How to Build Your Own PC - Save A Buck And Learn A Lot  9  Chapter 2: Component Overview       9  Case and Power Supply

Other Case Connectors and Switches 1 AT and ATX Cases and Power Supplies

Most of these other small, thin-wire connectors are also ambidextrous. The thin-wire connectors typically include:

• Power Switch (P SW): This can be connected in either direction to the proper two pins on the mainboard. It turns the computer on and off.
  
  
• Reset Switch (Reset): This can be connected in either direction to the proper two pins on the mainboard. If Ctrl+Alt+Del doesn’t work to reboot your hung-up PC, you can always use the reset switch to restart your computer. There should be a small reset button on the front of your case. Using the reset switch is more desirable than turning a PC on and off again rapidly. Always wait a couple of minutes after turning a PC completely off before turning it on again. This prevents a surge of current and charge from hitting components that may not have drained their existing charge yet.
  
  
• Power LED: LED stands for Light-Emitting Diode. These are the little blinky things on the front of your computer case. LEDs light up when a small current passes through them in the correct direction. The power LED goes on when the system is powered up. The small current to light the LED is provided by the mainboard.
  
  
• HD LED: This front case panel LED blinks when the hard drive is active. If this connector is installed in the wrong direction, your computer will work fine except your hard drive LED probably won’t light up or it will remain on rather than blinking with activity. If you notice that it isn’t working, just reorient the connector.
  
  
• Speaker connection: This connects the small case speaker to the mainboard.

Those front panel connectors that aren’t ambidextrous (such as the hard drive LED, which lights up on the front panel to show activity on the hard drive) won’t damage your system if they are hooked up backward. These thin-wire connectors to the mainboard aren’t supplying power to the mainboard.

Other Case Connectors and Switches 1 AT and ATX Cases and Power Supplies