How to connect a motherboard, not.

I swapped over two motherboards between tower cases, both W11. Just the motherboards and everything directly connected, processor and ram. The first powered up exactly as expected, but the second did not. I had connected the boards accordingly to the printing on the board surface because I have mislaid the manuals. I suspected the switching leads and it turned out that I had misread the logos and connected the power switch, power leds, hdd leds and reset switch to a USB header adjacent to the correct one. The pin count was identical, including the blank space. I was relieved when the pc booted normally after re positioning the connectors.

tinmar49 said:

I have mislaid the manuals. I suspected the switching leads and it turned out that I had misread the logos and connected the power switch, power leds, hdd leds and reset switch to a USB header adjacent to the correct one. The pin count was identical, including the blank space. I was relieved when the pc booted normally after re positioning the connectors.

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Two identical connectors wiith completely different functions, that's really bad design.
Lucky no apparent damage was done. Have you checked the USB still works?

Replacements for mislaid manuals can usually be found as pdfs downloaded from the manufacturer.

Bree said:

Two identical connectors wiith completely different functions, that's really bad design.
Lucky no apparent damage was done. Have you checked the USB still works?

Replacements for mislaid manuals can usually be found as pdfs downloaded from the manufacturer.

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I think the pinouts are pretty much standard.

Pinouts for the B450M PRO-VDH:

USB header:



Front panel header:



They're not identical. They are mirror images mechanically. However, if the front panel connections are like most cases I've owned, the cabling isn't to a single plug, but to individual one or two pin connectors for the individual functions. Easy to connect to a USB header if the pin spacings are the same. A USB case connector couldn't be plugged into the front panel header.

I'm not sure what connections the OP made to the USB header, but I hope that no harm was done. If it had been me, it would have been a disaster.

I recall on an older Asus motherboard having the System Panel connector bunched in with USB, etc. so I could see having confusion without a manual. The last two Asus boards I built with, Z170 Pro and Z590 A Gaming, both System Panel connectors are off by themselves in one corner of the board. Good design I think by Asus.

You are right, they must be mirror images. I have not tried the USB header as all the USB cabling for that case had already been accounted for. It is unlikely that any damage had been done although I had connected 6 and 8, USB+ to ground.
The object of the exercise was to put the higher spec innards in the higher spec case.