New computer front panel question.

[Ajax]

I purchased a CoolMaster Centurion 5 case from New Egg to build a new
computer. I am using a Gigabyte GA-P32-DS4 motherboard.

There are two wires in the Centurion 5 with separate connectors that
are not labeled. They are white and green and they are twisted
together. It was my guess that they were either supposed to be
connected to the "Message/Power/Sleep Led" as listed on page 30 of the
GA-P35-DS4 manual or that they were supposed to be connected to the
"Power_LED" three prong connector on motherboard.

The manual does not identify any of the front panel connectors though
all but these two wires are labeled on their respective connectors.

Also, the Gigabyte manual states that the connectors should be
installed respecting the pins positive and negative assignments. All
of the Centurion front panel connectors have a white and a colored
wire. Is the white wire negative?

The Gigabyte manual, other than noting on page 23 that there is a
"PWR_LED" header, never describes actually connecting it to anything.

Any thoughts?

TIA

 

[kony]

I purchased a CoolMaster Centurion 5 case from New Egg to build a new
computer. I am using a Gigabyte GA-P32-DS4 motherboard.

There are two wires in the Centurion 5 with separate connectors that
are not labeled. They are white and green and they are twisted
together. It was my guess that they were either supposed to be
connected to the "Message/Power/Sleep Led" as listed on page 30 of the
GA-P35-DS4 manual or that they were supposed to be connected to the
"Power_LED" three prong connector on motherboard.

The manual does not identify any of the front panel connectors though
all but these two wires are labeled on their respective connectors.

Also, the Gigabyte manual states that the connectors should be
installed respecting the pins positive and negative assignments. All
of the Centurion front panel connectors have a white and a colored
wire. Is the white wire negative?

The Gigabyte manual, other than noting on page 23 that there is a
"PWR_LED" header, never describes actually connecting it to anything.

Any thoughts?

TIA

It would help if you linked the manual.

What connectors and functions do you presently have
accounted for? It would seem at least (if you're like most
builders) you want power led, HDD led, power button, and
reset button if the case is equipped with reset button.

Which of these do you not have connected yet? If it is the
power LED, then yes you should connect these wires to the
pin positions for that as shown in the manual. Since the
power LED can be reverse connected w/o harm, try it one way
and if it does not light up, reverse the plug positions.

 

[Ajax]

It would help if you linked the manual.

What connectors and functions do you presently have
accounted for? It would seem at least (if you're like most
builders) you want power led, HDD led, power button, and
reset button if the case is equipped with reset button.

Which of these do you not have connected yet? If it is the
power LED, then yes you should connect these wires to the
pin positions for that as shown in the manual. Since the
power LED can be reverse connected w/o harm, try it one way
and if it does not light up, reverse the plug positions.

Here is a link to the manual for the Gigabyte MB. The manual for the
Coolmaster is pretty shabby and does not even mention the front panel
connections.


http://www.gigabyte.co.nz/Support/Motherboard/Manual_DownloadFile.aspx?FileType=Manual&FileID=17967

All but one of the front panel connections has been made: RESET
SWITCH, HARD DRIVE ACTIVE LED, SPEAKER, & POWER SWITCH were easy to
connect.

On the front panel header the one that is missing is the
"MESSAGE/POWER/SLEEP LED" connection. I guess that this is where the
missing green/white twisted pair of wires should go, but there is also
a POWER-LED on the mother board that has no wires connected to it
either.

Either the "MESSAGE/POWER/SLEEP LED" on the front panel header will
be left unconnected or the "POWER-LED" on the motherboard will be
without a connection.

Are the white wires negative? Every pair of wires that group has one
white wire. That would make me think that they were negative.

Three years ago when I built a computer using an Asus board, the
Antec case that I used didn't label the front panel USB and 1394
cables. It took days to resolve that issue and I've been told that
mixing up those connection can damage the MB.

I don't know why these case builders can put a little more effort
into labeling their conductors.

Thanks

 

[John McGaw]

I purchased a CoolMaster Centurion 5 case from New Egg to build a new
computer. I am using a Gigabyte GA-P32-DS4 motherboard.

There are two wires in the Centurion 5 with separate connectors that
are not labeled. They are white and green and they are twisted
together. It was my guess that they were either supposed to be
connected to the "Message/Power/Sleep Led" as listed on page 30 of the
GA-P35-DS4 manual or that they were supposed to be connected to the
"Power_LED" three prong connector on motherboard.

The manual does not identify any of the front panel connectors though
all but these two wires are labeled on their respective connectors.

Also, the Gigabyte manual states that the connectors should be
installed respecting the pins positive and negative assignments. All
of the Centurion front panel connectors have a white and a colored
wire. Is the white wire negative?

The Gigabyte manual, other than noting on page 23 that there is a
"PWR_LED" header, never describes actually connecting it to anything.

Any thoughts?

TIA

I agree that most (all?) case manuals suck but they are not the final
word. It is almost always possible with some effort to simply follow the
wires to where they terminate. Sometimes a bit of front panel
disassembly is required but to save a serious error it is usually worth
delving into the depths. I've found from experience that even
well-finished cases can have rough edges where users aren't expected to
delve so a bit of care is called for when poking around in these places.

As for polarity of the wires (white=negative?) your guess is as good as
anyone's. Given a voltage source and a current limiting resistor it is
possible to find out for sure and to do so quite safely. Keep the
voltage low (3V is safe for almost any LED) and keep the resistor to a
value that will limit current flow to <5mA (470 Ohms is convenient). At
this low current and with a LED with a high forward voltage it might
actually be necessary to look at the LEDs in the dark to see the glow
but damaging them in this setup would be almost impossible.

 

[Andy]

I purchased a CoolMaster Centurion 5 case from New Egg to build a new
computer. I am using a Gigabyte GA-P32-DS4 motherboard.

There are two wires in the Centurion 5 with separate connectors that
are not labeled. They are white and green and they are twisted
together. It was my guess that they were either supposed to be
connected to the "Message/Power/Sleep Led" as listed on page 30 of the
GA-P35-DS4 manual or that they were supposed to be connected to the
"Power_LED" three prong connector on motherboard.
Correct.


The manual does not identify any of the front panel connectors though
all but these two wires are labeled on their respective connectors.

Also, the Gigabyte manual states that the connectors should be
installed respecting the pins positive and negative assignments. All
of the Centurion front panel connectors have a white and a colored
wire. Is the white wire negative?
Yes.


The Gigabyte manual, other than noting on page 23 that there is a
"PWR_LED" header, never describes actually connecting it to anything.

This header is for power LEDs that are connected to 3-position socket
connectors.