Once more unto the breach, dear friends, once more; (Wiring)

[BobH]

Having devolved into complete and utter klutz-dom, I have managed to screw up a desktop computer. In fact, it is in worse shape than when I began working on it. I'm almost convinced that my brain is no longer functional.

The original symptom was a corrupted registry after having run AntiMalwareBytes. After days and countless hours of effort, I decided that I could not recover the registry or even the windows installation. My course of action turned to installing a brand new hard disk drive. I completed this task and managed to start Recovery Console which allowed me to partition the drive and to format each partition. All of that went well.

When I then tried to install a fresh copy of WinXP-SP3 on the virgin drive, the power suddenly was disrupted. On reboot I got a message that there had been a thermal error. On powering it up again, I noticed that the fan dedicated to the CPU was not spinning and 2 of 3 cables from that fan were not connected to anything. I began to try to figure out what wiring was connected to what devices or power supplies. I found a bunch of wires had been taped together but were not connected to each other or anything else.

This system is an old Dell P4 Dimension that has been re-cased into an Ultra ATX tower. I have searched but cannot find any information about wiring the case to the system power supplies and mobo connectors.

Does anyone have a link or a suggestion as to where I can find information about wiring this aftermarket tower case into the system.

[Claude]

there should be pins on the motherboard for the CPU fan, and they are normally marked as such, but, you may need a magnifying glass to be able to read it.

I'm not a hardware expert but, if all else fails, I'd take the unit to one. Good luck !

[StuartR]

if you know the exact part number of the motherboard then you may be able to find a diagram showing all the connectors.

[viking33]

the fan dedicated to the CPU was not spinning and 2 of 3 cables from that fan were not connected to anything.
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Do you have access to a simple voltmeter to test IF there is power on the cable coming to the CPU fan?
Tried unplugging the connector and re-seating it?
Are the unconnected other 2 cables of the same type as the other going to the CPU fan, and just "daisy chained" together to act as spares? If so, you could try plugging in one of the other cables to see if the fan runs.
Extra cables are commonly supplied from many power supplies and just tucked away if not in use.
If the Ultra ATX tower had it's own power supply (PSU) then the Dell information probably won't help with the fact that you are using a slightly different PSU.

[BobH]

Thank you for the suggestions, gentlemen.

My first message was written whilst I was in the throes of frustration with myself for having been so careless. Let me try to explain a bit further. Transferring the mobo and other components to a larger case was all part of process. I wanted to run more HDDs and to install better, quieter fans. That led me to choose a larger PSU and that meant replacing most of the OEM cabling. All of this work was farmed out to a hardware guru. The original 5-pin (I think) Dell fan dedicated to the CPU was tossed and an aftermarket fan of smaller size but higher air flow was placed over the fins of the CPU heat diffuser. In all there are 8 or 9 fans in this case now.

The problem is that in working to replace HDDs and install a new one, I managed to displace wiring that had worked before. (I've been inside this case many times and never did that before, but there is a first time for everything.) Now I even made it worse by trying to follow a spiders web of 22 ga or smaller wiring pairs to determine what they were connected to. In doing so, I disrupted other connections that affect the reset button and the power on button.

There is a pigtail of wires - maybe as many as 20 or more - that is plugged into a socket on the mobo (I'm pretty sure I can figure out what that socket is, but I have no clue how to figure out what circuit or function each wire is supposed to serve. A large part of my confusion is that the bundle of wires was cut - severed - and taped up with only some of them connected to wiring going to components. Since having had all this done by the local hardware guru, I have had trouble with is service and work ethic. I lost a laptop to something he did and would not or could not fix. I have written him and his services off to bad experience.

I was hopeful that somewhere there exists a 'how-to' describing how to install components into an after market tower case and that such instructions might include information on the wiring required to integrate case functions (mostly a couple of switches and indicator lights) with the mobo and PSU.

Again, thank you for the most helpful advice. I haven't given up yet.

[StuartR]

...I was hopeful that somewhere there exists a 'how-to' describing how to install components into an after market tower case and that such instructions might include information on the wiring required to integrate case functions (mostly a couple of switches and indicator lights) with the mobo and PSU...

This does exist, but it is motherboard specific. For example here are the pinouts for one of my motherboards.

SystemPanelConnector.png

[BobH]

Wow! That is exactly the sort of information I'm looking for, Stuart!

The connector block on my mobo is labeled J7J2. It is a 9-pin, 6-wire (blue/black/green/white/orange/red) pigtail with a brown wire jumping 2 of the pin blocks. The pigtail 6Y702 MPT 421726100101 on a wrapping, but I'm not getting anything but offers to sell me another on eBay or Amazon.

I've been googling for information and found hits but so far they have all been asking the same questions that I am without receiving answers.

[BobH]

OK, here is what I've found so far.

The lines on the connector plug are just call out lines and have no significance. My question about pin-out numbering is because I found the following at a Dell forum:

1. HD LED +
2. Power LED +
3 HD LED -
4. Power LED -
5. Reset
6. Power
7. Reset
8 Power

[PaulB]

... In all there are 8 or 9 fans in this case now. [snip]

Can't help you with this issue, Bob, but I'm wondering if your neighbors have complained about the wind tunnel tests you're conducting?

[BobH]

... In all there are 8 or 9 fans in this case now. [snip]

Can't help you with this issue, Bob, but I'm wondering if your neighbors have complained about the wind tunnel tests you're conducting?

Howdy Paul!

Actually these fans are relatively small and run exceptionally quietly. Is was the noise from a smaller number of OEM fans that drove me to a new case. I then found these small quiet fans and directed them at the CPU and the HDDs as well as two to circulate air within the case. I have a device that holds an HDD that has 2 temperature monitors and a front of case display. Even after very long periods of use, the highest temps I've seen reported were only around 115 degrees F.

The noisiest fans in the case are in the PSU and the larger exhaust fan that came with the ATX case. Neither of those is excessive, but the noise from the fans that were in the OEM Dell case was so loud that a long session could give you a headache and affect your hearing.

[BobH]

After weeks of searching the web, I finally found a DIY PC Repair Forum. A very helpful member there gave me the wiring information which I used successfully.

A somewhat blurry but readable diagram is attached.