Power switches and such

[doug91]

Ok, so I'm new to build custom cases from scratch. I got a wood pc case all drawn up and figured out. What I don't understand is power switches. What kind of switches do I buy to use for power and reset? How do I connect them to the motherboard and that stuff?

[Spawn-Inc]

welcome, enjoy your stay!


power and reset switches are simply momentary style switches. when you press the switch it completes the circuit and turns your pc on. if the switch springs back when you press it, it most likely is a momentary switch. here is what some common ones look like.

http://alexplorer.net/guitar/mods/momentary.jpg

http://www.airworlduk.com/2004pix/starterswitch.jpg

the wires (2 for each switch and led for power and hdd) attached to your switch go to a header on your motherboard. in the picture below you can see the hard drive light (hdd) and the power switch wires.

http://img33.imageshack.us/img33/9223/11frontpanelinstall37sc.jpg

if you can't find that on your motherboard check the manual for it. if that doesn't work just find the wires coming from the switches and follow them to the motherboard.


for the power and reset switch it doesn't matter which way you plug it in. all the switch does it complete the circuit and there for it doesn't matter which wire goes where.

if you plan to move the power and harddrive lights as well that will matter as a led will only work one way. it should say which is positive and negative. if you get it wrong just flip the connector the other way and it should work.

[SgtM]

Ditto what spawn said. + rep dude.

[doug91]

Ok thanks for the info. Where do I get the cables to connect the switches to the motherboard? I am building a case from scratch so there are no included cables.

[jbaldwinroberts]

Any local computer/electronics shops should be able to sell you the cables you need for a couple of $$ us.

- Joe

[doug91]

any specific kind of wires? I have no experience with this stuff.
Also, the case I am building is out of wood.. Any precautions or tips?

[silverdemon]

...Any precautions or tips?

Make sure you get enough airflow through your case. The metal once tend to have holes or mesh-things in them. Make sure you have enough openings in your case to let the cool air in and the hot air out.

on the type of wires:

Any local computer/electronics shops should be able to sell you the cables you need for a couple of $$ us

try to find a computer shop and ask for the cables they use for power buttons and such. I bet they have some they were going to throw away...

[Spawn-Inc]

i'm not sure how often computers get thrown out near you but i would look out for computers being tossed. open the case up and there will most likely be some cables/switches in there. if your lucky there will be a fully working pc with someone elses documents to go through :)

as for a wood case i would get a wire and attach it to the motherboard standoff's (http://www.hls-systems.com/HLS-Systems/images/HLS-P4-D850EMV2L/DSCN3330.JPG)(click for picture) and send the wire going to the psu so it is grounded properly. maybe even get a metal motherboard tray and then you can slide it into the wood case.

[jbaldwinroberts]

The wires you need will look something like this, some will have an led on the end and some a switch. Or you can get just the wires and solder on your own led or switch.
http://img168.imageshack.us/img168/949/46246959jw3.th.png (http://img168.imageshack.us/my.php?image=46246959jw3.png)

It should plug into the motherboard like this,
http://www.4freeimagehost.com/resized/c9ad77cf0161.jpg

Hope this helps,

- Joe

[doug91]

Ok, I'll keep that all in mind. Also, I am going to make an acrylic motherboard tray for easy installation. I know to get all the dimensions from http://www.formfactors.org. Do you think its a good idea to also mount the PSU on the tray? If so how much larger does the tray need to be for an ATX PSU?

[Spawn-Inc]

most power supplies are a standard size, what psu are you planning on? it should tell you the specs on there site or a suppliers like newegg.

[doug91]

yea, i found the specs thanks. Its a standard ATX PSU. As it is, my PSU is pretty much at its max. Its 500W and powering an 8800GT.. How much more power would things like LEDs and those aesthetic things add?