Motherboard Replacement

Boy ain't life great. I purchased a motherboard D845HV to replacement my damage ASUS. The specs on the new board were perfect, but the one thing I never thought to check was the internal power switch connector compatibility. Guess what??? That's right, the board socket doesn't match the switch connector. I now have PC with a new motherboard that I can't power up. Does anyone know were I can find a power switch that will match my new board connector? I know I can hard wire and leave the computer on all the time, but I'm not sure which pins on the mobo socket will turn on the computer.

 

bmartin, do not "hotwire" the switch! The switch shorts the "power on" pins momentarily, it should not be constantly shorted or you will cause all sorts of problems with the motherboard (and probably other parts of the system).

I suggest you go shopping for a new case and PSU, most likely will save you time and money in the long run. They range widely in price, but you probably get what you pay for. Most of the well-known brands have quite a large range. Stay away from the el-cheapos though.

Matt

 

Mattman are you telling me that the only way I can match the pin setup on my new motherboard with a new cable and switch is to buy a new case and PSU.

 

Remove the wires out of the plastic connectors and plug them directly onto the pins of the motherboard.

 

I have a feeling that the switch is similar to an AT power system "always on / always off" type (going way back to your original switch problem with the old motherboard). ATX power system switches send a momentary signal to the motherboard, the motherboard then takes control of the power system.

One way we will find out! You mentioned somewhere that the old motherboard was an Asus. What was the model number? We can soon tell from looking at the mobo manual why you are having these switch problems.

I would not try to fire up the new mobo until we are certain that there will not be any damage done.

If the original machine was a branded type, like a Compaq, HP, Dell or IBM, it is probably (virtually) non-upgradable OR can only be upgraded with original OEM parts...that's the way they make 'em .

Other way may be to take it to a repairer. He will probably tell you in seconds. (Check out the price of his/her cases+PSUs first )

Matt

 

Not staying long but just to clarify - somewhat confused? I'm assuming the reference to internal power switch connector is the two pin power header on the MoBo connecting to "whatever" comes from your case's power switch. Mattman is oh so right if you have an AT case as is ssmith10pn if you have an ATX case. Regardless, don't connect any wires to the two moBo power pins for the time being - these are to be connected to a momentary contact switch only. For testing, you can bridge them (two pins) with the tip of a small ***** driver to turn power on or off - concept is simple - "momentary contact ". That should at least permit you a way to test and see if the MoBo will fire up.


edit: ***** driver is a metal rod with a plastic handle that has a flat blade or phillips head. In this case use a small flat blade (censored ***** driver).

 

My old mobo was a ASUS P4U-LA with an ATX power connector. Let me clarify. I am talking about the connection on the mobo where the front power on button cable connects. The old mobo had a 7 pin socket and the new mobo has a 4 pin connection. Mattman I understand the OEM thing, but surely someone in the world has a power switch withe the type of connector I need.

 

Common Connectors
Power On is two wires and +/- orientation doesn't matter
Reset is two wires and +/- orientation doesn't matter
HDD LED is 2 wires and +/- orientation does matter
Power LED is 2 wires and +/- orientation does matter (usually an open pin in-between)
Speaker is 2 wires on a 4 outlet in-line plug and +/- orientation does matter
Your Modular Plug
Get out an exacto knife and put on your best glasses.
Check your old board's manual for specifics to decipher your wires.
You are going to need to cut/split the modular connector accordingly.

Some of the older HP's had a similar modular connector that was moBo specific but with a little ingenuity and a lot of patience, almost anything is do-able.

Can still test with a (censored) ***** driver.

 

bmartin, I could not quite remember the details of your previous posts and did not want to see you fry your new motherboard and/or CPU.I think I may have been getting confused with other peoples questions as well. Now that I realise that the sky is not falling , it looks like you may not be far from acheiving your goal. You should be able to do it if you can slice up the connector block as Rockster suggests.

Here's luck
Matt

 

Thanks guys for the info. I'm off to the dark room to try a power up just as soon as I get my new fan and heatsink in for the processor. I assume I can't or shouldn't fire up the motherboard without the processor installed?????

 

It wouldnt be a "Good thing" if it even came on.

 

Correction-
Just looked at your new MoBo manual. Apparantly +/- orientation is going to matter on both your Power Switch and Reset Switch (uncommon, but can't argue with the Mfg, Intel). Pinouts as follows:
PWR Sw - (6+,
Reset - (5-, 7+)
HDD LED (1+, 3-)
Power LED (12-, 16+)

 

bmartin, I might have to start yelling again!
Read through the motherboard manual. It will (or should) tell you the exact point at which to apply power. In fact, don't do anything until you have read through the manual, then follow the manual at each step. I do this when building a brand new unit, even though I have built, rebuilt and upgraded over a hundred.

Don't risk damage to your new system. Learn all about it from the manual.

Matt
PS. The motherboard manual is your friend!

 

Mattman, yell all you want. I can't hear you....

 

Ok, me again. Where do I find the manual for the ASUS p4u-la mobo. Intel has a great site for looking up information, but I didn't find ASUS site very friendly.

If you are wondering why I am asking this question the answer is simple, I can't get the new mobo to fire up. I put the old mobo back in and fire it up and my heat sink fan comes on for about 5 second and then shuts down. This tells me that the power to the mobo is turning off probably because the processor was damage when I force it out of the socket. I am now looking for another P4, 1.5GHz, 400mb, 256k, 478 processor or greater, but I need to know what the ASUS mobo will support. the information at HP doesn't give me that info. Can anyone help me find the manual for the ASUS mobo?

Life's great. I hope how soon my new PC gets here.

 

Can't hear you

 

Following a day of reflection - Not sure, but think this is what you were looking for to go along with that hearing aid and your scholarship to the College of Knowledge's listening course #101.


edit: punch in P4U and select Motherboard Name - the specific link won't paste but this will get you there.

 

ANYWAY....see...I'm yelling again...you can't see me jumping up and down and waving my arms either.

bmartin, if the processor is not badly damaged, see if you can get the pins straight. If everything is intact, carefully reallign the pins if you can. I have had a time when one pin on the processor was bent (90 degrees) and I managed to straighten it, another when the processor was put in at an angle and half the pins were bent...straightened (most) and it worked. If the pins are still there, see if you can get them straight. Be conscious of your electrostatics.

Test on the HP board. Don't risk your new board.

Matt

 

Mattman, I did what you suggested about the pins. I was sitting here thinking about this mess and just couldn't believe what I actually damaged anything. So I started looking at the processor with a magnifying glass and I did see a couple of the pins on one corner bent a little. I got real happy that I found this situation. I corrected the pins and inserted the processor in the old motherboard with the same results. The PC start up and within 5 second shut down with the exception of the power supply fan. I will take the processor out and examine the pins again. This is fun. Don't know if I will ever get this PC working again, but I am learning a lot about mobo and processor. Of course by the next time I need to know it again who knows what I will remember.

 

bmartin:
What are you doing for thermal past each time you are pulling this puppy out and re-inserting? Also, you might want to consider clearing clearing CMOS before your next attempt. If you get a screen then set your BIOS to default for your first boot.