Main  DIY Computer  Site Map  Email:  Webmaster Case Connections There are a number of connectors that you will need to connect at this time. The first one is the motherboard power connector. Locate the huge connector that comes from the computer case power supply. Line that up with the socket on the motherboard. Push down firmly. Next is the chassis (case) fan. Your computer should have a total of three fans. There should be a fan in the power supply, and then a CPU fan, and then a chassis fan should be mounted in the lower front of the case. High performance video cards and other specialized hardware can also come with a fan already mounted. Mount the fan into the front of the case. You may have to remove the front of the case to mount this fan. To remove the front of the case, look for screws on the inside of the front of the case, and remove these. After removing the screws, the front of the case should come off. Take care not to damage the wires that should be running from the front of the case into the case. Mount the fan onto the case, using the screws that came with the fan. Make sure that the fan is blowing air into the case (sometimes there is an arrow on the fan, indicating the direction of airflow, otherwise turn the computer on, and see which way it blows). Then find the power connector on the motherboard that the fan should connect to. It should look exactly like the one that you connected the CPU fan to, only this one should be at the lower right corner of the motherboard (that's the white thing labelled "CHAF1"). Connect the fan to it. Now you need to hook up the LEDs on the front of the case, as well as the power button and the reset switch. Consult the documentation for your motherboard for the proper connections. But most motherboards have the pins labelled. In general, the connectors should be connected to the motherboard such that the label side is facing the front of the case (in the above and below pictures, the bottom of the case is to the left, and the front of the case is towards the bottom of the picture). Back   Index   Next Sections Introduction Selecting the Components Mounting the Motherboard Mounting the CPU Installing the RAM Case Connections Mounting the Floppy Drive Mounting Drives Installing Cards External Connections POST Screen BIOS Setup Windows 2000 Biorobots Home  Site Map      Server Project Main      FAQ      How To      New Account Copyright 2006 Case Western Reserve University, Dept. of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. All rights reserved.