Member Avatar for JANINE

i have a little niggling problem. maybe you can assist me here. i have just built a computer and for some reason neither the power or message leds will light up. it turns on ok etc and posts alright (yet to install an o/s).

its specs are as listed

AMD sempron 2600 processor
Abit VA20 motherboard
512MB RAM
40 gig hdd
Radeon 9500 series graphics card
jeantech butterfly case with 3 fans and a cpu turbo cooler
cd rom
dvd rewriter.

i've kind of come to the conclusion that possibly the mobo doesn't work with leds as i have previously made another computer using the same specs as this one. that one doesn't have leds.
can some1 shed light???:(

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Dani AI

Generated

A short, practical diagnostic checklist to add to the points raised by and .

Start with the front-panel harness: remove the bezel and visually inspect the LED wires and any small PCB behind the switches. A broken wire, snapped connector, or a separate controller board inside the case will cause both LEDs to be dead even when the rest of the system powers and POSTs.

Useful tests (in order):

  • Test the case LEDs off the motherboard with a multimeter in diode/test mode (disconnect the front-panel plug first). A working LED will show forward conduction or a faint glow on diode test; an open reading indicates a failed LED or broken lead.
  • Swap in a known-good LED or front-panel plug if available. This eliminates the case harness as the single point of failure without probing the motherboard.
  • With the board powered, carefully probe the front-panel header for voltage/transitions (use insulated probes and avoid shorting adjacent pins). HDD LED should toggle with disk activity; power LED is steady. If the header shows correct signals but the LED does not light, the case wiring is at fault.
  • Check connector type: some front panels use bi-color or 3-wire assemblies that won’t light on a standard 2-pin header. Confirm the motherboard header pinout in the manual before re-routing wires.

If both LEDs and the harness test good but the header provides no output, the front-panel driver or header on the motherboard could be faulty. Follow ESD and safety precautions when probing live boards; for a non-destructive quick test, swapping in another case/front-panel is often the fastest way to identify whether the mobo or the case is at fault.

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Member Avatar for alc6379

Are the LEDs installed correctly? Try swapping them around on their pin headers. You might have just put them on backwards...

Member Avatar for Thong_Ispector

LED= Light Emitting Diode...
Diodes, these (not all) are one directional...
Some light both ways in different colors etc..

Even if you got the correct pair of MB connectors they could be reversed...

Member Avatar for JANINE

i guess i could have put them on backwards, i'll have to check that. however as far as i know i put them on according to the instruction manual for the board and the case. however we all know just how bad these translations can be. i'll check:)

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