PC Wiring Stuff 12v DC

09/30/05

Basic Wiring Pin Outs

 20 & 24 Pin ATX Power

 Auxiliary Power (Molex, Floppy, SATA 3-Pin fan)
 USB & Fire Wire

Tricks & Tips

 PSU By-Pass
 4-Pin Molex Conversion
 Fan Bus
 Fan 4-Pin to 3-Pin Conversion

Things to keep in mind before any project.

 Never touch or play with wire while the PSU is plugged in!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 Keep in mind you always want to be very careful when using power and never assume anything
is correct double check and re check.. 
 Its a good Idea to draw out your ideas before any work is done.
 If you are a novice or first timer bounce the your ideas off someone else that has experience in
wiring. 
 Most important is Planning,  90% of your time should be spent on the planning part the actual
work is very little.
 Do it right the first time and work safe... 
 Remember you are dealing with electricity and it must be respected bad things can happen if you
are not careful..

 
Basic Wiring Pin Out Diagrams for ATX Style PC's
 
     Lets start this article with a list of the most common connectors you will find in a PC.. Then we can
expand and discuses just how to make cables and convert voltages and uses. Most of the wring we will
be dealing with are basic PC AC/DC power from an ATX style power supply.. 
 
 
Illustration 1.1: 4-Pin 12v Power / 24-Pin ATX Power
 

Illustration 1.2: 20-Pin ATX Power

 
 
Auxiliary Power Wiring
  
     Most ATX power supplies come with one of two power connections for you motherboard. Either a 20-
pin or a 24-pin versions they do make converters if you happen to have the wrong type for your
motherboard...
 

Illustration 1.3a: Standard 4-Pin 12v Molex Connection

 
 

Illustration 1.3b: Standard 4-Pin 12v / Floppy / Serial ATA / Aux Power / Molex Connection
 
     There are two different standard 4-pin Molex connectors a 12v used for drives and CD/DVD-ROM's
and the 5v Floppy type connectors. Some power supplies the newer versions come with two addition
power connection types for newer products like SATA and PCI-e ports blow are examples of these....
 
 
 Illustration 1.4: Standard 3-Pin 12v Motherboard (Fan Jack)
 
 
USB & Fire Wire Diagram
 
     You may also run into 3-pin variable 12v Fan connections used on your motherboard. Note that some
fans will come with two or three wires the third wire is a sensor wire used to evaluate performance and
in some situation regulate the voltage running to the fan...

Illustration 1.5: Default IEEE 1394 standard Pin out Fire Wire

 
 Illustration 1.6: Default USB Pin out Motherboard

     Two other common wire connections for your motherboard are the USB and Fire Wire pin outs. These
are used very frequently for additional ports commonly provided with the newer cases for front
terminals.. As you can see from the images above the USB and Fire wire have very similar board mounts
but the wiring is very different. It is important to always read carefully the documentation and make sure
you use the proper connectors in the proper place.. Just because the look the same doesn't mean they
are..

 
Warning This article is design to educate the PC enthusiast any changes to wiring or products can and will void
warranties.. These are strictly guidelines anyone that uses them is doing so at your own risk... 
 
Tricks and Tips for conversion cables and Wiring How To's
 
 
Bypassing a power supply connector to turn on a PSU.
   
 
     What you need to do from the 20-pin motherboard Mole connector take a wire or a dual mail Molex
piece and bridge or short out the PC_ON and the Ground wires. Use the diagram and photos above for
examples.. An alternative for those not comfortable with wiring is to buy a jumper made
specifically for this task they are very inexpensive but considering what they are they
should be.. FrozenCPU.com has them and example is HERE. This is useful for checking out drivers or
devices without contaminating a system or requiring the us of an existing PC.. We use this all the time to
test fan's and lights..
 
 
 

Illustration 2.1: 24-Pin ATX Jumper Diagram

 Illustration 2.2: 20-Pin ATX Jumper Diagram
 
 
 

 
 
Conversation for 12v 4-Pin Molex Terminals 
 
     This section will show you the basics needed for most wiring setup on a PC. most combinations using
standard Molex connectors. This is very useful when hooking up a series of fans and you need to make
wires for specific voltages.
 

 
Illustration 2.3: Image on Left is the pin out for a 7volt setup the right is for 12volt Both are for
Peripheral or stock 12v 4-pin Molex connectors.......
 
 
  
 
 
Molex Floppy Terminal Pin Out
Pin Name Color Description
1 +5V   Red +5 VDC
2 GND   Black +5 V Ground
3 GND   Black +12 V Ground (Same as +5 V Ground)
4 +12V   Yellow +12 VDC
 
 

 
Fan Wiring and the Fan Bus
     
 

Don't Let this happen to you!!!!!!!!!

 
     One of my personal pet peeves when it comes to PC's is the fan connectors I can't stand wires
everywhere. It not only looks bad but allot of the time it prohibits airflow increasing internal case temp
and causing your PC to run inefficiently.. That is why I always suggest getting rid of them pesky extra fan
connectors whenever possible. 
 
 
 
 
 
     One way of hiding and consolidating your wire problems is with a fan bus. A fan bus also provides
multiple extra ports for the serious Over Clocker or gamer to add some extra air flow. The idea behind a
fan bus is simple.. Take a bunch of wire ends make a series of connectors and run a current threw them.
How fancy you get is up to you add in switches diaphragms for speed controls LED to power indicators..
Anything you feel fits your PC and style. Just about every review site has their version so I will just link a
few of my favorites. Hopefully they give you the idea..
 
 http://www.fanbus.com/
 http://www.twistedmods.com/article.php?artid=193
 http://www.7volts.com/pcm_baybus.htm
 http://www.virtual-hideout.net/guides/fanbus/index.shtml
 http://www.pcmoddingmy.com/content.php?article.83
 http://www.casemodgod.com/Howto-story--34.html
 
 
4-Pin to 3-Pin Fan Conversion
     Another way to deal with the overload of 4-pin Molex Fan connectors is to convert from the 4-Pin to
the 3-Pin motherboard terminals if you motherboard has extras that is.. Depending on the fan it is pretty
strait forward.
 
     Start with the fan clip and strip the wires leading to the Molex terminal.. Purchase some 3-pin
terminals along with the ends. Using the diagram bellow make sure you hook up the pin properly. Most
fans using 4-Pin Molex connectors do not have a sensor lead so you will only need the two pins
connected to run the fan..