Sep 26 2008, 01:59 PM, updated 18y ago
just thought id share something...a simple mod... doesnt take long to do...but gets rid of the annoyance for as long as ur using the same mobo...
im sure everyone hates having to unplug the front panel headers... because when u wanna plug them back in, u have to refer to the damn manual as to which plug goes where
imho this is the most annoying part when installing a mobo.those who remove the mobo alot from the case to change hsf, to change watever else would surely know what kind of pain it is... heck, for me...i get so lazy to remove the mobo coz of the front panel headers...make my casing's removable mobo tray pretty useless....
now.. my favourite mobo brand, Asus
, has managed to "solve" this problem with their boards. they are thoughtful enough to provide terminal blocks that they named "Q-Connector". and believe me, these things are a life saver! im sooooooooo thankful to Asus for providing it. they saved my life during a period where i was having problems with my gaming rig and had to constantly remove the mobo from the case (my A10 case has a removable mobo tray)
u can actually DIY these Q-Connectors. all you need is to get a terminal block and the necessary pins for it. parts should be available in jalan pasar... i plan on doing these terminal blocks thing...coz at least with more "universal" block u can probably use it for any mobo u might have in the future. only thing is...i dont have the time to go hunt them down as yet.
and if ur wondering why i didnt get an asus board for the Q-Connector...well i did..my main rig is on an Asus board. but this is for my HTPC which is using a gigabyte board. why gigabyte? coz the the whole of friggin LYP didnt have the Asus board i wanted for my HTPC!!!
WHY ARENT OTHER MANUFATURERS PROVIDING THE SAME THING??? THEY SHOULD! FRIGGIN ANNOYING MAN!!! SHEESH!
anyway, i wanted to add a PCI card to the mobo, so i had to remove the mobo from the case since its an SFF... figured i might as well do the mod. ive had it in my head for a long time just didnt get around to doing it. so now i have a chance i did.
this mod may or may not work for u.....depending on ur mobo's pin layout. my gigabyte mobo has the layout where all the pins are in 1 place so it becomes like a whole block. makes life easier for the mod. for those whose pins are scattered....u can DIY the Q-Connector with a terminal block.. or u can do this for each block u might have.
i DONT recommend gluing them together, in case u change mobo. at least this one u can undo it and redo again for the next mobo.
enough of the long story... now the mod...
stuffs needed
1/ Small cable ties
2/ Heatshrink of the appropriate size
3/ Heat Source to heat the heatshrink
4/ Cutting materials to cut the heatshrink to size, trim cable tie, etc etc
so now lets get on with the mod...step by step.... (ooh babyyyyyyyyyy
)STEP 1
while the connectors are still in the mobo, use a cable tie and tie them TIGHT. this is to make sure when u remove them from the mobo for the next step of the mod the cables and the plugs dont go all over the place.
u can end the mod here if ur truly truly truly TRULY lazy... but since its so simple... might as well finish it laaaa
STEP 2
CAREFULLY slide the cable tie back towards the cable, making sure u hold the connectors properly so it doesnt get mixed up. while doing it, also at the same time carefully slide in a small cut out of heatshrink to replace the cable tie..DO NOT tighten or cut out the cable tie just yet! leave it as it is at the cables..then heat the heatshrink. (careful not to burn ur hand/ fingers while heating it up coz ur still holding the connectors tight remember?)
STEP 3
now bring back the initial cable tie to the front..as close to the plugs as possible and tighten it kow kow.
cut out some heatshrink of the appropriate length..making sure it covers the plugs AND the cable tie. the cable tie will act as an achor (not the beer
) so that the heatshrink wont be sliding all over the place.STEP 4
slide in the second piece of heatshrink over the 1st layer of heatshrink all the way in until it covers the cable tie and shrink the bugger. the picture above is the end result. they are my front panel switches etc and also my USB headers (which are seperate)
now everytime i have to remove my mobo & mobo tray out of my microfly i dont have to think about the front panel headers anymore, meaning i wont be lazy to remove them la
do take note...i did not cover the whole of the plugs for 2 reasons
1/ to be able to see some form of marking on the plugs so that i know which side goes where
2/ if u look at the earlier pix... my mobo connectors has some form of "border" around the pins. if i were to put heatshrink to cover the entire plug, i might not be able to fit it back in due to the borders...those whose mobo do not have these borders, can cover the entire plug if u wish
u can still make it look better with sleeving etc...but i was in a rush and i couldnt be bothered to make it so cun until like that...
anyway...sorry theres no pix of the thing in the case and plugged in...forgot to take pix of it was so excited to get my new PCI card (which is wifi card btw) up and running that i totally forgot
mebbe ill go home and snap some and post it up here la.simple right??? now i just wish other mobo manufacturers would provide the Q-connectors as well....something so simple and yet they still dont wanna provide it with their mobos... friggin morons...sheesh
Quote
even ASUS didnt invent those QConct yet 
coz sum mobo not same location connector 
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