually talking the MB out of the case - where it finally ran.


M

 

[David Cook]

Yes, thanks. That writeup solved it.

I'm happily using the front-panel USB ports now for
my flash-drive.

Cheers...

Dave