Front panel button compatibility

[Stormcrow]

Here's a strange question. I have an ancient junk AT case laying around, and I'm wondering..If I strip out the power and reset buttons, would they be compatible with newer ATX boards? The plan is to make a case from scratch (cardboard baby!), and instead of having to jumper off the PSU everytime if I could attach the salvaged buttons from the AT case to the mobo it would look and function alot better. Anyone know if this would work?

[gvblake22]

Yes, they are all just momentary switches that short the power or reset pins on the motherboard's front I/O header. You should be able to use any momentary switch for a power or reset switch in a computer. Happy modding!

ps... take some pics

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

Yes, they are all just momentary switches that short the power or reset pins on the motherboard's front I/O header. You should be able to use any momentary switch for a power or reset switch in a computer. Happy modding!

ps... take some pics

AT power switch isn't momentary though... You could use the reset switch for power on those however, the reset is momentary.

[Lead Head]

Yeah, the AT switch is an on/off switch. You could make it work, but you'd have to press the button twice to turn the computer on.

[gvblake22]

What do you mean by the AT power switch?

[polobunny]

The power switch going to the PSU. AT compliance, this thing is on or off, it's not momentary. So if he wants to do a mod he'll have to find a different switch to put on the case.

[gvblake22]

I think you guys are thinking of the rocker switch on the PSU and not the button on the front of the case. I believe Stormcrow is referring to the button on the front of the case, not the switch on the PSU. The case's power button does not connect directly to the PSU, it connects to the front I/O header on the motherboard. You can use a momentary switch (like a reset switch) for the power button on a computer. I'm using a reset switch as a power switch right now on one of my systems.

[Stormcrow]

Yeah, I'm looking at the buttons on the front case. Makes sense I can't use the power, but the reset switch works then? I'm looking to do a little nifty project of making a decent looking "shoebox computer", so the thats why I need the buttons. By momentary you mean how it's just depressed for a split second, right? And the AT power clicks into place until you release it again. AT is something that came and went long before I had a clue about all of this

[Quakindude]

The main case power switch (Not the one on the PSU) is an on/off switch on the three cases I have in the house. The reset button is a momentary switch.

On a couple of mobo's I've seen, the mobo has integrated power and reset switches as well as provisons for them on the I/O header. The button on the mobo itself is a momentary with short sensing circuit. Not absolutely sure that's correct, but that's what it seems to be anyway.

[polobunny]

Originally Posted by gvblake22

I think you guys are thinking of the rocker switch on the PSU and not the button on the front of the case. I believe Stormcrow is referring to the button on the front of the case, not the switch on the PSU. The case's power button does not connect directly to the PSU, it connects to the front I/O header on the motherboard. You can use a momentary switch (like a reset switch) for the power button on a computer. I'm using a reset switch as a power switch right now on one of my systems.

Uh, AT boards don't have a ON/OFF switch mate, so no connectors for that either. It's all on the power supply. Besides it was always a problem because the switch took the whole electrical load of the computer...