Making a Custom Power Button

[byalexandr]

So I made a new front panel for my SG05, and it uses a new 17mm power button (nice and mechanical, lovin' it). The problem is, I don't know how to hook it up to the actual pins on the motherboard. I used 14 AWG wire since I wanted something beefy and nice looking, but I don't have a spare little plastic connector thing and I don't know what I should do to actually hook up the button to the mobo. Any ideas?

 

 

[thekeemo]

find a prebuilt case and use the connector from that

[byalexandr]

The wire is stranded copper btw, not solid. I can strip away some copper but I don't think I have any crimps small enough for the wires a power button normally uses.

[W-L]

So I made a new front panel for my SG05, and it uses a new 17mm power button (nice and mechanical, lovin' it). The problem is, I don't know how to hook it up to the actual pins on the motherboard. I used 14 AWG wire since I wanted something beefy and nice looking, but I don't have a spare little plastic connector thing and I don't know what I should do to actually hook up the button to the mobo. Any ideas?

 

Do you have a link to the switch itself, most mechanical vandal switches have 4 pins two for the contacts 2 for the LED light if it has them.

[Philcat101]

So I made a new front panel for my SG05, and it uses a new 17mm power button (nice and mechanical, lovin' it). The problem is, I don't know how to hook it up to the actual pins on the motherboard. I used 14 AWG wire since I wanted something beefy and nice looking, but I don't have a spare little plastic connector thing and I don't know what I should do to actually hook up the button to the mobo. Any ideas?

There are standard pin headers which you can solder onto the wire, which could connect into the motherboard.

[byalexandr]

find a prebuilt case and use the connector from that

Don't have any on hand. Can I use like an HD audio block or something? And how would I keep the copper in the actual block? Do I need those tiny little pins?

[thekeemo]

Don't have any on hand. Can I use like an HD audio block or something? And how would I keep the copper in the actual block? Do I need those tiny little pins?

Yea you need the pins

and yes you can

I would cut the wire that is already on it (leaving a few cm) and solder the end of the other wire to it

[byalexandr]

Do you have a link to the switch itself, most mechanical vandal switches have 4 pins two for the contacts 2 for the LED light if it has them.

It's a two contact momentary switch. Stainless steel, 17mm thread diameter. I got it on eBay, very nice considering how much it was. I already have the 14AWG hooked up to the switch, but I need to figure out how to get it hooked up to the mobo.

[Enderman]

can you draw or take a pic of the switch and the cables/pins coming out of it?

[byalexandr]

Yea you need the pins

and yes you can

I would cut the wire that is already on it (leaving a few cm) and solder the end of the other wire to it

Ya know, I just realized something.

 

I can weld extremely well, but I've never even soldered before. Wtf.

[byalexandr]

can you draw or take a pic of the switch and the cables/pins coming out of it?

Gimme a minute.

[W-L]

It's a two contact momentary switch. Stainless steel, 17mm thread diameter. I got it on eBay, very nice considering how much it was. I already have the 14AWG hooked up to the switch, but I need to figure out how to get it hooked up to the mobo.

 

Oh well you wouldn't need 14 awg wire that's huge diameter for a power switch but you need dupont pins if your wanting to crimp on connections, ideally small 22awg wire is more than enough since it would be difficult to crimp onto 14 awg wire. 

 

As your suggested earlier you can take pins from previous connectors and solder to the ends of the wires to hook it up.

[thekeemo]

Ya know, I just realized something.

 

I can weld extremely well, but I've never even soldered before. Wtf.

weld the wires?

[byalexandr]

Oh well you wouldn't need 14 awg wire that's huge diameter for a power switch but you need dupont pins if your wanting to crimp on connections, ideally small 22awg wire is more than enough since it would be difficult to crimp onto 14 awg wire. 

 

As your suggested earlier you can take pins from previous connectors and solder to the ends of the wires to hook it up.

Well I had some on hand since I was working on my car and it is perfect for the switch.

[byalexandr]

weld the wires?

...

[thekeemo]

...

Kind of like you see on mesh

[byalexandr]

Kind of like you see on mesh

That's spot welding, and you can't weld copper like you can with steel.

[multifrag]

It does not matter how you will wire the power button as in the end they have to pass through the signal for the mobo to turn on. If you have a button made with 3 connections check with multimeter which one are passing current when the button is pressed

[W-L]

Well I had some on hand since I was working on my car and it is perfect for the switch.

 

If you want to save the hassle you an get a set of theses for vandal switches to hook it up no messing around with soldering or anything at all:

http://www.performance-pcs.com/mod-smart-pre-wired-vandal-switch-cable-assembly-spade-style-momentary.html

[thekeemo]

That's spot welding, and you can't weld copper like you can with steel.

whatever..

[byalexandr]

It does not matter how you will wire the power button as in the end they have to pass through the signal for the mobo to turn on. If you have a button made with 3 connections check with multimeter which one are passing current when the button is pressed

I get it, I'm just trying to figure out a nice, clean, sturdy way to get it all working.

[byalexandr]

Pictures are coming, my phone decided to not save photos today.

[byalexandr]

can you draw or take a pic of the switch and the cables/pins coming out of it?

The front panel itself (pretty nice if I do say so myself) ^

 

Wire ends that hook up the the mobo.

 

Switch and securing nut.

 

Switch pinout (momentary dipole, should work well for my PC).

 

Handmade the front panel btw, let me know if you like the look or not compared to a stock SG05.

[W-L]

-SNIP-

 

Basically you need some 2 pin dupont connectors to solder to the other end or have a premade hookup cable which you can just screw down into the terminal:

[byalexandr]

Basically you need some 2 pin dupont connectors to solder to the other end or have a premade hookup cable which you can just screw down into the terminal:

 

Good news! I have an actual 9 pin/10 pin dupont connector, that's actually for power/reset/LED/etc. I'll just use that and I guess just twist and tape up the wires for now.