Hardware Reference
In-Depth Information
Connectingfront-panelUSBports
The Antec NSK-2480 case provides two front-panel USB ports with cables that
terminate in one Intel-standard dual-USB connector. Locate that cable, which
is labeled USB, and connect it to one of the three dual-USB motherboard con-
nectors located near the left front edge of the motherboard near the SATA
ports, as shown in Figure 6-22. The motherboard connector is keyed with a
missing pin that corresponds to a blocked hole on the cable connector, so it's dif-
ficult to connect the cable incorrectly. (However, it
is
possible to offset the cable
connector against the motherboard connector and still seat the connector.) Note
that we chose to use the FP USB 2 header-pin set, which can instead be used to
connect an internal Intel SSD. We have no plans to install such a drive, and this
header-pin set is perfectly usable for a standard USB front-panel connection.
Figure 6-22.
Connect the front-panel USB cable to a motherboard dual-USB connector
Seatingandsecuringthemotherboard
To begin, lower the motherboard into the case, as shown in Figure 6-23, with
the front edge of the motherboard slightly raised. Carefully align the back-
panel I/O connectors with the corresponding holes in the I/O shield, and slide
the motherboard toward the rear of the case as you lower the motherboard
to horizontal. This process is hard to describe, but easy to do. The goal is to get
the back-panel ports on the motherboard low enough that they come into
contact with the I/O shield grounding tabs, without those tabs intruding into
the ports themselves. (The Ethernet grounding tab is usually the problem;
we've been known to bend that tab slightly upward to facilitate installing the
motherboard and then bend it back down into contact afterward.)
Maintain slight rearward pressure on the motherboard to keep it in contact
with the I/O shield. Examine the rear I/O panel to make sure that none of the
I/O shield grounding tabs intrude into a port connector. More than once,
