The motherboard has many connectors for connecting various devices. This is a processor, video card, RAM and others. Sometimes, for whatever reason, they also prefer to use not the built-in sound and network card, but separate ones installed in PCI and PCI-E connectors. There are usually no problems with their connection, it is enough to install the card in its slot. But sometimes there is a need to completely disassemble the computer and independently replace the motherboard in order to upgrade, or a burned-out motherboard with a similar new one. There is nothing super complicated in this, but, as elsewhere, there are nuances. For the motherboard and the devices installed in it to work, you need to connect the power to it. In motherboards manufactured before 2001-2002, power was supplied to the motherboards using the connector 20 pin.
Power connector 20-pin female
Such a connector had a special latch on the body to prevent spontaneous removal of the connector, for example, in case of shaking, during transportation. In the picture, it is at the bottom.
With the advent of Pentium 4 processors, a second 4-pin 12 volt connector was added, which was connected separately to the motherboard. Such connectors are called 20 + 4 pin... Since about 2005, power supplies and motherboards began to go on sale 24 + 4 pin... This connector adds 4 more pins (not to be confused with 4 pin 12 volts). They can be both connected to a common connector and then 20 pin turn into 24 pin or connect with a separate 4 pin connector.
This is for power compatibility with older motherboards. But in order for the computer to turn on, it is not enough to supply power to the motherboard. This is in ancient computers, in which there were AT format motherboards, the computer was turned on after the power supply was applied to the power supply, with a switch or a power button with latching. In ATX format power supplies, to turn them on, you need to close the terminals of the power supply PS-ON and COM... By the way, in this way you can check the ATX format power supply by closing these conclusions with a wire or an unbent paper clip.
Turning on the power supply
In this case, the power supply should turn on, the cooler will start to rotate and voltage will appear on the connectors. When we press the power button on the front panel of the system unit, we send a kind of signal to the motherboard that the computer needs to be turned on. Also, if we press the same button while the computer is running and hold it for about 4-5 seconds, the computer will turn off. Such a shutdown is undesirable, because programs may crash.
Power switch connector
Computer power button ( Power) and the reset button ( Reset) are connected to the computer motherboard using connectors Power switch and Reset switch... They look like two-pin black plastic connectors that have two wires, white (or black) and a colored one. With similar connectors, the power indication is connected to the motherboard, on a green LED, signed on the connector as Power Led and an indicator of the hard drive on the red LED HDD Led.
Connector Power Led often split into two connectors, one pin each. This is due to the fact that on some motherboards these connectors are located next to each other, just like on HDD Led, while on other motherboards they are separated by a place for a pin.
The figure above shows the connection of the connectors Front panel or the front panel of the system unit. Let's take a closer look at the connection Front panel. Bottom row, on the left, the connectors for connecting the hard drive LED (HDD Led) are highlighted in red (plastic), next is the connector SMI highlighted in blue, then the connector for connecting the power button is highlighted in light green (Power Switch), then the reset button is highlighted in blue (Reset Switch). Top row, starting from the left, Power LED in dark green (Power Led), Keylock in brown, and Speaker in orange (Speaker). The polarity must be observed when connecting the Power Led, HDD Led and Speaker connectors.
Also, a lot of questions arise for beginners when connecting to the front panel. USB connectors... The connector strip located on the back of the computer and the internal card reader are connected in the same way.
As you can see from the two above figures, card readers and brackets are connected using an 8-pin fusion connector.
But connecting USB connectors to the front panel is sometimes difficult because the pins of this connector are disconnected.
Connection USB to the motherboard - diagram
They bear markings similar to the ones we saw on the front panel connectors. As everyone knows, the USB connector uses 4 pins: power +5 volts, ground and two pins for data transfer D- and D +. In the connector for connecting to the motherboard, we have 8 pins, 2 USB ports.
If the connector will still consist of separate pins, the colors of the wires to be connected can be seen in the figure above. In addition to the power buttons, reset, indication and USB connectors, the front panel contains jacks for connecting a microphone and headphones. These sockets are also connected to the motherboard with separate pins.
The jacks are connected in such a way that when the headphones are connected, the speakers connected to the jack are turned off. Line-Out at the back of the motherboard. The connector to which the jacks on the front panel are connected is called FP_Audio, or Front Panel Audio... This connector can be seen in the figure:
The pinout or pinout on the connector can be seen in the following figure:
Connecting fp audio
There is one caveat here, if you used a case with jacks for a microphone and headphones, and then wanted to change to a case without such jacks. Accordingly, without connecting the connectors fp_audio to the motherboard. In this case, when connecting speakers to the Line-Out there will be no sound from the motherboard. In order for the built-in sound card to work, you need to set two jumpers (jumpers) on 2 pairs of contacts, as in the figure below:
Such jumpers - jumpers are used for installation on motherboards, video, sound cards and other devices to set operating modes.
The jumper inside is arranged very simply: it has two sockets that are interconnected. Therefore, when we put a jumper on two adjacent pins - contacts, we close them together.
There are also soldered LPT and COM ports on motherboards. In this case, a bracket is used for connection with the output of the corresponding connector on the rear wall of the system unit.
When installing, you need to be careful not to connect the connector incorrectly, on the contrary. The motherboards also have connectors for. Their number is, depending on the model of the motherboard, equal to two, in cheap models of motherboards, up to three in more expensive ones. These connectors connect the processor cooler and the exhaust cooler located on the rear wall of the case. The third connector can be used to connect a cooler installed on the front wall of the system unit for injection, or a cooler installed on the chipset heatsink.
All these connectors are interchangeable, since they are mainly three-pin, with the exception of the four-pin connectors for connecting processor coolers.
Hello everyone! In this article, I will clearly show how to properly connect the buttons (POWER, RESET) and front panel devices (F_PANEL, F_AUDIO and F_USB). It's not tricky, but it's worth your attention.
First, a couple of tips:
Let me examine this case clearly on an old motherboard from Gigabyte, model GA-945GCM-S2C. I must say right away - I drew the connection diagrams exclusively for this article and for a specific example, the colors of the wires you will have will differ. The main thing is to understand the meaning of the connection and implement (check) it on your PC.
This picture shows the motherboard connectors for connecting connectors.
Basically (there are exceptions) under the connectors, the order of connecting the connectors and the polarity are written in small print. In my case, it says:
PWR_LED (three connectors) - indication of the switched on computer;
PW- (PWRSW) - PC power on button;
RES + (RESET) - button to restart the PC;
HD- (IDE_LED, HDD_LED) - hard disk access LED;
SPEAK- (SPEAKER) - the same signal (s) that the computer emits when turned on, if an error is detected.
The connectors look like this (see screenshots)
Each connector has two wires:
POWER LED (green, white);
H.D.D. LED (yellow, white);
POWER SW (black, white);
RESET SW (orange, white);
SPEAKER (black, red).
In this case, white is minus "-" or Ground, and colored is "+". The SPEAKER connector (black, red) has a black "+" and a red "-". To determine the polarity of the connectors, it is enough to turn it over to the back side - we see on opposite one of the wiring a small black triangle - this is "+".
We proceed to the next stage, connecting the front additional USB connectors and a card reader to the F_USB2 and F_USB1 connectors (there is no difference, but it is better to start in order). If the connector is already "soldered", i.e. all wiring is collected in one block - the process is greatly simplified.
We simply plug this "big" connector consisting of: eight wires, one empty and one soldered connector (ten in total) so that the EMPTY connector matches the SEALED socket in the connector. (see screenshots)
But, if you have a bundle of wires as in the picture, I will draw a visual diagram :)
Here we see: POWER (Power - 2 pcs.), GND (Ground - "ground" 2 pcs.), D3 + (plus), D3- (minus) for one usb port and D2 + (plus), D2- (minus) for another port. As you may have guessed, the two POWER connectors are identical and can be swapped, just like GND. The main thing is not to confuse the places of POWER and GND.
So now it remains to figure out how to connect the F_AUDIO connectors for the microphone and headphones.
Again, if you are lucky and there is a large 10-slot connector from the front panel, just insert it (you definitely can't go wrong here). My case is more interesting ... :) Ah, these are the connectors: SPK R (right channel output to the front panel), SPK L (left channel output to the front panel), MIC (microphone output to the front panel) and GND.
Dear newbie of information business, your first acquaintance with the device of a personal computer took place. Now you know which components are included in the system unit of a personal computer (PC), which external devices are connected to it. How do PC components and external devices physically connect? For this purpose are used
The PC architecture implements trunk-modular principle of building a computer. The modular principle allows you to change the configuration of the computer and carry out its modernization. Installing additional expansion cards provides this opportunity. In addition to installing sound cards, video cards, internal modems, etc. necessary for the user, it is possible to connect additional non-standard external devices (Web cameras, digital cameras, etc.).
The modular organization is based on the trunk (bus) principle of information exchange between devices. The backbone principle of construction is that all devices are controlled and exchange information through one common highway (computer system bus), which includes three buses. One bus for data exchange, another for address transmission, and the third for control.
The PC can be schematically represented as follows:
Computer system bus (highway) can be simplified as a set of cables and electrical conductors on the PC motherboard.
A motherboard with used slots and buses can be represented:
North bridge Is a system controller. He is responsible for the exchange of information with the processor, RAM and video adapter (graphics controller).
South bridge Is a functional controller (I / O controller). Hard disks, optical drives, audio system, network card, keyboard, mouse, etc. are connected to it through the corresponding connectors.
In reality, inside the PC system unit, the components are connected using slots (special connectors), cables, loops (flat cables), wire bundles that end in connectors:
The motherboard itself looks like this:
External devices are connected to connectors and sockets located on the outside of the PC system unit (back and front) or laptop (on the sides or back):
The mating connectors are as follows:
Power cables(220v)
Power Supply ASUS laptop
PS / 2 plugs for connecting a keyboard (purple) and a mouse (green).
LPT cable.The LPT (parallel port) port was mainly used to connect printers. Modern models of printers provide for connection to a USB port.
The COM port (serial port) is mainly used for connecting modems.
USB cable. The USB port was developed later than the above ports. Most peripheral devices are connected via the USB port: modems, printers, scanners, flash drives, portable hard drives, digital cameras, etc.
VGA cable. Used to connect a monitor.
Internet Cable (Intranet) ( RJ-45 connector)
Slot connector typesused on the motherboard (ISA or EISA, PCI, AGP):
Slots with PCI slot (female):
and sound card withPCI slot (male):
PCI slots used to connect an internal modem, sound card, network card, SCSI disk controller.
Slots with ISA connector (Mother). The ISA interface is deprecated. In modern PCs, it is usually absent.
PCISA FlipPOST Diagnostic Board with Connectors PCI and ISA (dad) by PCZWiz
Slot with AGP connector(dad is at the top, mom is at the bottom).
The AGP interface is designed to connect a video adapter to a separate bus, with an output directly to the system memory.
Slot with UDMA connector(dad is on the right, mom is on the left).
Hard drives and more are connected to it.
It should be noted that each type of slot has its own color. Having opened access to the motherboard, you can easily navigate. But it is better that this is not useful to you. But the cables that connect external devices to the PC, "you need to know by sight." Remember that the mom and dad of the connector must be the same color. Always remember about the coincidence of the color of the father and mother connectors, or know what the colors of the connectors on the PC (laptop) case mean.
Take, for example, a standard sound card:
Linear audio output to the speaker is always green.
Line-in for sound amplification is always blue.
The microphone connector is always pink.
Match them with the plugs:
The color design of the connectors will help you. True, the colors of the PC makers are not unified. For example, some have a purple keyboard connector, others a red or gray one. Therefore, pay attention to the special characters that mark the connectors. In this case, it will not be difficult for you to find out :
The interface cables for external devices are unique. You will not insert it into another connector on the PC (the design and number of slots are different). All this will help you move your PC (laptop) from place to place without prompting anyone. You will be able to properly connect devices and cables to your PC. I hope that the presented material will help you with this.
Now you know what it is PC ports, PC slots, PC connectors, PC cables. For more information on connectors and how to use them, with excellent color illustrations, see
If you are a beginner regardless of age, please leave your comment. And if you are a pensioner, then mark it. After all, we are colleagues! We need to help each other!
Published: 16.01.2017Hello my dear readers, today I would like to touch upon such an important topic as the base connectors of the system unit. Let's see what they are for and what can be connected to them?
I personally believe that every user who uses a computer more or less often is simply obliged to know the main connectors of the system unit in order to subsequently be able to connect new equipment to the computer or be able to assemble a computer in a new place.
Many of you have probably already come across assembling a computer, but surely few did everything right the first time. In this article, I would like to consider the main connectors of the system unit and figure out what they are for, so that in the future you will not have any problems when assembling a computer or installing new equipment.
So, let's begin. Below I will give a typical system unit with explanations. Later we will figure out what each specific port is for.
In the picture we see a typical system unit, a little outdated, but I think it will work for ours.
Connectors for network cables
At the very top of the system unit, we see the power supply connector (or PSU for short) for connecting the computer to the network. Under it, a sticker is usually still molded with the permitted input voltage. For example 220 V. Under the connector there is a tobler, which can be switched to positions "0" and "I". Correspondingly, 0 - current supply is not allowed, I - current supply is allowed.
Now a little about what a power supply is. A power supply is a voltage converter that is present in every system unit. It receives current from your home network and converts it into the one necessary for the computer to work, and it also distributes it using its wiring between the internal components of your system unit. Such as motherboard, hard drives, video card and external coolers. It looks something like this:
And more productive and modern like this:
Like the main system unit, it also has its own specialized connectors for connecting the internal components of the system unit itself to it. There are some hard drives, others for coolers, and others for the motherboard. But today we will not delve into the power supply connectors in detail, because the article is not about that. And if the power supply is already installed in the system unit, then everything has already been connected before you.
However, the power supply itself is not simply plugged into the outlet. A special network cable is required. It looks like this:
One end of the cable is plugged into a regular outlet, and the other is connected to the connector in the power supply. Therefore, in order to power our system unit with all its internal components, we need to connect the power supply to the outlet using a cable and switch the toggle switch on the power supply to the "I" position.
Motherboard connectors
So, we figured out the power supply. Now let's move on to the motherboard connectors. This is the largest and most basic board inside your system unit, which is why the largest number of different connectors comes from it. By the way, it looks something like this:
And from the connectors on it, the most common are ps / 2 ports, usb sockets, graphic connectors, a connector for a network cable and outputs for audio devices (microphone, speakers, amplifier, etc.)
Keyboard and mouse connectors
The topmost row of motherboard connectors contains two PS / 2 ports.
.jpg)
They are always nearby and serve to connect the keyboard and mouse. Green for connecting a mouse, purple for connecting a keyboard. The connectors are exactly the same, differ only in color. Therefore, they are often confused with each other. Even the color difference doesn't help. Indeed, for most users, the computer is located below, under the table, with its rear panel turned to the wall, where pitch darkness reigns. There is only one way out of this situation - a pocket flashlight. But there is also a little trick. The connector for the mouse is most often on the right side, and for the keyboard on the left. This connector is outdated for a long time, recently it can be found less and less. On the latest models where it is still used, these two ports are combined into one and can connect both a mouse and a keyboard.
Obsolete connectors
After the PS / 2 connectors for the mouse and keyboard on modern motherboards, there are usually usb 2.0 and usb 3.0 ports immediately, but on earlier motherboards there are still such monsters that are incomprehensible to a modern user:
This is a parallel LPT connector. It is an outdated connector and has long been replaced by a universal USB port, which I will describe below. The LTP connector was once developed by IBM and was used to connect peripheral devices (printers, modems, etc.) in the MS-DOS system.
You may also encounter a port like this:
This is a serial COM port. It is also obsolete. The word sequential means that data is transmitted on it sequentially, one bit at a time. It used to be used to connect terminals, network devices and mice. It is now sometimes used to connect satellite receivers, uninterruptible power supplies and security systems.
Below are the USB ports that most of you are already familiar with. These are exactly the ones into which we insert our flash drives, printers, usb chargers for phones and much more. Currently, there are several types of these ports. The most popular of them are usb 2.0 and usb 3.0.
They differ in color and data transfer rate. The USB 2.0 port is black and has an effective data transfer rate of about 30 MB / s, while the USB 3.0 port has about 300 MB / s. USB 3.0 ports are always blue or bright blue.
Of course, dividing all usb ports into 3.0 and 2.0 is a barbaric method on my part, because there were and still are many different submodifications such as usb 2.0 full-speed, usb 2.0 high-speed and usb 3.1, but for our purposes I think of dividing by 2.0 and 3.0 will be more than enough. If you suddenly become interested in learning about transitional options, you can open Wikipedia. Everything is detailed there.
I probably won't dwell on usb ports in more detail, because today every student knows what they are used for. Let me just say that these ports are able not only to transmit data, but can also transmit low voltage current. Hence all these usb chargers for mobile devices. They also support branching. This means that with sufficient voltage and the presence of a usb hub (in the common language of an extension cord), up to 127 devices can be connected to one usb port.
Ethernet socket
There is an Ethernet socket under or near the usb ports.
It is used to connect the computer to an internal network or Ethernet WAN. It all depends on the circumstances and wishes of the owner. Computers are connected to a global network or combined into local networks, of course, not just like that, but by means of a network cable. On both ends of which there are RJ 45 connectors for connecting to the connectors of network devices. Here is a view of a standard network cable:
Audio connectors
This board features Jack 3.5 connectors. Located in the lowest row of motherboard connectors, they are used to connect various acoustic input / output devices to the computer.
The pink connector is used to connect a microphone, more precisely, for sound input devices. Green is a line-out and is required for audio output devices (headphones, speakers). The blue connector is used to receive an audio signal from external subsystems (radio, portable or other player, or TV)
If your motherboard has 6 connectors, then your sound card is designed to work in 4-channel mode as well. The orange connector, in this case, is for connecting a subwoofer (woofer speaker). Gray for extra side. Black for rear (rear).
Recently, the color designations of connectors are rather arbitrary and, if necessary, are reconfigured with the help of drivers as needed for other functions. For example, to connect additional headphones to the microphone jack, it is enough to indicate to the driver that this device is an output device (speakers or headphones) when connected.
Video connectors
Well, at the very bottom, separately from the motherboard connectors, we see video connectors coming from an external video card or between the motherboard connectors if you have one built-in. A short explanation of the differences. An external (discrete) graphics card is one that is detached from the motherboard. That is, it is not soldered there, but is connected using the PCI-Express connector on the motherboard. As a rule, an external video card is much more powerful than a built-in video card. The built-in video card is soldered into the motherboard and, in fact, is its integral part. For the past few years, integrated video cards have been part of the processor and, during operation, takes power from it and separates a part of the RAM.
Video connectors are needed to connect monitors or TVs to a computer. Sometimes you can find a TV-out for connecting a television antenna, but this is more often only in those cases when another additional board is purchased and installed to receive a TV signal in the system unit. Usually you can find only video connectors for connecting monitors.
The most common at the moment is the HDMI (High Definition Multimedia Interface) interface.
This interface is present in modern video cards, monitors and televisions. The main feature of HDMI is the ability to transmit high-definition digital video signal (HDTV with a resolution up to 1920 × 1080 pixels), as well as multichannel digital audio and control signals over one cable.
Slightly less common, but also fairly common, is DisplayPort.
In terms of technical characteristics, it does not differ much from the HDMI connector, but unlike the previous one, it does not require any license fees from the manufacturer. Thanks to this, it is quickly gaining popularity among manufacturers. Currently, this port is being actively supplanted by the Thunderbolt connector, which looks exactly the same, supports backward compatibility and at the same time has much more capabilities. The data transfer rate of the Thunderbolt connector is up to 40 Gbps. It has lower power consumption and allows you to connect up to two monitors with 4K resolution or one with 5K resolution.
The first of the obsolete monitor connectors is called DVI.
This is a connector designed to transmit images to high-precision digital display devices. Developed by the Digital Display Working Group
The analog connector for connecting legacy monitors is called VGA
The connector is considered obsolete. And it is used to connect analog monitors. In such monitors, the signal is transmitted line by line. Moreover, when the voltage changes, the screen brightness changes. This connector was developed back in 1987 by IBM
The front panel on the case of the system unit has nothing to do with the rest of the "insides" of the computer. This means that if you manually disconnect it for cleaning or, which is a little more difficult, when replacing the motherboard, you will have to connect the front panel yourself. Further, it will be described in detail how to do this as correctly as possible.
Stages of connecting the front panel to the motherboard
Let's consider the main points in connecting the front panel to the "motherboard":Stage 1
The first step is to find the main loop with 4 (sometimes 5-6) plugs. There might be some difference in names, color, etc.There can be many more plugs, it depends on the type of front panel / motherboard. But following the scheme on the "motherboard", it will not be difficult to connect all of them faultlessly. The description of the circuit is a little further in the article.
The plugs shown in the photo above mean the following:
- POWERSW (or PWRBTN) - activates manipulations on the panel.
- H.D.D.LED (or HDLED) - a light that blinks when the hard disk is working.
- POWERLED + and - (or PLED) - a light on the computer's on / off button; if the computer is working, it is on, and vice versa; can be a solid plug.
- RESTARTSW (or RESET) - activates the computer restart button.
- SPEAKER is a small speaker that emits a squeak when there is a problem with the computer.
Connecting a SPEAKER plug is desirable, since such a squeak signal helps to save the motherboard from damage, instantly notifying the user about critical problems, about incorrect connection of any plug or connection to the wrong socket. Also, this sound effect allows you to assess the overall performance of the computer.
The names of these plugs may vary, but not by much. For example, instead of POWERSW, PW can be specified. And instead of RESTARTSW - just RES. Comparing the first letters of the names of plugs and connectors, you can easily understand which plug should be connected where. Colors also help, which often match the color of the cables from the plugs. But first of all, it is the names that need to be compared, followed by the colors, because they can differ, unlike the names.
Stage 2
The plugs must be inserted into one large socket (FRONTPANEL or F_PANEL) on the edge of the motherboard. It usually looks like this:
To connect the wires to the connectors the right way, you can simply look at the plug itself. If it lacks one contact (iron "spoke"), then you need to connect this place, in accordance with another empty space on the motherboard, in the connector. Side mounts on some sockets and plugs can also help (mounts should be on the same side). Additionally, you can navigate by the colors in the connector or visual prompts in the form of shiny contacts, etc. As a rule, the plugs are connected with the inscription "towards themselves" or towards the inscriptions on the motherboard (diagram).
When all of the above is missing, you can insert the plug either way. The main thing is that the process goes smoothly and without the use of brute force. If the plug is not connected to the connector even with little effort, it means that the wire is connected incorrectly.
Below, under the colored connectors, the places where you need to connect the plugs are schematically indicated (signed). For example, according to the diagram under the connectors, the plug (POWERSW), which is responsible for the computer's power button, should be connected to the red socket (the second from the left, from the top, signed as PW). All other wires are connected to the locations indicated in the diagram accordingly.
The documentation accompanying the computer, if any, also contains tips for connecting the plugs to the sockets. These prompts look like this:
As you can see in the figure, the documents even decode the names of the plugs and abbreviations in the diagram. For example, RES - ResetSwitch (Russian "reset button"), etc.
Stage 3
The plugs responsible for the operation of the USB ports on the front panel are connected in a slightly different and simpler way. The USB plug looks like this:
The connector for this plug may have the following names:
- F_USB1 / F_USB2;
- USB1 / USB2;
- or all of the sockets for this plug may simply be referred to as USB.
An interesting fact is that if you insert a USB 3.0 plug into a standard USB connector, the device will work. But its speed will not be like USB 3.0, but lower, because the connector only supports standard USB (2.0). If suddenly there is no USB 3.0 socket on the motherboard or it cannot be found, this method can help.
Stage 4
Connecting audio (headphones / microphone) on the front panel is identical to the previously described processes.Take the plug from the front panel with the name AC97 or HDAUDIO and insert it into the connector with the corresponding inscription:
- A_AUDIO
- AUDIO
- AAFP etc.
If it still doesn't sound, the problem might be. After rebooting the computer and "getting" into the BIOS system, you should check the front panel and its characteristics. Sometimes it happens that the HDAUDIO plug is connected, and the BIOS recognized the connected device as AC 97. This defect is solved by changing the wrong driver in the BIOS to the one connected in the motherboard.
Video instruction on connecting the front panel to the "motherboard"
The following video explains the process of connecting the plugs to the connectors on the motherboard with an illustrative example and in all details.The described way of connecting the front panel is suitable for any motherboard: msi, gigabyte, asus, asrock. The only differences, as already mentioned, may be hidden in the labels on the sockets and connectors, their location on the motherboard, color scheme, etc. Otherwise, the connection process will always be identical.
