Optiplex 7010/9010 Front I/O panel pinout

[droblat]

I'll let you know soon enough, my order included the parts for the missing SATA port.

 

On the subject of audio... I haven't confirmed this yet but after more thought I believe my testing methodology was bad, which is probably why no one else shares my concerns about the jack detection, lol.

[markr54632]

On 1/13/2019 at 12:30 AM, droblat said:

Ah ok, that would be a boon to someone who only acquired the motherboard. I'm in kind of the opposite boat, the machine came whole and I'm trying to strip away as much of the Dell as possible lol.

 

Edit: So far so good. Tomorrow I'll tackle the HD Audio connector.

Is there any chance you would provide info on your power switch adapter? That looks a ton better than reusing the factory switch and cable to avoid the power switch cable failure warning.

[droblat]

3 hours ago, markr54632 said:

Is there any chance you would provide info on your power switch adapter?

Sure, I'll put the hardware details here when I get home.

[markr54632]

Just now, droblat said:

Sure, I'll put the hardware details here when I get home.

That would be awesome, thank you.

 

You now have me questioning why the SATA 3 port failed on my first motherboard. I started with a full tower, so to make my adapter I used the factory front panel header to make my adapter off of. I replaced the motherboard and it works now, but I cant help but wonder if it wasnt the front panel header coming unseated.

[droblat]

So, first of all, disregard my previous concerns about the audio jacks. My test rig (a plug salvaged from some old headphones, with a few inches of stripped wire sticking out) is great for determining which solder points lead where in a socket, but using it with this type of jack means the plug insertion contacts were activated hence the bad data.

 

On adding the missing 4th SATA port on DT motherboards:

On 1/16/2019 at 5:00 PM, extra8 said:

Googling reveals Molex offer two SATA sockets which may fit

 

47155-4001 - up to 500 mating cycles

67800-8005 - up to 50 mating cycles

The 67800-8005 part is what I chose, though the "high-temperature thermal plastic" variant 67800-8205 would have been preferable for hand soldering (sadly I haven't seen any suppliers that stock it). For the missing capacitors: I went with the Yageo CC0402JRX7R7BB223. The OEM caps are 1.0 x 0.5 x 0.55 mm, with a capacitance of roughly 9.7-10.6 nano-Farads. Voltage is not a concern as these are on the signal lines only, and run less then 2 Volts. You may be able to get away with just bridging the solder pads instead of adding caps... That said, if anyone is attempting this mod, I'd suggest blocking off nearby components with Kapton tape so there's less chance of anything getting melted or dislodged.

 

Next, the connectors I'm using for the header adaptors. Note that I am not using the Diagnostic LED or the USB2.0 ports, so you will need parts with more connector positions to hook those up. Make sure to pick wire and splice sizes that fit your crimping tool, with a few spare splices for bridging and in case some are damaged.

 

Motherboard side (Molex Milli-grid 2mm pitch):

• 20-position connector housing for front panel - Molex 0511102051
• 6-position connector housing for power button - Molex 0511100660
• Crimp pins/splices for wire sizes AWG 24-30 - Molex 0503948400
• some stranded hook-up wire, AWG28

Connection side (FCI/Berg/Dupont Mini-PV 0.1" pitch):

• 4-position "BergStik II" for power button and power LED - Amphenol ICC (FCI) 67996-104HLF*
• 10-position "BergStik II" for front panel - Amphenol ICC (FCI) 68602-210HLF*
• 1.6mm thick breadboard PCB - Chick Quick Inc. SBBTH1510-1

*When I ordered I didn't notice that the solder posts of these headers had different lengths. Choose a part with 2.41mm if you want it to barely stick out past the underside of the board, or 3.81mm to make soldering easier.

 

Fan headers: As the pins are the standard 0.1" pitch, you can grab a few Molex 0470531000 headers and discard the pins to aid in connecting the fan plugs, but this is optional.

 

Themal sensor: Appears to be a JST PHR-2 housing (takes SPH-002T-P0.5L or similar splices) - unconfirmed.

 

Chassis intrusion: Appears to be a Molex 50-57-9403 housing (takes 16-02-0069 or similar splices) - unconfirmed.

 

 

[Flagers]

For those wondering why SATA3 is not showing in the bios, it is because pin 20 has to short to ground. That is how the BIOS determines if your are using an MT or a DT. DT doesn't have a SATA3 port.

[droblat]

Time for another update. Putting this system together started off as fun, but overall I'm not that happy with it. I guess it's like the old saying goes, friends don't let friends buy Dells...

 

Here's what I ended up with for the motherboard connector:

 

• I should have chosen a 2x6 pin header here instead of 2x5, so that the HDD LED header would have been connected. I didn't have any more of the "Bergstik" headers, but these round "machine pins" ones fasten fine, if a little less securely.
• While I had no problems crimping the pins in the power button/LED adapter, I managed to break several of them, probably by over-tightening. As a result I had to harvest additional crimps from the original cables to enable the SATA3 port (hence the red/orange wires).

And how did adding the SATA3 header go? Not well:

Without decent soldering tools, it's a pain getting those tiny SMT capacitors on the data lines, and after attaching three of them (and one of the original units, as I'd removed one to take measurements) one of the solder pads lifted and tore right off. Meanwhile, another pad lifted and somehow shrunk or folded over, which is why the fourth cap in the photo is crooked and further back. Everything still works as it originally did, but the header can't be added to this board any more - at least not without figuring out where the broken trace goes and patching it together, even then it might not work properly.

 

Removing the header for SATA2 would make adding the capacitors much easier (though as mentioned previously, it would probably work if they're just bridged). To anyone trying this procedure, I'd suggest to clear the old solder in the following order to minimize heating times and ease removal by suction:

1. Ground lines (row of three, two circular and one square)
2. Header pin connectors (two large circles on the outside)
3. Data lines (row of four, two groups of two)

On the subject of audio:

• After all my previous overthinking about the audio connector, it works. However, the sound quality is noticeably worse than my motherboards from 2006 using the ALC889 chipsets, This may not be that surprising given that the SNR of the ALC269 is only 98dB vs the 108dB of the ALC889. They are not pin-compatible, so it would not be possible to swap them - though a better chip from the same era might work (see this thread for inspiration). I will likely just connect an external sound card.
• The current Realtek drivers work fine, but sadly this chipset does not support port reassignment.
• The front ports do not seem to work "properly" for me, as the rear output is not muted when the front jack is connected. This is actually what I want anyway, but this functionality should require making registry changes. I've double and triple-checked all wiring connections, they are fine. Not sure if this is a driver issue, as it seemed to work as expected with the factory-imaged OS that came with the system. The control panel applet does not see a front jack in either Win7 or Win10:

 

On the subject of LEDs:

• No resistors were used in my adapters, and it appears that my HDD diode is glowing at a low level all of the time. This is actually useful as a power indicator, because...
• The Power LED blinks continuously when the system is in a sleep state. My case has a bright blue LED for power, pointed up at the ceiling, so this was extremely annoying. I reversed the polarity of the connector instead so that the diagnostic output is displayed (it turns off after POST is complete).

On the subject of fans:

• Here is what I ended up doing with the connectors. To get the stock plastic header off, grip it gently with large pliers, and rock it back and forth until a spudger can be inserted under one side. Then lever it up slowly from side to side. The connectors seem extremely brittle, so if you want to put them back later, take your time. A thin metal plate under the spudger/lever would be smart to prevent damaging the PCB.
• Note that the left-most pin in the photo is not connected to anything. So if using a 4-pin header, the extra width should extend toward the guide hole through the PCB.
• Visual writing colour chart for not shorting out your fan.

• As others have reported, there are issues with the board's fan control. My CPU temperatures max out at around 55C during and the noise levels are fine - my PSU fan is much louder. It seems the logic in the BIOS may react to temperature with a desired PWM frequency, rather than a desired RPM, which makes sense if only similar models of fan are offered by Dell. For our purposes, it may be better to set the speed using an external fan controller, and to connect only the RPM output to the motherboard to prevent the BIOS error at boot-up.

On the subject of thinking in 3D:

• Ensure you plan ahead so you know what will fit where, and what goes above it. This is a compact board, and if you have a long video card, make sure it has a single-slot cooler, or you'll end up in a situation like this:

• I resolved this by swapping out the dual-slot air cooler for a single-slot water block, which just barely clears the SATA headers. It still blocks the front USB3 header, but I think there might be just enough space to get a 90-degree adapter in there, so I'll give that a shot.

Other thoughts:

• I'm using a gaming keyboard with a PS2 connector, and it works erratically. After waking from a sleep state or being rebooted, everything is normal. After a full shutdown, keypresses are detected during POST but once Windows starts, the keyboard is completely unresponsive. Might be a bug with my current BIOS version.
• I found another difference between the 7010 and 9010 models - despite having the same chipset, RAID is disabled and removed from the 7010's BIOS. Three cheers for fake value-adds. It's likely the 9010 BIOS could be flashed with a hardware programmer, but at this point I've lost interest in doing anything else with this system, probably permanently.

Conclusion:

 

For the amount of money this cost me (USD $60 + additional RAM + adapter bits and crimpers), would I recommend it? Sure, but only if you're willing to live with the stuff that can't be fixed, and only if you have time to waste messing around with it. As a project, it was severely unrewarding and I look forward to scrapping this system as soon as I feel that a new machine will be "worthwhile" - which, considering I was still very happy with a high-end machine from 2007, seems like it might be some time into the future.

[extra8]

Optiplex 7010 Realtek HD audio Windows 10 driver information

 

Here are my observations with the audio sockets on all my various 7010/9010 PCs running Windows 10 (1803 or 1809) with Realtek HD audio driver 6.0.1.6070 (2015) provided by Windows Update.

 

I normally use DisplayPort (to HDMI) audio, so when I insert my headphones into front jack, it does not mute DisplayPort audio and there is no sound through the front headphone socket.  I have to manually go into the Sound -> Playback and change the default playback device to the headphones which then mutes the other audio output devices.  

 

If I use the rear Line-Out audio socket (or internal loudspeaker), and insert the headphones into front socket, the audio does switch to the headphone socket and mute the Line-Out socket.  I don't see any Notifications when I insert or unplug any audio cables.

 

I checked my 7010 USFF running vanilla Windows 10 with later Realtek HD audio driver version 6.0.1.8036 (Realtek High Definition audio driver R2.81 - circa 2017).  One issue with this particular driver is the internal loudspeaker remains enabled when the rear Line-Out audio socket is in use!  As soon as I insert the headphones, the rear Line-Out and internal loudspeaker are muted and audio outputs through the headphones.  Notifications from 'Realtek HD audio Manager' appear when I insert or unplug any audio cables. 

 

I had no audio cable connected to the rear Line-Out audio socket at the instant I plugged the headphones into the front headphone socket and grabbed this picture.

 

The 'Speakers/Headphones' Properties box in Windows doesn't list the front headphone socket at all even though it is working.  ie. I see exactly the same as the image you posted earlier.  

 

I've just tested this same driver on 7010 and 9010 MT and observed same behaviour as the USFF model.  A simple hardware fix for this circa-2017 driver would be to disconnect the internal loudspeaker from the motherboard when intending to use the rear Line-Out audio socket.

 

I've also observed the audio volume level from the rear Line-Out sockets of the 7010/9010 seems to be lower than through DisplayPort->HDMI audio.  (I don't recall having to wind the volume up with my previous core2duo Dell tower when I used to use VGA and Line-Out)  Could this be the reason for poor quality sound?

 

I found this Dell link for full installer for the Realtek HD audio driver v6.0.1.6070 (circa 2015) - same version as installed by Windows 10 Update.

Dell Realtek HD v6.0.1.6070 installer

I was hoping it would install the Realtek HD Audio Manager to provide notifications, but sadly it is not visible in Windows Task Manager.

 

 

My copy of Realtek HD audio driver r2.81 (v6.0.1.8036,) was downloaded from the Realtek website back in 2017.  Newer r2.82 driver available here:

Realtek HD audio drivers r2.82 (circa July 2017)

 

I found some useful info about Realtek drivers here

https://www.tenforums.com/sound-audio/5993-latest-realtek-hd-audio-driver-version.html

 

The Microsoft Catalog offers version 6.0.1.8564.

https://www.catalog.update.microsoft.com/Search.aspx?q=6.0.1.8564

I downloaded the "Windows 10 version 1803 and Later Servicing Drivers,Windows 10 Version 1803 and Later Upgrade & Servicing Drivers" with size 140.5MB.  Used WinRAR or other util (Do not use Explorer) to extract the contents of the CAB file to a new folder.  Then went to Device Manager and then used the 'Update driver' button for the Realtek HD audio driver and pointed it to the above folder.  The 6.0.1.8564 driver seems to behave just like the v6.0.1.8036 driver on 9010 running Windows 10 Pro v1803.  It doesn't address the low volume LIne-Out, and internal speaker issues mentioned above.

 

 

 

Tip:  The Realtek HD audio driver installation wizard is prone to getting into a 'reboot loop' when trying to install newer driver.  To fix it, go into Device Manager, 'Uninstall' the Realtek High Definition Audio device, remember to tick the 'Delete the driver software from this device', then immediately (do not reboot) start the Realtek HD audio driver installation wizard.  The Realtek HD Audio Manager should appear in Task bar after a second reboot btw.

 

 

 

 

[droblat]

No volume issue here using the front panel; it's more like all the low frequencies seem to be absent.

 

I've had trouble with the r2.82 package on Win10 before, in my previous system it caused extreme DPC latency and the control panel application didn't work at all. Rolling back to r2.81 fixed it.

[droblat]

Tiny update:

• Putting the system to sleep triggers the CPU fan watchdog, requiring F1 keypress when rebooting the next time. My cooler is using a 1450RPM fan, maybe it's too slow for the BIOS' liking.
• The 90 degree adapter for the front USB ports arrived, and I'm pleased to find that it fits (barely) and works as expected. With the case's connector attached, it stands a maximum of 14.6mm above the PCB surface. This gives the video card roughly 1-2mm of leeway. This is the eBay item - the "Down-angled" version has the correct orientation.

[diealone]

Hello. My BIOS always reset itself after every boot. I found jumper here:

and after removing that it shows "JUMPER REMOVED bla bla bla" and reseting bios anyway. 

 

I also tried move it to PSWD but so my PC just not turning on. 

What should i do? I just want save BIOS settings forever.

[droblat]

4 hours ago, diealone said:

What should i do? I just want save BIOS settings forever.

This normally points to a battery problem. I would check whether it is corroded/leaking, improperly installed, or just dead (voltage much lower than what is printed on it).

[duran19631]

Hello, I apologize for my English, I use an electronic translator. Prompt please, and the Reset function on the SFF Board is absent?

[extra8]

20 hours ago, duran19631 said:

Hello, I apologize for my English, I use an electronic translator. Prompt please, and the Reset function on the SFF Board is absent?

The two Reset jumpers on SFF motherboard are located next to the cpu fan connector

[Allen B.]

I'm currently gaming with a 9010 SFF with a full sized 1050 TI with a riser cable.  The card sits outside the case, but I'd like to stuff everything inside a mid-sized case.  Would a stock Intel cooler with Push pins work with this motherboard or do I need some kind of backplate like what is on the tower models.  I'd rather keep the stock cooler but it looks like it screws directly into the case beneath the motherboard.

[duran19631]

On 05.04.2019 at 11:46, extra8 said:

Две перемычки сброса на материнской плате SFF расположены рядом с разъемом вентилятора процессора

I tried to connect here to this connector and to the next connector Reset, it does not work, maybe something else needs to be done?

[extra8]

46 minutes ago, duran19631 said:

I tried to connect here to this connector and to the next connector Reset, it does not work, maybe something else needs to be done?

If moving the blue jumper from PSWD to RTCRST does not reset the RTC clock when you enter F2 setup, you may have faulty BIOS.

 

I suggest you post your problem on Dell Community forum.

https://www.dell.com/community/Optiplex-Desktops/bd-p/Optiplex

[extra8]

12 hours ago, Allen B. said:

I'm currently gaming with a 9010 SFF with a full sized 1050 TI with a riser cable.    Would a stock Intel cooler with Push pins work with this motherboard

Check out the posts by 'smart4' in this reddit post.  An Intel stock cooler with push pins should work on SFF (and USFF) motherboards, but you may encounter fan speed issues.

link to reddit

[Allen B.]

 Thanks.   That's a lot of good info.  From that Redit post they were talking about the strange placement of the CPU.   Using a regular CPU Fan and Heatsink puts it right under the Drive cages on a stock  u-ATX case, that's a good reason to use the stock cooler.     Will the screws from the stock Heatsink screw into a basic 1155 backplate?   I don't have a good eye for this.  Will that fit inside that? Are they even right size screws?

[extra8]

I honestly don't know.  Intel design specs specifies use of push-pins, not screws.

 

Therefore 3rd party backplates with threaded holes are surely proprietary?

 

If Dell used the same thread size on all their 7010 cpu coolers, then they may be M3 threaded holes.

 

ebay listings for the plastic backplate you have shown only quote 2.5mm hole size.  Unclear if they are trying to suggest it is M2.5 thread or the threaded hole is literally 2.5mm in diameter.

 

If fitted, would you have to remove the rear fan from the 3rd party ATX case if you planned to use the Dell SFF heatsink?

[Allen B.]

  I would have to relocate the rear Fan, or put in a smaller one. I might  have to break out the Dremel tool.  I bought a cheap Rosewill case off Ebay and planned on dry fitting stuff this weekend.  This backplate comes with screws.  I also have a set of  drills and and some taps.  

[diealone]

I checked with geekbench performance A25 and latest A29 BIOS and A29 working better even with meltdown patch.

 

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12771050

https://browser.geekbench.com/v4/cpu/12771495

[Allen B.]

I finished my 9010 SFF case swap.  I kept everything connected to the motherboard, I just pulled off the front panel and put it with the pile of spare Power and unused case cables. The only thing from the Rosewill case that I used was the PW switch and spliced that into the stock power switch.  The case fan was too short to mount anywhere in the case so I mounted on one of the drive cages.  It serves no purpose other than stopping a boot error.  I might extend it and mount it in the PCI slots or use the case fan  and put it inside the cage area.  I used a Water cooler back plate to mount the stock Dell Heatsink and fan.  I cut a small slot in the back of the case for the CPU Exhaust fan.  I used a cheap method to hang my 1050 TI vertically from YouTube.  

 

This the video I watched.  It was so simple and works great. 

 

I still have cable management and burn in.  

 

 

[Allen B.]

This pertinent info I learned during my build, something I didn't find readily available  in these threads and Reddit posts. 

 

 

If you want to use stock  9010-7010 SFF  CPU cooler in your new case.   You can order a $5 backplate used in watercooling and larger Air cooled Heatsinks.  The screws on the Dell cooler are right size.  

 

Reasons to use the Stock CPU Fan and Heatsink.

1. I think it keeps the CPU cooler than a stock one with push pins.

2, The CPU is so far back in the case and it would be close to your memory cards and drive cages with a regular Cooler.

3. The Dell Heat Sink puts the heat straight out the back of the case.  

4. No mucking around trying to get the Fan speeds straightened cuz of proprietary shit. 

 

[shanix89]

Already moved an optiplex 7010 MT to another case, got everything working. Then I got an aftermarket CPU tower cooler, and that does not work very well...

Its an arctic freezer 33 esports one, and the pwm fan is rated at 200-1800rpm.. it does not spin the first couple of seconds after boot, so I get the boot error about the cpu fan.
But during diagnostic screen of the cpu fan, it reports just above 1000 rpm idling, and during full pwm it reports maximum of about 2800-2900 rpm, which is way above the rating of the fan itself.
I belive the fan spins whitin its rated RPM, but is there maybe different methods of how the tach signal works, or is it possibly different on the dell "supported" fans, and therefore also a difference in the bios on how it calculates the RPMs? i will try to check the signals on an oscillioscope soon,

But the biggest issue seems to be that during normal operation, the fan speed does not increase with cpu temps of up to 60 degree celcius (tested by removing fan from the tower and let it heat up. I'm guessing the bios is aiming for a specific RPM for a given temperature range, instead of a specific PWM % for a given temp. but I could ofcourse be wrong..

Did anyone else investigatr this in more detail?