Assembling a computer is not only about connecting large components of the system unit, such as HDD, video card, processor or power supply. During assembly, it is necessary to connect the case itself to the "insides" of the computer. Several important elements are displayed on the body. At a minimum, these are the power and reset buttons, as well as an operation indicator hard disk... If we are talking about more advanced cases, then some connectors can be brought out to the front panel, in particular, USB and headphone or microphone inputs. As part of this article, we will tell you how to connect the front panel of your computer so that all the elements on it work correctly.
At the beginning, it should be noted that several wires must extend from the computer case. In common people they are called "pins" from the English word Pin, which means "Pin" or "Pin". The computer case wires are tiny, and they are connectors that accept the plugs located on motherboard computer. 
Before proceeding directly to connecting the front panel of the computer to the motherboard, you need to decide which wire is responsible for which task. To do this, just look at the labels on the connectors. On them you can find the following designations:
Above are the standard names. The connector responsible for USB can be signed - USB 2.0 and USB 3.0. If they are both signed as USB, then it is easy to identify the connector from the faster data transfer protocol - it has more inputs.
Computer front panel: connecting power and indicator buttons
There is nothing difficult in connecting the front buttons and indicators to the computer motherboard. To do this, you must:
Please note that connectors and plugs are in most cases protected against misconnection. That is, connecting them to each other incorrectly simply will not work without breaking the contacts.
Computer front panel: connect USB and 3.5mm connectors
When connecting the connectors in the front panel of the computer, you must follow the same rules: find a place to connect in the instructions and then connect the plug to the connector. Please note that there is not always a place on the motherboard for connecting the front USB 3.0 connector. If there is nowhere to enable it, you will have to leave it unconnected.
It is worth noting that the connectors for connecting audio outputs can be included in a common block with front indication and power buttons, or they can be located separately on the motherboard. USB connectors are always located separately, and the place of their connection on the motherboard is signed by the designations F_USB, JUSB or USB 3.0. The first two options are typical for a USB 2.0 connector, which connects via 10 pins, while a 3.0 connector requires 20 pins. 
It is quite difficult to make a mistake in the process of connecting buttons, connectors and indications from the front panel. The main thing when performing these works is accuracy, since the shoes for the front connectors on the motherboard are very thin, and unnecessary effort can disable them.
Connecting the motherboard is very interesting, albeit individually. After all, different models may have different connectors, connector locations and features. However, in general terms, you can give a generalized guide to connecting the motherboard, which I will give below.
In this article I will give instructions for connecting the motherboard using the example of ASRock P67 Pro3. It may differ in some ways from other boards, so do not be alarmed if you have something wrong with what I write.
Look carefully and everything will work out. And if it didn't work out, then ask, I'll help you.
So, for convenience, I will give a plan-picture, and they will tell you what and where to connect on the motherboard.
In our case, the motherboard is powered by a 24-channel cable, and the processor from an 8-channel cable. Before connecting the motherboard to power, find these cables, and connect them to the appropriate connectors.
Connecting loops to the motherboard
Flex cables to motherboard and CD-ROM drives. Most modern motherboards support two device interfaces - IDE ATA and Sata.
Connecting cables to the motherboard is carried out in the appropriate connectors: large for ATA, small for Sata. Note that IDE ATA supports connecting two devices at once to one port connector, while Sata allows only one to be connected to one port.
Obviously, when the cables are connected to the motherboard, devices should be connected to their free ends - hard drives or CD-ROM drives with the appropriate ATA or Sata interfaces.
How to connect the motherboard to the case
Before connecting the motherboard to the case, let's make it clear that this expression means connecting it to the front panel - that is, these are the start, restart, speaker (if any) buttons and indicator LEDs.
Among all the aspects discussed above, this trifle is the most difficult, probably for many, and I will not give any general instructions on how to connect the motherboard to the case, since everything is different everywhere.
The front panel of the system unit is connected to the computer motherboard for the operation of buttons, indicators and all connectors. The developers have only those connectors on the front panel that can be turned on and off hot, without turning off the computer. These are all USB connectors, as well as headphones with a microphone. All these connectors are optional, but button outputs and indicators are always needed. Otherwise, the computer will not work. Here we will take a look at how to connect the front panel to the motherboard on various models.
The connectors on the outside of the system unit are marked and have special keys that do not allow putting the wrong cable into the connector. Inside, there is no such protection at all. Any wire can be connected to any pin. There, the same pin connectors are used everywhere with a pitch of 2.5 mm between the contacts. Therefore, all connections must be verified by the inscriptions on the wires and on the motherboard itself. In order not to designate each wire, manufacturers adhere to several standard connection schemes. It turns out a rectangular array of contacts in two or three rows. To find the reference angle, manufacturers leave a key - an unused contact.
Connecting all buttons and status indicators
All buttons and indicators must be connected. Additional connectors are connected as needed, for example, there is simply no audio connector on many motherboards. Also, they often do not connect a microphone, since they do not use it. It is unacceptable to do this with buttons and indicators. They must all be connected.
The motherboard has three groups of contacts for connecting the front panel: a group of indicators and buttons (about 15 contact pins), F-audio (Front Audio) and USB, of which there are usually several on modern models. All of them are connected with wires with appropriate inscriptions. Color coding is also popular but is optional.
The first stage of connection - we identify these three groups on the motherboard and on the wires in system unit... You need to focus on the labels on the connectors and on the board. All this is quite simple if you figure it out. Additionally, you need to clarify: whether the motherboard has a built-in BIOS speaker. If it is, then there are no connectors for its connection.
The group of contacts of indicators and buttons has 3 standard versions. Modern motherboards use a built-in speaker circuit. Exactly 8 contacts are active in it. 2x2 for LEDs and 2x2 for the "Power" "Reset" button.
A motherboard with an external speaker has 10 required pins for connection. In this case, the contact pad has 17. Of these, 3 remain empty at the top (key), and the BIOS speaker is connected to 4 contacts along the edges with a gap of 2 contacts. The pad for 4 contacts for the speaker can be made separately and not included in the general group. It also uses only two contacts. Contacts are identified by the inscriptions on the board.
The exact location of the contacts on the motherboard can always be found in its specification. The technical manual is easy to find online. The main thing is to accurately enter the brand of the motherboard.
The following connectors must be connected to the front panel (in brackets - the inscription on the board for identification):
- "Power" button (denoted as PW, PWR, MSG, LD);
- "Reset" button (marked as "SW" or simply Reset);
- LED power indicator (LED);
- hard disk activity LED (LED HD);
- BOIS speaker (if present, designated as SP or Speaker).
After connecting the required group of contacts, proceed to connecting the front panel connectors with hot-plugging. These are USB and audio connectors.
The process of connecting the front panel of the case of the system unit
USB connectors on motherboards are always the same. This is a group of 9 contacts. Of these, only 8 are active, and the 9th is used as a key. Significant currents are transmitted through the USB port. There's not 10 milliamps like there are in the front panel LEDs. The port does not tolerate misconnection and immediately burns out. When connecting it, you need to be very careful. It is necessary to strictly follow the general rules:the assignment of contacts in the upper and lower rows is strictly the same, they simply belong to different ports and should not be confused;
from the side of the empty contact (key), the upper and lower contacts are ground;
on the opposite side, "power" contacts (designated as "+ 5V");
two middle contacts - data bus. The wires are usually green and white. For them, the correct sequence is also very important.
All groups of 9 USB pins are labeled as "USB1", "USB2" and further by numbers. There are a significant number of them on modern motherboards. The ports operate at the same speed regardless of their number. In terms of architecture, they are all the same. The numbering is included only as a designation of the contact groups on the board.
Sometimes the USB connector is made with a single piece of cable without splitting into separate pins. In this case, you just need to connect the four-pin plug so that the black wire (ground) is on the side of the key.
Connecting the front soundbar to the main board
The audio connector has 4 pins, and their actual number may be higher. This is done for noise immunity. The ground bus is connected many times. These are analog connectors, so the length of the wires (longer than the wire - more noise and interference), especially for a microphone, is critical there. Usually the contact group is located near the sound chip. It is labeled F-Audio. If there are no jumpers on it, then the chip supports operation on many channels.To connect an audio connector, you need its wiring diagram (pinout), which is oriented by an empty contact (key).
How do I connect the motherboard to the front panel that contains all the main buttons and indicators?
Attaching the motherboard to the front panel is a standard computer assembly process.
Before starting the connection process, you should study in detail the appearance of each element of the front panel of the computer case and the order of its connection to the motherboard.
Remember! If you connect items to the main board in the wrong order, some of them may not work or work incorrectly.
Learning the names of all the elements and their location is quite simple. All of them have a specific marking, name and appearance.
Connecting all buttons and status indicators
On any case there are indicators for the status of the computer, LEDs, buttons, disk drives. Other elements may also be present.
On the computer motherboard, there is a separate block for connecting light-diodes (indicate the state of inclusion) and buttons.
The components are connected to this block using four separate connectors.
Their appearance is shown in the figure below. They look the same on all computers, but the phrases they are written on may differ (but they mean the same thing).
The connectors are painted in different colors.
Yellow is for connecting the power button, blue is for the system status LED (lights up when the system is rebooted).
The green connector connects the power button indication light to the computer motherboard (after pressing the power button, the corresponding light turns green).
Red - power button cable.
The connector that connects the speaker to the cabinet can also be colored yellow.
This speaker emits beeping sounds when the computer is turned on, when it detects system errors, or when connected to a wireless network.
All connectors connect to one specific port on the motherboard. Typically, this port is located at the bottom right on the main board of the system.
Computer manufacturers refer to this port as PANEL and its variations (F_PANEL).
Absolutely every motherboard has signatures that indicate what and where to connect. The figure below shows the required port on the board.
The arrows indicate where to connect each of the connectors.
On the main board, you can often find a separate connector for connecting a speaker, which reacts to errors in the BIOS and in the computer hardware.
The location of the connector is shown in the figure:
After connecting the block with buttons and diodes, you can start connecting all the front USB inputs, as well as audio outputs.
The process of connecting the front panel of the case of the system unit
Appearance connectors for USB and sound practically do not differ from those connectors that were described above in the article.
However, unlike the previous connector wires, they are tied together.
Each connector is named (USB and HD AUDIO respectively). The appearance of the wires is shown in the figure below:
The connector for connecting these connectors on the motherboard is located at its bottom and, as a rule, is labeled with the names F_USB1 or F_USB2.
There can be more than two connectors for connection (newer versions of motherboards).
It doesn't matter which wire to connect to.
All inputs are absolutely identical, the order of their connection does not in any way affect the operation of the components on the front panel of the computer.
It is also impossible to go wrong with the correct side of the connector.
The USB connector can only be connected one way.
Follow the instructions:
- Find the connector named F_USB;
- Locate the corresponding connectors on the motherboard. Their location is shown in the figure;
- Connect the connectors to any of the connectors on the board.
Note! If your computer case indicates that you are using USB 3.0, you only need to connect the connector to a specific connector. Which one, you can read in the instructions that come with the motherboard.
Connecting the front soundbar to the main board
Now you need to connect your audio devices to the motherboard. All steps are almost the same as how to connect USB connectors.
The connectors are also connected together.
This way you will be able to connect all the components to your computer's motherboard without error.
On most motherboards, all audio connectors are located near the USB connectors. The approximate location of the ports can be seen in the figure below:
Most often, audio connectors are labeled as AC 97.
In this article, you will learn how to connect the power switch, reset and LEDs, as well as audio and USB ports to your motherboard. Before trying to connect them, it is very important to know the location and polarity of the connection. To do this, you need to find diagrams in the motherboard manual that will tell you exactly where each set of pins is located on the motherboard, or use the information in this article.
Connecting LEDs and Power Buttons
The computer case has power buttons that connect to the motherboard, and LEDs to indicate the activity of the motherboard. You must connect these buttons and LEDs to the motherboard using the wires from the front of the case shown in Figure # 1, into the connector on the motherboard (Figure # 2). The inscription on the motherboard near the panel connector shows where each wire is connected and the polarity of each of them, however, the inscriptions with the designations are not always present on the motherboard.
Locate the front panel connectors in the computer case (see Figure 1). Next, we find the connector on the motherboard, usually it is located at the bottom of the motherboard, and is signed with the inscription PANEL1 or JFP1, it can be in different designs (see Fig. 2.0, 2.1).
Rice. # 1. Front panel connectors. 
Fig. 2.0. Front panel connector on the motherboard. 
Fig. 2.1. Front panel connector on the motherboard.
The system cable group shown in picture # 1 has two wires that are color coded. Black or white wire is ground (GND), and other colors (red, blue, green, orange) are power. Connection is carried out from left to right, when connected, All positive contacts will always be on the left except for the reset button, however, the polarity of the buttons is unimportant, since the buttons close the contacts when pressed.
Just install these wires to the connector of the same name on the motherboard observing the polarity of the LEDs.
Fig. 2.2. Front panel wire polarity. The following are the possible shorthand names for these that will be written on the connectors themselves.
PWR-SW, PW SW, PW= Power Switch (no polarity required). A power button control that allows you to turn the computer on and off.
PWR-LED, P-LED, MSG= Power LED (polarity required). The indicator shows when the computer is on or in standby mode.
RES-SW, R-SW, RES= Reset Switch (no polarity required). Reset button to restart the computer.
HDD-LED, HD= Hard Disk Drive LED (polarity required). This indicator blinks while writing and reading information from the hard disk.
SPK, SPKR, SPEAK= Internal Speaker (polarity required) used to sound the beeps you hear from your computer when it boots up.
Fig. 3. Pinout of the front panel contacts on the motherboard Connecting the front panel USB to the motherboard
First, we find the USB connector on the motherboard, usually it is located at the bottom of the motherboard and is signed with the inscription F_USB or USB. Also, on each wire connector (Fig. 4.0), you can read its value, which can be + 5V (or VCC or Power), D +, D - and GND.
Figure No. 4.0. USB polarity. 
Fig. 4.1. USB connection 2.0 front panel to motherboard. 
Fig. 4.2. Connecting USB 3.0 front panel to motherboard. 
Fig. 4.3. USB 2.0 connection to the motherboard. Connecting front panel audio to motherboard
To use these connectors, your motherboard must have an onboard sound card (in other words, onboard audio). However, the installation is not as easy as it sounds, and in today's column we will explain how to do it.
There is a small black connector at the end of each wire, and in this connector we can read the function of the wire. You will find the following wires: Mic In (or Mic Data), Ret L, Ret R, L Out (or Ear L), R Out (or Ear R), and two Gnd (or Ground). If you look closely, you will see the Ret L and L Out wires connected to each other, the same happens between the Ret R and R Out wires.
Fig. 5.0. Connecting audio to the motherboard. You should find the location of these wires in your motherboard. This place is labeled as Audio, External Audio, Ext Audio, Front Audio, F Audio, HD Audio or something like that. This connector consists of a 9-pin connector and there are two jumpers that connect some of these pins. The exact position of this connector varies depending on the motherboard model.
Fig. 5.1. View of the audio plug on the motherboard. To install the wires, the first step is to understand the pin numbering system of the motherboard connector. The connector has nine pins, but the connector is considered 10-pin because one of the pins has been removed (pin 8). Jumpers connect pins 5 & 6 and 9 & 10. Since there is a space without a pin (pin 8), it is easy to find the numbering of the other pins.
Fig. 5.2. Audio pinout on the motherboard. Remove the jumpers. Wire connection should be done as follows: Mic In to pin 1; Gnd - pins 2 and 3; R Output to pin 5; Ret R for pin 6; L Output to pin 9 and Ret L to pin 10.
