Slick Vick, what's up. GMan & I collaborated on 730x + ax1200i, here @ the font-size:inherit;">The ALX-Files: A Triad of Power Supply Swaps. Area-51 Aurora XPS 730x ... How to Make an Area-51 R1.44 Using the r2's New 1440w Delta ... Lessons In the PSU Swap Done Right
Power supply & computer cables tend to be universal colors, like black ground, orange 3volt, red 5volt, purple 5volt stand-by & yellow 12volt:
above & throughout Area-51 case harness, Dellware uses white, blue & yellow for 12volts
12volts tends to be the one voltage type a manufacturer plays with color-wise
If your NEW cables are all black or individually sleeved, have no fear, there are wiring diagrams here or online which explain all common connector types like Molex | Sata | CPU | 24p ATX, which are the four basic types you'll work with & tap into when building your very own 10pin
The new power supply front panel can be pinned out whichever way the engineers decide, then the cable wires/pins are pushed into modular connectors in such a way or pattern that ensures the HARDWARE DEVICE end of the cable puts out the volts / grounds seen in the chart above. A voltmeter can interrogate the front panel or the cables or both, to resolve the front panel pinout scheme: the pinout scheme is what you'll go by to push MIO wire pins into modular connectors
Have, buy or borrow a VOLTMETER when assembling your MIO 10pin
consult a computer shop or audio shop
Show them the Reference Photo & your original U647R case harness, tell them that you want to power supply swap: it should be a breeze for a Wiring Pro to make you what you need, ok?
July 21 2015: Another new case harness for my girl Alien
all hand-made cables & I'll discuss the mio 10pin. I've used 16gauge wire & gold pins 'everywhere':
two cables wearing three sata-heads for x6 hard-drive bays wrapped in a single sleeve
here an 11inch & 15inch set of grfx-cables; 3rd set is 13 inches & in use for vid-duty
a 30 inch 24pin ATX cable - note it's been over-sized & does not use an 'extension' to reach Hale90
- {the 26 inch Cpu 8pin & 32 inch Main Sata weren't photo'd prior to install} -
MIO 10pin
All 10 wires wear new female psu-pins at both ends; the purple 10p part is done, all pins clicked in place, & now the other end, the power supply end needs built. Assorted materials I need to finish the harness are shown (modular psu connex, heatshrink, zips etc). Optional black 10p shown
the 10pin end's been sleeved, zip-tied, heat shrink
next, slip on the other heatshrink, pop on the modular connectors, push sleeve up, zip-tie, heat-shrink
built. 10pin's done, tapped 5volts stand-by (24pin ATX is next harness in line to make)
the solo-wire you saw above in the final three pics is the very beginning of what's to be my 24pin atx cable; it's the '5volt stand-by' wire normally meant for the mthrbrd, but our MIO daughterboard wants 5vsb too so I've 'tapped into' the 24p ATX & designed a discrete short jumper wire to dangle off, wearing 2pin connex that clip together ... use of a small 2p (or 4p) break-away connect lends ease-of-use during installation in order to attach|detach MIO from 24pin ATX harness when needed
The case harness you just saw was entirely hand-made for my NZXT Hale90 1200watt:
Alien FX: let there be Light
8.11.16 | Permanent Vacation
I'll no longer field qwestions & hold hands through each individual swap, my time in this forum is over, I graduated. I've posted gobs of info here all in one place to best help you through your swap & hand-made cable experience. Over the past ~3years I've made 6 full custom case harnesses for myself & sold 17 full case harnesses, sold 32 basic MIO 10pin PSU Swap kits to other owners, that makes 54 confirmed kills; I've a dozen left over 10pins here, so I've put together close to 70 of these *** things: posted below represents what I've learned in my experience making cables, it's quite a headache I've assembled over time, but it's necessary, since there's no room for user wiring error.
So about 2months ago a member posts in the forum, he thinks my Guide here is too difficult to go by, regardless all of the photos & explanations, & all he wants is an easy 'basic' 10pin harness, one that will work, with an easy guide to go by, something he can make as easily as possible, in as few words as possible. I'm thinking to myself, there are 6 ways to make these, maybe 10 ways, there is no 'one way' ... lmdao
That is because no two power supplies tend to be the same:
they might use different connectors
might use sleeved vs ribbon cables (ie what material will you use to make a cable?)
where will you get the connectors, wires, sleeve, psu pins from?
will you tap the 8pin & 6pin port? Tap two 6pin ports?
will you tap 5volts Stand-by or by-pass it? If so, how?
will you use the original MIO 10pin, or start from scratch & make a brand new one?
How do I construct an easy basic guide, when I have no idea what your plans are, what your starting materials are, what your skill level is, what your power supply model is or what your 'vision' of your MIO cable is?
is the vision this? or is it this?
because this is my vision for all of us: a matched set
But you just saw 'basic' MIO 10p harnesses: Frankenstein, & the other a parasitic cable
so here ya go: basic 24pin extension = a color-coded splice & dice
use the Reference Photo & a 24p ATX Diagram to match all volts grounds
steal the 10pin cable off of your case harness or buy a U647R case harness for $20 or less:
note the Parasitic cable is very short, his was a Test Harness only
To lengthen yours, get some extra long wire, steal it from your U647R or the one you bought (or will buy) to replace it:
Use of a 24pin Extension / Adapter - the Parasitic Method - works, but it robs your motherboard & system of powa in the process
Let's try to make one instead, using the U647R case harness 10pin & empty modular connex
remove the 10pin from a U647R case harness, & this is what you'll get
some wires will or won't have pins afterwards because some MIO wires 'jump' onto a pin with another wire, two wires spliced onto one pin, two wires share a pin etc:
Factory PSU Pins are 'cheap' = fragile & delicate: be careful with yours
if you further disassemble your U647R, you can 'steal' the missing PSU pins
the best ones to steal are 'jumper' pins, a pin with two wires
carefully yank a wire out, then other wire should come out easy, then re-use the pin(s)
needle nose pliers can help effect a new crimp (you can improve it with a light solder job)
1st pull white plastic PSU pin locks out: those are there to stop pins from backing out
U657R? Oops. I have different plans for this 10p, like snipping off all the original cheap PSU pins & crimping on brand new Molex premium ones, but your original ones can be re-used in a pinch
grab a needle, thumbtack or similar tool & back the pins out of the 66pin bulk connector
male | female PSU pins have two 'arms' which are splayed, so that pins click | lock in place. your tool attacks the arms on either side, compressing flattening them, so the pins will back out:
if you back a pin out & want to re-use it again?
use a fine tool to gently splay the arms back out
the arms need splayed again, so pin clicks in place when inserted into a connector
new female pin with lock arms splayed, or 'set'
when re-using a pin, take a micro flat-blade screw driver tip & 'open' the wire crimp sections apart a little, to help facilitate pushing a new wire back in ... afterwards, re-crimp with a needlenose plier. Remember to reset (splay) the pin lock arms afterwards. new male pin shown below
try to group the x3 12v + x4 ground into your modular CPU 8pin (finished pic later below)
group the 3v + 5v into a 6pin (or whatever your PSU has for SATA/Molex port)
now 'decide' what to do about your 5VSB purple wire
Every Aftermarket 24pin ATX cable has x1 5VSB wire >< above, Dellware has 'jumped' 5VSB
MIO dangling out of the 66pin is why these are Proprietary Case Harnesses & PSUs
5VSB: x1 for mthrbrd 24pin ATX + x1 for MIO 10pin
MIO 'wants' 5VSB, however it is difficult to tap into it without 'modding' / tapping into the 24p in your new cable pouch ...
Grabbing 5VSB from a new basic modular pouched 24pin is why we might like to purchase:
a 24p extension, as from earlier, Parasitic 'tap' into the $8 extension instead
maybe you can buy a spare 24p to tap, as with ax1200i = $19 each/shipped (tap the modular end in the case floor area, off of the 10/14 branch ie at the psu modular end of cable)
tap the one you bought, then look for a spare later, if an unmolested cable cures your OCD
24pin ATX cable: direct tap of 5VSB using various methods, blue side-by-side connex anyone?
Plan B? By-pass 5VSB > turn it into 'standard' 5v
5volts stand-by: purple wire is hot 5v with PSU plugged in, rear switch 'on' & system off:
MIO Led indicator is on, motherboard LED on (they're jumped together in the 66pin right?)
Theater lights won't use batteries, they will run off your 5volts SB
A51 ALX front motorized panel should drop down with system plugged in but off
5volts standard: red wires are hot 5v only when system is turned on
turn purple 5VSB into standard (red) 5v: you lose SB features, but gain a hassle-free working system when you change out the power supply:
Method #1, when using Corsair ax1200i --> tap into the 2nd red 5volt center slot that is normally un-used
BEWARE: other power supplies may or may not have an un-used 5volt
having a voltmeter handy can help resolve what the un-used slot is in a 6pin PSU port, after you find out what it is, you may be able to use it to your wiring advantage, or maybe not lol
SATA is 3v Grd 5v Grd 12v = 5wires >< Molex power is 5v Grd Grd 12v = 4wires
NZXT uses a 5pin single-row, but also above, the 6pin (3x3) prevails in the market
SATA power, which uses 5 WIRES?
in a 6pin SATA device PSU modular connector ... 5 slots are filled ... 1 slot is always empty
sometimes the PSU engineers keep the empty slot / pin alive
it may be an unused ground, 3v, 5v or 12v: probe it with your voltmeter to find out what it is
ax1200i? the empty un-used pin is 5volts: TAP IT
fun diagram, right?
ax1200i modular panel: note Peripheral (Molex 4pin) & SATA 6pins have x2 red 5V pins (x1 = unused)
See Method #1 photo again: the red & purple wire can use top center 5volts in your SATA 6pin:
it so happens, Corsair ax1200i has an unused 5v pin, so the 5VSB (purple) can go up there, while the 'standard' 5v red can go in the bottom
Most PSUs won't have an unused 5v (red) ... if yours does? TAP it
if your cables are all black? I keep saying purple? figure it out, since this is a U647R build
Remember, when 5-wire SATA modular cables plug in with a 6pin connect, one slot in the 6pin is always empty. Seasonics tend to have an open un-used 12v in their 6pin ports (see panel below)
dual 12volt pins may not help ... or will they???
dual 12v can help, yes, it means MIO can use a pair of 6pin ports to tap into, right?
right. but I'll get to that later
For now, ax1200i users are taken care of (slap a 6pin & 8pin on your MIO, you're done now right?). For other owners, like Seasonic owners?, you can 'jump' the red & purple wire onto one PSU pin (See Method #2), where I show you to push both wires crimped onto one pin into your solo 5volt slot. Do that, bam, you're done, that's a valid by-pass method
Method #3: isolate purple 5VSB in its own 6pin, make it tap red 5volts standard from another port
yes, I can foresee someone buying a type of PSU that needs that method #3
Seasonic X1250 has an unused 12volt (yellow) instead, so Method #2 or #3 can be used to tap the x1 red 5V pin replicated inside of each SATA 6pin port
Looking at ax1200i & X1250, MIO can tap the CPU 8pin & any SATA 6pin, ok?
x3 12v + x4 ground in the 8pin
x1 3v x1 5v x1 5VSB from a 6pin or isolate 5VSB into another 6pin
note: for X1250, if tap CPU 8pin, the top 12pin is your new optional CPU 8pin port
regardless, see a basic by-passed 6pin 8pin MIO below
chances are, yours will look similar to mine above
chances are, yours will look similar to mine above
wait, I just said that.
Go back up & compare ax1200i to X-1250:
they have very different modular front panel pin assignments
very few power supplies are pinned the same
figure out your front panel pin assignment scheme & build your 8pin / 6pin correct
I mean your dual 6pin? lol
if you do? MIO will work
(=
how about simplicity? MainFrame Customs.com
figure out your PSU Pin Assignment Diagram, use the Reference Photo for MIO 10pin end,
by-pass 5VSB & build a sleeved black harness in like 45 minutes for like $15
need dual 6pins? need an 8p + dual 6ps to isolate 5VSB?
need help splicing wires together? Red/Purple on same PSU pin?
Ask MainFrame to jumper your 5V/5VSB wires together so they fit a 6pin 5V slot / pin
ask them ...
Method #1 #2 #3 are valid by-pass methods
need new 16gauge PSU pins? Order them too ...
they're better than 18gauge pins
So! FireAza asked for a 'basic' 'easy' How-To
a simple way to power supply swap & have an MIO 10pin
EASILY DONE
just not easily explained, sorry brother, I tried, just now, tried to explain this in easy terms
original U647R MIO or buy pre-made wires & empty connex
I even edited in the 'easy guide' at the top of the post for you
what lurks below are ... Advanced Methods
My Professional Kit
Nice looks. Nice fit
note: a dual 6pin for Corsair, not an 8p + 6p *wink* (I jumped x2 12v wires into same slot)
above, recent Summer 2016 swap using Corsair & my Pro Kit you just saw
I gave customer the choice of sleeved or matching ribbons Pro Kit
after sending this photo of a successful swap, customer shopped Corsair.com, bought a new sleeved 24pin + sleeved CPU 8pin, dumped most of the ribbon cables
Go look at ax1200i & X-1250 again; see how they only have x1 5VSB (purple) pin in the front panel where the 24p ATX cable plugs into? That's because a conventional computer only has to send x1 5VSB wire just to the motherboard (to help power USB devices when the system is plugged in but 'off') & because I like to wire things for myself & other people BACK TO FACTORY SPECS I needs to tap into that solo 5VSB pin, somehow
Above?, Pro Kit?, I've 'tapped' into 5VSB, by making a pair of extensions, tapped 5VSB from the extension, the 10pin half or branch of it:
example: ax1200i 24pin has a 10p + 14p branch, X-1250 has a 10p + 18p branch
5VSB is tapped from the 10pin branch & bridges to MIO over a 4pin break away connect
why a 24pin (10 + 14 or 10 + 18 etc) extension?
(the following photo set is a dis-assembled U647R case harness with modular connex built on)
Well, if you route back to stock & send your 24pin ATX up the black snap-lok cable organizer, the bottom modular connector(s) tends to stop short:
my extensions bridge the gap to the PSU panel
my extension is a good place to tap 5VSB without molesting the new 24pin ATX cable
ok?
(ummm, actually, this was my 1st case harness, I tapped the 24p's purple for some dumb reason)
all my other ventures, I tap at the modular end, labeled below as 10p (see my Pro Kit earlier)
somewhere in all of this tangle of wire is a working MIO & a happy Alien sipping off 1250w of juice
this is the 'why' of making your own extension:
route back to stock, bridge the gap to PSU panel, have a place to tap 5VSB without modding into the new 24pin ATX cable
if you ever sell your power supply, no cables get modded this way
YOU THERE? u can easily get away with the cable below, & so could I
x10 new female PSU pins (optional)
x1 empty 6pin x1 empty 8pin
crimp (solder: optional) the pins onto your wires
figure out your front panel CPU / PCI-E 8pin & SATA / Molex (peripheral) pin assignments
place the 3v 5v 12v Ground into the correct slots, til the PSU pins click in place
got it?
If you by-passed 5VSB, & made a 10p like above, using the U647R case harness MIO 10p:
your new 24pin ATX will plug directly into the PSU & motherboard
see the piped lime green build? his ribbon 24pin by-passed the snap-lok
it is possible you can't use the black snap-lok like you used to, if the 24p won't reach
if so, maybe a portion of the 24p can go in, meaning some clamps won't snap shut
u might try to buy a basic 24pin extension for the end of it, although it might be (look) bulky
next to last photo, then my edits are done: your new CPU 8pin cable
The old CPU 8pin was like 51inches long, that's too long (too much resistance), the new CPU 8pin will be like 24" - 26" & half the resistance, & you can route it a different way this time:
my Seasonic cable is 26", so it just reaches the top optional CPU power port
the alternative is this: go up the snap-lok & dive left to your CPU 8pin port
my Spring 2016 customer sent me this photo, he titled it 'A51 Rebuild' ... that it certainly is
he's using ax1200i, which comes with a 24inch CPU cable, just a tad short to route like my Seasonic 26incher:
to route like my Seasonic? He would need an 8pin CPU / EPS extension
short CPU / EPS extensions plug into the PSU 1st, then your 24" cable goes the rest of the way to the motherboad
that way, the bulky connexion stays in the case floor area, hidden & with room
as you see, he solved the problem a different way (pssst: did you use my Guide & make your own MIO 10pin? Post it here & show off your work)
(=
this owner contacted me from Norway, he used my Pro Guide to hand-make his MIO 10pin
a matched set woulda been shweet ... git her done!
this is my last PSU Swap Guide edit ... after ~3years, it is time for me to retire now
I did not disassemble a spare CPU 8pin cable nor remove the 6pin off of a spare Molex, but if I needed to in order to get half the material together, I certainly could. However, the 10wire pins pushed into the MIO 10pin above, do have factory pins on them, & I've crimped / soldered my own brand new psu pins on the other end, which await the 6pin 8pin 4pin connectors I have
the 4pin with one wire in it is for 5volts stand-by, or MIO purple pin #5
if you can't tap into your front panel's 5VSB (shown below purple), you can still turn pin#5 into standard 5volts. Example below suggests to tap the SATA 6pin bottom center 5v for pin #10 5v, & tap the top center of the 6pin (which is also 5volts) and route it directly to pin #5
MIO 10pin #5 purple should be 5v stand-by: tap into it if you can
if you can't, 'turn' it into standard 5volts, by tapping into top center 6pin
ok?
Above Far #5 is shown half red & half purple to signify that pin #5 can be wired as 5volts STAND-BY (5vsb) or standard 5volts, depending on your wiring scheme
Above Center: Corsair SATA 6pin top center pin / slot has a hollow red circle to signify an additional pin / slot to tap standard 5volts from
*note: not all power supplies have two 5volt pins. Corsair's do ... one is used for the SATA / Molex cable they provide while the additional (top) 5v pin is unused
I've tapped or jumped into the 10pin branch of the extension to grab 5Vsb
I've routed it to the MIO 10pin over a break-away 4pin connector
ready for ax1200i >< ready for ax1500i
ready for Area-51
- Other Power Supplies -
as you saw, Corsair ax1200i / 1500i (all Corsair Type3 cables) have an additional 5volt pin, with which to tap & easily turn your MIO pin #5 from what it used to get (5vsb) into standard 5volts
Seasonic's however have two 12volt pins (one is unused)
How do we grab two standard 5volt (red) wires from only one 5v pin?
Make a 5volt Jumper | Splitter Wire
While I'm at it, I'll show you how to back a pin out. I'm using a thin flat-blade tip & a 'rod' to keep the pin inside from deforming as I press down. If you're taking a CPU 8pin apart to use as material, you'll need to back a wire/pin out anyway --> it will start with 8 wires but you only need 7:
MIO needs x3 12volt & x4 ground
I'll back a wire pin out to replicate what can be done to a spare CPU 8pin cable
now there are 7 wires / pins left, this stand-in material is ready to use
to make a pair of 7inch wires, start with a 14 inch wire, strip the insulation in the middle, crimp (& solder) a pin on it, then make sure the other end has pins too
my camera is a junky $60 Polaroid, supposed 18Mega-pixel, but it's bad on closeups
let's try that again, using old photos when it used to work
regardless the final length, it can be tedious jumping two separate 18gauge wires onto one 18g pin, let alone a larger 16g pin, & I find it best to use the above technique: using single wires & 'turning' or splitting them into two. As you can see, so long as a pair of wire is joined to one pin, you can tap a standard 5volt pin off of your power supply SATA/peripheral port & route it to both the pin#5 & pin #10 of your MIO to het it the 5volt power it needs in a jiffy
End Summer 2016 Edit
How To Deal With Your Alien's 10pin MI/O Cable -
Illustrated ideas & procedures article for how to make the required master i/o (alienFx-liquid cooling) daughterboard wire harness for a power suppy unit (psu) swap in Area-51.
If you see any errors or have useful additions to the discussion, feel free to chime in; I'll correct errors & welcome fresh new ideas toward building a better mousetrap ...
Our stock psu's & many aftermarket types are designed w/what are called "multiple" 12volt rails; each "rail" has its own "over-current-protection" circuitry - ocp - like a circuit breaker); it's obvious if you wire a new multi-rail unit up right it will work as good as the stock unit does; however, regardless if it's a single 12v rail or multi-12v-rail psu, the fact remains that to do a psu swap we have to hand-fabricate a harness for the mio board, & the element of user error may creep into the equation as the result:
performance/shut-down issues, permanent damage to your equipment, fire, & death may result as your consequence if you wire yours up "wrong"
to overcome such hazards, I'll bring my wiring experience to bear on a discussion of safe bench-testing routines for your psu/harness tandem & recommend sensible modular ports to tap
you'll need to research your particular 12v rail psu, the way it's designed, its manufacturer stated policies on safe wiring procedures etc, & whatever considerations must be taken account of so far as ocp-circuitry & "add-on" equipment like an mio
when buying a new psu, be sure to go over its specs; things as simple as short-circuit protection & over-current-protection are important features for it to have
the use of a hand-made cable, like the one we need to make, would be considered a "non-approved" cable by your manufacturer & possibly void your warranty if they find out about it; but your secret's safe with me ... & maybe only me
My wiring experience dates back to the mid-90's & my recent psu swap experience was learned from single 12v rail style psu's. Applying the single 12v-rail strategies found in this article to a multiple 12v-rail psu may or may not be applicable, may or may not be helpful, have not been tested & may be a performance/safety & fire hazard issue for you if you attempt to use them. A more in-depth talk about 12v rails is found later below; read & understand what you've read before you begin using your new psu/mio tandem.
**************************
The Top 10 Things You Need To Know:
Through eBay, I get all kings of questions: one common misconception is that all power supply cables are identical, it simply isn't true. Corsair ax1200 & ax1200i cables do not interchange for instance. All modular power supply cables are & have to be wired identical on the hardware end, but are rarely identical on the modular power supply end of the cable. Manufacturers can wire the psu end of the cable however they need to, so not all cables interchange (even if they plug in ok, that hardly matters) & if you use the wrong cable(s) for your psu, you can burn up your stuff qwickly as the result. If you buy new or used cables, separate from your psu purchase, make sure they are correct for your psu. If they aren't, you will need to back the wires-pins out of the modular connector & 'pin it out' correctly so it will work. My Hale90 psu is using an Antec cable set, where I 'rebuilt' that set to Hale90 specs. I check in on the forum regularly, I'm subscribed to my own thread here, if you have questions, ask.
The stock psu has a large solo modular bulk connector, 'bottom right' at the mthrbrd wall, w/a 24inch 24pin atx cable; most after-market psu's locate their 24pin atx modular port at the top left & provide you the same 24inch cable. Most standard psu cables will not reach as the result. You will most likely need a 6"-8" 24pin extension to help your cable reach. Also, some cpu 8pin cables may not reach, may be an inch or two too short, if so, you will need a cpu 8pin extension to span the distance. An extension like that is best coupled down in the case floor, not up top at the mthrbrd cpu 8pin port.
The master i/o board, like the mthrbrd, uses a type of 5volts called 5volts stand-by. When the power supply is plugged in but is turned 'off', the psu will kick out only one voltage: 5 volts, it is hot & in 'stand-by mode'. The mthrbrd & mio will light up the tell-tale led as the result, to denote power is present when the system is off, among other things. No 'regular' computer has to supply 5vsb to anything but a motherboard, so there is no provision in the 24pin atx cable to supply your Area-51 with 5vsb to the mio board. In our original stock case harness, 5vsb is 'shared' / 'jumped' to both the mthrbrd & the mio. To re-wire your mio - your system - back to factory specs, you must 'tap' or 'jump' 5vsb from your new 24pin atx cable, the same way our old case harness does this. You will find tips below how to tap it. You do not need to tap it though. If you do not, you must find 'standard' 5volts from somewhere else, & route it to your mio's '5vsb wire'. Standard 5volts only goes hot when you press your power button on, turn your psu on. If you use stndrd 5v instead, your system will work as normal on pwr up, but your system will lose whatever 5vsb features it had before your swap (batteries recharging, ALX front panel motors down w/system off etc). For instance, on ax1200i, its front panel sata connector has two 5volt pins, one is 'unused', so, you could tap your 5vsb wire into that unused slot, to get your system going, but not all psu's have a pair of 5v in their sata ports, Seasonic gives you a 12v pair actually, one 12v is 'unused'. Or grab standard 5volts from some other sata port: most psu's give you 5 or 6 modular sata-peripheral ports, Area-51 likes to use 5, so a psu with 6 can help you 'turn' your mio's 5vsb wire into standard 5v. These issues are discussed later, but you will need to get 5volts, any type of it, to your mio's '5vsb wire' for your mio to get what it needs.
Unless you find a psu who's 24pin atx port(s) is situated in the bottom right like the stock units are, basically all 24inch 24pin atx cables are too short, & you need an extension. I hand-make my own extensions as the result, & when I do I tap or jump into 5vsb on my extension, as I like to deal with the necessary extension down in the case floor area, down at the psu (photos shown throughout) as opposed to buying a typical basic 24p extension & coupling up at the mthrbrd area. All psu's will come w/a standard 24pin end for the mthrbrd, but not all will have the same 24p type for the psu end, most will 'branch' into let us say a 10pin & 14pin or 10p/18p pair as your modular end. There really are no 10p/14p/18p extensions out there to buy, which doesn't help matters. If you go w/a typical 24p extension, you can try to tap 5vsb on it, so as not to molest your real 24p cable they give you. You'll need some form of extension anyway, best to tap into a cheap one & not the 24incher they give you, as sound advice.
as a temporary measure to get back up & running, try a basic 24p extension & couple it up at the mthrbrd area - forgo 5vsb as I said earlier - route standard 5v to your mio's 5vsb wire til you figure something else out if it's important to be wired back top spec & look like it too
Most psu makers will give you 24inch video cables. the stock Area-51 video cables are 13inches & 11 inches, so do your best with excess cable, prepare for cable mngmnt.
The three hard drive sata cables in our stock case harnesses use two sata heads per cable. We got three hdd sata cables to power our 6 hard drive bays. If your new sata cable has two sata heads per, use them, knowing you need three of them like you have now. If they give you three or four sata heads per cable, just route two cables to your hard drives (behind the pci-e fan) & hook all 6 of your drive bays to your new sata cable pair. You will note our hdd satas are 5-wire types (supply the orange 3.3v wire), but the actual hard drive power cable that goes to the bay area? It is four wires, does not include 3.3v, (what would have been the ornage 3.3v wire) therefore, you can use your molex cables if need be, so long as they wear a sata adaptor on the end to power your hdd power connex behind the pci-e fan, as you look for the best cable types to use, based on length, connector head count etc.
Your mio only needs the basics: 3.3v, 5v, 5v(sb), 12v & ground. Easily gotten from your new psu. I basically tap an open cpu 8pin for all 12v / ground needs & one 6pin sata port (or 5pin sata as with the Nzxt Hale90) to supply a mio with remaining 3.3v / 5v needs. I tap 5vsb as the final wire from my 24p extensions but could easily just turn 5vsb into standard 5v if need be from some other sata port. 12v & ground is easy to find in your 8pin cpu port, 3.3 & 5v easily found in your sata ports. see next:
If your psu has 'colored wires', the convention is basically ylw 12v, blk ground, red 5v, org 3.3v, purple 5vsb. Simply looking at your wire color can tell you where to tap in to for your mio. If your wires are all black? Best to get a voltmeter & maybe jump-start your psu on; I've done a section on interrogating your front panel for this very reason. Other ways I check for how a front panel is pinned out, is my voltmeter has an audible beep for continuity. If I were to buy just the cable set for an EVGA 1600? Within minutes I can tell you exactly how the front panel is pinned out, using my continuity tester on my voltmeter. This is because all cables are identical on the hardware end, & I can & do probe those connectors, then back-probe them to the modular connector end & slowly create a chart of where all the voltages are, based on the hardware end of the connector & 'landmarks' that say where all the 12v ground 5v 3.3v etc have to be. You can use my guide here to help probe your cables, so you can slowly work your way to wiring your mio up right. When done building your mio cable, you can jump your psu on, & get real voltage readings to ensure it is wired-pinned out correctly b4 you ever place power to your mio.
When you get your new cable set, 9 times out of 10 they give you cables you never need, like an extra cpu 8pin, extra sata cables. You can make a matching mio cable with these excess cables & more important have the right modular connector ends. Empty connectors are always for sale, as well as new psu pins to help you turn your material into a new mio cable. You can make one, when you're done & it works, you can try to make another one, a better one. You can browse my photos, I've made about 40 of these so far. When in doubt, buy an original case harness, part# U647R, back out or snip out the mio 10pin harness, apply new pins if need be, apply the right modular connectors where-ever you can get some from. After, you can set about making a matching type the way I do.
Don't let my guide over-whelm you; over the past year it's grown into a monster, I know it. Look at my photos of my completed cables, they are much easier to make then ever will be to explain how to make them. There are so many ways to wire things up, I simply can not include them all, or untangle it all, so do research elsewhere for things like wire coupling (bullet connectors, mating connectors, easy wiring supplies etc), check youtube for how to back power supply pins out of connectors, or apply new psu pins to wires, to at least get something made, then go back & perfect your design afterwards. It can look sloppy, so what if it does?, so long as it works there's time to go back and do better next time.
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- EVGA 12Volt PowerBoost Modules for your Stock X58 Motherboard -
Here we see that some poor sod learned the hard way not to try to run insane cards on the stock x58 MSI A-51 board: his 12v wires on pins 10/11 had a burn out (majik smoke). This is indicative of a card (or cards) trying to draw in more power than the board as designed can allow. This exact same problem was happening on EVGA boards back in the day, hence, their solution for evga users (& eventually the rest of us) was the powerboost, which saturates the pci-e lane(s) w/a ready steady supply of 12v to the card or cards, & forgoes the bottleneck happening up top through pins 10/11. This board (& whatever card(s) were used in it) makes a good j560m poster child ... pop one in your x1 pci-e slot & call it a day ... ounce prevention/pound cure ...
I qwit gaming, I do not run nor have a need for high-dollar high-power cards, nor do I keep up with what cards can be used in Area-51 or not. The lesson above is this: if you use either of the stock x58 boards (part# j560m or xdj4c), you might need a powerboost even if you swapped in a new high-dollar high-power psu, huh? The bottleneck on pins 10/11 is a real, known issue w/our stock boards. We've learned it isn't always the psu that is at fault, it is the pci-e lane the card(s) sits in that starves for 12v, where we might assume it is essentially the mthrbrd is what turns the system off, bsod, black screen all of it, performance issues, part of the pain we're here to deal with & fix.
the issue with X58 motherboard & power supply 24pin ATX connectors having a meltdown was so widespread, link above archives links to 17 other internet / forum posts describing the issue & offering possible wiring work-arounds to prevent it from happening
if u still have the factory motherboard, plan to swap in a new power supply & high-performance video card or cards, invest in the low-cost EVGA Powerboost to help protect your high-cost investments
- Who Really Makes the Power Supply? -
Tom's Hardware finally published a new 2014 power supply manufacturer's list:
... good breakdown on who's really behind the label: here's the link
Pre-game Warm-Up
I do not own a Corsair ax(i) series power supply. But in my three towers my modular Seasonic x-1250, XfxPro 1250 & Nzxt Hale90 1Kw single 12v rail psu's have been tested & used in both my stock & "Asus-51" Haswell build; Hale/x-1250/Pro & ax(i)-series are similar power supplies - not just because they're all single 12v rail design - but simply because they're modular, & it is for that basic reason you can translate & apply the lessons learned from my modular's over to a Corsair - & by extension just about any modular psu offered on the market - because in the end, it's elementary my Dear Watson's: simply make the wire harness & plug the Professor into the hyper-drive ...
In this exposé you will learn the basics of how to:
understand all of your mio's volt/ground requirements
solve your psu's fixed volt/ground pins in the modular jacks
devise a wiring harness & connector scheme w/which to mate your mio board to your new modular psu
spy the modular panel of any aftermarket psu & decide which ones might work & those best left unchallenged
Corsair launched their new digital Titanium-class ax-1500i. With one simple look at its modular front panel, you can decide if you have what it takes to turn your A-51 into an Area-1500i / Area-1.5Kw Ti
below are photos of a hand-made 10pin mio harness; if you follow the instructions provided w/in this article, you should be able to gather all the tools, materials & know-how to fabricate a working harness for your master i/o board as I have
Master i/o board successfully mated to my Xfx Pro1250. Hand-made 10pin harness taps a pair of the right modular ports, sends correct volts/grounds to mio board. Yours will be a similar situation ...
All 3volt / 5volt / 5volt "stand-by" / 12volts / grounds were correctly "found" & correctly "tapped" from the psu & directed to mio board, using a photo schematic (below) of mio's circuit specifications
- Original Case Harness Adapted to Corsair ax1500i /ax1200i -
here I've disassembled an entire original case harness, popped new psu pins & modular connex on all the ends, hand-made a 7" 24pin atx extension & four true 8-wire 6+2 grfx cables. Hoo-rah.
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The Original Forum Post on a Corsair Psu Swap w/a 10Pin
2 years ago a post aired on doing an ax1200 swap by creating the required home-made 10pin master i/o connector harness; a large photo of a mio 10pin w/volt assignments was posted along with it:
Click that link to read up & see or download the original 1Mb photo of the 10pin w/proven correct labels; that photo is our 80Plus Platinum-standard; it is the Reference Photo by which you can learn how to make your own 10pin connector harness & tap it into your new modular psu like others have done ...
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10pin Reference & Color Reference Photo
stock wire colors shown
I've a background in wiring; all I needed as the single basis to make my own mio harness was the Reference photo. It shows us what mio's circuit specifications are & from there you design/build an appropriate harness which taps your psu in all the right places, while your stock harness wire colors add a helpful hand at easy circuit identification.
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Creating a Convention
The top Reference Photo is accurate ... I've then colored the pins in for you relative to stock wire colors & qualified the purple pin as 5VSB -->"stand-by". For easy I.D. I've #'d the pins left to right below, & refer to them later so we're on the same page with pin# color volt & ground assignments during my build & yours. The bottom left is pin1 white, bottom right pin5 purple; top left pin6 blue-white; top right pin10 red.
Pin# - Stock Color - Volts/Grounds Chart
Btm Row Top Row
m1 Wht: 12v(a) m6 Blu-Wht: 12v(b)
m2 Blk: 0v = Grd m7 Blk: 0v = Ground
m3 Blu-Wht: 12v(b) m8 Org: 3.3v
m4 Blk: 0v = Grd m9 Blk: 0v = Ground
m5 Ppl: 5vSB m10 Red: 5v
"m" = connector m = master i/o 10pin Molex Mini-Fit Jr. connector
5VSB = 5 volts 'standby' ><>< 0v = Grd = Ground
12v(a) = stock rail "a", 12v(b) = stock rail "b" > rail "a"-"b" in name only; true 12v rail letter assignments inside stock psu (internal 12va, b, c etc.) are unknown, unverified
Stock PSU Size: 3 7/8"h x 6"w x 8.5"l >< approx mm: 100h x 150w x 215l
Recommended psu / 86mm max
mio harnesses with & w/out modular connectors - I "jumped" the red 5v wires (explained later)
- The Classic Splice n' Dice -
This isn't me, I found this online & admire the effort: crude but effective. Where a will? There a way: a home-made job for ax1200i. What I like? He's up & running now, he's back online; he can scour the internet now for better parts, better ideas & dial in his final product in a Round Two harness build.
For instance, he din't need to make the splice: all he had to do was build 10 power supply pins ($3 shipped?) onto the mio colored wire ends, pop his modular connectors off his ribbon cables & pop them onto the mio harness. Or. Pop 10 psu pins on the black ribbon cable ends & pop the white 10pin off - & then onto his black ribbon ends. In the top right pic, instead of a Frankenstein harness, he'd be better served with 'one' or the 'other', but yes, scour & cannabilize parts from one type harness & stick them on the other, so in the end you have either a black ribbon harness w/white 10pin end - or - an original rebuilt mio harness w/black ax1200i modular ends on it, huh? In top right photo, his left hand touches the parts he needs: simple black connector ends. A better choice: pop the white 10pin off, go with all black matching ax1200i cables in Area51.
A better choice, use the extra unused 24 inch 8pin cpu cable in the pouch, cut it down to 8", rob two wires off of the unused 16 inch section, rob an unused sata or molex cable for a 6pin, slap some new pins on & make a matching sleeved harness. Again, above is a 1st attempt of at least SOMETHING, anything to get you back up & running means you always have time to go back & perfect your design in the next go around. Now that he's back online, he might even find my post here ...
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Photos of a Test Adaptor I Found Online: Crude But Effective
- Additional Multi-12v Rail Info & Disclaimer -
Tapping three 12v wires is necessary to this psu swap; finding 12v in a multi-rail psu is easy: finding which rails they belong to may not be so clear. Please see your side label/owner's manual, research safe multi-12v rail line discovery handling & wiring before attempting any wiring procedures illustrated below, or contact your manufacturer for support in this field. "Over-taxing" a 12v rail will cause heat which may then cause smoke > fire etc. If your mio harness is in fact built correctly, then the difference between a safe & potentially hazardous install will probably boil down to which modular jacks you've plugged your mio harness into. Your goal would be to have your mio harness tapped into rails which are not being overly-taxed, example: not on the same rail as high-current pci-express video cables/your video card(s):
you will be installing a high-power psu w/many "modular" inputs; perhaps 8, 10, 12, 14 or more to choose from. In a multi-12v unit, these modular jacks will tie to internal 12v rails, & it is upon you to choose the right (theoretically or known safest & "correct") ports to tap into
your mio board has its own 12v load requirements which tax your psu in its own particular way
I calculate the mio board draws about 60 - 70watts (5 - 6amps) of current at all times, & w/a resistor technique, mio sends 12volts in various degrees of current to the related 12v equipment it is asked to run. But the input draw is 60 - 70 absorbed watts regardless the 12v output current (+ heat by-product) from mio, is the way I see it. Call it "70 watts" of add-on equipmemt you will need to acount for in your system & your system wiring design:
Alienware designed your stock system for you
w/a psu swap, you design your own whole new system, understood?
What is a 12volt rail?
On my psu's & the Corsair offerings (all single 12v rails), basically they have one 100(+) amp internal "circuit breaker", & should shut off if the total current draw is 100amps or more. No matter where I plug into, no matter what equipment I run, I am told I can run "100amps" (1200w) before things will get dicey. So 12volts is of unrestricted use for me up to 100 amps.
In a multiple 12v rail psu, we'll pretend a brand of psu which has two 50amp internal "circuit breakers" or "ocp circuitry" - we'll say it has two 12v rails - each rated at 50amps - & so 12volts can not exceed 50amps on either rail.
If that psu had 12 modular ports, pretend that 6 ports were "tied" on one rail, 6 tied to the other rail. As you begin plugging cables in, it would start to matter which cables & which equipment was falling on which rail ... right? ... this is why they say to "balance your rails" "balance your equipment". For example, if you randomly plugged in cables to run three video cards, & in reality your scheme had them all on the same rail, chances are that rail would draw a lot of current, the psu & related micro-components start to stress, heat up, lose efficiency, & perhaps the psu shuts off during spikes in power, say while gaming or stress testing. That is fine: it's designed to shut off (over-current-protection "ocp").
One problem: check newegg.com psu reviews, & you'll see 25% of people stating their new psu smoked up, sparked & popped, even fire! etc. Whether that was a *** psu or an unbalanced system, or both, who knows.
In the scenario above, if you'd "balanced" the equipment judiciously instead - some equipment tied to one rail, some tied to the other - the psu internals/components would run cooler, they wouldn't always be at a treschold of reaching max, stressing out, & your psu wouldn't be running in a state where it borders on shutting down in the heat of battle. This is the trick then: is the psu going to shut down? Or will it catch fire 1st? The ocp circuitry might be viable, but what about some other surface component? Some mini-part, like a transitor, that heated up beyond design limits etc BEFORE the ocp kicked in? Ok then, stranger things happen, check newegg for real-world talk on psu failures. You can search online for single vs multi rail psu's, go over their pro's & cons. Balance your mio harness judiciously, due to its "70watt" / "6a" current draw.
Call it 100 watts just to be safe. Factor it into your system building design. You've been warned.
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March 13, 2015 Edit: Having both of the stock Area-51 1200w psu's tested by a Pro
This is one of my stock 1200w power supplies on a $5k SunMoon Professional Load Tester
above: testing shows J297R had a video-card 12volt rail shutdown protection rating of almost 20amps; as we do power supply swaps. we're on the lookout for single 12volt rail chassis' with ocp ratings of 100amps or more, if multiple 12v rails we'll want it to have 30/40/50 amp rails ...
80Plus Efficiency
above J297R: pass for silver / fail for gold (but not by much)
above VHM5V: pass silver / fail gold
stock units pass for 80Plus Silver; we're on the lookout for 80Plus Gold Platinum & Titanium, yes?
Game Time Strategies
Pretty much, any psu will work in your case, so long as you can build an mio harness for it. Mio relays/sends power directly to your stock liquid cooling pump (& radiator fan) so do not run a psu in your case w/out giving the mio a harness to run the system, lest your cpu overheats as your reward. You want a psu who's cooling fan mounts up to breathe, a chassis height of about 3.5" max & who's rear mount holes line up with the stock psu cage; remove your psu stop-brace for longer chassis &/or modular input access:
correct psu has fan "up" & bottom right screw hole staggered to match stock psu cage; "dremel"/razorblade the black honey-comb psu finish trim plate to accommodate extra plugs & differing switches. Buy a spare trim if you like ...
Not every psu uses the same modular input connectors, nor have the same front panel interface nor pin-out their fixed voltage pins the same way. This complicates things since the wiring strategies become limitless. Every possible scenario can't be explored, but we can learn from Basic Training how to wage a little war on the swap project. W/a voltmeter, mental algebra & the empowerment of know-how, you can solve for your psu's 3-5-12v-grounds, solve its front panel connections, solve your 10pin, & resolve the eventual wiring harness between them:
there isn't an aftermarket psu yet built that comes w/a cable that can plug into the master i/o ("mio") board, & for full system integration we must hand-make mio its own special harness, then we must load the proper connectors up w/the proper volts/grounds wires/pins properly for it to work:
The new ax-1500i is using a full industry standard 8pin & 6pin "female" modular front panel: tapping power/ground from it w/industry standard 8pin & 6pin "males" will be like taking candy from a baby. Were we to modify some cables (or back the pins out of an un-needed sata/molex/cpu cable(s) connector they sent us) we'd have their 8pin & 6pin male(s) on the spot for our use, perhaps even some wiring & psu pins we need to complete a mio harness
The fraternal ax1200/1200i twins share the same front panel outlay & both use industry standard 8pins on one side (vga & pwr) & a 6pin on the other side:
ax1200 uses a proprietary 6pin & requires effort to track down a solution, (I imported some spares from China), while it uses a standard solid 'pci-e / vga' 8pin
ax-1200i uses a 'type1' pci-e 6pin (a type2 pci-e 6pin also fits) & a standard 'cpu/eps/pwr' 8pin
we can search for/buy empty industry standard 6&8pin tapping connectors for our mio harness if need be
in rare events, you may have to "modify" a connector to make it fit your front panel port, usually with a razorblade since it's plastic
we could alternatively use/buy (or back the pins out of) their cables if there are left-over or spare cables to choose from or purchase
The Corsair 1.2Kw twins power your sata devices on one side & graphics/cpu on the other side of the modular panel. We'll improvise overcome & adapt - hoo-rah! - by tapping straight into a pair of their female output ports w/an industry standard 6 & 8pin male or employ their connectors as above, & we'll snatch power/grd for mio's end of the 10pin through them. Those psu's - any psu that resembles them - will be surprisingly easy to work with - you have nothing to fear but fear itself ...
The Hale90 v1 1Kw uses an industry standard all female 8pin modular output; mathematically, their 8pins have 3v 5v present on all ports to power sata devices. This means only 3 ground pins & three 12v pins are/can be present in any given port. Mio needs ground quads, so we could tap two 8pin ports to grab the final ground, (but, I see a situation brew where we might "jump" the final ground & cut the final connector count down to one instead).
ex. jumping wire - "pigtail"
Whatever the plan, for Hale90 v1 we'd tap w/a pair of 8pin males (wherever we source those connectors from) - or jump (similar to photo) a ground pin & cut it to one 8pin male: a dream scenario. Any psu that resembles its all 8pin outlay should integrate into our system quickly & easily so long as the connectors you use key up & fit, right?
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- Panel Overviews -
Antec High Current Pro 1300 - made by Delta for Antec - Delta is said to do the best soldering in the industry; rated @ 1300w, it's an engine all right. Peripheral/Sata comes over a standard 5pin w/center positive latch, while cpu/pci-e come through a 16pin (8x8) - but on closer look, you can actually pop a pair of 8pins (4x4) in each, due to the oversize negative latch. In fact, any 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16 that keys right should fit, lol.
- EVGA SuperNova 1300 G2 & 1200P2 -
They discontinued their 1500w, but we'll look at the 1300w wearing the sensible shoes, who's currently (July 20, 2014) marked down to $160/shipped from Newegg after the $35 rebate; offer expires 7.24.14 so hurry:
Standard 8pin pci-e x6, 6pin sata x6, 8pin cpu x2 rouge et noire color scheme.
their new 1200w platinum psu is worth considering too
- EVGA SuperNova 1600 G2/P2/T2 -
eVGA unveiled three new 1600w models in gold/plat/titanium ratings: single 133amp 12v rail, lotsa front connectors & an unheard of 10year warranty, gold-rated G2 is $270 now on newegg ... I love a psu that has two 8pin cpu connectors since we can tap the unused port for all our 12v/ground needs, then tap a 6pin sata for the remainder. This one uses standard 6/8pin, easily worked with, & the black chassis should look great in your A-51. 1600 efficient watts. Easily dealt with. 10year warranty. Period.
- Seasonic x-1250xm (Gen1) -
the latest news is the x-1250xm (&1050) underwent revisions inside & out, shown at Computex June 2014 ... now called the x-1250xm2
Gen1, marketed as a single 12vrail psu. Jonnyguru & hardocp say it might have four 12vrails (30a x2 + 45a x2):
if we forgive the fact it might have four 12v rails, the online review says the sata rail is 45amps. Good. That's a target tap spot, since 3volts/5volts can only come from a sata port. Looking at the front panel, there are a few tapping options, like grabbing all pwr/grd from a pair of 6pin sata ports. There's a 6pin+12pin option, even a 6pin+8pin option. x-1250 is wrapped in a handsome case & Seasonic's a smart candidate since they're standard bearer's for making a top-end psu, so I chose this looker as my darling for the clean efficient power in DreamLand...
"... Mo Cuishle ..."
And I went w/the Xfx Pro1250 Black Edition for my Asus-51/Haswell build to keep the black theme going: made by Seasonic for Xfx, the psu sports a bold Xfx chassis design while inside it's a full-on Seasonic x-1250xm; twins inside w/identical front panel pin/layouts:
Pro1250's a tad cheaper then x-1250; mine are new from NCIXUS.com, $200 on sale after the $20 rebate + a 5-year warranty (=
Of the psu assortment now on the market, this one's my favorite (I've bought three of them ... hoarding "spares"). The aggressive looks are backed up w/plenty of Seasonic muscle to cleanly power your system @ 80Plus Gold & beefy 16g 12v wires for cpu & pci-e.
... Lord Vader ...Your shuttle is waiting ...
One of the 1st looks at the Seasonic Platinum 1200; standard 6pin & pci-e 8pin ... it's brand new, plenty of punch & the efficiency deserves your attention:
I'm running a new Hale90 v2 1200watter using a custom Antec HCP1300 black-sleeved cable set in my Lunar-51 & I really like it since the front panel has connectors galore:
The ALX-Files: ABOVE TOP SECRET: Uncovering Area-51's Biggest (& best kept) Secret of All >< (Aurora R1 - R2 Secret Xposed)
it uses a standard cpu/eps 8pin that's quickly tapped & a special 5pin for Sata/Molex power:
I've dropped Hale90 1200 into my Lunar-51: pics @ bottom of post
They give you extra sata/molex cables, so back an unused cable 5pin off for your use, or track down an empty 5pin online that keys. 5pins come in three flavors: side, dual-side & top latch, so cut latches off of close matches if need be. I imported some side-latch 5pins found on eBay.
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-The DoomsDay Machine - Area-51 R1.5kW
The Corsair ax1500i is getting plenty of praise as the be-all end-all in psu's. It has 6 type1 sata ports & 10 eps/cpu/pwr 8pin ports. Nothing you can install in your A-51 should make it sweat: it's titanium rated. It's a master-piece made by the same folks who made our stock psu's, Flextronics.
9.01.14 edit: A-51 R2 does get a 1.5kW, made by Delta, 1440w max combined 12v output over four 12v rails, fully modular
I'll edit in 'a theoretical approach to the the new R2 psu inside your R1' @ very bottom of page
As of May '15 I've helped in 8 installs with ax1500i, using hand-made cables to seal the titanium deal:
here's my ax1500i all-ribbon-cables (mio + 10p/14p extensions); 3" extension (top) is tapped 5vsb
because ax1200i/1500i use interchangeable cables, the 1500i ribbon 24p can be substituted for a sleeved 1200i 24p & sleeved 10+14 extension. Here the mio ribbon wears a 6p/8p/10p; the extension is a 10+14 tapped 5vsb, using a 4pin to tie them together.
Original Case Harness adapted to ax1500i
Here I've taken A-51's stock harness, applied new psu pins where needed, rebuilt the ends w/connectors & 'pinned it out' for safe use w/ax1500i. In addition to the work I did on the original case harness, I've hand-made the 7" 24p mthrbrd extension & x4 true 8-wire (6+2) graphics.
An upgraded 16g wire set like above was built for a friend; success with her ax1500i swap, below:
Asus x99 Area 51 Mod-51 Pegasus
[DEAD LINK /owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19611899]http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19611899
Her new black cables & build-post below
[DEAD LINK /owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19618405]http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19618405
Area 51 Pegasus Mod - Part 2
Airene's Airea-51 HEX / GLX R1.5
Eventually you'll get a grip on how to handle your psu swap in total. What you learn from working w/standard & special connectors will help you branch out into the online shopping market & confidently be able to take one look at the front panel of an EVGA, Rosewill, Thermaltake, Enermax, Antec, whatever, & know right away if it is a psu you are or are not willing to try to put in your case. Master 12v-rail technology & what psu out there can stop you from wrangling it in & milking its gold-platinum juice?
The basics come down to sourcing your wires & connectors & psu pins when needed. Then figure out what your psu's port pins are outputting so far as 3v 5 v 12v ground, & tap them on the right pins w/your modular connectors relative to the Reference Photo.
This will be a broad-spectrum psu swap "how-to" article; what you learn about the Nzxt/Seasonic may help you figure out the Corsair or Rosewill Hercules 1600watt install. Read as long as you like & bail out whenever, that's fine. Let us look at Corsair's fraternal twins a little closer.
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Corsair ax1200 & 1200i On Closer Inspection
ax1200: proprietary 6pin(sq-sq-sq/u-u-u) & standard vga/pci-e 8pin
ax1200i: type1 pci-e 6pin, standard cpu/eps/pwr 8pin
ax1200/1200i have the same front panel layout but their 6/8's are slightly different on closer inspection; axi underwent a fixed pin voltage assignment revision (see pinout charts at bottom) & so their cables aren't interchangeable as the result, while they use differing style 8pins anyway.
Since their wires are all black, to get a feel for who outputs what, by definition the connectors on the device end of the cables they supply you must pinout as industry standards so we can safely/universally plug them in our mthrbrd/graphic/hdd/dvd drive, use extenders etc. That way, we can "know" what wire is what volt, simply by looking at the device end connector (& comparing it to known industry standard pin charts)
on the other end, the modular/psu end of the cables they give you? The factory loads the connectors tic-tac-toe, according to the fixed front panel pins, each of which is its own particular voltage assignment
it's the modular connector & port duo that we need be weary of for identification of what wire/pin/connector scheme is being used & how we can find what & where each volt/ground we need is, so we can tap it!
for instance, the sata cables for ax1200 & ax1200i may look identical, but, that only holds true for the device end ... the modular ends are pinned out/arranged differently. You might think this tells us little, but to a trained eye it in fact can tell us a lot about what is going on in the front panel
On either Corsair, our attention is now on their left "Peripheral + Sata" & right "6+2 PCI-E & 4+4 CPU".
- 6pin Sata Side -
Corsair's ax1200 & 1200i "peripheral+sata" are standard & non-standard 6pin females w/center lock tabs & 3-5-12v-grd ouput pins. I can think of no 6pin male that will fit ax1200 (other than to mod a 6+2 male vga connector & use the 2pin or employ 3x2pins as a last resort, lol). Again, you'll be faced with snatching a 6pin off an included sata/molex cable - or buy their sata/molex cable & snatch its 6pin off - or simply make your harness out of their cable materials.
For ax1200i, it's a standard easy to find type1/type 2 pci-e 6pin male. The solution for the beginnings of our mio connector on either psu is plain:
find & tap 3volt + 5volt w/the right 6pin. In the end, their 6pin female ports are no match for us when we have the connector for it. That psu is landing in Area-51 blind-folded in an unmarked white jet, going behind the walls of Dream Land like it or not
- 8pin Cpu/Pci-e Side -
The 8pin sides are standard female 8pins w/center lock tab: on axi we'd tap 12v-grd w/a standard 8pin male cpu type ... a pci-e/vga 8pin for ax-1200:
8pin is the jackpot where we get all of mio's 12v/grd needs: 7 out of 10 mio wires can be snatched away in one fell swoop from here
Their fixed 8pin ports by their nature reduce to a 4 by 4, where 12v will usually be on 4 pins, grd on the other 4. Whether 12v is all on the top row or bottom row, staggered, we will know that after we probe them (or their supplied cables) w/a volt-meter &/or continuity test to the cables:
both their 6/8 female pinouts must be tested as the very 1st step after it's in our hands; by visual inspection of the cables they've given us & by continuity test at both ends
next we "hot-wire" our psu on & probe cables/pins/connectors in a classic bench test - in or out of our case - but not plugged anywhere into the mthrbrd or mio. Jump start technique is described later
the 3-5-12-grd vs connector pinout data we collect is jotted on a master sketch, we resolve the front panel fixed pin vs connector voltage/grd assignments, then we build our mio harness & tailor its 3-5-12-grd needs relative to the tapping connector(s) we employ. Sound easy? The front panel is a grid of many different pins & outputs, so test what they are
8pin male whisks mio's 12v triplet & ground quads; visualize a 4x4 8pin w/7 wires & one slot empty when it plugs into the psu port - your 8pin will carry 7 wires - got it?
8pin snatches 7 wires / 6pin snatches 3v 5v
Pow
One wire font-size:inherit;">Our mio wire harness will be built w/connectors at both ends, so we need connectors, we need wires, we need psu pins to bridge mio to new psu. Let's look at a basic hand-made Corsair harness:
Mio 10pin @ bottom, built to Reference Photo specs. Up top, a 6 & 8, built to verified front panel pinout specs. 10th wire - 5vsb - resides in a 4pin & is tapped into a 24pin extension. I have used Corsair supplied connectors & wires; one end of these wires have factory psu pins applied. For mio's end, I had apply all 10 of the new psu pins to complete the harness project. Your situation may be similar.
when we get to the question later of where to get "the wire harness parts", if your raw material of choice is an 8pin male-female "extender", back out what might become an unused (12v) wire & re-use it in your 6pin connector for instance:
example of basic harness making material - 8pin extension - for this material, you'd "cut" off the unuseable connector & pins, apply new psu pins & the "right" connector
Note the true difference 'tween the vga/pci-e 8pin (left) & the cpu/eps 8pin (cntr).
Most psu makers are using the type1 6pin (right).
6pins: type1 "auxillary" u-sq-sq (left) type2 "pci-e" u-u-sq (right). Type 2's can fit in a type1 port (=
*Note: when buying a psu, I prefer one that has 6 sata/molex ports; 6 ports leaves room for expansion, 5 ports starts to box you in: a psu w/only 4 sata ports is a bad choice for your A-51 I think.
Due to the many ways we can build our connections with alot of connector choices at hand, it is at this point where I am not here to split hairs with you, nor account for every possible way to wire up a mio/psu combo into Area-51. For time limitations I am here to state some obvious possibilities & if you have time then chime in with your own. My build is over, but I'm open for advice as I should be, & hopefully we'll peer review this in a calm cool & sane manner. To my knowledge, no one on the forum's gotten out of the theory phase - & if they did - didn't publish step-by-step exactly how ...
We'll note our 8pin male we've possibly purchased is equally a 4x4 (4 by 4) connector; 4 top slots, 4 bottom slots. We will note the mio 10pin is equally a 5x5. We will turn to mio's 10pin 5x5 "keyed" connector soon; due to these keys, (squares vs u's) there are several ways we can approach the same thing: how to get - or make - a 10pin connector wired to our mio/psu by using like-keyed standard issue psu connecting parts that fit.
A basic overall strategy for the Corsair examples:
to use 6 & 8pin males to grab pwr/grd right from the psu & direct it to mio into its 10pin male - then tap 5vsb from the 24pin main mthrbrd harness if desired - (5vsb discussed later) - & when it's all said & done you will've given your psu full integration into your system w/very little trouble indeed, almost no "clutter" in your cable management, & solid connections in the process if you went about it right
Some wiring harness strategies will call for empty males as the building block, some will call for double-ended male-female extenders/adapters, some will call for 6, 4+4, 6+2, 8pin, 12pin, some will choose to use their new cables as raw material. There is more than one way to skin this psu cat depending on the brand you work on & what, if anything, to the connector you must modify so it keys right, based on where you source your parts from.
When I speak of the Corsair ax-series - our chosen psu's for the spot-light - when I use the term "6pin", I mean you've used a type1/2 pci-e 6pin male, modded an 8pin (6+2 or 3x2pin lol) male to key right, or you're using or bought the correct 6pin by virtue of a stock sata/molex cable (& liberated it). I am hoping you learned by now that when you go psu shopping, look for a close-up pic of the ports, count it's "square vs u" keyed blocks, compare them to standard issue keyed connectors, then decide if you can employ them or mod them - or are more likely required to use or buy actual proprietary type cables & liberate the connectors if you can or use the cables themselves out-of pouch. You can buy "empty" connectors online from most pc parts shops to start fresh with also!
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Where to get connectors again?
On a fully modular psu, given mio may top at 6amps max draw (to power the 120mm fans at 100% rpm etc), it is my opinion mio should have one or two modular ports "dedicated to it", depending on psu choice/layout etc. This means when you shop for a psu, you must decide if you can afford to dedicate ports to it; the more ports a psu offers the better. I do not recommend plugging in your new sata/molex/cpu provided cables & then tapping some unused sata port down stream @ the device end w/a modified sata "extender" & then route wires to mio's 10pin. A sata extender employed by itself as mio's only volt/grd source may have specs on each terminal of 4.5 amps max for instance, then where will you be? In smoke?
my approach is a mio harness that occupies one or two physical modular ports, depending. I do not run tri-way graphics, so to me, limited port count is a non-issue, but it may be an issue for you if you don't have enough ports to run all your stuff, so look for a psu w/enough ports on it
But let's revisit ways to get port connectors again: when you buy a psu, after you "know" to dedicate one or two ports to power mio, you essentially knew you'll have one or two of their provided cables you can't "use" anyway. Sometimes they give you an extra cable or two as well. Why not use their cables as your raw wiring/harness material, or back the 6/8pin connectors off & use them for your mio harness' tapping connectors ...
as w/the Corsair ax1200 6pin etc, which looks tough at the moment to track down, you can contact your manufacturer, beg for a free spare cable or two. If not, ask to buy them. When it gets there, use the cable or back the psu tapping connector off
you can buy "empty" industry standard 2/4/6/8/10/12/14/18 pin connectors etc; these are made by Molex Inc., the series is called mini-fit jr. (& so are the psu pins that fit them). You can try Molex.com for reference, find a distributor & check online pc shops/eBay for Molex connectors/pins
naturally, if or when you lose the center lock tab on a hand-made "replica" or modded connector, do not bump the connector out of your psu later
last we have the standard issue male-female 4-6-6+2-8-4+4 extenders/extensions/adapters to buy then mod with; we may need connectors, we may need wires for a bridging harness: there they are to choose from. That wide selection will have a variety of keyed combinations, so compare online photos against your psu port keys & decide which connector or combination of connectors will tap the psu best. Its a plastic connector, so use a razor on it to mod til it keys right - if you're reduced to making a "replica" to fit
somewhere in all of what I had to say today, you should be able to get your hands on the psu port connectors, the wire harness that feeds mio, & your mio connector as well
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Behind the Gauze Curtain: the Rosetta Stone
When a typical pc owner buys a Corsair ax1200i or similar, they'll install it in their case, plug in connectors, hit "power" & be done; they don't have to care about volt/grd location; their connectors plug in & that's that. But we have to look after mio's volt/ground needs. Our 1st job is to solve the modular panel fixed voltage pin assignments, solve the pin grid. For ax-1200(i) we solve their 6pin (peri/sata) side & 8pin (pci-e/cpu) side. Whatever the brand, wherever you tap, you must solve for all 3-5-12v grd pin assigments on the front panel - lest by "guessing" you have a blow-out on 1st power up. "Measure twice, cut once".
check newegg.com online psu reviews: people can barely unbox a new psu & plug it in w/out some form of catastrophe; perhaps user error or even "bad out of box" psu's built on a Monday or Friday, so it's best to bench-test the psu 1st, unhooked to mio/mthrbrd, to prove it's output is what it should be - lest we have a blow-out that isn't user/error-based but warrants an rma'd unit for good reason: defective workmanship out-of-box
Look at the mio 10pin volt/color/pin# Reference Photo(s) again. You can & should make a grid sketch like that of your 6pin (3x3) or 8pin (4x4) female ports - &/or your corresponding 6/8pin male tapping connectors. Use alpha-numeric labels similar to below. Probe for volts/grd for your pin "6a"; if it's 3volts, say so. Find your "8a", name it, qualify it:
6a 6b 6c ><>< 8a 8b 8c 8d
3v 12v Grd ><>< 12v Grd 12v Grd
5v 12v Grd ><>< 12v Grd 12v Grd
6d 6e 6f ><>< 8e 8f 8g 8h
Motivated installers can draw keyed "square & u-shaped" block combinations to fine-tune the precion of their sketches; draw the top center lock tap to better orient "top row" from "bottom" row; make an arrow for which side of the connector the pins are inserted into (& the wires are protruding) since your male connectors certainly have back & front sides which are mutually exclusive.
If you've bought dbl-ended 6/8pin "extenders" as harness/wiring material then your wires are probably standard "ylw & blk", so, make a mio sketch to account for new colors. You can use a majik marker (red/org/ppl etc) to put a little dot on a "ylw" wire to tell what its voltage "really" needs to be. An accurate wire-volt-pinout sketch then becomes your fool-proof data reference which ensures nothing goes wrong step-by-step with your final 10pin connector harness on either end of the psu-to-mio harness connectors. You want a trouble-error free install, not see majik smoke when you power up ...
On Corsair ax1200(i), we see a 6pin layout on the left & an 8pin layout on the right. The rule-of-thumb is that all their 6pin ports will be pinned electrically identical, all 8pin ports will be pinned electrically identical. When you solve one of their 6pin pinouts you've solved them all. When you solve one of their 8pin pinouts you've solved them all. Their panels - port-for-port - are "universal" so any one of their cables can insert & output the correct volt/grd through any port of your choice, safely & easily:
solve one fixed 6pin assignment, solve one fixed 8pin assignment, & you will then be free to plug your corresponding properly pinned 6/8pin male connectors into any 6/8pin of your choice, without fear of a blow-out
Again, their "pci-e/cpu" 8pin side can only consist of 12 volt + ground pins. Four pins each. A 4x4 port. When you tap their 8pin for the mio 12v triplet:
all three must be confirmed 12v pins you've tapped into
When you tap their 8pin for the mio ground quadruplet:
all four must be confirmed ground pins you've tapped into
Again, your 8pin can/will snatch 7 of the 10 wires mio needs. Their "Sata" 6pin would carry the remaining 3v-5v you'd tap ... but their sata-side will also carry 12v+grd as it should. Your job is to find 3v-5v, weed out 12v/grd, tap 3v-5v only, & confirm you've tapped 3v-5v only:
the presence of 12v/grd in each 6pin port may be a nuisance you must deal with. Find 3v/5v, wire your male connector to tap it, confirm it is 3v/5v after you've tapped it. Insert your 3v-5v wires/pins into mio's 10pin in the correct slots if needed, verify, & you will have no problems on power up if you do so from your 6/8pin confirmed wiring scheme
-So far so good -
What we've learned here is that Corsair ax-1200 & 1200i can accept 6pin & 8pin males - & because it can - mio can mate to it quickly & easily after we solve one of their 6 & one of their 8pin port pinouts. Find all 3-5-12v grd: then tap it accordingly.
A decent scenario is 3v 5v from a 6pin, 12v's grounds from an 8pin.
What this tells us is that any (single 12v rail) psu w/a standard 6pin/8pin panel can probably be used in our Area 51 w/no trouble. I am not telling you to buy a Corsair ax-series psu; I am telling you that if you buy one like it - when it gets there - test their ports - solve their pinout grid assignments - then tap them correctly & confidently with your connector of choice
On single 12v rail psu's, finding & tapping any 12v line is a breeze
On multi-rail psu's, finding 12v is just as easy; finding which rail it's on & which 12v lines to safely & correctly tap is another matter, a matter you need be deftly aware about. When in doubt, look at the side label for 12(a) 12(b) etc, scrupulously research before you touch any 12v lines & call their tech support
Pci-express video cards hog the most juice; my gut says not to over-burden their 12v rail(s) with mio's added 6amp load ... good luck
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Finding 3v 5v 5vsb 12v Grd in the Fraternal ax Twins' Modular Architecture
When your new psu gets there, you'll be in the odd position you can't use your top power button & hence your mthrbrd to turn it on right away to easily interogate their cables for pwr/grd output; if you have the stock liquid cooler, mio needs power to relay it so the cooler pump runs/cools. Yet, you have nothing to power mio up with yet, lol ...
use methods to look at/probe new cables, solve where 3-5-12v ground pins are located in the pin grid
next, verify by jump-starting psu "on" w/out use of mthrbd/top pwr button (to verify where all the volt/grd pins you need to tap are 1st)
you're best served by "bench-testing" it while "on"
- bench testing your new psu -
The fastest way is w/a voltmeter while the psu is running. If you know how to "hot-wire" a psu on - in or out of your case - for "bench-testing", your 1st order of business is to jump it "on", interogate cables & fixed modular pins to start your master pinout sketch. This is the "Area-51 Owner's Burden".
search youtube for: "jump start power supply", to see a video tutorial
simple paperclip method: insert paperclip/jumper to mthrbrd 24pin on #16 ('green') & #15 (or #17/#18) blk (see photo below for PS_On)
Lay your psu on a table or bed, jump-start your psu on, insert all its relevant modular cables in to test their pin assignments for 3-5-12v/grd w/a voltmeter. Then compare the device end to what the psu-connector end pins out like. As I say, the device ends are universally wired the same, must be pinned out by industry standards, while the psu side of the cable can be pinned out in whatever way the psu has been built by their engineers: finding how the engineers pinned out the front panel grid is your real task, & verifying volt/ground, no "dead pins" or bad psu (abbarent 20 volts?!) out of box as well:
for instance: on ax1200i - true - the mthrbrd/cpu device end of the 8pin pins out industry standard: 12v's top row / grd's bottom row as it should be .. but on the psu port itself? Hah. 12v is bottom row, grd is top ...
no wonder they say to use only their cables. That panel is otherwise wired/pinned out "backwards", so they build the cpu cable (assemble the connector at psu end) accordingly to compensate
if you plugged a standard generic cpu 8pin cable into that psu & used it, uh, you'd fry your motherboard &/or psu on the spot, right? Right
it is definitely best to do a fast 5-minute bench test for volts grounds
If you prefer, you can also test your psu panel w/out any cables plugged in. Simply probe the pins - find a known ground pin, & go from there. Sketch your data, & extrapolate to what the physical cable itself must be pinned out like relative to the panel pins ... understood?
When your psu is off, yank out cables & probe the device end & probe their modular ends w/a continuity test & jot down the data if need be.
- digital volt/ohm meter using continuity test -
I prefer a digital v/ohm meter w/a feature called "continuity test". Let's say I want to test an ax1200 24pin main mthrbrd harness. The mthrbrd connector end is a standard 24pin, but the psu modular end of the harness is split into a 14pin + 10pin. If I want to find 5vsb - on both ends of the harness - I can switch my voltmeter to "continuity test", place one voltmeter lead on 24pin #9 (purple) & one-by-one probe each pin on each row @ the other end (the 14+10 end):
when I touch the right pin, the voltmeter will beep (audible alarm)
audible continuity test is an indispensable tool for your mio project
you'll be glad to have this feature when you go testing cable ends
when my cables sets arrive here, the 1st thing I do is take cables out of the pouch & continuity test them at both ends & make a sketch & follow it up w/a color (photoshop) photo saved on my pc. I can also download a photo of a front panel & "color" the pin assignments (a color grid)
when your psu arrives, continuity test the cables @ both ends, then jump the psu on to confirm/add to your findings
If your harness material is "basic extenders", when the psu is "on" you can stick your 6/8pin extenders in to probe volts/grd, so long as you test both ends later on w/continuity tester, right? Find ground w/your negative voltmeter lead - then find all volts w/positive lead - then all grounds, then write them down.
for instance: plug in any type 8pin cpu cable ... test the device end, you should read 12v's top row, grounds btm row. uh-huh. Of course
now distach that cable - do continuity test @ both ends - is it still 12v's top, grd's btm on the modular end like it is on the device end? If this is an ax1200, yes ... if ax1200i? ... no!
Never take for granted that what is happening on the device end is exactly what is happening on the modular psu end. Chances are, the engineers probably wired their panel up "different", & the pinout for the device end of the cable won't directly translate to the pinout of the psu end of the cable .. understand? That is exactly why we are bench testing the psu; to test for volts grounds, solve the panel pin grid, continuity testing the cables, making a sketch ...
- 5vsb -
To test for 5vsb, your psu does not have to be on - but it must be plugged in. With your psu off, plugged in, find pin#9 ('purple') on your 24pin psu mthrbrd harness & check for +5vsb (5volts 'stand-by' power) against any blk ground pin:
the 24pin/#9 (ppl) is the only wire that will output 5vsb power
you may want to tap 5vsb from your psu later on (to send it to mio #5 ppl) either tapping into the 24pin end or better yet the psu modular end (14+10 psu end on ax1200 for example):
If you do not know how to turn your psu on correctly if it isn't attached to the mthrbrd (by using your top power button) I fear your attempt to build your own psu-to-mio harness will be futile, possibly unsafe. It is safe to power your psu up on the dining room table on cardboard using "paperclip method", or buy a cheap fast-start psu 24pin female connector to do it (search "power supply starter" on eBay for instance). While you're at it, consider a psu tester for $5 & have them ship those together if they have both items:
You'll need a voltmeter to confirm where all 3-5-12v & grd are; it must be confirmed on the 6pin/8pin Corsair panel. What are each of the pins for on their 6 & 8 pin panel?! Note how things get blurry w/Corsair cables due to the stealthy all-black wires: an old-pro will have zero problem w/identification of these wires through landmarks on the device end, yet a noobie might. I do not own a Corsair, but I am an old pro, so you will have to do the work of finding v/grd & confirming their true fixed pinout nature on your time:
I've made & borrowed proven color-charts for many psu panels, but they're no substitute for doing the reconfirmation yourself w/a voltmeter & a live bench test
this psu article is getting so long because that's a $5000 computer & $250+ psu, so your mio harness must be wired & built right before you put power to your system ...
to make the ax1200i mio cable + 24pin extension below, I start with empty 4p/6p/8p/10p/14pin male/female connex & male/female psu pin terminals from Mouser.com; part #'s are gathered from the Mouser filter or Molex.com, charts & links posted later below. I mostly use the largest 16gauge / 16AWG pins, since 16g wire fits them, & their larger size makes working with 18-22awg wire easier.
On my hand-made Platinum-Class mio harness & 24pin atx extension I make (& sell on eBay) I do not need the chassis here because I have the ax-1200i pinout from their cables set I own & published its pinout chart; this plug & play pre-built harness pair I've made will have a new owner who would put their ax-1200i on a table on cardboard:
plug the harness into the 6 & 8pin modular ports
plug their 24pin mthrbrd harness into the 14+10 ports
plug psu in
w/a voltmeter, find pin #9 (ppl) on the 24pin end (against a ground) & confirm it is "hot" +5vsb
next, jump start the psu on
grab the mio 10pin connector end, use a voltmeter w/psu running, use the Reference Photo to compare the 10pin outputs against
find a ground pin, probe for 3v-5v-5v(sb)-12v triplet/quad grounds
when the harness passes those volt/ground tests on all its pins - relative to the Reference Photo - the psu's ready to be installed because the harness would test safe for use
the most important tests are on the 10pin connector end itself w/psu running; what is the output on each of the 10 pins & do they all jive with the Reference Photo ... if yes - it is safe - if not, find out why & rebuild your harness connector until all 10 outputs jive w/photo
at some point, they would then remove & probe their 24pin harness at both ends w/a continuity test to find the actual 5vsb pin @ the modular psu end (located in the 10pin on ax1200 series mthrbrd harnesses)
Yours is an identical testing/verification ritual. 1st you solve your psu modular volt/ground pinout, then build your own harness, then bench-test it; you wouldn't hook my harness or your harness to a mio board w/out testing it first right?
right - because if you've a problem in the expected voltage/ground, you need to know if its endemic in the new psu (which you can't fix) or more likely a simple mistake in your harness, lol, which you can go back & fix
You can interrogate the cables they gave you as well for id purposes, to make sense of the modular pinout. Way down I have posted typical device connector pinouts (sata/molex/pci-express etc), which you can use to solve for "x". Here is a link to common connectors & their voltage requirements; use this link to help solve the modular connector pinouts, by "tracing" known voltages at device end back to modular connector etc. This method could be called: interrogating the provided cable set at both connector ends:
Now that you know 100% what all the Corsair or similar psu's volt/ground pin assignments are on their modular panel, we'll develop a fast game-plan for 9 out of mio's 10 wire+pin needs. You need a harness before you can test it, so we'll try to build you one ...
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Cut to the Chase
There is no way to get around the fact a mio harness must be hand-made by somebody: whether it is me or you making it, the fact is, it will probably require backing psu pins out of a connector, attaching new psu pins (& perhaps solder for good measure) to a wire when needed, inserting pins into correct slots etc. Basic computer cable wiring is basically unavoidable here. It's a "project".
We'll start w/pin removal, because a great place to get a mio harness is from out of a stock Area-51 harness - if you back the pins out right, you can re-use them - & begin attaching your modular connectors to it - :) (There is a section below on the pro's/cons of removing a stock mio from a stock harness)
buy/use a cheap psu connector to practice pin removal on
when you're confident, try to back the mio harness pins out of your stock (or used eBay item) 66pin black bulk connector & liberate the mio harness for your psu swap w/its wires/pins/harness removed for re-use
You'll be in prime position by having the entire stock mio harness to navigate your wiring job without color "confusion". The other end will have readily used pins on its wires. Clik clik clik into your modular connector(s) of choice & you're about done in no time:
a psu pin is held inside the connector w/"flexible" side "arms"
the removal tool is used to "flatten" those arms, so after you back a psu pin out by "flattening" the arms, you must repair-reset the pin if you want to re-use it by re-splaying the lock arms (45 degrees is ok) w/a needle/tiny flat-head screwdriver. Afterwards, when the pin's reinserted into a connector slot, it will "clik" / "lock" back in place. Got it?
With your mio harness liberated & its pins reset, if you're blessed by the fact your psu can use 6 &/or 8pin males, then try/buy empty 6/8 "males":
online, they might call these 'female' connectors because they house female psu pins; if you plug one into your psu it t acts as a "male" plug, lol, so I call these "males" even though they're technically "females"... buy by sight, load w/ female pins - & indulge me while I call these "male" connectors from now on
typical male 6pin, with side panel mount 'ears'
conversely, 'extension' connectors (& modular ports on a psu) are technically 'males'; they house pointy male psu pins, even though they 'act' like females once you've popped a connector in ... the receiving connector above is what I call a female; online they call these 'males' & need to be loaded w/male psu pins ...
Typical Female 24pin Molex Series 5557 Mini-fit Jr. >< Typical Male 24pin Series 5559 Mini-fit Jr.
Terminals: Molex Mini-fit Jr. Female Series 5556 >< Male Series 5558 >< 16gauge pins advised
Other Sources for Male/Female Connex & Male/Female PSU Pins:
Mouser.com Digikey.com Arrow.com (psu pins available also
MainFrameCustoms.com Performance-PCS.com
NOTE: As of May 10, 2015, Molex may be 'discontinuing' the production of some mini-fit jr connectors, as reported on Molex.com & Mouser.com
Example: Black 10pin female Glo-Wire, used for Corsair/Seasonic or your MIO 10pin, from the chart, part# is 50-36-1671, now 'planned for obsolescence' & 'end-of-life will be discontinued':
For ax1200i, you can buy standard 6/8pin empty "males". Using the 10pin Reference Photo, my ax-1200i pinout chart (further below) & your own solved pinout/data sketch you can then:
insert mio's pins one-by-one into the correct 6pin & 8pin slots until they "click/lock" back in place
"... plug the Professor into the hyper-drive ... " --->
plug 6 & 8pin into Corsair modular jacks
quickly bench test the 10pin end, & if it passes, then in very little time indeed you will have correctly hard-wired 90% of mio's volt/grd needs
Pow. The dream scenario. Estimated time? 15 minutes tops
Using a fully liberated mio harness w/10pin, all 9 out of the 10 required voltage/grounds are easily & efficiently tapped by using the above strategy. As I said, we will talk about the 10th wire, "5vsb" in a bit. The decision to use or "not" use 5vsb will be your final hurdle before your wire job is done.
What we just learned is that:
the ideal way to wire your mio to this Corsair psu - or any psu on the market willing to use industry standard (or close) connections - is to back your mio's 10 pins out of the black bulk connector - re-use his 10pin & harness for this project - buy empty males - then slip mio's pins into correct slots for 3-5-12v/grd
- a pair of 6pin tapping connectors? -
I suppose one of you might figure out, yes, w/the right psu, you could power up mio w/a pair of 6pins strictly off the "sata-side" (not use an 8pin). I agree with that, if the psu tests positive for a pair of 12v pins per 6pin port:
my Seasonic has two 12v pins inside each 6pin port - so if I wanted to, I could run mio off a pair of 6pin connectors on that psu & not worry about using an 8pin connector
Corsair does not employ a pair of 12v's; 6&8pins are the correct method
mio needs ground quads & 12v trips - so if your psu does indeed have a pair of 12v's in its 6pin port, the math works, & you can build mio w/a pair of 6pins if you want to (& forgo the use of an 8pin) ... got it?
- read this next section if you're removing the mio from a stock harness -
1.13.14 Edit: The stock harness uses a large 66pin "modular" connector; however, there are like 80 wires total, lol, which means a dozen or so wires are "jumped" together: two wires can get crimped to one pin. When you go to back mio's pins out of your 66pin bulk connector, a few of its wires are crimped to some other wire that goes off in a different direction. For me this is a non-issue, for you it might become one, since you'll have to separate them, "altering" the wire harness as the result. You have several options here:
your best bet: remove mio from the harness you have now & buy a used full harness later. Use this option if you plan to ever reinstall your stock psu for resale of your desktop - & take your new psu with you!
or, simply buy a used harness now, & box your original up
if you do use your harness, w/plans to remove mio 10pin from it, you will alter the harness in the process: mio is jumped to other wires, you will have to repair reintegrate the wires/pins at some later date, sorry ...
Whatever the case, what I found is that when you back all 10 mio pins out, another wire will back out w/it on around 5 to 7 pins. What you'll see is one wire on top of another. If the mio wire is the bottom wire, good:
snare psu pin w/needle nose on flat spot, take a mini-flathead, splay the insulation "securing" tabs back a little, grab as close as you can & yank/bend back n' forth the top wire out, pull it out. Usually the top wire should pull out, the mio wire should stay put in the pin; if it does, resecure the mio wire insulation, (that part of the psu pin that cinches the colored insulation) & it should be fine. If the mio wire backed out of the pin a bit, reinsert it/crimp it w/needle nose til it is taught in the pin.
If your mio wire is on top? You deal with it this way:
unfold the insulation crimp metal, snare the flat point of the psu pin w/needle nose pliers, grab as close to the wire as possible &"tug" on both wires at the same time as hard as you can so you can free the bare wire ends from the pin. 9 out of 10 times the force of the factory crimp is breakable, if you tug hard enough; both wires free from the pin, & you'll surprisingly have a bare pin afterwards ready to "re-crimp" your mio wire to. This is probably due to the fact there are two wires in one pin, & they must cushion the blow of the factory stamper, to come out of the pin as "easy" like that. When you have the bare pin, reinsert mio wire & recrimp as you found it ...
I would advise these methods to retrieve the full mio harness with all or as many pins attached and reuseable as possible, since I know it works, but do allow for the probability things won't go for you as planned. My advice would be, have some new psu pins onhand just in case you damage a stock pin. If you're lucky, you can walk away after the method above w/all 10 pins intact, regardless some were "jumped" to some other wire. If not, be prepared to attach new pins as needed:
at some later date, the method above would necessitate "repairing" the old harness if that is plan, so make a note for yourself & put it in the box w/your harness of which wire tied to where, it may be useful a year from now ...
Also of note, the bulk connector uses a different style psu pin than normal:
these pins act like tongs, in the photo they are fully splayed, but w/a needle I could easily "shut them" ... they "move", lol, but they do clik into 6/8pin males just the same as molex pins do, after you repair/reset the lock arms of course. To remove the pin, I 1st take a mini-flathead, gently insert it & "close" one half of the pin head, then "close" the other half - like closing an open clam shell - til it looks more like a half-open clam shell. This step is usually necessary to help the actual pin removal tool slip down between the sides of the plastic & the metal pin to flatten the lock arms for pin removal, they then back out like normal psu pins should. Repair lock arms afterwards, resplay clam-shell, lol w/a needle/thumbtack (if it was closed prior for tool access):
lastly, if you plan to re-use your 4' long 8pin cpu harness by backing its pins out of the bulk connector & clicking them into a standard 8pin male to plug into your psu 8pin port, six of its wires easily back out & two are tied/spliced. Its #8 blu-wht ties into mio's m6 blu-wht. One ground ties into the 24pin master harnesses #5blk-grd. This obviates the need for a new psu pin for it or for mio; one of them will need a new pin after liberation ...
Liberating the mio harness intact may or may not be a breeze for you. For me it is. Even if I repair 2-3 wires by putting on new pins, it's no biggy. Par for the course. The ability to work w/a full intact mio harness is worth the cost of a few psu pins & a little time lost in the end. When in doubt? Buy a used harness off ebay & have some new psu pins onhand. When in doubt? Take your stock harness to a local pc shop, get online & show them the Reference Photo, point at mio harness, say: "I want you to hook that to my psu". I doubt they charge much to do it. You can always get a quote for free ... Best of luck to you & your original mio harness ... End Edit
This is a finished product & I do think it's worth it to go the extra mile
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Other Harness Build Strategies Using the Same "Style" Connectors
Short of a liberated mio harness - or using new psu cables (w/some new pins) as material - a good source for connecting materials for your needs would be 6pin &/or 8pin male-to-male extensions. If you can't find any of those, you can back the pins out of a 24pin male/male extension - why? - for pre-made wires w/correct psu pins on both ends.
Online shops also sell individual wires like this, 8" is plenty, $1 a piece, these are qwik-n-painless, excellent material to begin with. Make sure you purchase 18 gauge wire, since that is what stock mio wire is rated at:
these Mod/Smart pre-sleeved wires were available on FrozenCpu.com, which might be out of business
PrimoChill.com is now stocking Mod/Smart products, contact them about pre-made wires.
MainFrame Customs has male/female pre-crimped 16Gauge wire in 6"/8" lengths & longer, nice to have when making a 24pin extension for ax1200i, whos 24pin atx uses primarily 16g wire:
You can also use standard issue male-female 6/8pin extenders; the male ends plug into your psu (when you have the right type):
the "female" connector end & its pins aren't usable, so snip them off, strip wire ends bare & apply new psu pins to the wire ends - solder if you prefer. Now your extender's a pleasure to work with. The psu pin ends are now set to plug straight into your empty mio 10pin connector if you have one
These type of y-split extension harnesses provide twice the wire of a single extension; if you use this as harness/wire material, snip off the useless "female" end, apply new psu pins to form basis of your mio harness ... you can buy these sleeved probably too ...
With this method? The bulk of the time & labor lost are in apllying the new psu pins, & since we're using out-of-the-bag connectors/wires who are in no way "pre-wired" or pre-slotted for our needs physically or by color, (ylw's/blk's) you should back any pins out then re-order them so they qualify as ylw(+) blk (-). Bench test your harness before using it, to confirm all 10pins meet volt/ground specs.
When needed, back the pins out, put new pins on bare ends when called for, & when you're done you will've "tapped" & connected 9 wires making up 3-5-12v + ground.
all that remains will be the 10th & final "wire" ---> 5vsb
5vsb can only be tapped from either end of the mthrbrd 24pin @ #9 "ppl"
tap it @ the level of the case floor @ psu panel & send it over to mio
or tap it from all the way up at mthrbrd 24pin connector & send it all the way down to mio, a long conspicuous way ...
if you do not want to fool with your mthrbrd harness, you can buy a 24pin extension & tap 5vsb off of it instead
more info on 5vsb wire & tapping options is later, below
I have posted quite a few finished mio harness photos & material choices in this posting; look at what some of your choices are, & hopefully what I said above will help you build 9 of 10 mio wires into your hand-made harness ...
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Different Approaches to Finding or Making a 10pin Mio Connector
You can look online for empty 10pins or liberate the whole thing off a stock harness, as said earlier. A stock mio 10pin can be gotten directly off your stock psu harness if you:
back its 10 pins out of the stock 66pin black bulk psu connector
back all 10pins out of your white 10pin male - "steal " the 10pin connector off your harness! ... hmmm ... but it works
snip your full mio harness out of the bulk connector like Alexander the Great & the Gordian Knot
You can purchase a used stock harness on eBay to snatch a 10pin or whole mio harness from, or, fool with your own harness for now & buy a replacement down the road ...
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A Hand-made 10pin
Odd as it may sound, if you're one of those folks that do not want to fiddle w/your stock harness nor prefer to buy a used harness to fiddle w/then a working hand-made replica 10pin connector can be made of course from:
a typical male atx psu 20pin or 24pin connector off an old psu
a typical male 20pin or 24pin extender-extension-adapter
empty 20 or 24 pin plastic connector shells
Maybe the Dell P16 (8x8) connector if it keys right, I can't tell by small pics. Any similar pin count connector can work so long as it keys right by comparison to the sq-vs.-u Reference Photo on a 5x5 section you'll cut out
No matter what your source, for a typical 20/24pin psu connector, for example, there is a correctly keyed 5x5 ("10pin") section on it - in 2 potential places - that can be made into a suitable replica of a stock 10pin; by using a razorblade, utility knife, or dremel tool to cut the correct section out. I easily use a utility knife to widdle out home-made 10pin connectors. The correct 5x5 keyed sections have been circled in the photo below:
using a 20pin means you won't have a "locking tab" (positive latch); a 24pin, when cut right, will retain the semblance of a useable latch
the "top" 5x5 keyed section is easier to cut out (but you lose the lock tab) while:
the "lower section" requires it be cut out on both ends (& if you use a 20pin - you lose the lock tab regardless) - so cut the easier top 5x5 section out of a 20pin
if you use a 24pin - the lower 5x5 has to be cut out to retain a lock tab
Look at the pic below, look at your stock 10pin, look at the Reference Photo, then make your replica on your connector candidate of choice.
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10pin harness from an 8- 12" 24pin extender
We've heard by now we can try 6/8pin males. We can take a male-female extender to get a male connector + wires. If you buy a 24pin male-female extender (but male to male is best since you have the "right" pins on both ends) - about 8-12" long? - you can make a 10pin out of it, but you can also have the basis of your wiring harness too if you cut off the female end (or back the pins out of male ends, lol). You'd have to attach new psu pins to those bare ends, slip those pins into whatever source your 6/8pin males come from ... we realize our wire colors are all wrong this way from the start, so, to fix that, back pins out, rearrange wires, steal wires of a better color from the discarded section. An 8" harness should reach any psu out there, but you may need a long m5ppl tapping wire. Maybe toss a couple extra bucks at a 24" extender, who knows. 24pin extenders are the root of a better workable solution to working with all ylw/all black wires from typical pci/cpu extensions.
Whatever your strategy, whatever materials you use, you still need to decide if m5ppl is to be standard 5v or the real deal 5vsb. Which is to say: where do we tap 5vsb from to begin with? What is 5vsb anyway?
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+5vsb power: what it is & why you need it
5vsb, 'stand-by' power for our purposes means when your stock psu is plugged in - but the pc itself is off - the stock psu feeds +5v 'stand-by' power to mio & mthrbrd - their stock ppl wires are "hot 5v" when the psu is plugged in/pc off - hence mio tell-tale led & mthrbrd led are lit, mthrbrd can charge usb devices:
5vsb in an aftrmrkt psu can only be tapped from the so-called "#9ppl" wire of a 24pin harness; either down @ the modular input or up at the mthrbrd 24pin area, those are your two choices
Corsair twins have proprietary 24pins; the modular connectors "branch" into a 14+10pin (Seasonic branches to 18+10pin)
"extenders" are not made for the 10/14 or 10/18 scheme; you can make your own special extension like I did, or employ a standard 24pin extension up top @ the mthrbrd area & tap it
if they are available, you can buy a spare 24pin mthrbrd harness to tap, preferably down @ the modular side of the harness
You can not do a power supply swap & run your mio as Alienware & as nature intended it unless you tap 5vsb power somehow. To tap 5vsb from your new psu - w/out toying w/your new 24pin harness - you can buy a (short or long) 24pin male-to-female extender/extension/adapter.
ax-1200(i) would require 16awg to match its 24pin master harness wire/pin specification, & again, you can't use an extender on it's 2-part 24pin proprietary since they don't fit. Either buy a spare from Corsair to tap, use an extender @ mthrbrd end of harness, or tap the one they gave you at the chassis. Find the best method, & tap it - what are you waiting for?
The "other" way, & the best place to tap 5vsb is from your 24pin chassis connector @ the modular input in your case floor area, next to your mio harness. Before I mention "backing pins out", here is a link to using a stand-alone connector to quickly tap 24pin #9ppl 5vsb either on your 24pin master harness or more preferably an extension, (w/the right 16 gauge):
RadioShack/Advance Auto etc "Tap-In Squeeze Connectors" "Quick Splice"
If you tap your #9ppl master harness this way up top or down low, if you ever remove your psu (before you sell your pc for instance), you would remove that mating/tapping connector above, & consider a bottle of black "plasti-dip"/Liquid plastic. Put dabs on your #9ppl (Coarsair #9blk, lol) to mend & restore any insulation the connector bit into. Huh?
This is how I easily tap into 5vsb on a Corsair, Seasonic & Hale90 24pin mthrbrd harness at the modular/psu end:
Find 5vsb #9 on your 24pin harness; if the 24pin harness branches into a 10+14pin, 10+18pin or similar, trace where 5vsb branched off to, by sight or continuity test:
if it is purple, trace it by sight down to the modular end, & back its pin out
If it is "black" (due to an all-black harness) or perhaps some other color ("all blue" "all red" custom harness etc)) do a continuity test between 24pin #9in & the modular end until you find it, & back its pin out
snare psu pin w/needle nose pliars on its flat edge
prise the wing tabs apart (which are "gripping" the wire insulation) w/a tiny flathead screwdriver
Optional: I take a razorblade, & lightly score around the circumference of the 1-2mil of final insulation - which the wing tab "grabbed" - then score it again horizontally & prise that insulation sliver out w/my mini flat-head - this allows a better metal-to-metal contact at the point of splice/crimp/solder of a new tap wire, what we would call "removing some of the insulation" (A = before / B = after):
wire is crimped sturdily to its pin, so simply lift wire straight "up" (C)
w/the wire lifted up - its thread ends still safely crimped & some of its insulation collar removed, we can slip a new jumper wire under it (when finished, this wire will lay on top of the new jumper) & now we have some choices on how to couple them together on the same pin
Below, I use a thick needle to make a "hole" through the wire I pulled up on (B) - to make a hole for insertion of the new tapping wire through. Strip the new wire (twist the ends) ... the new "blue" tap wire bare ends will insert "inside of" hole & rest "under" the crimped ppl wire (C). The psu pin should cradle the blue vinyl sheath as in photo "A", so stuff it in there good. You can slip heatshrink on to help hold them together & apply heat. Slowly compress/flatten top crimped wire to lay flat on new tap wire, (use mini-screwdriver to help coax wires into pin),& tightly crimp pin wing tabs tightly closed w/needle-nose, solder them together (C/D), reinsert in your connector (after you reset the lock arms):
You've tapped into 5vsb!
if you chose not to use solder, hmmm, rethink that, but if no, make sure you sqeeze the wing tabs tight, & for added stability on an unsoldered pin, use heatshrink & a cable tie to secure m5/#9ppl together. Right?
Another good method, similar to above, is when you have the initial needle-hole through the ppl wire, & you stripped the "blue" wire end bare, & insert it into hole (A), when it comes through the hole, you can "split it", fork-ed, like a snake's tongue, like a Y, (B) then wrap the wire back around itself (C):
In photo C, wrap the two split ends back around the ppl wire, trim excess,lay ppl wire flat, apply hetshrink, crimp wing tabs closed, & solder it. Makes a good connection this way, the blue wire won't tug out ...
- 5vsb break away connector -
If you do a similar 5vsb tap method, chances are you'll want a brewak away connector for your tap wire. Without one, your mio harness purple wire will be directly tied to your 24pin (or 24pin style extension), joined at the hip ... no biggy ... but for ease of service I prefer to put a connector on my 5vsb tap wire. A typical 2pin or 4pin works nicely. For instance, make your tap wire 2 inches, put a new pin on its end & slip it in one half of a connector ... put a reciprocal pin/connector on your m5ppL wire ... unsnap it when m5ppl needs distached from 24pin ie when mio harness should distich from 24pin/extension.
Here are some Seasonic x-1250 harnesses I built for a UK forum member:
The main nthrbrd 24pin harness supplied w/the psu splits into a modular end pair (10pin+18pin), which need 6" extensions to reach the chassis. Here I've built individual 18pin & 10pin extensions, & the mio harness. On the 10pin extension - where 5vsb (purple) is tapped - I made a 2 inch tap wire & put a 4pin connector end on it. Mio harness wears the receiving 4pin connector; they plug together, & break away for service. See photos of my other harnesses; most wear a 5volt break away connector which allows 5vsb tapped from a 24pin source, or, "converted" to standard 5volts "jumped".
A pro splice n' dice job might work for you to "patch" a mio 5vsb wire into a 24pin harness or extension. You can look online / search videos for the many ways you can join & tap wires together ...
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Now that we know how to tap 5vsb, why do we need it again?
I do think this is an issue that needs addressed since to tap 5vsb is annoying. As we browse the original thread, we're told little more than the member integrated a Corsair 1200watter into his case, got pwr/grd for his 10 pin by tapping into his psu by:
"a mod to a SATA cable & Molex that comes with the Corsair power supply".
Later he says:
"I just cut the 10 pin connector from Dell's PSU, & attached to a Molex cable & Sata cable from the new PSU (Corsair 1200AX). So I have two cables providing the energy to MIO board".
That's all we're told. Clearly he did not & could not get 5vsb from a sata or molex. Clearly he got 5volts to his #5ppl - but - it wasn't 5vsb, which it couldn't be as described: his mio wasn't "hot 5v" while his pc is off but psu plugged in.
The master i/o is hot 5v when the psu is plugged in/pc off for reasons:
#1 of which is so the ALX model's 5v motor for the odd panel can drop down when the Alienhead is depressed when pc off/psu plugged in. 5vsb might help recharge the batteries, it certainly helps "brighten" the theatre lights w/higher volts then the 3v batts do by themselves, & int lights can come on w/out any batteries installed
The master i/o "power-drain reset" might even be based on 5vsb, who knows? My 5vsb's hot baby, I don't need to find out & it may stay hot 5vsb for other reasons I'm not here to debate.
So when he says in his post-build thread: "full functionality" w/his mio w/just "sata+molex", I doubt it as I should. And so should you. In the interest of rewiring my mio 10pins w/5vsb I tap the 24pin or tap an extension & toss a break-away connector on plain & simple. Result? Full System Integration & you can quote me ...
- Turn m5ppl "5vsb" into "Standard" 5volts -
If we back-engineer what the original member might have done, we can assume he simply patched his m5ppl into a (red) 5volt psu pin port, maybe spliced it into an actual (red) 5volt wire (the dreaded "splice n dice w/black electrical tape job"), who knows. However, your mio will work if you send m5ppl "standard" 5volts grabbed from a 5volt psu source, it will work normal, but you lose what I call "5vsb features".
If you want real 5vsb power, tap your 24pin or extension as stated earlier
If it's too much, well I hear ya, but in the end, m5ppl has to get 5volts from somewhere, so Plan B is to find a standard 5volt source, right?, so long as you know the reasons why mio was designed to have 5vsb power will not & can not be availabe to it through just your sata/molex "standard " 5v source ... your psu - hence your mio - won't & can't go hot 5v on m5ppl 'til you turn your pc on, got it?
standard 5 volts only goes hot when the pc/psu is turned on
Apparently, the ax1200i has a pair of 5volt pins in its 6pin port (it is otherwise "unused" in their 4/5 wire sata/molex cables). That would be a great place to grab standard 5volts for your mio m5ppl wire.
put a psu pin on your mio m5ppl wire and plop it into your 6pin to give it standard 5volts
I do not know if the ax1200 has a pair of 5volt pins, you'd have to check w/a voltmeter. If it does, do as above, if not, we'll think of ways to grab 5volts elsewhere
If your sata port only has one 5volt pin, you can jump your ppl wire into your red wire/pin, (see jumping/tapping wires from earlier, above).
*** - Optional Jumper Method - ***
One method I use to "jump" standard 5volts to m5ppl, is I mate a 2" red jumping wire into my m10red pin. I insert this jumped pair into the psu 5volt slot of the 6pin (sata) connector. From there, I crimp male psu pins on the red jumper & ppl wire ends, pop a 4pin female on them.
I happen to use 4pin male/females
2pin male/females are just as good if not better
I then assemble a reciprocal 4pin male w/a one inch "bridge wire" which can "cap" the 4pin female connector, so m5ppl "gets" 5volts from the jumped red wire, see photo:
With the simple method above, 5volts (dual red wires) is sent to two places:
straight to mio m10red as normal
"jumped" to mio m5ppl - via the 4pin w/bridge-cap
m5ppl is now receiving standard 5volts
If you or anybody else ever want to go back & grab real 5vsb off a 24pin (or 24pin extension) - you can ---> simply pop the male 4pin bridge cap off & plug in your new 4pin male w/5vsb wire tapped from a 24pin, as in the photo below:
ppl wire can now be hot 5vsb through the 24pin (via new 4pin male)
red "jumper" is dormant/unused in the 4pin female side ... lovely ...
With this method, "tapping" w/a 2" red wire, using a break away connector w/or w/out a bridge cap, will allow your mio the option to have standard 5volts OR 5vsb, depending on your mood ... sweet ...
Again, in the photo below, mio (left) has this same application & is wearing a removable 4pin male bridge cap to "turn" ppl wire into standard 5v, but the situation is totally reversible & it can wear a 4pin male tapped into a 24pin at anytime so ppl can get real 5vsb ...
The bare mio (right) you can see I jumped/tapped the red 5v wire ... it too will wear a 4pin female connector which can accept a 4pin male setup whichever way your 5volts design calls for:
it can wear a simple 4pin male bridge cap so ppl gets standard 5v
it can get real 5vsb when the 24pin is tapped; if so, the red jumper lays dormant, unused in the 4pin (female)
this "added" 4pin "red jumper" scheme allows a dual-option, dual purpose setup; it allows you the ability to quickly send standard 5v to m5ppl w/a bridge cap --> without locking 5vsb out completely, because at a later date you can always make a new 4pin male indeed tapped into a 24pin which grabs real 5vsb & sends it to m5ppl as should be the case
If you have questions about what I'm calling the "Optional Jumper Method", & an explanation of what the three photos from above are telling you, just ask ...
In a nutshell:
you already have to tap a 5volt ("red") wire for m10red
if you "mate"/"jump" another two inch ("red") wire along with it, you can create a back-door for yourself through manipualtion of a 4pin male
a 4pin bridge cap "turns" the ppl wire (m5ppl) into standard 5volts
a tapped 24pin - also wearing a 4pin male - "turns" m5ppl into real 5vsb ...
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Are we having fun yet?
By now we've done a crash course in how to work with the Corsair ax1200i, all power grounds were tapped & you either tapped 5vsb off a 24pin or by-passed the step & tapped 5v from the psu instead & made m5ppl standard 5v by use of some form of y-split or jump method. Your harness should be done now.
Do a visual inspection of your 10pin relative to the Reference Photo stock wire colors vs volt/grd. Check the psu-side connectors against your master wiring diagram/sketch as well. Tug on your wire pins to make sure they're all locked in their connectors. Take a continuity tester to it to make sure its conducting on both ends / no wires are touching that shouldn't. If it passes scrutiny:
"Bench" test the harness now, for obvious reasons. In my minds eye, your psu is either still on a table, or in your case but not plugged into mthrbrd 24pin or cpu 8pin. Plug in the modular master i/o harness connector only. Do not plug in mio. You need to confirm volt/grd pinout 1st, verify what mio will "see" on his end of those 10 pins when you go to plug him in later
Plug psu in. If you tapped 5vsb on the 24pin, take your voltmeter, probe harness on mio end to find a ground; probe m5ppl for hot +5vsb When you've found 5vsb, find it again on the other three grounds to confirm they are grounds. Last? Probe 3v, 5v, 12v trips to make sure they aren't "hot" with psu plugged in, psu "off"
Next, hot wire psu "on", find a ground, test 12v triplet m1-m3-m6, test m8 3v m10 5v m5 5v - it will be hot +5v when the psu on, no matter if it was wired 5vstandby or 5v standard. Test volts by use of all ground quads so you know they are still grounds on #'s m2-4-7-9 (lol), this is to test they aren't hot, for some odd reason
This simple harness test is safe. The harness isn't plugged into anything, soooo. If any of your volt/ground pins fail this test? It's an indication a pin is in the wrong slot, either in the psu connector(s) or mio's 10pin. You can remove your harness, probe mio's 10pins relative to psu connector end(s) with a full-blown continuity test, find which pin(s) is/are wrong, back it out, put it in right slot etc
When your volt-grd tests pass on all 10 of mio's wires/pins, your harness sounds like you built yourself a winner. Wouldn't you agree? The above steps should have confirmed it outputs what it's supposed to, & mio will see what its supposed to when it's time. Install psu, plug mio in, try your psu out ... smells like victory
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SeaSonic x-1250
The build quality of Seasonic demands we look into its 6pin sata ports as sources for all 3-5-12v-grd (pwr/grd). Inspecting its 12pin (6x6) ports, we see it keys up to either a hand-made 12pin, or a pair of 6pin pci-e males w/out center locks, as a fall-back in case you don't want to cut up a new cable or buy one, or can't find an empty 12pin ...
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NZXT Hale90 v1
In an all 8pin "universal" modular layout like Hale90 v1, where the front modular panel can power every supplied 8pin cable & connector type they give you on every port, to find 3-5-12v grd - to define & solve their final "4x4" pinouts - you gain much insight for your data sheet by looking at & probing the cables they gave you, trace known wires back to pins etc. - then for certainty I would take their 8pin male cpu/graphics cable & 8pin sata/molex cable, hot-wire psu "on", find a known ground pin, use my voltmeter & resolve their 8pin in a matter of moments. I can do just as much with an 8pin extender: find ground & probe all pins.
To solve one of their 8pins is to solve all of their 8pins:
their 8pin (4x4) "universal" panel by definition carries 3-5-12v grd in every 8pin port. Chances are there's one 3v pin, one 5v pin, three 12v pins, three ground pins. The differing sata/molex/pci-e cables they supply with the psu - more importantly their 8pin male connectors - are pinned out at the factory in the right "combinations". Pci-e cables only pinout for 12v-grd: so that graphics cards only "see" 12v-grd. Where-as sata cables pinout so they tap 3v grd 5v grd 12v. Molex pins out as 5v-grd-grd-12v. Their 8pin ports are fixed, universal: it's their cables that pinout - their 8pin males pinout in the right combination to deal with that.
Hale90 v1 can accept a standard male 8pin "power/cpu" connector- & because it can - mio can mate to it quickly & easily after you solve one of their 8pin port pinouts, find 3-5-12v grd, tap it accordingly for mio.
What this tells us is that any single 12volt rail psu w/an all 8pin panel can probably be used in our Area 51 w/almost no trouble. I am not telling you to buy a Hale90, I am telling you that if you buy one like it - when it gets there - do what I did & test one of its ports - solve its pinout - then tap it correctly with standard male 8pins in any port you choose. Mio will need ground quads, & mathematically the 8pin port on this psu carries 12v triplets ground trips. It does not carry 4 ground pins per 8pin port: you will factor in the need for two male connectors to tap all pwr/grounds with -or- use the y-splitter / jumper trick for the last ground & cut your connector count down to one. Tap 5vsb if you can, y-split/jumper stndrd 5v if not.
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What have we learned ...
By solving a master i/o wire connector scheme for the 6pin + 8pin front modular panel like Corsair ax1200(i), the formula for a master i/o connector scheme for all single 12v rail power supplies on the market like it may have been solved: tap their 6/8 with your 6/8 & follow the provided directions. For an all 8pin like Hale90 v1, one or two male 8pins is the cure. The simplicity of Hercules 1600 w/stndrd 6/8pin. Any fully modular single 12v rail psu on the market should be a good candidate for inclusion in your Area51, if they're using standard 6/8 or a derivative.
We learned that some companies design their modular panel ports (Hale90 v1 8pin) where anything can plug into one port: sata, molex, graphics card. We learned from Corsair (6/8pin) that they chose to give sata/molex on one side (6pin) & exclusive 12v-grd ("graphics/cpu") on the 8pin. Corsair ax-i, Hale90v1/Hercules, they will all wire into an Area51 in their own unique way on top of the fact you'll make your own unique harness. There IS no best way. There IS no one way. There are many ways. It's a drain to think about it, lol. If in a year from now, 100 people have used this article to install a new psu, & we all met up in Albuquerque for a convention: would it surprise us if we each had some variation on a theme? No two wire jobs alike? Uh huh.
I think we're about to the end of this discussion for now. Let's go over a few final things, & then I'll let you browse newegg for candidate psu's to consider. You won't see psu's the same way again now will ya ?????
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Distilling it all
Mio needs a 10pin
popular modular psu's seem to be using one or two standard female connectors, tappable w/standard (or modded variation) males
the harness wires between them must have psu pins on both ends
5vsb has methods which can tap it or by-pass it into stndrd 5v
The front panel fixed pinout assignments must be found & resolved
3v 5v 5v(sb) 12v x3 grd x4 must be present in the correct mio 10pin slots before you plug your harness into the actual board (& mthrbrd) & turn "power on"
How you build your harness & what materials you use is up to you
Using random materials I was able to make a custom harness
Your finished product can be as imaginative as your starting materials
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Mop-Up Work: Other Tasks & Considerations
The psu fan faces up. The ventilation area now admittedly isn't ideal, but, this is unavoidable: "c'est la vie" say the old folks. You would of course need to be extra careful while working inside the case so screws etc do not fall inside the psu case, since mounting the fan upright isn't negotiable:
I've been using 140mm square pieces of typical black window screen over my psu fans, to help catch screws & filter for dust etc. or you might try a 140mm dust filter - or make your own etc - it's advisable
Also notice your stock psu rear black honey-comb trim plate requires a vertical wall plug mount & no provision for an on/off switch; you may or may not be able to re-use that trim, so buying a "spare" trim on eBay & modding it is a good idea.
The 1st daunting task of note is removing the old psu & its entire harness. To get at the top stock cpu 8pin, the hard drive bay door panel must come off, & the full plastic hdd bay trim & its led light as well in order to both remove the old 8pin cpu connector & route your new 8pin:
most brands provide you w/a 24"-26" cpu cable - therefore - a cpu 8pin extension might be required, depending on psu choice
for my Seasonic & Xfx swap, I routed my 26" cpu cables along the back mthrbrd sill to forgo the use of an cpu cable extension
cpu cable routed along back sill; I was lucky I didn't need an extension
The "extension-less" work around is to route your cpu cable along the back sill & hope it reaches the port, or, re-use your (a) stock cpu 8pin harness:
back the stock A-51 8pin cpu cable pins from the bulk connector, apply new pins if needed & insert them into an 8pin connector that fits your psu, correctly pinned out of course for 12v/grd per your master sketch/volt/ground data chart.
a simple bench test (w/out mthrbrd & mio connected), psu jump-started, & a voltmeter can reveal cpu 8pin is pinned out right & psu modular end
Moving on, you must disassemble some of the interior to get at the stock harness sata connections behind the pci fan housing / remove your videocard(s) to get @ & remove the 24pin mthrbrd harness connector. Here's an Area-51 teardown video link on youtube by A-ware if you need a tad more more help with basic parts removal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgt9IX1ORuM You can also consult your owner manual, & adobe pdf service manual. What you need to do to install a new psu in your case should be rather obvious if you stare at it long enough.
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- a mthrbrd harness extension? Say it ain't so ... -
Will you need a '24pin' mthrbrd harness extension? Area-51 is an ultra-tower, it's oversized; most mthrbrd harnesses are a standard 24" long, & so is our stock mthrbrd ATX harness.
The reason our stock 24" mthrbrd harness "reaches" the stock psu is:
most psu's are 7"-7.5" long, but the stock psu is a whopping 8.5" long
the 66pin bulk connector is next to the case wall
From what I've seen, most psu brands orient the mthrbrd ports over on the left;
the new psu will be 1"-1.5" shorter then stock
& the port(s) are located a few inches further away on the 'left'
this plays havoc, because if you plug into the psu, uh, you can't plug into the mthrbrd: you'll be a few inches away
If your new mthrbrd cable just doesn't want to reach, there are a few things you can do about it. Your new mthrbrd cable will have two ends:
the true 24pin end that plugs into your mthrbrd has a standard pinout
the modular end, which probably has its own 'special pinout' may also be a 24pin, or 'branch' into dual connectors, like a 10+14 etc
The 1st thing to try is to unscrew the black cable mngmt snap organizer, "drop it down"; it can/will orient to "other" lower case wall screw holes. If dropping it down doesn't help, you can temporarily remove it - & check if that helps your mthrbrd harness to reach - if so, you can always reinstall it after you find or figure out what type of extension you'll need
To help get my Asus to work w/my stock psu, I dropped the cable mngmnt "thingy" down a rung, choosing different holes to align it to the tray; that may or may not help w/your stock mthrbrd & harness to reach (sata ports might be in the way) but it's worth a try
If you reach the point you know you need an extension, they are easily found on eBay & online pc shops etc - a basic 24pin extension - after your mthrbrd 24pin comes out of the cable organizer, (whether you lowered the cable organizer or not) you plug your mthrbrd's 24pin end into it, & the extension does the rest. A 4" extension or so should suffice, & if you "tap" the purple 5vsb wire for your mio harness, you'll need to work an 18"-24"-30" wire into the scheme as the result.
My cases have windows; I didn't place my mthrbrd extension "up top" where I can see it, I made my own extension "down below" @ the modular end:
my 7" hand-made ax1200(i) mthrbrd extension; 5vsb (w/break away connector) taps on the extension, not the main mthrbrd harness ...
Hand-making your own extension takes a bit of work. For the ax1200i extension above, I started w/a new 24pin ax1200i harness, I snipped off the 10+14 end to about 7", applied 24 new psu pins & popped on new 10+14 reciprocal connectors & sleeved it. I take this route to ensure I'm using genuine materials made from genuine cables; yours could be a similar situation.
Alternatively, I could buy a typical 8" 24pin extension like this one:
If I'm making an extension for ax1200i, which uses a dual 10+14 modular end, I'd back off both the unusable 24pin ends, & pop new 10+14 male&female connectors on it, while tapping 5vsb also, plain & simple.
Alternatively, knowing I'd have to buy 10+14 male/female connectors, I could buy pre-sleeved wire like below as my material, & assemble a custom 10+14:
this pre-made 8" wire has new male & female psu pins @ both ends; granted, @ $1 a piece you'd need 24 of them, but these are so easily worked with, you can't exactly let $25-$30 stop your psu swap. This is also less labor-intensive then backing all 46 pins out of the pre-made extension from earlier above.
Keep in mind that if you begin your install w/a standard 24pin extension & you take my advice by jumping standard 5volts & using a bridge cap to make mio pin5 purple standard 5volts, you should have things squared away to at least begin using your new psu, & you'll have all the time in the world to go back, rethink things, & possibly work the kinks out of your wiring/connecting scheme.
The new ax1500i comes w/an extra-long 28" mthrbrd harness which might reach, but I do offer a mini 3" extension for it, for no other reason than tapping 5vsb off of it, & not fooling w/the original cable. If you have a better idea or solution for dealing w/standard-issue mthrbrd harnesses in the A-51, let us know ... I myself have found that a hand-made extension that hides in the case floor & gets its 5vsb wire tapped is about the best solution, all-be-it a hand-full to fabricate start-to-finish.
How To: Custom Individually Sleeved Set
- A Basic ax1200i / ax1500i 24pin Extension -
An AwareClub Member's bought nice individually sleeved types for ax1200i/1500i
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We're going to integrate his new cable set into his beloved Area-51: to do so requires special cables. Oh joy.
This brand of specialty cable set was chosen since it uses soft flexible parachute-cord (paracord) individual wires sleeving, & so will streamline their way throughout all 4 corners of Dream Land. I'll comb through these knowing he needs the vitals, but I can 'burn' a few extras. As is typical, he gets two cpu cables, so I home in on the spare Cpu-Eps 8pin as my material. Here. I'll walk through making an extension. Later? I'll walk you through the m i/o 10p harness, using an extra molex cable I can burn for the 10pin. Connectors are shown late; I'll be outfitting these w/some new psu male & female 16gauge pins, force crimped & soldered. 1st, I back the pins out of the cpu 8pin. B4 backing out pins I insert a solid-metal rod inside the pin 1st, so it doesn't smoosh when I use my filed down screwdriver tip to extract it - compress the pin's locking wing tabs one side at a time ...
Both ends of the cpu 8pin have had their pins backed out: I have 8 wires, but I have 16 'factory' psu pins to work with, since it is double-ended
Most cpu 8pins are 24" long, this one is 27.5" (700mm). The basic premise: cut each wire into thirds. 8-wires x three = 24 wires. One cpu cable is enough material to make my 24-wire extension. For each wire? I'll have two new smaller wires w/factory pins, here each is cut down to 7.5" & will need to be outfitted w/a new male psu pin of course. The 'center wire' will need one male & one female psu pin applied. The cpu 8pin connector? I'll use that later on for the mio harness, to tap three 12v & four grounds 'in one fell swoop'. The molex cable will supply the 6pin for 3v & 5v. I'm about to integrate 5volts stand-by: I'll tap it right here right now:
Blessed with an eight-wire 27" cpu cable, if I cut each 27" wire up into 'thirds' I get my 24 'wires' for my 24pin extension. My target length for each wire is 7.5": two wires @ 7.5" = 15", so I have 12.5" piece leftover. For the rest of the wires? I cut that 12.5" down to 7.5" of course & toss the scrap. For 5volts stand-by? I make an exception. Above - @ about the 7.5" mark - I score the insulation off: 1/2 the exposed wire will insert into a new psu pin, I will fold it back over on itself & allow the 5" remnant to become my 5vsb 'tapping wire' (below)
7.5" end (top) gets a new female pin. The 5" jumper pin will be housed in a 4pin connector later.
In Part 2, I'll give the master i/o harness a reciprocal 4pin, so it can grab 5VSB on "#9 Ppl" from the pin above
16 wires had factory female pins. 8 wires I had to apply my own females. On the left side? Crikey! I have to apply 24 new male pins on that side. For a matching specialty harness like this I've got my work cut-out for me.
ax1200i - ax1500i get a 10pin & 14pin on the end of the 24p atx cable. I've bought male & female 4p 10p & 14p connectors. Now that all my wires are dressed w/new pins, time to plop 'em in their slots
Did I say plop 'em in their slots? I meant: about time to get paid. Finished. ax1200i ax1500i have the bottom half of their modular panel orient so that the connectors pop in upside down. Like in the photo above, the 10p & 14p pop in upside down; I compensate for this on the left end, by giving the wire routing a pre-twist, making sure the left end, the one which connects into the real 24p (10p + 14p) atx mthrbrd main harness, has the positive latches facing 'up'. Here he gets a two-piece extension. If I was using just bare wires for this build, I would have 'sleeved it' before popping the modular ends on. A one-piece extension, as in my other photos
- Building the MIO 10Pin w/the Same Cable Material -
The cable set provided a 21" molex cable (21" between modular 6p & 1st molex head), so I cut the molex head off, backed the 4wires from the molex 6pin modular connector, cut each of the 4 wires into thirds, netting twelve 7" wires. Four have factory pins. MIO needs 10 wires, so I apply new pins to the remainders.
w/pins on both ends & my connector materials (4p, 6p, 8p,10p) I'm ready to pop pins into correct slots.
Pay Day: ax1200i is now ready to go into A-51. The proper way
edit: I later designed & sent a Sneaky Pete adapter
the long 14p extension won't be used, just the little 10p 5VSB tapping adapter above
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Probable Parts List
A broad list of the probable gear you might need to scare up:
20/24pin: to create mio 10pin replica. To practice pin removal on discarded section. Sources are empty 24pins, extensions, from old psu (remember you need 8"-12" of 18awg wire if you use a replica 10pin cut from a 24pin as your harness building material)
24pin atx extender/extension/adapter (3"- 24"). Top quality, 16awg if you can get one. You may need a pair of them, one as a 10pin w/harness wires to work with, one as your extender to tap 5vsb on
Bare empty 6/8pin connectors. 8pins can be called "eps/power/power-supply/cpu" - or the differently keyed "vga/pci-e 8pins" or "6+2". Standard pci-e 6pins may "fit" other keyed 6pins even if they don't look like they'll "key" right. The square keys must match, while u-shapes can fit squares, lol. That's why they fit when they look like they can't
2-4-6-6+2-8-4+4pin male -female extender(s) as required, depending on harness & key count requirements on new psu modular female(s). There are many "key types", yours must be correctly keyed relative to whatever psu you're working with, you may widdle out the right keys with a razor. Squares must match, u's CAN fit into squares, lucky us! Y-splitters dole out 6 or 8pin males & plenty of wires.
*Sata &/or 8pin cpu extender(s) (if new psu sata/cpu cables too short)
***Note: psu companies, like Corsair etc, dis-allow user to install male cable connectors into psu ports that they didn't provide & pinout for you. You can apply "extenders" etc to the device ends of their cables, no doubt, but you should not plug males into the modular chassis end, not until YOU pin them out first, right? Right. If you apply an 8pin male to your old cpu/mthrbrd cable, with the intent to re-use it due to its longer size, no need for extender etc, YOU HAVE TO PIN IT OUT CORRECTLY ON YOUR 8pin MALE MODULAR END BEFORE YOU PLUG IT IN. The cpu mthrbrd end has to see 12v+grd, so your male end has to pinout correctly for 12v + grd at the psu panel. Use your master chart, pinout the male with it so the old harness gets ground on its 4 blacks, & 12v on its whites & blue-whites pairs....
"Re-using" your stock cpu 8pin cable by putting a new male end onto it to tap your psu pwr/grd is a MODIFICATION. Pin it out correctly, & yes you can re-use it without the need to remove it, route a new one, & possible pay for the use of an $8 cable extender ... that's my thrifty side talking to your thrifty side
Atx psu pin removal tool (sturdy thumbtack/needle is perfect also)
Needle (to re-splay flattened atx pinlock arms/tangs after removal)
Wire ***
New razorblade (to cut a 10pin out) utility knife, dremel etc
Needle nose pliars (to hold your work, crimp psu-style pin wing tabs)
Digital Volt-Ohm meter, aka multi-tester / voltmeter
Opt.: a "pack" of new psu atx pins, Molex part# 39-00-0038 / 18awg/9a max, & there are 16awg's also
Opt.: Mesh sleeving + heat shrink tube (to finish the presentation or "repair" meshed extenders you took apart to build a harness)
Opt.: Soldering iron + fine solder (to secure wires to psu-style pins)
Opt.: Bullet-type or similar (male/female) Connectors for splicing, & a stand-alone side-by-side connector for tapping 5vsb, 16/18awg :) Blue tapping pics w/video link from earlier
Opt.: Black Plasti-Dip aka Liquid Plastic aka "Plastic-in-a-Bottle": for added insulation on any exposed wires/pins inside the 10pin; usually for beginners who do a crummy wiring/splicing/crimping/soldering job. Helps ensure wires/pins that need isolated do not touch. Repairs/reseals insulation on 24pins after removing side-by-side tapping connector
Cable Ties / Twist Ties
*Likely places to get or order gear: Newegg.com MicroCenter.com TigerDirect Frys eBay Performance-pcs PrimoChill.com MainframeCustoms
Your various sundries will be more or less depending on your overall plan
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edit 9.15.15 How-To: Corsair HX1200i
- New HX1200i shares same familiar Type3 pinout as ax1200i / ax1500i / similar Corsair psu's -
Two forum member hired me to make custom Corsair swap cables for RM & HX series so you'll find both builds below; black ribbons are used in some models like RM850 / Hx1000i & 1200i / ax1500i etc.
On 'all' Corsair 24pin ATX cables the modular psu end branches into a 10pin & 14pin, so in order to make a '24pin' extension I'll make 10p / 14p extensions. Got it? See photos. The 24 inch CPU 8p cable they provide's a tad short so I'll make it a matching 8pin extension. The mio 10pin will be made from ribbons of course where on HX I'll slap on 6p/8p ends & for RM a pair of 6p ends in order to tap power for the 10p mio.
5VSB is present on the 24pin ATX cable, more precisely, since it branches into 10p/14p, 5VSB is on the 10p section, & it was 'tapped / jumped', using a 4pin break-away connect as I normally do. Find the HX / RM ribbon-builds below:
here I've started with a new 24pin ATX ribbon, I'll cut the 10p / 14p branch (psu end of cable) off:
above: the beginning of a short 5VSB tap wire: aka 'jumper'. right now the ribbons are 8.5" long
below: my target length is 7"; I trim all ribbons down to 7" except 5VSB wire; 5VSB wire is 8.5" long from above, right?; I attach a male pin to it at the 7" mark, flip it back, slap another pin on it; it's one wire, all I've done is strip some insulation off at the 7" mark to help create the 'jumper':
above: factory end w/new pins left >< I attach 24 male pins + 5VSB 'break-away male pin'
below: I didn't take photos of the entire build, finished product shown. MIO 10pin wears 6p/8p modular ends, 4p break-away for 5VSB; bottom is the 10p/14p ATX extension; MIO plugs in for tapped 5VSB:
above: new 24inch 24p ATX (right) plugs into 10p/14p extension for demonstration
above / below making the mio 10-wire 10pin from a 5-wire & 4-wire ribbon + discrete solo-5vsb wire. the left ends wear factory psu pins, the right ends are hand-crimped & soldered. Factory pins come from backing off un-needed connectors from sata/peripheral cpu cables etc
above / below making the 10pin extension
above / below the 14pin extension
ready for shipping & install ***********************************
Proven Pinout Chart: Corsair ax1500i
*each SATA 6pin port gets x2 5volt pins, one is used to power SATA devices, one is unused in the 6pin connector:
the presence of this unused 5volt pin will help you by-pass 5VSB if needed (=
ax1200i/1500i have interchangeable cables & thus have identical pinouts across the board in the sata 6pin & cpu/pci-e 8pin, as well as mthrbrd 10+14
ax1200i Proven Pinout
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tap these front panel pins correctly? AlienFx is yours
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Proven Pinout Chart: Original Corsair ax1200
Drastic changes between ax1200 & ax1200i
note sq sq sq / u u u 6pin, & a solid VGA 8pin
We see a serious revision between ax1200 & ax1200i in the front panel fixed pinout: the 6/8pin connectors & their pin assignments both changed:
their 8pin is an industry standard pci-e/vga/graphics connector
the 6pin, who's top row = "sq-sq-sq" = 'proprietary pin scheme', can't be tapped by a type 1or 2 pci-e 6pin - I had to import mine from China - try eBay please or google 'ax1200 6pin'
Alternative 6pin creation: in the world of the 6+2 male, you could use three of the "2pins" - otherwise, by spare cable from Corsair & rob the special 6p, or rob your pouch
spare ax1200 SATA / Molex cables on eBay all day long to rob from
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Finding 3v 5v 12v Grd on ax-1200i Cable Set
No matter what psu you decide to use, you need to solve its front panel fixed pin assignments; do a full pinout. You'll find all 3-5-12v grd pins during a safe "bench" test - on a table or in your case - but not with the psu plugged in anywhere to your motherboard.
When you jump start it on, you can probe bare pins to investigate what they are, then jot them all down on your master sketch. You may use your supplied cables just as easily
All cables will have two ends to them:
device side
psu (modular) side
ID / investigate volts/grounds of both sides of your cables to make sense of them on both ends. Their cables will have universal "device connector ends" which plug into your motherboard, video card, dvd, hard drive etc. (that end of the cable which plugs into your 'device' / the device end):
for safety & that of your equipment, the device end of their cable has to be wired/pinned out correctly, universally, with strict industry standard wire/pin-to-slot layouts, like in the pictures above, for sata/peripheral, 6+2, 8pin cpu etc.
no matter what, your cable's device end will be wired up like the photos above
you want to probe the device end, and then trail each wire back to the modular end so you can be 100% sure what the volt/ground assignment is for each pin inside the modular end
Although the device end has to be identical for all PSU cables, the 'psu modular connector end' of the supplied cable that plugs into your psu chassis is pinned out in whichever way the psu front panel is pinned out by the manufacturer:
the modular ends will have their own unique pinout
that is the problem
you must find out where the maker pushed all 3/5/12/grd pins into their modular connectors
Since most of the MIO 10Pin harnesses I make use one 6pin Sata/Molex & one 8pin CPU, out of the pouch I'll grab a Sata cable & Cpu cable:
it doesn't matter if the wires are multi-color or all black
using the photos above, I know where all 3/5/12/grd pins are in the device end
with a continuity tester with audible alarm, I can probe the device end and trace the wire straight back to the correct pin/slot in the modular end
from there I can make a chart, very easy to do
I can accomplish this with or without the power supply on / bench-tested
For instance, ax-1200i comes with an industry standard 8pin cpu "device-end" mthrbrd connector. It's top row of pins (5-8) has to be 12volts x4. Its bottom row (1-4) has to be ground x4. Yet at the modular end of their 8pin cpu cable? It's reversed: (5-8) 12v x4 are on the bottom row, (1-4) ground is x4 are on the top the row. So long as the modular end & device end pins out ok, it is safe to use their cable. If you run a continuity test on their provided cpu 8pin cable, for instance you will discover these issues. In other words, Corsair says not to plug in anything to their psu which is not their cable:
If you plugged in a typical cpu 8pin to their modular panel? Perhaps as an "extension"? Volts/grounds would be reversed. No wonder you should only use their cables
As I was saying, the device end must be pinned correctly for volts/grounds, & the modular end must be pinned out correctly for volts-grounds. When we look at the industry standard pinout charts for sata/peripheral/6+2, cpu 8pin etc, we can compare them - use them as landmarks - against the manufactures cables at the modular ends, & divine 3-5-12v grd w/continuity tests just as easily as if we were bench testing the psu "on" with a voltmeter & probing its pins for the same information:
Peripheral devices do not use 3v. They use 5v+12v+grd+grd only. To find 3v on the modular end of a sata cable - which uses 3v - compare it to a peripheral cable - which will be minus the 3v pin as it must be - if they've given you a mixed cable with sata+peripheral connectors it, probe the sata device end connector at pins 1-3 (per photo) with a continuity tester & find its 3v pin at the modular end's connector
For 5v+12v+grd, look at the industry standard pinout photos, take your peripheral cable, sata cable, 8pin cpu cable, probe their device end connector pins at known 3-5-12v-grd connector pin locations with continuity tests on the other modular end connector(s) pins, & eventually the true picture (the grid) emerges as to what their front panel fixed pin assignments are for 3-5-12v grd; based on "which slots/rows" the pins are in that the modular end is tapping the psu from, & what the device end(s) are eventually seeing on their known pin assigments inside their industry standard connectors.
Confirm your pinout sketch by jump starting psu on, plug in your cables, find 3v 5v 12v grd on the device ends, using the connector photo pinouts posted above
Higher-resolution photos & full explanations of atx power supply connectors on google/bing search
I have the ax-1200i cable set; I've continuity tested the industry standard device ends relative to the modular ends, divined the true nature of the ax-1200i fixed pin assignments with this data & posted a labeled color photo for you
If you buy that psu, or any other, as I said, perform a safe bench test with psu "on", no cables connected yet, probe bare fixed front panel pins, find all 3-5-12v-grd, create a master sketch of front panel & modular male connectors. Inspect their cables with continuity tester, probing the device end fixed pins relative to modular end fixed pins, reconfirming your master sketch of the front panel & modular male fixed pinout assignments.
Build your double-ended master i/o harness, & when you're ready, safely bench test psu "on" - not connected to mthrbrd of course - then insert your master i/o harness modular connector(s) to psu, & w/psu "on", probe your 10pin male mio connector for correct 3-5-12v-grd relative to10pin Reference Photo. m5ppl 5vsb tested through 24pin master harness #9ppl of course. When your 10pin "sees" all the right volts/grounds relative to the Reference Photo, you're harness is safe to use with your psu. The object of course is to safely test that you've wired/pinned out your double-ended mio harness correctly. If any pins vary from normal, find out which, find out why, back them out, correct them - then retest til all mio's 10 pins are correct against the Reference Photo
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Proven Pin-out Chart: SeaSonic x-1250xm / Xfx Pro 1250
original x-1250xm (see below for 2nd generation x-1250xm2)
Seasonic X & Xfx Pro have identical front panel layouts & identical volt/ground pinouts
White w/black center = ground pins. "Unused" pin (#3) in their 6pin Sata = 12volts/confirmed; it's possible to build your mio harness w/a pair of 6pins, after you insert your own wire/pin into the "unused" #3 slot
A suitable x-1250 Master I/O Harness might look similar to the one I've built here. Note 5vsb is tapped w/its own break-away connector
2014 / 2015 Newer Seasonics & Revised Front Panel PinOuts
X-1250 XM2 | Platinum 1200 XP3 | Snow Silent 1050
Seasonic X 1250 |1050 XM2
Seasonic revised the X-series 1050 | 1250w inside & out, which includes subtle changes to the front panel modular connector types, numbers & voltage assignments, making it a different power supply from the older XM1.
xm2 gets new black flat-ribbon cables & sleeved 24pin ATX
it's using VGA/PCi-E 8pin ports
For your MIO 10pin, tap into a 6pin & 8pin port, 5VSB pin is shown
Seasonic SS-1200XP3 Platinum 1200 & 1050w
I own a new cable set for p1200; the front panel pinout's proven by continuity test & internal Seasonic pdf document related to all their psu wiring. Nothing's changed about the way Seasonic pins out the 6pin (type1/aux) or 10+18pin (mthrbd output). They've dropped the 12pin look & exchanged it for all 8pin pci-e jacks, who's 12volt pins lie on the bottom row as new revision.
HOW TO: Seasonic XM2 Platinum 1200 Snow Silent Swap Cables
Since the newer Seasonics are using the same front panel pinout, they can all share cables & all come with a sleeved 24pin & flat ribbons, the cables I made for a forum member can help guide you through your Seasonic swap. For starters I tackled the 5VSB jumper as follows:
Later I'll be making 7" cables, so for the 5VSB wire the idea will be a 7" wire with a 3" jumper; the easiest solution for me is to take a wire, remove the insulation, expose bare wire & crimp it to a pin
one wire folded over on itself - I'll solder it to the pin also - later I will put new pins on the wire's ends
The Seasonic 24pin ATX will branck into a 10pin & 18pin end, which plug into the front panel. As usually happens I will make a 7" 10p/18p extension. Above, I have 27 black wires, I've attached new male & female psu pins to the ends, & I have male / female 10p/18p connectors. My 5VSB wire is shown left, with 'jumper', using the technique from earlier. Since the male psu pins are pointy, I do not want the sleeve to snag later on, so I'll push the male pins into the male connectors 1st
next I'll add sleeve, heatshrink etc.
above, sleeve & heatshrink go on 1st, then I push the female pins into the female connectors, use a ziptie, cover with heatshrink. Same routine for the 18p below:
10p 18p extensions are finished. Next, a basic CPU 8pin extension
a 24" CPU 8pin ribbon was cut down to 6"; I apply new male pins & will push them into a new male 8p
MIO 10pin next:
b4 / after. I've taken a pair of sata 5-wire ribbons. The target length is 7", but for my 5VSB wire I need about 4" extra. To begin, I cut an 11" ribbon, I leave the 5VSB wire alone (leave it 11") & I cut the other 4 wires down to 7". Next, apply new female psu pins at both ends (& added a sleeve to the 5VSB wire)
connectors & I simply push the pins into the correct slots
Proper Hale90 mio harnesses might look similar to the two I've built here; the blk harness is tapped 5vsb while the white harness can optionally "by-pass" 5vsb - purple & red can be "jumped" w/a small jump wire - or - purple can go hot like the blk harness ---> where red is "unused"...
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Proven Pin-out Chart: Antec HCP-1300 Platinum
I dig this high-power psu - made by Delta for Antec - I'll build a few mio harnesses for sale (eBay) out of my hcp-1300 cable set, create the pinout chart & post photo of harness 3.21.14
simplicity: verified: 03.19.14
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My Seasonic x-1250 swap
2.14.15 Edit: I removed the Ss1250 & put it in my baby ALX, moved up to a 1500w, later, below
I took a novel approach to my own Seasonic x-1250 psu swap by keeping my cable set new in its pouch, & employing the stock harness instead for all power/ground circuits; essentially, I broke the stock harness down to its constituent parts, attached the correct modular fittings to all the seperate cables, & invented a mthrbrd harness extension. The result is a new psu & tailor-made tailor-fit cables for Area-51:
the 4' cpu cable reaches without an extender
the sata cable is the one we all know & love
the x3 hard drive sata's are perfect size for that tight area
original mio harness is re-used & co-operates
8-wire pci-e cables were custom-made & upgraded over the stock 6-wire cables, of course
I have plenty of wire, pins & connectors here to do damage when I want to, so not that I did, but someone like you would want to cut your new 24" pci-e cables in half & make two cables out of one:
you'd apply new pins & connectors
rebuild/resleeve the graphics harnesses
in so doing you've "trimmed" the cable size down to a more manageable 12" & gained another 12" graphics harness in the process
Woopie!
Whether I'd employed Seasoic's 24" mthrbrd harness or the 24" stock harness, both would have required the hand-made extension; Seasonic's approach to their mthrbrd harness modular connectors is a seperate 10pin + 18pin (see front panel photo) so my extension - which was a must - called for additional 10pin & 18pin male/female connectors & 6" of correct color/gauge wires, new male/female psu pins & about 2 hours of my time to make the mthrbrd harness extension. I bought a spare rear blk psu honey-comb trim plate, zipped it where needed with a dremel-tool to accommodate the rear psu on/off switch, so now it fits & is a welcome sight. All in all, this is an install I'm quite pleased with & proud of; x-1250 has my approval: it's a winner, a nice trump card over stock, using hand-made cables at all points
center, you can see the hand-made 10+18pin mthrbrd harness extension
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Xfx Pro 1250 for my Asus-51
For my Pro 1250 install, I kept the cable set new in pouch & purchased a new Corsair ax1200 cable set so I could run all-black cables to match the Sabertooth z87 mthrbrd. The cables were all hand-done, custom rebuilt & reworked to work on the Xfx front panel pinout, & some changes to other cables to better fit inside DreamLand. The hard drive sata cables were cut down from a four connector to a two connector, like the stock ones are.
2.14.15: I scrapped most of this ax1200 harness last summer & re-did my cables using an upgraded 16gauge ax1200i set. The vid-cables shown here are now being used in my baby ALX, where I removed the ferrite-cores at the ends (used to improve signal qwality I assume)
Pro1250 wears the custom-made Corsair ax1200i cable set I made for it for a stealthy install. A mandatory bench-test was performed after the photos were taken, by plugging the psu in, jump-starting it on, & probing every cable/pin for correct output. You would do the same, verifying any new cables you've made, like your mio & mthrbrd extension (if you made one)
Most 24" mthrbrd harnesses "dead-end" @ the case wall; if the psu's mthrbrd port is all the way over on the other side then the main harness can't reach; I've solved this time & time again by making a 6"-8" extension, which can be tapped 5vsb, span the necessary gap, & stay stealthy in the case floor. This to me is a better scheme, rather than trying a 24pin extension coupling up top at the blak snap-lok
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Nzxt Hale90 v2 1200 in my Lunar-51
I keep my Hale90 black ribbon-cable set new in the pouch, & I've custom-made a cable set for this build using a new Antec HCP-1300 set I had, & rebuilt it to Hale90/A51 specs & correct new modular connectors when needed. I chose Antec 1300 cables because they use upgraded 16g wire where it counts & I like the black look to 'em as well. They seldom use 18g wires, but when/where they did in a few spots, I modded them to 16g specs by jumping a 20g wire along w/the 18g --> where an 18g + 20g = 16g (=
I hand-made the 7" 24pin extension, 3-wire sense extension, & master i/o harness. Topping it off, this Hale90-Meets-Antec-Meets-Area51 cable set also uses gold-plated Molex psu-pins throughout.
Edit: 02.14.15 On a Theoretical Approach to the Area-51 r2 1440w Psu Swap
I've made a new companion post here, the title says it all:
The ALX-Files: A Triad of Power Supply Swaps. Aurora XPS 730x & How to Make an Area-51 R1.44 Using the r2's New 1440w Delta ... the PSU Swap Done Right
Below, in a long series of photos I've made a temporary proto-type case harness & discussed the theory behind it, followed by an actual custom harness that was made in June, months later:
- You're looking at one of the 1st - if not the 1st - R1's to house the r2'S Delta 1.44kW psu -
Psu was purchased on eBay by me on GroundHog Day, was removed from a new r2, got it for $235 shipped w/full case harness & 3way sli ready.
- It sparked to life on February 8 >< I am a founding member of R1.44 Nation -
This Delta is sold by Alienware as a 1500watt psu. It wears a 1500watt max output sticker. It can hit 1500w, but only when the minor volts 3.3/5 help it inch its way there. It also wears a 1440w max 12v rating on that same sticker. It's rated at 1440w max 12v, it is a 1440w psu as the result. By comparison, ax1500i can hit 1500w on its 1500w 125a 12v-rail, EVGA T2 hits all 1600w on its 133a rail. This Delta is rated to max out at 120amps / 1440w on the 12v side, so it's a 1.44kW psu. Semantics & fudging are used for them to label it a 1500, go figure, padding the bra & stuffing a sock down the front don't count in my book nor on the open market's book ... 1500 alienwatts ...
Custom hand-made connex wires adaptors & harnesses to get it to work. This is a prototype kit; I will go back & do something better later on, probably using an all-black case harness
cut your rear trim to fit the new plug
Proven Pinout Diagram for r2's Delta Front Panel
pin numbers from chart on left are relative to the mthrbrd 24pin Slots 1-24
'Jumps' on the blu/wht connectors, illustrated below: note daisy-chained grounds
Sata Row: org3.3v red5v blu12v blk grounds ... all three bottom slots are ground, middle slot 'unused'
CPU Row: r2 gets a cpu + pci-e 'all-in-one cable' that 'shares' all three 6pin ports. 12v's & Grounds
top left & top right of the 24pin atx blk (R13) & red (R15)
bottom left & bottom right of the 24pin atx blu (R14) & wht (R16)
Pci-e Video Cables Row: all grounds top >< all 12v's bottom
the Stock r2 Undersized 19 Inch MthrBrd 24Pin Harness Inside Your Case:
when using the black snap-lok, 24p's way too short to reach
Our stock 24p? It's a 24incher, & I use/make 7inch 24p extensions.
Target length for any 24pin is 24+7 = anywhere from 30inches to 32inches + or - overall length
The r2 24p is only 19 inches long: you need a 10inch min, but a 12inch 6p extension best (?)
blk blu red wht 6pin ends would need about a 12" 6p extension when using black snap-lok:
find four 'store bought' male-female 6pin extensions in that size - try them - looks like a winner:
pci-e 6wire 6pin male-female extension - above - might be your new best friend (eBay $5 ea)
if using foot-long (30cm 300mm) extensions like above, maybe a good time to tap the eqwivalent of the 5vsb pin in a toss-away cable like above ... (= *** (blu 6pin in the r2 24p houses 5vsb purple wire)
" $20 " investment in four 6wire 6pin pci-e extensions
plan B: buy 4 empty males & 4 empty female 6pins, new pins, wires, hand-make your own
lotta work though in plan B
We'd imagine whatever we're about to do with 6pin extensions as either four separate 6pin extensions or one hand-made fat extension (w/4 6pin heads on both ends). In other words, were it me, I'd probably buy four of the typical pci-e extensions shown above, pop the 4 female heads off (the heads that house the female psu pins) & sleeve them all up it into 'one cable' w/4 heads at both ends:
faster to just buy four & pop 'em all on in 5 seconds flat, no fuss no muss
Is there room right there to mate four new 6pin males to that blk blu red wht female group?
maybe; if you bend & twist & you aren't using a 10inch when you maybe needed a 12inch
what the vid-card(s) does right there in the blk blu red wht connexion area will dictate what the overall bulk of your connexion does in that area
I won't be using that 24p cable up there in my rig, so, you'll have to experiment if you use one
12 inchers plus the 19inch stock gives you, yes, the correct 31 inches to play with
Using (or buying) a stock r2 24pin is a good idea of course since it is pinned out exactly the way it needs to be inside the blk blu red wht 6pins shown. Pan down right now to the photo below, you can see that when the blk blu red wht are all plugged into the Delta's front panel? the 24p head's too short:
that short 19inch cable's no good inside our blk snap-lok either way & needs a work-around in order to work inside the snap-lok
basically by using the routing method shown in the photo above
photo below? no good, head won't fit
(10") 12" or longer pci-e 6pin extension(s) are your best bet & easiest 1st attempt material
remember: the basis of the discussion I'm having is the theoretical approach to the stock r2 24pin:
call this the theoretical approach to re-using the black snap-lok
u don't have to use it - I do - I have a window'd door & presentation means everything to me
if presentation &/or the snap-lok is not important to u, pan down to the next photo where I'll visit a new discussion about simply forgoing the use of the snap-lok soon
above: I plugged blu blk red wht into the psu, & guess what? the head's all wrong. The other form of extension we can try is the fast good-old-fashioned 24pin extension, right? You can't plug a typical 24pin extension on that end though, it won't fit in the snap-lok. Is now the time to forgo the blk snap-lok? I don't know.
my snap lok is 5 years old, I suppose some of that unsleeved wire in the photo above can 'duck out' of one of the lower rungs then yes slap a 24p extension on to make it up the rest of the way to the 24p port, give it a try, I simply don't want to bust one of my snap-loks off if the wire gets fat when ducking out the left side, you can experiment of course, since that's about the last way to use (some of) the snap lok whilke fixing a typical 24p extension on the end, where we imagine we only need a short 4" - 6" 24p extension to span the final inches that the 19 inch cable can't reach, huh?
in the least, visualize what the short 19inch cable will present as a 'problem' to you and when in doubt, buy four 12" pci-e extensions & perhaps a 4" - 8" 24p extension 7 try both
look at the photo above & many of you might say: pop a 6" 24p extension on the 24p head, route it to the right & be done with it, forget snap-lok! Crude but effective, gentlemen ...
$5 eBay: 6" (15cm) 24pin atx extension ... & call it a day?
plugged into psu. it might barely reach if you forgo the black snap-lok organizer: it's a very close-call. In this photo, this is a pure attempt at NO EXTENSIONS. Straight from psu to mthrbrd 24p port. On day one? You can try this. If no good? Buy up 6p or 24p extension(s) and post-pone install, lol.
If you get away w/a scenario like in the above photo, you'd decide next if you're going to tap the blu 6pin end which houses the purple 5VSB wire & route your tapped jumper to your new mio cable - or - forget tapping 5VSB & turn your mio's 5vsb pin into 'standard' 5 volts, after you've jumped or tapped into a standard 5v line off of one of the psu's sata-molex port trio 6pin ports, right?
When using the stock r2 24pin, game-plan for how you wish to treat your mio pin5 (ppl):
make it 5VSB or make it stndrd 5V
if 5vsb, tap-jump into the ppl wire housed in the blu 6pin end of the 24p
The discussion on how to handle the r2 24p is getting complicated, right? Extensions, snap-lox, 5vsb, which end is best, tap the blu 6pin for 5vsb, tap a 6p extension instead ... good grief ... moving on ...
In all my cases, I use the sata data cables to help hold the harnesses to the wall (below, see my black cables behing data cables) so look at the photos again; for this r2 24pin, you already know the video-card will dictate what that round cable does right there @ the 'sata port area' & whether forgoing the black snap-lok will help that 19incher reach. This was my high-anxiety install day, I knew I wasn't using that 24p so din't install my vid-card to see if it'd still reach. I see now I'll have to go back & take another look for everyone, missed my opportunity here. We all might use different vid-cards, so, who can say:
what happens at the circled area (& below it too) with your vid-card(s) will dictate if you need a 24p extension when using the original stock r2 24pin mthrbrd harness, shown above
All my cases have a window, so I would never pop a 24p extension on the head; I make/hide all my connections in the floor area. I've tried to outline here that you do at least have many options to explore, don't you. That 19inch r2 24p can wear a 24p extension on the 24p end, or, four 6p extensions on the blk blu red wht 6p ends. Snap-lok, don't snap-lok, partial snap-lok in lower rungs, try no extensions, try it all. Eventually you & your wallet will discover the best way to integrate the short 19inch r2 24p into your ultra-R1.
What to do for a 24pin atx when not using the 19" r2 24p atx
(to be cont, >< under construction)
- My Hand-Made 24pin Extension -
(to be cont. >< under construction)
Earlier I told u that the easiest way to extend the r2 19" 24pin atx mthrbrd harness is to use four 6pin extensions - or - 'make' them into 'one sleeved extension'. Essentially I have made one sleeved extension for my ALX, below. Were I using the 19" stock r2 24pin my extension would of course be using four male & four female 6pin connectors at each end. Below, adaptor for my 'Seasonic' 24p
you're looking @ 7" 24p extension. If you're using a standard 24inch 24pin mthrbrd cable for whatever reason like I am, it can't reach so the extension helps it get the rest of the way. 31" overall when using the black snap-lok. If you're using the 19inch r2 24p, your 'extension' will probably be 12inches long & connect up 'higher', somewhere around the bottom of the mthrbrd at the level of the pci-e fan.
As always, message me or chime in w/your qwestion(s) & concerns
M I/O 10pin
a stock mio harness plucked right out of the U647R harness may be your best friend; this one still wears the stock psu pins which are not molex pins & I prefer to snip them off & apply molex pins. When these mio's come out of the bulk connector some lose their pins wherever they jump to another pin. If you're gutting U647R, you can snatch these pins for mio of course from somewhere else, but in the end, you may need new molex pins, so get some.
Mio harness will need connectors now right? You have options, empty 6pin or empty 8pin as always. Where & how you tap the Delta is up to you. Mio needs 3.3v & 5v so grab it from the top wht Sata row. Mio needs 12v x3 & ground x4 so tap it from the red 12v/ground row perhaps or there's 12v-grounds present in the wht sata rows as well, many options, too many to go over.
you can tap the r2's cpu cable too, lol, below
if you use the stock r2 cpu cable above, & have or can get an empty 8pin 'male' (below), you can devise a scheme where your mio taps that unsleeved PCIE PWR to snatch up mio's three 12v & four grounds reqwirements from it in one fell swoop.
if you do not use the r2 cpu cable, or do use it but do not tap the PCIE PWR 8pin? You have options for mio, like, snatch three 12v three ground from a red panel port & find that final ground elsewhere.
on the left? that's a 6pin port, but my mio harness is still wearing an 8pin for the Seasonic, so I've used an empty 6pin to pop into the red port & built a short extension w/an 8pin male end on it. Only 6wires are tapped of course: mio will tap 6 out of its 10 wiring needs from that red port, regardless, see below
You're looking at a prototype adaptor kit I'm using right now. The dual-24pins are a Sata Port Multiplier which grants me access of the three wht sata ports to six. Ok? Mio taps into one to snatch 3.3v (org) 5v (red), and hard to see it but it snatches a blk ground also.
this is because we already know I can only grab three 12v & three gorunds from the red port below by using my 'red port' 6pin to 8pin extension, from prior top photo
it is likely that your mio harness will simply wear a pair of 6pins
- Mio with 5VSB -
the remaining purple wire (sleeved, going into a 4pin above) is for 5VSB & will connect into my 7inch 24p extension, which I've tapped-jumped into that psu pin earlier and threw a 4p connect on it.
5VSB has been tapped or jumped into the 24pin extension; mio clips into it, above & below
my mio harness wears a 4pin break-away connect. I've tapped-jumped 5VSB from my new prototype 24pin extension. When Delta is in my case, I simply click the connexion together, & I'm done.
- Mio w/out 5VSB: Tap Standard 5volts Twice -
simply stated, pretend the purple wire (mio pin5 / purple) is a red 5v wire & find your way to get it hot 5volts. If you can, jump it to the real red 5volt wire's pin and insert them into your connector so they both get 5volts off the same pin ... message me or post your qwestions
Cpu 8pin
Stock 28.5" Split Cpu + Pci-e 'all-in-one' Harness
The unsleeved section above wears a tag that says PCIE PWR; I assume it augments the pci-e lanes in the r2 x99 mthrbrd, doesn't matter to us & could come in handy to power the mio board: it's an 8pin that supplies 12v on the top row & grounds on the bottom, identical to the true cpu 8pin (sleeved).
If you obtain this cpu cable, I think it'll just barely reach the psu panel since it's 28.5 inches long. I won't be taking my cpu cable out to test it yet. One day, I may install a new harness, if so, my old one comes out & then I'll test the r2 stock cpu cable out 7 let ya know if it reaches:
My cpu cable right now - routed against the lower mthrbrd sill - reached this far, about an inch over the top of the longer Delta; @ 24", I feel the 28.5" stands a chance at reaching the red row. In the next section called 'A Sata Multiplier', one wonders if the top wht sata row will defeat plugging in this cpu cable into the red row of ports. If so? Slap a short 8pin cpu extension on the end of it up @ the mthrbrd 8pin cpu area as the easiest work around:
Since Delta is replete w/an all 6pin front panel, we know from earlier that pci-e 6pin extensions can eqwally attach to the red ends of this cable. In this case you'd use three of the shortest you can find: if you want that unsleeved PCIE PWR 8pin to go live, yes you need all three reds to plug into the front.
There are other ways to get power to your mnthrbrd cpu 8pin. If your scenario involves using the R1 U647R harness, you detach the old 51" cpu cable - build pins on the end of all 8wires - obtain a PAIR of empty 6pins, push your 8wires into them in the right slots using my Delta Reference Photo & qwickly plug it into the Delta
A Sata-Molex Multiplier:
How to handle your Main Sata-Molex-Peripheral & HDD Sata reqwirements
Delta only has three 6pin ports, which are used to power r2's sata pair & a molex-peripheral. We need more than three 6pin ports. A minimum of four, five is better, six is best. 4, 5, 6: it all depends on how you wire up your rig; for instance, you do not need 'three' sata harnesses to power your hard drives like the stock system did, you can use two sata harnesses wearing three heads each to power your six hard drive bays, ok? Below, I made Airene a sata hdd harness pair wearing three heads ea; the page loads the photo wrong, not me, lol. This in an attempt to cut down on her case clutter. I used a pair of black sata pass-thru caps inbetween a 'normal' pair of sata cables (a sata cable w/2 heads):
If you do yours this way w/whatever cables you use or make, you'll occupy two sata 6pin ports in your psu which means your mio & main sata need their spot on the delta, so you will be a port short. Right?
Above, I will eventually use a 6pin male-female system identical to the blk-purple y-splitters I make
To make these 6pin y-splits (which I could not find on eBay or I'd buy them, that does not mean they aren't made, just I could not find them yet).
I start w/a 3.5" -4" wire
use a razor in the very middle of it to remove insulation
crimp half the bare wire into the pin, fold wire back over itself, solder it, boom
I do four more wires like that. boom
now I crimp-solder male pins at both ends. boom.
pop connex on it at both ends.
Hand-made y-split. For Delta, one day I'll make 3 of them. When all 3 are plugged in? I'll have acess to six 6pin ports. Look at the photo below; I've substituted for now for the use of dual 24pins which can still accept six 6pins, three in each 24pin row. My hard drive satas plug in the top 'row':
in the right photo above, 6pin on my mio harness plugs in: 5 more sata-molex can plug in, for instance, my three hdd sata 6pins plug into 'the top row', main sata into the bottom row & 'one port open'. I need 5 sata 6pin ports but I have access to 6, again, one open for future needs:
if you obtain or buy the stock r2 sata cables (above), if they don't reach your hard drive sata ports behind the pci-e fan, use pass-thru connex (below, red) or go back to our old friend the 6pin extension, shown to you earlier in the stock r2 24pin section (as extenders for the blk blu red wht 24p 6p ends). Not all power supply front panels are pinned out in a universal standard, so, simply popping in someone else's sata cables may fry out your new delta or other hardware - but! - you can buy sata cables all day long, figure out the Delta pinout, and wire up the 6pin end to the Delta ... got it? If not, post your qwestion in my thread, I will explain to you how to use some other psu's sata cables on the Delta. You'd most likely back some pins out of your intended 6pin, rearrange it to be wired up right for 3/5/12 & grounds pair (5wires in a 6pin connect) boom that is it.
stock r2 Delta sata cables shown above can easily be augmented of course w/cheap sata 'pass-thru' heads, just like the stock R1 hard drives satas use, black connex of course, red are shown
For your Main sata to power your dvd and other stuff? We're getting low on wiring here people: the r2 only gets a sata pair. We're lucky if they are enuff to power just the six hard drive bays. Find some online, eBay I guess, most psu companies make their sata cables to wear a 6pin at the end of it, so back the pins out if you need to, pin your cable out for the Delta, and be in business pretty qwik. Another option? Buy U647R - R1's stock harness, snip it out, slap 5 psu pins on it, get an empty 6pin, wire it in yourself since it is the perfect length anyways. You can snip out the three hard drive harnesses too, slap pins & 6pins on their ends, back in business w/perfect Area -51 R1 cables.
I will leave this discussion open and unfinished: if you have qwestions regarding how to hook up your hdd sata & main sata, where to get cables, how to pin new ones out, hopw to make then from U647R, just ask, I'll try to spell it out better for you (& others) ie cross that bridge when u get to it.
Video Cables
Some of you will be blessed like I was to buy up a used chassis w/the full cable set included, if so, simply use the included vid-cable(s). They are 13", just like the old stock cable was/is. Perfect.
I think it absurd the $23+ price of the r2 video-cable pair when purchased new from Dell Sales. If you need one or two or three pairs, expect to pay $23 - $69 for yours w/my sympathies.
You can use my photos & guides here to help hand-make any vid-cables, upgrade to 16gauge wires etc. It's easy enuff to do since the pinout is a basic grounds top row 12v's bottom row
- Wrapping it all up -
PSU part# is 800GY ... currently $465 from Dell Sales b4 shipping & tax
80Plus Gold, four 12v rails, 1440watts combined max. Not too shabby, shoulda coulda woulda been better, is better then the stock 1200watts are-were. Slightly less powerful & efficient then Corsair ax1500i, after a chat w/Dell Sales it retails a tad pricier @ $465 just for the chassis? 80plus rating:
If you feel the need to have this in your R1 over say ax1500i, or an eVga g2/t2 1600w etc, I wouldn't blame ya for being a purist. Standard psu size: 3.4" x 5.9" x 8.6" (8 5/8" it's a long one).
The modular case harness cables each have their own part# so consult Dell on how to buy what cables u think u need. While they are still 'new' or 'barely' used here as I type this in February 2015, & since we now know they can be bought on eBay, my advice is to grab a 'used chassis' w/low miles on it & when possible grab the case harness with it too.
If you want a brand new one & can afford it, get it & the cable set from Dell:
make your own 10pin mio cable using the methods I showed you above. This strategy might call for extensions for the cpu cable, mthrbrd 24pin etc., tap your 24pin extension on 5VSB & send it to mio - or - make mio hot standard 5v over pin 10 through your mio harness tapped into a sata port 5v, as we'd do w/any other make of psu. When buying anything from Dell Sales, remember to try & negotiate a better price, they may slash the price or offer free shipping or both (=
Get the psu new from Dell & your own cable set:
you saw I made my own Hale90 1200 cables out of a new Antec 1300 cable set I bought & my Xfx build made from ax1200i cables. Yours could be a similar approach. Simply rebuild the modular ends of your new cable set, obtain empty modular connectors if needed, and wire it all up using my Delta Proven Pinout Photo
Buy an R1 U647R Full case harness & build it to Delta's specs:
or simply use the one in your case now for 'free' (buy u647r later down the road). In that approach you'll still need supplies, pins, connectors etc but you'll have a cheap building material to work with since u647r's only 15 shipped from eBay & the cables are the right size.
plan to make your own 7" 24pin extension of course
June 2015: Delta gets a custom individually-sleeved cable set
U647R Full Case Harness Rebuild for ax1500i & ax1200i
The case harness I'm working with Memorial Day weekend is the 9th original case harness I've converted for use with the DoomsDay Machine. As an afterthought, I decided to take a few pictures which I'll try to add commentary for. You'd begin by backing the pins out of the black bulk connector; I prefer to snip all of the factory pins off & apply new 16gauge Molex Mini-fit Jr terminals (classic 4-sided psu pins) since they're a definite robust upgrade over the odd inferior 2-sided factory pins:
The case harness uses 18gauge wire & a larger 16g pin makes for easier/faster crimping w/18g wire. I'll use the entire harness plus I'll make a 7" 24pin extension, which I'll tap 5vsb from for mio's 10pin. I'm also making upgraded video cables; the stock cables are single cables w/one 6pin & a 6+2 jumper, but in the end it is a 6-wire cable. I'll be making four upgraded true 8-wire 6+2 cables (where I might occasionally use 16g wires, but this time I'll stick to simple 18g vid-cables, just like stock), I'll remove the 6+2 jumper & re-use the basic 6-wires the case harness provides, then add two black ground wires so the vids are now 8-wire cables. I have extra materials to work with here, a case harness only provides a pair of vids, I'll hand-make the other two using spare wire.
Below, a grainy photo of a basic disassembled harness wearing brand new psu terminals at all ends:
24pin 7" Extension
From spare wire, I've gathered up 24 correctly colored wires, trimmed them all to length & applied new male pins at one end / new females at the other end. The purple wire has a 5volt stand-by jumper on it, destined to plug into my mio harness later to supply mio with 5vsb. I'll be yanking the 18gauge yellow 12volt wires from the mthrbrd 24pin ATX harness later, replacing with 16gauge 12volts, so I've used a pair of 7" 16gauge yellows in my extension ... next, I'll push the pins in to the male connex 1st, (it's easier to sleeve the harness from the female pins-side, since they aren't pointy / won't snag) ...
the 24pin ATX cable used in ax1500i / ax1200i has a 24pin mthrbrd end that branches into a 10pin & 14pin modular end; I'll duplicate my 24pin ATX cable to branch also, which means my 24p extension has to have 10p/14p male/female connex. these are now ready for sleeve, ziptie, heatshrink ...
above, I apply black liqwi-tape / liqwid plastic to the sleeve ends 1st so they don't fray or move
above, the heatshrink is now on; I've slipped the other heathshrink on as well for the moment, it has to go on now, before the pins are pushed in to the waiting connex; next, I'll begin to pop the pins into the female 10p/14p in the correct slots, use a ziptie to secure the sleeve, add liqwi-tape, finish off with heatshrink. To ensure all my pins go in the right slots, a voltmeter w/audible continuity tester & a chart I made will be used to ensure accuracy. The chart was made from original ax1200i cables:
I assemble all of my 10p / 14p male / female ends using this color chart
Because ax1200i/1500i 10p/14p modular ends connect upside-down, I'll make sure of two things: the male end (left in photo) points 'up', the female modular end 'points down'. Any way of saying this is the left end top row will become the right end 'bottom row':
Finished. Later, when you see the 24pin motherboard ATX cable I built snaps into the extension, you'll see the connectors at the coupling 'point up', & I've built my extension in such a way that the psu modular ends 'point down', making for a smoothe transition between the 24p ATX, extension, & psu. What was a bare purple 5VSB wire's now sleeed w/a 4pin break away connector, waiting for mio 4pin:
24pin ATX Cable
from the color chart earlier, you'll see that ax1200i / 1500i have a jumper on pin 13 (an 18g org & 22g org); the 22g is a 3.3v 'sense' wire. Our factory harnesses use a 3.3v & a 5v 22g sense wire. I toss the unused red 5v sense wire, keep the 3.3v sense wire (I back the 18g/22g wire-pair out of pin2 & move to pin 13 1st, to recreate the ax1200i 24pin ATX harness wiring). All 24pin ATX connectors only house 23pins (slot / row 20 is always empty); due to that jumped 3.3v sense wire, at the bottom end of the atx cable, you will in fact get 24pins in the overall 10p / 14p branch (due to the sense wire).
Next, for ax1500i, I remove the 18gauge yellow/white 12volt wire-pair & insert upgraded 16gauge wire, so that the stock motherboard can be well-fed over the 24pin. My how-to post here starts off w/a photo of someone's burnt-out 12v pins 10 & 11 --> my harnesses get 16g 12v wire on pins 10/11 to help alleviate that problem (an EVGA PowerBoost is still rcommended to saturate the pci-e lanes with 12volts). In the photo above you see I've pulled the sleeve back, I've separated the 10pin branch from the 14pin branch, applied new pins, zip tie, heatshrink, extra heathshrink then I will push the pins into the 10p / 14p, zip-tie the sleeve, liqwi-tape then heatshrink & I'll be done:
the male ends of the '24pin' (10p / 14p) extension left; female 24p (10 / 14) ATX on the right
MIO 10pin Harness
Mio harness was liberated from the bulk connector, pins snipped off, new pins applied, now I slap on the 6pin, 8pin, & 4pin for 5VSB purple ... the 6p / 8p are pinned out using my ax1500i Reference Chart
CPU 8pin
The stock CPU cable is 51 inches long; I cut mine down to 30" (I found it pointless to have that extra 21 inches of resistance / added resistive wire) ... apply new pins, ziptie, liqwi-tape, heatshrink, then pop the pins into a new 8pin EPS/CPU connector etc. Instead of routing like a stock 51 incher, the 30 incher stays tucked to the mthrbrd sill wall & easily spans to an available 8pin port on the psu. Most power supply pouches provide a 24inch cpu-cable, which do barely reach most 8pin ports, but some aftermarket motherboards can have a cpu 8pin in different areas of the board, so my 30 incher works on the stock x58 Alienboard & all aftermarket boards (if you're running off a 24incher & need a longer cable, buy a simple 8pin extension of about 6-8 inches).
Sata Cables: Main & Hard drives
Main Sata / Peripipheral cable Is easy, just like the mio harness; apply 5 new pins & pop a 6pin on it
The hard drive cables, I normally sleeve them. I stopped using all three hdd cables; now I use just a pair, but I apply two extra sata pass-thru connex on them so that two cables can power all 6 hdd bays.
1st I apply new pins & pass-thru satas, sleeve, ziptie, heatshrink, pop on 6pin connex, ziptie & heatshrink to finish them off
True 8-wire 6+2 Vid Cables
When freed from the bulk connector, I'll have 6-wire video cables wearing a 6pin & 6+2 jumper:
my goal is to remove the 6pins, remove the jumpers, keep the 6+2 connectors, keep the 6-wires/pins:
1st I remove the 6pin & 6+2
on the 6pin wires, each psu terminal has arms that 'grab the insulation'; I'll use a mini-screwdriver to push the arms back, then I'll wiggle / snap each jumper wire off the pin
with needle-nose pliers I'll re-secure the insulation arms to each single wire
what I'm left with are 6 wires with factory pins & an empty 6+2 connector
Because it is going to be an 8-wire cable, I need to apply new psu terminal pins to the 6 bare ends & make a jumper ground wire pair also; 6 factory wires will fill up the 6pin connector part & I need to hand-make the black ground-wire pair that will pop into the 2pin part of the 6+2:
Stock vid-cable pairs are 11 inches (blu) & 13 inches (ywl) ; bear with me:
an 8pin / 6+2 pci-e connector has 8 rows; 5 are black grounds (3 are 12volt)
ax1500i uses a solid 8pin, but only the bottom 4 rows are grounds
in order to make a 5-ground-wire pci-e cable at one end using a 4-ground-row psu port connector at the other end?
I need to jump two wires onto one psu pin
when I do, 5 wires can now supply grounds using only 4 psu modular pins
making the 2pin part of a 6+2 by jumping a pair of wires onto one pin is an industry standard
For the 13 inch cables? I use a 26 inch piece of wire, trim the very middle insulation off, crimp a psu terminal onto that bare metal, & now both ends are free. I'll apply psu pins to them, they will go into the 2pin part of the 6+2. For the 11 inch cables, I use a 22 inch wire, & do the same. In the photo above, the 'jumped' wire pair is one 22inch wire with a psu pin crimped to the middle of it ...
Now I have my so-called 8-wires. I pop the 6+2 connector on, sleeve it, ziptie, heatshrink (pop the other heatshrink on too, momentarily). Now on the other end, I will pop the solid 8pin on, ziptie/heatshrink, bam, cable is done. I do this until all four are finished ...
Aurora Full Case Harness for ax1200i / Xfx-Seasonic 1250
I've bought a pair of ALX case harness, part# NRHJ9, disassembled them, new psu pins on the ends, correct modular connectors & pinned out using my Pinout Charts. Rebuilding a case harness is a good idea if you're using dual-video-cards, in order to take full advantage of the custom-fit custom-length cables, whether it is the longer cpu cable, unsleeved mthrbrd 24pin etc. The premise is, having your case wired exactly like it is right now, simply pulling your stock psu out / slipping the new one in, no fuss no muss. With my spare-wire assortment I'll also provide the buyer with four true 8-wire 6+2 video cables, a marked improvement over the whimpy out-dated 6-wire jumper pair.
{Edit: 9.08.14} A word onbuilding my 1st Aurora -
I'm consolidating Aurora psu-swap stuff here, then move it to its own thread later, after I work with the case & do my build which will take some time. This section is 'a work-in-progress':
Sept 8th: the stork just dropped off my new bouncing baby boy, Area-51's baby bro' (never seen Aurora b4 in person. handsome lil' devil). He comes w/a stock 875w W299G Delta pacifier / binky (12v = 825w max); I'll chest-feed him well w/@ least a thousand, perhaps more. When I finally put power to the lil' guy? His scales'll arch up jus' like Toothless, when Hiccupp's Mama tickled him ... I think I just found a name for 'im fella's ... my new lil' baby Dragonaut ... whoopie!
On the same day the KnightFury arrived, a fellow grey posted a successful R4 swap story:
Aurora-R4, Looking to upgrade PSU to higher quality that isn't Dell branded?
On my recommendation he went w/an Xfx Pro1250, & was stoked from the gobs of potential untapped power on hand; no doubt many psu chassis' fit in Aurora & running a solo beast-card will be easy. The trick is finding out the best ways to incorporate - manage - the new cable set when running dual-cards due to cramped conditions under & around the bottom card, & requisite 'breathing room' for its fan.
So. Aurora in solo-card beast mode is a basic ez psu swap-out experience; dual cards requires some head-scratching. I started with dual-Radeon R9's & moved upto a solo-290x, so I was in the same boat as the rest when it comes to a psu swap w/dualies; I'll do what I can to help out & offer some input on how to 'manage' the new cable set when running dual-cards. My stock psu had a 30day warranty, I kicked it for the 1st couple weeks, made a few changes to the original case harness & improved the cable management on the various other wiring:
The ALX-Files: ABOVE TOP SECRET: Uncovering Area-51's Biggest (& best kept) Secret of All >< (Aurora R1 - R2 Secret Xposed)
My R4 has custom cables throughout; if you do not work with psu pins or know how to cut a 24" video cable in half & make a pair of them from one, consult your local pro; pay someone & get it over with. The 24 inch cables in your new pouch will swamp your build.
Tip. For dual-cards? Reroute your harnesses:
Having test-fit a reference Radeon R9 270x in tandem w/the stock case harness, it's atrocious what Alienware's done. The case needed designed to be 1/2" to an inch higher, plain & simple.
@Tesla: the Aware engineers who told you that "only the 875 works in the case", to me the statement suffers from the sin of omission: what they really meant is only the original case harness wants to readily work in the case
My immediate impression for a fix? Do you see where your three black flat cable clamps are? No reason at all they have to stay there, not when they can easily be moved. Why get all snagged up under the bottom vid-card, when a practical approach is to bring your main mthrbrd 24pin, cpu 8pin & main sata/molex 'straight-out' from the cable organizer, then duck left & down the rabbit hole. Perhaps the hdd sata tip-toes next to the mthrbrd etc. True, the adhesive on the clamps may not be as bullet-proof the 2nd go around, but, you could try new ones, example:
New clamps will have new adhesive: a hard-core approach is to 'drill' out these clamps, old or new - with corresponding holes in the removable sill plate - identical to the smaller rope-type clamps, like the cpu8pin pair in the roof - which are secured by both screws & adhesive backs. Repositioning clamps & routing your harnesses out from under the bottom vid-card fan, might buy you precious inches - well worth looking into. Of course, you can apply new 3M double-sided tape w/a heavy-duty rating to your old clamps, if you intend to move them. Positioning your final clamp @ the rabbit hole @ a 45 degree angle may help your cables stay away from the fan. Your mod's done right when your shroud closes ...
Tip #2: if you don't want to 'lose' your hard drive cage to make room for new power supply cables because you have a 3rd or 4th hard drive, the 5 1/4" bay 'blanks' can basically hold hard drives; if not w/all 4 screws, then @ least two screws. An eBay search for 'Aurora blank' showed results. FYI: you'll have to unscrew both hdd caddies to help remove your old harness: you'll need an extra-long screwdriver (7" shaft) to get at the caddy screws on the far right. I used an 8" *** extension fit w/a 1/4" drive socket & screw bit. If your caddy does come out for cable room, it can always go back in when it's time to sell case & drop old psu back in etc.
5.20.15 Today's Tip? Corsair Hx1000i / Hx1200i w/all ribbons set
I keep an eye out for who's doing what. Flat ribbons are catching on; the Hx1000i & new Hx1200i are using a 24pin flat ribbon. Chassis size is 5.9 x 3.4 x 7.1. I make no guarantees an all-ribbon cable set like above will bale your bottom vid-card out but @ 1st sight they look promising. Note: the case as designed will try its best to undermine your swap intentions ... Nzxt Hale90 1000/1200 use ribbons & a sleeved main 24pin. Seasonic x-1250XM2 & Platinum 1200 use ribbons & a sleeved 24p also.
Aurora ALX Hard Drives: When to Mod SATA Cables
the stock Aurora hard drive sata cables wear 'pass-through' 'punch down' sata head connectors & have approximately a 2inch / 5cm spacing between heads. Left head is using a 'pass-through' cap while right head has 'end' cap. A link to basic utube vid on modding a sata cable is later below
standard heads are too long & can't work in ALX
The photo above shows a cable with a pass-thru & a standard head; your new pouch might have sata cables with a standard head (or several in a daisy chain):
if you have an Aurora with front sata, youi should be ok
if you have ALX with rear sata, there isn't enuff space between the case wall & the hard drive cage for standard heads to fit, thus the cage can not be reinstalled
you'll need sata heads like below: a video link will help you mod the cable to work in ALX
I don't like the clawed caps because they are tedious to remove & claws can break, I prefer the pass-thru / end caps. When buying pass-through / punch down sata connectors you will need four of them for the hard drive cages & they'll need caps: buy two pass-thru caps & two end caps: one type each for the hard drive cages.
It isn't worth it to try & 'borrow' pass through heads from your old case harness (the claws may break).
- buy parts & watch the utube video -
Some Final Thoughts For Now
You have every reason to seriously consider a psu swap now. Does the wiring/connecting job seem too much? Go get a consultation from your local pro, show him the 10pin Reference Photo, remind him of 5vsb. I don't see how it could cost much to wire a 10pin in. But you can at least get a quote, & if it's too much? D-I-Y. I gave you enough of a head-start here to be successful:
The title of this post used to be a 'Theoretical Approach' to swapping; no one I know of has published a complete how-to on any brand psu. Perhaps they have, many times, elsewhere. You are urged to keep searching online. I would certainly apologize if the information I gave here left out vitals & hampered your install. My defense for that? You yourself should theorize an install before doing it:
on paper, my multi-faceted strategies work, but without a particular chassis here I can not vouch-safe for anything there on your end of this
Put your strategy on paper then decide if you're prepared to put down money on supplies & a psu to see if they work ... this is an attempt to plant a fertile seed in your mind only ... I vouch for the theory itself, & the approach, certainly, & my hands-on experience with nearly fifty successful swaps as of 3.16.16 is a strong testimony. At its core this is an opinion piece about making a hand-made master i/o psu harness & 24pin extension. I would urge you to brainstorm even further improvements to the types I listed using the materials I listed & expand at your own pace, but I can't list every way to make a harness or account for unforeseen abstract 'whatevers', even though I have more ideas & will continue to have other ideas as surely you will also.
Lastly, it's ok if you ask me: what did you mean when you said 'such n' such' ... but I have a life separate from the A-51 psu swap, & I don't have time to help find your parts & stuff, I got all my stuff online. I told you what I learned along the way about using a modular psu as the basis to power the master i/o. I did it with very little help of my own I might add. You will certainly know more going into your build then I ever did. If you ask me how I built or build my harnesses, it's simple; do what I did: look at the Reference Photo & problem solve it ...
there was no information ... just that photo & the words: 'sata+molex+ax1200+mio' --> 'work'
This is not the last word on a psu swap; nor is it the 1st, but it is the most. I look forward to a peer reviewed thread where we improve our data through theory, testing, hands-on practice, highlight strengths/point-out weaknesses, where all ideas are welcome for building a better mouse-trap. All input is welcomed ... & very much needed here since the forum is absent of any good psu change-over material when you search for it ....
- thanx for taking the time to read & post on this power supply swapping thread -
Black Angus
yes, my Pro Kit is at work in there, the ax1200i how-to was posted earlier above
I have a New Old XPS 730 h2c, that was in storage since new. I just retrieved it and it's having strange electrical problems such as usb noise based on power usage, right channel hdmi sound static noise, random bsods and even bios and startup hard freezes, especially when playing 4k video or 60 fps 1080p video (has quad sli 9800 gx2s).
Since it was tucked away in storage I never got to use the warranty, so Hopefully I can rewire a Corsair AX1200i to this system and have it run right!
Hahaha, Always Modding Something got me the nick name SLK_VIK =)
Awesome, i'm going to look through it thoroughly, and see if we cant get this old dragon shooting flames again! =)
Currently I acquired 2 Nforce Motherboards, 4 9800 gx2s, 2 MIO boards, no combo of the swaps made any difference. I will be sure to post up my findings for other XPS owners to read through.
Cass-Ole
6 Professor
•
1.9K Posts
1
March 2nd, 2015 15:00
Slick Vick, what's up. GMan & I collaborated on 730x + ax1200i, here @ the font-size:inherit;">The ALX-Files: A Triad of Power Supply Swaps. Area-51 Aurora XPS 730x ... How to Make an Area-51 R1.44 Using the r2's New 1440w Delta ... Lessons In the PSU Swap Done Right
MIO 10pin: the Reference Photo
Power supply & computer cables tend to be universal colors, like black ground, orange 3volt, red 5volt, purple 5volt stand-by & yellow 12volt:
If your NEW cables are all black or individually sleeved, have no fear, there are wiring diagrams here or online which explain all common connector types like Molex | Sata | CPU | 24p ATX, which are the four basic types you'll work with & tap into when building your very own 10pin
The new power supply front panel can be pinned out whichever way the engineers decide, then the cable wires/pins are pushed into modular connectors in such a way or pattern that ensures the HARDWARE DEVICE end of the cable puts out the volts / grounds seen in the chart above. A voltmeter can interrogate the front panel or the cables or both, to resolve the front panel pinout scheme: the pinout scheme is what you'll go by to push MIO wire pins into modular connectors
Have, buy or borrow a VOLTMETER when assembling your MIO 10pin
consult a computer shop or audio shop
Show them the Reference Photo & your original U647R case harness, tell them that you want to power supply swap: it should be a breeze for a Wiring Pro to make you what you need, ok?
July 21 2015: Another new case harness for my girl Alien
all hand-made cables & I'll discuss the mio 10pin. I've used 16gauge wire & gold pins 'everywhere':
two cables wearing three sata-heads for x6 hard-drive bays wrapped in a single sleeve
here an 11inch & 15inch set of grfx-cables; 3rd set is 13 inches & in use for vid-duty
a 30 inch 24pin ATX cable - note it's been over-sized & does not use an 'extension' to reach Hale90
- {the 26 inch Cpu 8pin & 32 inch Main Sata weren't photo'd prior to install} -
MIO 10pin
All 10 wires wear new female psu-pins at both ends; the purple 10p part is done, all pins clicked in place, & now the other end, the power supply end needs built. Assorted materials I need to finish the harness are shown (modular psu connex, heatshrink, zips etc). Optional black 10p shown
the 10pin end's been sleeved, zip-tied, heat shrink
next, slip on the other heatshrink, pop on the modular connectors, push sleeve up, zip-tie, heat-shrink
built. 10pin's done, tapped 5volts stand-by (24pin ATX is next harness in line to make)
the solo-wire you saw above in the final three pics is the very beginning of what's to be my 24pin atx cable; it's the '5volt stand-by' wire normally meant for the mthrbrd, but our MIO daughterboard wants 5vsb too so I've 'tapped into' the 24p ATX & designed a discrete short jumper wire to dangle off, wearing 2pin connex that clip together ... use of a small 2p (or 4p) break-away connect lends ease-of-use during installation in order to attach|detach MIO from 24pin ATX harness when needed
The case harness you just saw was entirely hand-made for my NZXT Hale90 1200watt:
Alien FX: let there be Light
8.11.16 | Permanent Vacation
I'll no longer field qwestions & hold hands through each individual swap, my time in this forum is over, I graduated. I've posted gobs of info here all in one place to best help you through your swap & hand-made cable experience. Over the past ~3years I've made 6 full custom case harnesses for myself & sold 17 full case harnesses, sold 32 basic MIO 10pin PSU Swap kits to other owners, that makes 54 confirmed kills; I've a dozen left over 10pins here, so I've put together close to 70 of these *** things: posted below represents what I've learned in my experience making cables, it's quite a headache I've assembled over time, but it's necessary, since there's no room for user wiring error.
So about 2months ago a member posts in the forum, he thinks my Guide here is too difficult to go by, regardless all of the photos & explanations, & all he wants is an easy 'basic' 10pin harness, one that will work, with an easy guide to go by, something he can make as easily as possible, in as few words as possible. I'm thinking to myself, there are 6 ways to make these, maybe 10 ways, there is no 'one way' ... lmdao
That is because no two power supplies tend to be the same:
How do I construct an easy basic guide, when I have no idea what your plans are, what your starting materials are, what your skill level is, what your power supply model is or what your 'vision' of your MIO cable is?
is the vision this? or is it this?
because this is my vision for all of us: a matched set
But you just saw 'basic' MIO 10p harnesses: Frankenstein, & the other a parasitic cable
so here ya go: basic 24pin extension = a color-coded splice & dice
steal the 10pin cable off of your case harness or buy a U647R case harness for $20 or less:
To lengthen yours, get some extra long wire, steal it from your U647R or the one you bought (or will buy) to replace it:
Let's try to make one instead, using the U647R case harness 10pin & empty modular connex
remove the 10pin from a U647R case harness, & this is what you'll get
some wires will or won't have pins afterwards because some MIO wires 'jump' onto a pin with another wire, two wires spliced onto one pin, two wires share a pin etc:
Factory PSU Pins are 'cheap' = fragile & delicate: be careful with yours
U657R? Oops. I have different plans for this 10p, like snipping off all the original cheap PSU pins & crimping on brand new Molex premium ones, but your original ones can be re-used in a pinch
grab a needle, thumbtack or similar tool & back the pins out of the 66pin bulk connector
male | female PSU pins have two 'arms' which are splayed, so that pins click | lock in place. your tool attacks the arms on either side, compressing flattening them, so the pins will back out:
new female pin with lock arms splayed, or 'set'
when re-using a pin, take a micro flat-blade screw driver tip & 'open' the wire crimp sections apart a little, to help facilitate pushing a new wire back in ... afterwards, re-crimp with a needlenose plier. Remember to reset (splay) the pin lock arms afterwards. new male pin shown below
female connector (it houses female pins) >< CENTER" style="text-align:center;">![10p (1) - Copy.JPG]()
from earlier: x3 12v | x4 Ground | x1 3v | x1 5v | x1 5vSB
now 'decide' what to do about your 5VSB purple wire
Every Aftermarket 24pin ATX cable has x1 5VSB wire >< above, Dellware has 'jumped' 5VSB
Grabbing 5VSB from a new basic modular pouched 24pin is why we might like to purchase:
24pin ATX cable: direct tap of 5VSB using various methods, blue side-by-side connex anyone?
Plan B? By-pass 5VSB > turn it into 'standard' 5v
5volts stand-by: purple wire is hot 5v with PSU plugged in, rear switch 'on' & system off:
5volts standard: red wires are hot 5v only when system is turned on
turn purple 5VSB into standard (red) 5v: you lose SB features, but gain a hassle-free working system when you change out the power supply:
SATA is 3v Grd 5v Grd 12v = 5wires >< Molex power is 5v Grd Grd 12v = 4wires
SATA power, which uses 5 WIRES?
in a 6pin SATA device PSU modular connector ... 5 slots are filled ... 1 slot is always empty
sometimes the PSU engineers keep the empty slot / pin alive
it may be an unused ground, 3v, 5v or 12v: probe it with your voltmeter to find out what it is
ax1200i? the empty un-used pin is 5volts: TAP IT
fun diagram, right?
ax1200i modular panel: note Peripheral (Molex 4pin) & SATA 6pins have x2 red 5V pins (x1 = unused)
See Method #1 photo again: the red & purple wire can use top center 5volts in your SATA 6pin:
Most PSUs won't have an unused 5v (red) ... if yours does? TAP it
if your cables are all black? I keep saying purple? figure it out, since this is a U647R build
Remember, when 5-wire SATA modular cables plug in with a 6pin connect, one slot in the 6pin is always empty. Seasonics tend to have an open un-used 12v in their 6pin ports (see panel below)
For now, ax1200i users are taken care of (slap a 6pin & 8pin on your MIO, you're done now right?). For other owners, like Seasonic owners?, you can 'jump' the red & purple wire onto one PSU pin (See Method #2), where I show you to push both wires crimped onto one pin into your solo 5volt slot. Do that, bam, you're done, that's a valid by-pass method
Method #3: isolate purple 5VSB in its own 6pin, make it tap red 5volts standard from another port
yes, I can foresee someone buying a type of PSU that needs that method #3
Seasonic X1250 has an unused 12volt (yellow) instead, so Method #2 or #3 can be used to tap the x1 red 5V pin replicated inside of each SATA 6pin port
Looking at ax1200i & X1250, MIO can tap the CPU 8pin & any SATA 6pin, ok?
regardless, see a basic by-passed 6pin 8pin MIO below
chances are, yours will look similar to mine above
chances are, yours will look similar to mine above
wait, I just said that.
Go back up & compare ax1200i to X-1250:
how about simplicity? MainFrame Customs.com
figure out your PSU Pin Assignment Diagram, use the Reference Photo for MIO 10pin end,
by-pass 5VSB & build a sleeved black harness in like 45 minutes for like $15
need dual 6pins? need an 8p + dual 6ps to isolate 5VSB?
need help splicing wires together? Red/Purple on same PSU pin?
Ask MainFrame to jumper your 5V/5VSB wires together so they fit a 6pin 5V slot / pin
ask them ...
Method #1 #2 #3 are valid by-pass methods
need new 16gauge PSU pins? Order them too ...
they're better than 18gauge pins
So! FireAza asked for a 'basic' 'easy' How-To
a simple way to power supply swap & have an MIO 10pin
EASILY DONE
just not easily explained, sorry brother, I tried, just now, tried to explain this in easy terms
original U647R MIO or buy pre-made wires & empty connex
I even edited in the 'easy guide' at the top of the post for you
what lurks below are ... Advanced Methods
My Professional Kit
Nice looks. Nice fit
note: a dual 6pin for Corsair, not an 8p + 6p *wink* (I jumped x2 12v wires into same slot)
above, recent Summer 2016 swap using Corsair & my Pro Kit you just saw
Go look at ax1200i & X-1250 again; see how they only have x1 5VSB (purple) pin in the front panel where the 24p ATX cable plugs into? That's because a conventional computer only has to send x1 5VSB wire just to the motherboard (to help power USB devices when the system is plugged in but 'off') & because I like to wire things for myself & other people BACK TO FACTORY SPECS I needs to tap into that solo 5VSB pin, somehow
Above?, Pro Kit?, I've 'tapped' into 5VSB, by making a pair of extensions, tapped 5VSB from the extension, the 10pin half or branch of it:
why a 24pin (10 + 14 or 10 + 18 etc) extension?
(the following photo set is a dis-assembled U647R case harness with modular connex built on)
Well, if you route back to stock & send your 24pin ATX up the black snap-lok cable organizer, the bottom modular connector(s) tends to stop short:
(ummm, actually, this was my 1st case harness, I tapped the 24p's purple for some dumb reason)
all my other ventures, I tap at the modular end, labeled below as 10p (see my Pro Kit earlier)
somewhere in all of this tangle of wire is a working MIO & a happy Alien sipping off 1250w of juice
this is the 'why' of making your own extension:
YOU THERE? u can easily get away with the cable below, & so could I
got it?
If you by-passed 5VSB, & made a 10p like above, using the U647R case harness MIO 10p:
it is possible you can't use the black snap-lok like you used to, if the 24p won't reach
next to last photo, then my edits are done: your new CPU 8pin cable
The old CPU 8pin was like 51inches long, that's too long (too much resistance), the new CPU 8pin will be like 24" - 26" & half the resistance, & you can route it a different way this time:
the alternative is this: go up the snap-lok & dive left to your CPU 8pin port
my Spring 2016 customer sent me this photo, he titled it 'A51 Rebuild' ... that it certainly is
he's using ax1200i, which comes with a 24inch CPU cable, just a tad short to route like my Seasonic 26incher:
as you see, he solved the problem a different way
(pssst: did you use my Guide & make your own MIO 10pin? Post it here & show off your work)
(=
this owner contacted me from Norway, he used my Pro Guide to hand-make his MIO 10pin
a matched set woulda been shweet ... git her done!
this is my last PSU Swap Guide edit ... after ~3years, it is time for me to retire now
Let there be Light
Summer 2016: yet another ax1200i | 1500i MIO 10pin cable build
owner's photo of successful swap was posted earlier above: Asus 'A51 Rebuild'
basic starter material from your new pouch might be the spare CPU cable & Molex 4pin
you may have to buy your own extra psu pins & connectors, try here:
I did not disassemble a spare CPU 8pin cable nor remove the 6pin off of a spare Molex, but if I needed to in order to get half the material together, I certainly could. However, the 10wire pins pushed into the MIO 10pin above, do have factory pins on them, & I've crimped / soldered my own brand new psu pins on the other end, which await the 6pin 8pin 4pin connectors I have
the 4pin with one wire in it is for 5volts stand-by, or MIO purple pin #5
if you can't tap into your front panel's 5VSB (shown below purple), you can still turn pin#5 into standard 5volts. Example below suggests to tap the SATA 6pin bottom center 5v for pin #10 5v, & tap the top center of the 6pin (which is also 5volts) and route it directly to pin #5
Above Far #5 is shown half red & half purple to signify that pin #5 can be wired as 5volts STAND-BY (5vsb) or standard 5volts, depending on your wiring scheme
Above Center: Corsair SATA 6pin top center pin / slot has a hollow red circle to signify an additional pin / slot to tap standard 5volts from
*note: not all power supplies have two 5volt pins. Corsair's do ... one is used for the SATA / Molex cable they provide while the additional (top) 5v pin is unused
below: 24pin ATX (10p / 14p) extension + MIO 10p harness
ready for ax1200i >< ready for ax1500i
ready for Area-51
- Other Power Supplies -
as you saw, Corsair ax1200i / 1500i (all Corsair Type3 cables) have an additional 5volt pin, with which to tap & easily turn your MIO pin #5 from what it used to get (5vsb) into standard 5volts
Seasonic's however have two 12volt pins (one is unused)
How do we grab two standard 5volt (red) wires from only one 5v pin?
Make a 5volt Jumper | Splitter Wire
While I'm at it, I'll show you how to back a pin out. I'm using a thin flat-blade tip & a 'rod' to keep the pin inside from deforming as I press down. If you're taking a CPU 8pin apart to use as material, you'll need to back a wire/pin out anyway --> it will start with 8 wires but you only need 7:
now there are 7 wires / pins left, this stand-in material is ready to use
to make a pair of 7inch wires, start with a 14 inch wire, strip the insulation in the middle, crimp (& solder) a pin on it, then make sure the other end has pins too
my camera is a junky $60 Polaroid, supposed 18Mega-pixel, but it's bad on closeups
let's try that again, using old photos when it used to work
regardless the final length, it can be tedious jumping two separate 18gauge wires onto one 18g pin, let alone a larger 16g pin, & I find it best to use the above technique: using single wires & 'turning' or splitting them into two. As you can see, so long as a pair of wire is joined to one pin, you can tap a standard 5volt pin off of your power supply SATA/peripheral port & route it to both the pin#5 & pin #10 of your MIO to het it the 5volt power it needs in a jiffy
End Summer 2016 Edit
How To Deal With Your Alien's 10pin MI/O Cable -
Illustrated ideas & procedures article for how to make the required master i/o (alienFx-liquid cooling) daughterboard wire harness for a power suppy unit (psu) swap in Area-51.
*** Author's Disclaimer ***
Our stock psu's & many aftermarket types are designed w/what are called "multiple" 12volt rails; each "rail" has its own "over-current-protection" circuitry - ocp - like a circuit breaker); it's obvious if you wire a new multi-rail unit up right it will work as good as the stock unit does; however, regardless if it's a single 12v rail or multi-12v-rail psu, the fact remains that to do a psu swap we have to hand-fabricate a harness for the mio board, & the element of user error may creep into the equation as the result:
My wiring experience dates back to the mid-90's & my recent psu swap experience was learned from single 12v rail style psu's. Applying the single 12v-rail strategies found in this article to a multiple 12v-rail psu may or may not be applicable, may or may not be helpful, have not been tested & may be a performance/safety & fire hazard issue for you if you attempt to use them. A more in-depth talk about 12v rails is found later below; read & understand what you've read before you begin using your new psu/mio tandem.
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The Top 10 Things You Need To Know:
Through eBay, I get all kings of questions: one common misconception is that all power supply cables are identical, it simply isn't true. Corsair ax1200 & ax1200i cables do not interchange for instance. All modular power supply cables are & have to be wired identical on the hardware end, but are rarely identical on the modular power supply end of the cable. Manufacturers can wire the psu end of the cable however they need to, so not all cables interchange (even if they plug in ok, that hardly matters) & if you use the wrong cable(s) for your psu, you can burn up your stuff qwickly as the result. If you buy new or used cables, separate from your psu purchase, make sure they are correct for your psu. If they aren't, you will need to back the wires-pins out of the modular connector & 'pin it out' correctly so it will work. My Hale90 psu is using an Antec cable set, where I 'rebuilt' that set to Hale90 specs. I check in on the forum regularly, I'm subscribed to my own thread here, if you have questions, ask.
The stock psu has a large solo modular bulk connector, 'bottom right' at the mthrbrd wall, w/a 24inch 24pin atx cable; most after-market psu's locate their 24pin atx modular port at the top left & provide you the same 24inch cable. Most standard psu cables will not reach as the result. You will most likely need a 6"-8" 24pin extension to help your cable reach. Also, some cpu 8pin cables may not reach, may be an inch or two too short, if so, you will need a cpu 8pin extension to span the distance. An extension like that is best coupled down in the case floor, not up top at the mthrbrd cpu 8pin port.
The master i/o board, like the mthrbrd, uses a type of 5volts called 5volts stand-by. When the power supply is plugged in but is turned 'off', the psu will kick out only one voltage: 5 volts, it is hot & in 'stand-by mode'. The mthrbrd & mio will light up the tell-tale led as the result, to denote power is present when the system is off, among other things. No 'regular' computer has to supply 5vsb to anything but a motherboard, so there is no provision in the 24pin atx cable to supply your Area-51 with 5vsb to the mio board. In our original stock case harness, 5vsb is 'shared' / 'jumped' to both the mthrbrd & the mio. To re-wire your mio - your system - back to factory specs, you must 'tap' or 'jump' 5vsb from your new 24pin atx cable, the same way our old case harness does this. You will find tips below how to tap it. You do not need to tap it though. If you do not, you must find 'standard' 5volts from somewhere else, & route it to your mio's '5vsb wire'. Standard 5volts only goes hot when you press your power button on, turn your psu on. If you use stndrd 5v instead, your system will work as normal on pwr up, but your system will lose whatever 5vsb features it had before your swap (batteries recharging, ALX front panel motors down w/system off etc). For instance, on ax1200i, its front panel sata connector has two 5volt pins, one is 'unused', so, you could tap your 5vsb wire into that unused slot, to get your system going, but not all psu's have a pair of 5v in their sata ports, Seasonic gives you a 12v pair actually, one 12v is 'unused'. Or grab standard 5volts from some other sata port: most psu's give you 5 or 6 modular sata-peripheral ports, Area-51 likes to use 5, so a psu with 6 can help you 'turn' your mio's 5vsb wire into standard 5v. These issues are discussed later, but you will need to get 5volts, any type of it, to your mio's '5vsb wire' for your mio to get what it needs.
Unless you find a psu who's 24pin atx port(s) is situated in the bottom right like the stock units are, basically all 24inch 24pin atx cables are too short, & you need an extension. I hand-make my own extensions as the result, & when I do I tap or jump into 5vsb on my extension, as I like to deal with the necessary extension down in the case floor area, down at the psu (photos shown throughout) as opposed to buying a typical basic 24p extension & coupling up at the mthrbrd area. All psu's will come w/a standard 24pin end for the mthrbrd, but not all will have the same 24p type for the psu end, most will 'branch' into let us say a 10pin & 14pin or 10p/18p pair as your modular end. There really are no 10p/14p/18p extensions out there to buy, which doesn't help matters. If you go w/a typical 24p extension, you can try to tap 5vsb on it, so as not to molest your real 24p cable they give you. You'll need some form of extension anyway, best to tap into a cheap one & not the 24incher they give you, as sound advice.
Most psu makers will give you 24inch video cables. the stock Area-51 video cables are 13inches & 11 inches, so do your best with excess cable, prepare for cable mngmnt.
The three hard drive sata cables in our stock case harnesses use two sata heads per cable. We got three hdd sata cables to power our 6 hard drive bays. If your new sata cable has two sata heads per, use them, knowing you need three of them like you have now. If they give you three or four sata heads per cable, just route two cables to your hard drives (behind the pci-e fan) & hook all 6 of your drive bays to your new sata cable pair. You will note our hdd satas are 5-wire types (supply the orange 3.3v wire), but the actual hard drive power cable that goes to the bay area? It is four wires, does not include 3.3v, (what would have been the ornage 3.3v wire) therefore, you can use your molex cables if need be, so long as they wear a sata adaptor on the end to power your hdd power connex behind the pci-e fan, as you look for the best cable types to use, based on length, connector head count etc.
Your mio only needs the basics: 3.3v, 5v, 5v(sb), 12v & ground. Easily gotten from your new psu. I basically tap an open cpu 8pin for all 12v / ground needs & one 6pin sata port (or 5pin sata as with the Nzxt Hale90) to supply a mio with remaining 3.3v / 5v needs. I tap 5vsb as the final wire from my 24p extensions but could easily just turn 5vsb into standard 5v if need be from some other sata port. 12v & ground is easy to find in your 8pin cpu port, 3.3 & 5v easily found in your sata ports. see next:
If your psu has 'colored wires', the convention is basically ylw 12v, blk ground, red 5v, org 3.3v, purple 5vsb. Simply looking at your wire color can tell you where to tap in to for your mio. If your wires are all black? Best to get a voltmeter & maybe jump-start your psu on; I've done a section on interrogating your front panel for this very reason. Other ways I check for how a front panel is pinned out, is my voltmeter has an audible beep for continuity. If I were to buy just the cable set for an EVGA 1600? Within minutes I can tell you exactly how the front panel is pinned out, using my continuity tester on my voltmeter. This is because all cables are identical on the hardware end, & I can & do probe those connectors, then back-probe them to the modular connector end & slowly create a chart of where all the voltages are, based on the hardware end of the connector & 'landmarks' that say where all the 12v ground 5v 3.3v etc have to be. You can use my guide here to help probe your cables, so you can slowly work your way to wiring your mio up right. When done building your mio cable, you can jump your psu on, & get real voltage readings to ensure it is wired-pinned out correctly b4 you ever place power to your mio.
When you get your new cable set, 9 times out of 10 they give you cables you never need, like an extra cpu 8pin, extra sata cables. You can make a matching mio cable with these excess cables & more important have the right modular connector ends. Empty connectors are always for sale, as well as new psu pins to help you turn your material into a new mio cable. You can make one, when you're done & it works, you can try to make another one, a better one. You can browse my photos, I've made about 40 of these so far. When in doubt, buy an original case harness, part# U647R, back out or snip out the mio 10pin harness, apply new pins if need be, apply the right modular connectors where-ever you can get some from. After, you can set about making a matching type the way I do.
Don't let my guide over-whelm you; over the past year it's grown into a monster, I know it. Look at my photos of my completed cables, they are much easier to make then ever will be to explain how to make them. There are so many ways to wire things up, I simply can not include them all, or untangle it all, so do research elsewhere for things like wire coupling (bullet connectors, mating connectors, easy wiring supplies etc), check youtube for how to back power supply pins out of connectors, or apply new psu pins to wires, to at least get something made, then go back & perfect your design afterwards. It can look sloppy, so what if it does?, so long as it works there's time to go back and do better next time.
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- EVGA 12Volt PowerBoost Modules for your Stock X58 Motherboard -
Here we see that some poor sod learned the hard way not to try to run insane cards on the stock x58 MSI A-51 board: his 12v wires on pins 10/11 had a burn out (majik smoke). This is indicative of a card (or cards) trying to draw in more power than the board as designed can allow. This exact same problem was happening on EVGA boards back in the day, hence, their solution for evga users (& eventually the rest of us) was the powerboost, which saturates the pci-e lane(s) w/a ready steady supply of 12v to the card or cards, & forgoes the bottleneck happening up top through pins 10/11. This board (& whatever card(s) were used in it) makes a good j560m poster child ... pop one in your x1 pci-e slot & call it a day ... ounce prevention/pound cure ...
I qwit gaming, I do not run nor have a need for high-dollar high-power cards, nor do I keep up with what cards can be used in Area-51 or not. The lesson above is this: if you use either of the stock x58 boards (part# j560m or xdj4c), you might need a powerboost even if you swapped in a new high-dollar high-power psu, huh? The bottleneck on pins 10/11 is a real, known issue w/our stock boards. We've learned it isn't always the psu that is at fault, it is the pci-e lane the card(s) sits in that starves for 12v, where we might assume it is essentially the mthrbrd is what turns the system off, bsod, black screen all of it, performance issues, part of the pain we're here to deal with & fix.
If you do not live in the USA, FrozenCpu.com does export the powerboost to some countries.
24-pin ATX power plug meltdowns: Need user data from unaffected computers
the issue with X58 motherboard & power supply 24pin ATX connectors having a meltdown was so widespread, link above archives links to 17 other internet / forum posts describing the issue & offering possible wiring work-arounds to prevent it from happening
if u still have the factory motherboard, plan to swap in a new power supply & high-performance video card or cards, invest in the low-cost EVGA Powerboost to help protect your high-cost investments
- Who Really Makes the Power Supply? -
Tom's Hardware finally published a new 2014 power supply manufacturer's list:
... good breakdown on who's really behind the label: here's the link
Pre-game Warm-Up
I do not own a Corsair ax(i) series power supply. But in my three towers my modular Seasonic x-1250, XfxPro 1250 & Nzxt Hale90 1Kw single 12v rail psu's have been tested & used in both my stock & "Asus-51" Haswell build; Hale/x-1250/Pro & ax(i)-series are similar power supplies - not just because they're all single 12v rail design - but simply because they're modular, & it is for that basic reason you can translate & apply the lessons learned from my modular's over to a Corsair - & by extension just about any modular psu offered on the market - because in the end, it's elementary my Dear Watson's: simply make the wire harness & plug the Professor into the hyper-drive ...
In this exposé you will learn the basics of how to:
Master i/o board successfully mated to my Xfx Pro1250. Hand-made 10pin harness taps a pair of the right modular ports, sends correct volts/grounds to mio board. Yours will be a similar situation ...
All 3volt / 5volt / 5volt "stand-by" / 12volts / grounds were correctly "found" & correctly "tapped" from the psu & directed to mio board, using a photo schematic (below) of mio's circuit specifications
- Original Case Harness Adapted to Corsair ax1500i /ax1200i -
here I've disassembled an entire original case harness, popped new psu pins & modular connex on all the ends, hand-made a 7" 24pin atx extension & four true 8-wire 6+2 grfx cables. Hoo-rah.
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The Original Forum Post on a Corsair Psu Swap w/a 10Pin
2 years ago a post aired on doing an ax1200 swap by creating the required home-made 10pin master i/o connector harness; a large photo of a mio 10pin w/volt assignments was posted along with it:
http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19425602.aspx
Click that link to read up & see or download the original 1Mb photo of the 10pin w/proven correct labels; that photo is our 80Plus Platinum-standard; it is the Reference Photo by which you can learn how to make your own 10pin connector harness & tap it into your new modular psu like others have done ...
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10pin Reference & Color Reference Photo
stock wire colors shown
I've a background in wiring; all I needed as the single basis to make my own mio harness was the Reference photo. It shows us what mio's circuit specifications are & from there you design/build an appropriate harness which taps your psu in all the right places, while your stock harness wire colors add a helpful hand at easy circuit identification.
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Creating a Convention
The top Reference Photo is accurate ... I've then colored the pins in for you relative to stock wire colors & qualified the purple pin as 5VSB -->"stand-by". For easy I.D. I've #'d the pins left to right below, & refer to them later so we're on the same page with pin# color volt & ground assignments during my build & yours. The bottom left is pin1 white, bottom right pin5 purple; top left pin6 blue-white; top right pin10 red.
Pin# - Stock Color - Volts/Grounds Chart
Btm Row Top Row
m1 Wht: 12v(a) m6 Blu-Wht: 12v(b)
m2 Blk: 0v = Grd m7 Blk: 0v = Ground
m3 Blu-Wht: 12v(b) m8 Org: 3.3v
m4 Blk: 0v = Grd m9 Blk: 0v = Ground
m5 Ppl: 5vSB m10 Red: 5v
"m" = connector m = master i/o 10pin Molex Mini-Fit Jr. connector
5VSB = 5 volts 'standby' ><>< 0v = Grd = Ground
12v(a) = stock rail "a", 12v(b) = stock rail "b" > rail "a"-"b" in name only; true 12v rail letter assignments inside stock psu (internal 12va, b, c etc.) are unknown, unverified
Wire/Pin Count: 12v (x3) - ground (x4) - 3v (x1) - 5v (x1) - 5vsb (x1)
Stock PSU Size: 3 7/8"h x 6"w x 8.5"l >< approx mm: 100h x 150w x 215l
Recommended psu / 86mm max
mio harnesses with & w/out modular connectors - I "jumped" the red 5v wires (explained later)
- The Classic Splice n' Dice -
This isn't me, I found this online & admire the effort: crude but effective. Where a will? There a way: a home-made job for ax1200i. What I like? He's up & running now, he's back online; he can scour the internet now for better parts, better ideas & dial in his final product in a Round Two harness build.
For instance, he din't need to make the splice: all he had to do was build 10 power supply pins ($3 shipped?) onto the mio colored wire ends, pop his modular connectors off his ribbon cables & pop them onto the mio harness. Or. Pop 10 psu pins on the black ribbon cable ends & pop the white 10pin off - & then onto his black ribbon ends. In the top right pic, instead of a Frankenstein harness, he'd be better served with 'one' or the 'other', but yes, scour & cannabilize parts from one type harness & stick them on the other, so in the end you have either a black ribbon harness w/white 10pin end - or - an original rebuilt mio harness w/black ax1200i modular ends on it, huh? In top right photo, his left hand touches the parts he needs: simple black connector ends. A better choice: pop the white 10pin off, go with all black matching ax1200i cables in Area51.
A better choice, use the extra unused 24 inch 8pin cpu cable in the pouch, cut it down to 8", rob two wires off of the unused 16 inch section, rob an unused sata or molex cable for a 6pin, slap some new pins on & make a matching sleeved harness. Again, above is a 1st attempt of at least SOMETHING, anything to get you back up & running means you always have time to go back & perfect your design in the next go around. Now that he's back online, he might even find my post here ...
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Photos of a Test Adaptor I Found Online: Crude But Effective
- Additional Multi-12v Rail Info & Disclaimer -
Tapping three 12v wires is necessary to this psu swap; finding 12v in a multi-rail psu is easy: finding which rails they belong to may not be so clear. Please see your side label/owner's manual, research safe multi-12v rail line discovery handling & wiring before attempting any wiring procedures illustrated below, or contact your manufacturer for support in this field. "Over-taxing" a 12v rail will cause heat which may then cause smoke > fire etc. If your mio harness is in fact built correctly, then the difference between a safe & potentially hazardous install will probably boil down to which modular jacks you've plugged your mio harness into. Your goal would be to have your mio harness tapped into rails which are not being overly-taxed, example: not on the same rail as high-current pci-express video cables/your video card(s):
I calculate the mio board draws about 60 - 70watts (5 - 6amps) of current at all times, & w/a resistor technique, mio sends 12volts in various degrees of current to the related 12v equipment it is asked to run. But the input draw is 60 - 70 absorbed watts regardless the 12v output current (+ heat by-product) from mio, is the way I see it. Call it "70 watts" of add-on equipmemt you will need to acount for in your system & your system wiring design:
What is a 12volt rail?
On my psu's & the Corsair offerings (all single 12v rails), basically they have one 100(+) amp internal "circuit breaker", & should shut off if the total current draw is 100amps or more. No matter where I plug into, no matter what equipment I run, I am told I can run "100amps" (1200w) before things will get dicey. So 12volts is of unrestricted use for me up to 100 amps.
In a multiple 12v rail psu, we'll pretend a brand of psu which has two 50amp internal "circuit breakers" or "ocp circuitry" - we'll say it has two 12v rails - each rated at 50amps - & so 12volts can not exceed 50amps on either rail.
If that psu had 12 modular ports, pretend that 6 ports were "tied" on one rail, 6 tied to the other rail. As you begin plugging cables in, it would start to matter which cables & which equipment was falling on which rail ... right? ... this is why they say to "balance your rails" "balance your equipment". For example, if you randomly plugged in cables to run three video cards, & in reality your scheme had them all on the same rail, chances are that rail would draw a lot of current, the psu & related micro-components start to stress, heat up, lose efficiency, & perhaps the psu shuts off during spikes in power, say while gaming or stress testing. That is fine: it's designed to shut off (over-current-protection "ocp").
One problem: check newegg.com psu reviews, & you'll see 25% of people stating their new psu smoked up, sparked & popped, even fire! etc. Whether that was a *** psu or an unbalanced system, or both, who knows.
In the scenario above, if you'd "balanced" the equipment judiciously instead - some equipment tied to one rail, some tied to the other - the psu internals/components would run cooler, they wouldn't always be at a treschold of reaching max, stressing out, & your psu wouldn't be running in a state where it borders on shutting down in the heat of battle. This is the trick then: is the psu going to shut down? Or will it catch fire 1st? The ocp circuitry might be viable, but what about some other surface component? Some mini-part, like a transitor, that heated up beyond design limits etc BEFORE the ocp kicked in? Ok then, stranger things happen, check newegg for real-world talk on psu failures. You can search online for single vs multi rail psu's, go over their pro's & cons. Balance your mio harness judiciously, due to its "70watt" / "6a" current draw.
Call it 100 watts just to be safe. Factor it into your system building design. You've been warned.
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March 13, 2015 Edit: Having both of the stock Area-51 1200w psu's tested by a Pro
This is one of my stock 1200w power supplies on a $5k SunMoon Professional Load Tester
above: testing shows J297R had a video-card 12volt rail shutdown protection rating of almost 20amps; as we do power supply swaps. we're on the lookout for single 12volt rail chassis' with ocp ratings of 100amps or more, if multiple 12v rails we'll want it to have 30/40/50 amp rails ...
80Plus Efficiency
above J297R: pass for silver / fail for gold (but not by much)
above VHM5V: pass silver / fail gold
stock units pass for 80Plus Silver; we're on the lookout for 80Plus Gold Platinum & Titanium, yes?
Game Time Strategies
Pretty much, any psu will work in your case, so long as you can build an mio harness for it. Mio relays/sends power directly to your stock liquid cooling pump (& radiator fan) so do not run a psu in your case w/out giving the mio a harness to run the system, lest your cpu overheats as your reward. You want a psu who's cooling fan mounts up to breathe, a chassis height of about 3.5" max & who's rear mount holes line up with the stock psu cage; remove your psu stop-brace for longer chassis &/or modular input access:
correct psu has fan "up" & bottom right screw hole staggered to match stock psu cage; "dremel"/razorblade the black honey-comb psu finish trim plate to accommodate extra plugs & differing switches. Buy a spare trim if you like ...
Not every psu uses the same modular input connectors, nor have the same front panel interface nor pin-out their fixed voltage pins the same way. This complicates things since the wiring strategies become limitless. Every possible scenario can't be explored, but we can learn from Basic Training how to wage a little war on the swap project. W/a voltmeter, mental algebra & the empowerment of know-how, you can solve for your psu's 3-5-12v-grounds, solve its front panel connections, solve your 10pin, & resolve the eventual wiring harness between them:
The fraternal ax1200/1200i twins share the same front panel outlay & both use industry standard 8pins on one side (vga & pwr) & a 6pin on the other side:
The Corsair 1.2Kw twins power your sata devices on one side & graphics/cpu on the other side of the modular panel. We'll improvise overcome & adapt - hoo-rah! - by tapping straight into a pair of their female output ports w/an industry standard 6 & 8pin male or employ their connectors as above, & we'll snatch power/grd for mio's end of the 10pin through them. Those psu's - any psu that resembles them - will be surprisingly easy to work with - you have nothing to fear but fear itself ...
The Hale90 v1 1Kw uses an industry standard all female 8pin modular output; mathematically, their 8pins have 3v 5v present on all ports to power sata devices. This means only 3 ground pins & three 12v pins are/can be present in any given port. Mio needs ground quads, so we could tap two 8pin ports to grab the final ground, (but, I see a situation brew where we might "jump" the final ground & cut the final connector count down to one instead).
Whatever the plan, for Hale90 v1 we'd tap w/a pair of 8pin males (wherever we source those connectors from) - or jump (similar to photo) a ground pin & cut it to one 8pin male: a dream scenario. Any psu that resembles its all 8pin outlay should integrate into our system quickly & easily so long as the connectors you use key up & fit, right?
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- Panel Overviews -
Antec High Current Pro 1300 - made by Delta for Antec - Delta is said to do the best soldering in the industry; rated @ 1300w, it's an engine all right. Peripheral/Sata comes over a standard 5pin w/center positive latch, while cpu/pci-e come through a 16pin (8x8) - but on closer look, you can actually pop a pair of 8pins (4x4) in each, due to the oversize negative latch. In fact, any 2,4,6,8,10,12,14,16 that keys right should fit, lol.
- EVGA SuperNova 1300 G2 & 1200P2 -
They discontinued their 1500w, but we'll look at the 1300w wearing the sensible shoes, who's currently (July 20, 2014) marked down to $160/shipped from Newegg after the $35 rebate; offer expires 7.24.14 so hurry:
Standard 8pin pci-e x6, 6pin sata x6, 8pin cpu x2 rouge et noire color scheme.
their new 1200w platinum psu is worth considering too
- EVGA SuperNova 1600 G2/P2/T2 -
eVGA unveiled three new 1600w models in gold/plat/titanium ratings: single 133amp 12v rail, lotsa front connectors & an unheard of 10year warranty, gold-rated G2 is $270 now on newegg ... I love a psu that has two 8pin cpu connectors since we can tap the unused port for all our 12v/ground needs, then tap a 6pin sata for the remainder. This one uses standard 6/8pin, easily worked with, & the black chassis should look great in your A-51. 1600 efficient watts. Easily dealt with. 10year warranty. Period.
- Seasonic x-1250xm (Gen1) -
Gen1, marketed as a single 12vrail psu. Jonnyguru & hardocp say it might have four 12vrails (30a x2 + 45a x2):
"... Mo Cuishle ..."
And I went w/the Xfx Pro1250 Black Edition for my Asus-51/Haswell build to keep the black theme going: made by Seasonic for Xfx, the psu sports a bold Xfx chassis design while inside it's a full-on Seasonic x-1250xm; twins inside w/identical front panel pin/layouts:
Of the psu assortment now on the market, this one's my favorite (I've bought three of them ... hoarding "spares"). The aggressive looks are backed up w/plenty of Seasonic muscle to cleanly power your system @ 80Plus Gold & beefy 16g 12v wires for cpu & pci-e.
... Lord Vader ...Your shuttle is waiting ...
One of the 1st looks at the Seasonic Platinum 1200; standard 6pin & pci-e 8pin ... it's brand new, plenty of punch & the efficiency deserves your attention:
I'm running a new Hale90 v2 1200watter using a custom Antec HCP1300 black-sleeved cable set in my Lunar-51 & I really like it since the front panel has connectors galore:
it uses a standard cpu/eps 8pin that's quickly tapped & a special 5pin for Sata/Molex power:
I've dropped Hale90 1200 into my Lunar-51: pics @ bottom of post
They give you extra sata/molex cables, so back an unused cable 5pin off for your use, or track down an empty 5pin online that keys. 5pins come in three flavors: side, dual-side & top latch, so cut latches off of close matches if need be. I imported some side-latch 5pins found on eBay.
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-The DoomsDay Machine - Area-51 R1.5kW
The Corsair ax1500i is getting plenty of praise as the be-all end-all in psu's. It has 6 type1 sata ports & 10 eps/cpu/pwr 8pin ports. Nothing you can install in your A-51 should make it sweat: it's titanium rated. It's a master-piece made by the same folks who made our stock psu's, Flextronics.
As of May '15 I've helped in 8 installs with ax1500i, using hand-made cables to seal the titanium deal:
here's my ax1500i all-ribbon-cables (mio + 10p/14p extensions); 3" extension (top) is tapped 5vsb
because ax1200i/1500i use interchangeable cables, the 1500i ribbon 24p can be substituted for a sleeved 1200i 24p & sleeved 10+14 extension. Here the mio ribbon wears a 6p/8p/10p; the extension is a 10+14 tapped 5vsb, using a 4pin to tie them together.
Original Case Harness adapted to ax1500i
An upgraded 16g wire set like above was built for a friend; success with her ax1500i swap, below:
Asus x99 Area 51 Mod-51 Pegasus
[DEAD LINK /owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19611899]http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19611899
Her new black cables & build-post below
[DEAD LINK /owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19618405]http://en.community.dell.com/owners-club/alienware/f/3746/t/19618405
Area 51 Pegasus Mod - Part 2
Airene's Airea-51 HEX / GLX R1.5
Eventually you'll get a grip on how to handle your psu swap in total. What you learn from working w/standard & special connectors will help you branch out into the online shopping market & confidently be able to take one look at the front panel of an EVGA, Rosewill, Thermaltake, Enermax, Antec, whatever, & know right away if it is a psu you are or are not willing to try to put in your case. Master 12v-rail technology & what psu out there can stop you from wrangling it in & milking its gold-platinum juice?
The basics come down to sourcing your wires & connectors & psu pins when needed. Then figure out what your psu's port pins are outputting so far as 3v 5 v 12v ground, & tap them on the right pins w/your modular connectors relative to the Reference Photo.
This will be a broad-spectrum psu swap "how-to" article; what you learn about the Nzxt/Seasonic may help you figure out the Corsair or Rosewill Hercules 1600watt install. Read as long as you like & bail out whenever, that's fine. Let us look at Corsair's fraternal twins a little closer.
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Corsair ax1200 & 1200i On Closer Inspection
ax1200: proprietary 6pin(sq-sq-sq/u-u-u) & standard vga/pci-e 8pin
ax1200i: type1 pci-e 6pin, standard cpu/eps/pwr 8pin
ax1200/1200i have the same front panel layout but their 6/8's are slightly different on closer inspection; axi underwent a fixed pin voltage assignment revision (see pinout charts at bottom) & so their cables aren't interchangeable as the result, while they use differing style 8pins anyway.
On either Corsair, our attention is now on their left "Peripheral + Sata" & right "6+2 PCI-E & 4+4 CPU".
- 6pin Sata Side -
Corsair's ax1200 & 1200i "peripheral+sata" are standard & non-standard 6pin females w/center lock tabs & 3-5-12v-grd ouput pins. I can think of no 6pin male that will fit ax1200 (other than to mod a 6+2 male vga connector & use the 2pin or employ 3x2pins as a last resort, lol). Again, you'll be faced with snatching a 6pin off an included sata/molex cable - or buy their sata/molex cable & snatch its 6pin off - or simply make your harness out of their cable materials.
For ax1200i, it's a standard easy to find type1/type 2 pci-e 6pin male. The solution for the beginnings of our mio connector on either psu is plain:
- 8pin Cpu/Pci-e Side -
The 8pin sides are standard female 8pins w/center lock tab: on axi we'd tap 12v-grd w/a standard 8pin male cpu type ... a pci-e/vga 8pin for ax-1200:
Their fixed 8pin ports by their nature reduce to a 4 by 4, where 12v will usually be on 4 pins, grd on the other 4. Whether 12v is all on the top row or bottom row, staggered, we will know that after we probe them (or their supplied cables) w/a volt-meter &/or continuity test to the cables:
Mio 10pin @ bottom, built to Reference Photo specs. Up top, a 6 & 8, built to verified front panel pinout specs. 10th wire - 5vsb - resides in a 4pin & is tapped into a 24pin extension. I have used Corsair supplied connectors & wires; one end of these wires have factory psu pins applied. For mio's end, I had apply all 10 of the new psu pins to complete the harness project. Your situation may be similar.
example of basic harness making material - 8pin extension - for this material, you'd "cut" off the unuseable connector & pins, apply new psu pins & the "right" connector
Note the true difference 'tween the vga/pci-e 8pin (left) & the cpu/eps 8pin (cntr).
Most psu makers are using the type1 6pin (right).
6pins: type1 "auxillary" u-sq-sq (left) type2 "pci-e" u-u-sq (right). Type 2's can fit in a type1 port (=
*Note: when buying a psu, I prefer one that has 6 sata/molex ports; 6 ports leaves room for expansion, 5 ports starts to box you in: a psu w/only 4 sata ports is a bad choice for your A-51 I think.
Due to the many ways we can build our connections with alot of connector choices at hand, it is at this point where I am not here to split hairs with you, nor account for every possible way to wire up a mio/psu combo into Area-51. For time limitations I am here to state some obvious possibilities & if you have time then chime in with your own. My build is over, but I'm open for advice as I should be, & hopefully we'll peer review this in a calm cool & sane manner. To my knowledge, no one on the forum's gotten out of the theory phase - & if they did - didn't publish step-by-step exactly how ...
We'll note our 8pin male we've possibly purchased is equally a 4x4 (4 by 4) connector; 4 top slots, 4 bottom slots. We will note the mio 10pin is equally a 5x5. We will turn to mio's 10pin 5x5 "keyed" connector soon; due to these keys, (squares vs u's) there are several ways we can approach the same thing: how to get - or make - a 10pin connector wired to our mio/psu by using like-keyed standard issue psu connecting parts that fit.
A basic overall strategy for the Corsair examples:
Some wiring harness strategies will call for empty males as the building block, some will call for double-ended male-female extenders/adapters, some will call for 6, 4+4, 6+2, 8pin, 12pin, some will choose to use their new cables as raw material. There is more than one way to skin this psu cat depending on the brand you work on & what, if anything, to the connector you must modify so it keys right, based on where you source your parts from.
When I speak of the Corsair ax-series - our chosen psu's for the spot-light - when I use the term "6pin", I mean you've used a type1/2 pci-e 6pin male, modded an 8pin (6+2 or 3x2pin lol) male to key right, or you're using or bought the correct 6pin by virtue of a stock sata/molex cable (& liberated it). I am hoping you learned by now that when you go psu shopping, look for a close-up pic of the ports, count it's "square vs u" keyed blocks, compare them to standard issue keyed connectors, then decide if you can employ them or mod them - or are more likely required to use or buy actual proprietary type cables & liberate the connectors if you can or use the cables themselves out-of pouch. You can buy "empty" connectors online from most pc parts shops to start fresh with also!
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Where to get connectors again?
On a fully modular psu, given mio may top at 6amps max draw (to power the 120mm fans at 100% rpm etc), it is my opinion mio should have one or two modular ports "dedicated to it", depending on psu choice/layout etc. This means when you shop for a psu, you must decide if you can afford to dedicate ports to it; the more ports a psu offers the better. I do not recommend plugging in your new sata/molex/cpu provided cables & then tapping some unused sata port down stream @ the device end w/a modified sata "extender" & then route wires to mio's 10pin. A sata extender employed by itself as mio's only volt/grd source may have specs on each terminal of 4.5 amps max for instance, then where will you be? In smoke?
But let's revisit ways to get port connectors again: when you buy a psu, after you "know" to dedicate one or two ports to power mio, you essentially knew you'll have one or two of their provided cables you can't "use" anyway. Sometimes they give you an extra cable or two as well. Why not use their cables as your raw wiring/harness material, or back the 6/8pin connectors off & use them for your mio harness' tapping connectors ...
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Behind the Gauze Curtain: the Rosetta Stone
When a typical pc owner buys a Corsair ax1200i or similar, they'll install it in their case, plug in connectors, hit "power" & be done; they don't have to care about volt/grd location; their connectors plug in & that's that. But we have to look after mio's volt/ground needs. Our 1st job is to solve the modular panel fixed voltage pin assignments, solve the pin grid. For ax-1200(i) we solve their 6pin (peri/sata) side & 8pin (pci-e/cpu) side. Whatever the brand, wherever you tap, you must solve for all 3-5-12v grd pin assigments on the front panel - lest by "guessing" you have a blow-out on 1st power up. "Measure twice, cut once".
Look at the mio 10pin volt/color/pin# Reference Photo(s) again. You can & should make a grid sketch like that of your 6pin (3x3) or 8pin (4x4) female ports - &/or your corresponding 6/8pin male tapping connectors. Use alpha-numeric labels similar to below. Probe for volts/grd for your pin "6a"; if it's 3volts, say so. Find your "8a", name it, qualify it:
6a 6b 6c ><>< 8a 8b 8c 8d
3v 12v Grd ><>< 12v Grd 12v Grd
5v 12v Grd ><>< 12v Grd 12v Grd
6d 6e 6f ><>< 8e 8f 8g 8h
Motivated installers can draw keyed "square & u-shaped" block combinations to fine-tune the precion of their sketches; draw the top center lock tap to better orient "top row" from "bottom" row; make an arrow for which side of the connector the pins are inserted into (& the wires are protruding) since your male connectors certainly have back & front sides which are mutually exclusive.
If you've bought dbl-ended 6/8pin "extenders" as harness/wiring material then your wires are probably standard "ylw & blk", so, make a mio sketch to account for new colors. You can use a majik marker (red/org/ppl etc) to put a little dot on a "ylw" wire to tell what its voltage "really" needs to be. An accurate wire-volt-pinout sketch then becomes your fool-proof data reference which ensures nothing goes wrong step-by-step with your final 10pin connector harness on either end of the psu-to-mio harness connectors. You want a trouble-error free install, not see majik smoke when you power up ...
On Corsair ax1200(i), we see a 6pin layout on the left & an 8pin layout on the right. The rule-of-thumb is that all their 6pin ports will be pinned electrically identical, all 8pin ports will be pinned electrically identical. When you solve one of their 6pin pinouts you've solved them all. When you solve one of their 8pin pinouts you've solved them all. Their panels - port-for-port - are "universal" so any one of their cables can insert & output the correct volt/grd through any port of your choice, safely & easily:
Again, their "pci-e/cpu" 8pin side can only consist of 12 volt + ground pins. Four pins each. A 4x4 port. When you tap their 8pin for the mio 12v triplet:
When you tap their 8pin for the mio ground quadruplet:
Again, your 8pin can/will snatch 7 of the 10 wires mio needs. Their "Sata" 6pin would carry the remaining 3v-5v you'd tap ... but their sata-side will also carry 12v+grd as it should. Your job is to find 3v-5v, weed out 12v/grd, tap 3v-5v only, & confirm you've tapped 3v-5v only:
-So far so good -
What we've learned here is that Corsair ax-1200 & 1200i can accept 6pin & 8pin males - & because it can - mio can mate to it quickly & easily after we solve one of their 6 & one of their 8pin port pinouts. Find all 3-5-12v grd: then tap it accordingly.
What this tells us is that any (single 12v rail) psu w/a standard 6pin/8pin panel can probably be used in our Area 51 w/no trouble. I am not telling you to buy a Corsair ax-series psu; I am telling you that if you buy one like it - when it gets there - test their ports - solve their pinout grid assignments - then tap them correctly & confidently with your connector of choice
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Finding 3v 5v 5vsb 12v Grd in the Fraternal ax Twins' Modular Architecture
When your new psu gets there, you'll be in the odd position you can't use your top power button & hence your mthrbrd to turn it on right away to easily interogate their cables for pwr/grd output; if you have the stock liquid cooler, mio needs power to relay it so the cooler pump runs/cools. Yet, you have nothing to power mio up with yet, lol ...
- bench testing your new psu -
The fastest way is w/a voltmeter while the psu is running. If you know how to "hot-wire" a psu on - in or out of your case - for "bench-testing", your 1st order of business is to jump it "on", interogate cables & fixed modular pins to start your master pinout sketch. This is the "Area-51 Owner's Burden".
Lay your psu on a table or bed, jump-start your psu on, insert all its relevant modular cables in to test their pin assignments for 3-5-12v/grd w/a voltmeter. Then compare the device end to what the psu-connector end pins out like. As I say, the device ends are universally wired the same, must be pinned out by industry standards, while the psu side of the cable can be pinned out in whatever way the psu has been built by their engineers: finding how the engineers pinned out the front panel grid is your real task, & verifying volt/ground, no "dead pins" or bad psu (abbarent 20 volts?!) out of box as well:
If you prefer, you can also test your psu panel w/out any cables plugged in. Simply probe the pins - find a known ground pin, & go from there. Sketch your data, & extrapolate to what the physical cable itself must be pinned out like relative to the panel pins ... understood?
When your psu is off, yank out cables & probe the device end & probe their modular ends w/a continuity test & jot down the data if need be.
- digital volt/ohm meter using continuity test -
I prefer a digital v/ohm meter w/a feature called "continuity test". Let's say I want to test an ax1200 24pin main mthrbrd harness. The mthrbrd connector end is a standard 24pin, but the psu modular end of the harness is split into a 14pin + 10pin. If I want to find 5vsb - on both ends of the harness - I can switch my voltmeter to "continuity test", place one voltmeter lead on 24pin #9 (purple) & one-by-one probe each pin on each row @ the other end (the 14+10 end):
If your harness material is "basic extenders", when the psu is "on" you can stick your 6/8pin extenders in to probe volts/grd, so long as you test both ends later on w/continuity tester, right? Find ground w/your negative voltmeter lead - then find all volts w/positive lead - then all grounds, then write them down.
Never take for granted that what is happening on the device end is exactly what is happening on the modular psu end. Chances are, the engineers probably wired their panel up "different", & the pinout for the device end of the cable won't directly translate to the pinout of the psu end of the cable .. understand? That is exactly why we are bench testing the psu; to test for volts grounds, solve the panel pin grid, continuity testing the cables, making a sketch ...
- 5vsb -
To test for 5vsb, your psu does not have to be on - but it must be plugged in. With your psu off, plugged in, find pin#9 ('purple') on your 24pin psu mthrbrd harness & check for +5vsb (5volts 'stand-by' power) against any blk ground pin:
If you do not know how to turn your psu on correctly if it isn't attached to the mthrbrd (by using your top power button) I fear your attempt to build your own psu-to-mio harness will be futile, possibly unsafe. It is safe to power your psu up on the dining room table on cardboard using "paperclip method", or buy a cheap fast-start psu 24pin female connector to do it (search "power supply starter" on eBay for instance). While you're at it, consider a psu tester for $5 & have them ship those together if they have both items:
You'll need a voltmeter to confirm where all 3-5-12v & grd are; it must be confirmed on the 6pin/8pin Corsair panel. What are each of the pins for on their 6 & 8 pin panel?! Note how things get blurry w/Corsair cables due to the stealthy all-black wires: an old-pro will have zero problem w/identification of these wires through landmarks on the device end, yet a noobie might. I do not own a Corsair, but I am an old pro, so you will have to do the work of finding v/grd & confirming their true fixed pinout nature on your time:
to make the ax1200i mio cable + 24pin extension below, I start with empty 4p/6p/8p/10p/14pin male/female connex & male/female psu pin terminals from Mouser.com; part #'s are gathered from the Mouser filter or Molex.com, charts & links posted later below. I mostly use the largest 16gauge / 16AWG pins, since 16g wire fits them, & their larger size makes working with 18-22awg wire easier.
On my hand-made Platinum-Class mio harness & 24pin atx extension I make (& sell on eBay) I do not need the chassis here because I have the ax-1200i pinout from their cables set I own & published its pinout chart; this plug & play pre-built harness pair I've made will have a new owner who would put their ax-1200i on a table on cardboard:
Yours is an identical testing/verification ritual. 1st you solve your psu modular volt/ground pinout, then build your own harness, then bench-test it; you wouldn't hook my harness or your harness to a mio board w/out testing it first right?
You can interrogate the cables they gave you as well for id purposes, to make sense of the modular pinout. Way down I have posted typical device connector pinouts (sata/molex/pci-express etc), which you can use to solve for "x". Here is a link to common connectors & their voltage requirements; use this link to help solve the modular connector pinouts, by "tracing" known voltages at device end back to modular connector etc. This method could be called: interrogating the provided cable set at both connector ends:
Now that you know 100% what all the Corsair or similar psu's volt/ground pin assignments are on their modular panel, we'll develop a fast game-plan for 9 out of mio's 10 wire+pin needs. You need a harness before you can test it, so we'll try to build you one ...
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Cut to the Chase
There is no way to get around the fact a mio harness must be hand-made by somebody: whether it is me or you making it, the fact is, it will probably require backing psu pins out of a connector, attaching new psu pins (& perhaps solder for good measure) to a wire when needed, inserting pins into correct slots etc. Basic computer cable wiring is basically unavoidable here. It's a "project".
Pin removal/insertion video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUT5UI3Zrlo
We'll start w/pin removal, because a great place to get a mio harness is from out of a stock Area-51 harness - if you back the pins out right, you can re-use them - & begin attaching your modular connectors to it - :) (There is a section below on the pro's/cons of removing a stock mio from a stock harness)
If you have an actual psu pin removal tool (a sturdy thumbtack/sturdy needle/ safety-pin/tiny nail/mechanic's "pick" also works) - if you know how or are willing to try how to use these type tools - (youtube: how-to psu pin removal: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lgGiweAl-mU)(search for related videos) you can:
You'll be in prime position by having the entire stock mio harness to navigate your wiring job without color "confusion". The other end will have readily used pins on its wires. Clik clik clik into your modular connector(s) of choice & you're about done in no time:
With your mio harness liberated & its pins reset, if you're blessed by the fact your psu can use 6 &/or 8pin males, then try/buy empty 6/8 "males":
typical male 6pin, with side panel mount 'ears'
Typical Female 24pin Molex Series 5557 Mini-fit Jr. >< Typical Male 24pin Series 5559 Mini-fit Jr.
Terminals: Molex Mini-fit Jr. Female Series 5556 >< Male Series 5558 >< 16gauge pins advised
Molex Connector Charts (Black Connex etc)
above: Female Connex / House Female PSU Pins
Molex Series 5557 Mini-Fit Jr ><
Uses Series 5556 Female PSU Pins / Terminals: 16gauge pins recommended for all wiring jobs:
above: Male Connex / Houses Male PSU Pins / Typically used for Extensions
Part#'s Chart 1: Without Panel Mount 'Ears' (side tabs)
Molex Series 5559
Uses Series 5558 Male PSU Pins / Terminals ... 16gauge pins recommended for all wiring jobs:
below: Panel Mount With Ears
Other Sources for Male/Female Connex & Male/Female PSU Pins:
NOTE: As of May 10, 2015, Molex may be 'discontinuing' the production of some mini-fit jr connectors, as reported on Molex.com & Mouser.com
Example: Black 10pin female Glo-Wire, used for Corsair/Seasonic or your MIO 10pin, from the chart, part# is 50-36-1671, now 'planned for obsolescence' & 'end-of-life will be discontinued':
For ax1200i, you can buy standard 6/8pin empty "males". Using the 10pin Reference Photo, my ax-1200i pinout chart (further below) & your own solved pinout/data sketch you can then:
Using a fully liberated mio harness w/10pin, all 9 out of the 10 required voltage/grounds are easily & efficiently tapped by using the above strategy. As I said, we will talk about the 10th wire, "5vsb" in a bit. The decision to use or "not" use 5vsb will be your final hurdle before your wire job is done.
What we just learned is that:
- a pair of 6pin tapping connectors? -
I suppose one of you might figure out, yes, w/the right psu, you could power up mio w/a pair of 6pins strictly off the "sata-side" (not use an 8pin). I agree with that, if the psu tests positive for a pair of 12v pins per 6pin port:
- read this next section if you're removing the mio from a stock harness -
1.13.14 Edit: The stock harness uses a large 66pin "modular" connector; however, there are like 80 wires total, lol, which means a dozen or so wires are "jumped" together: two wires can get crimped to one pin. When you go to back mio's pins out of your 66pin bulk connector, a few of its wires are crimped to some other wire that goes off in a different direction. For me this is a non-issue, for you it might become one, since you'll have to separate them, "altering" the wire harness as the result. You have several options here:
Whatever the case, what I found is that when you back all 10 mio pins out, another wire will back out w/it on around 5 to 7 pins. What you'll see is one wire on top of another. If the mio wire is the bottom wire, good:
If your mio wire is on top? You deal with it this way:
I would advise these methods to retrieve the full mio harness with all or as many pins attached and reuseable as possible, since I know it works, but do allow for the probability things won't go for you as planned. My advice would be, have some new psu pins onhand just in case you damage a stock pin. If you're lucky, you can walk away after the method above w/all 10 pins intact, regardless some were "jumped" to some other wire. If not, be prepared to attach new pins as needed:
Also of note, the bulk connector uses a different style psu pin than normal:
these pins act like tongs, in the photo they are fully splayed, but w/a needle I could easily "shut them" ... they "move", lol, but they do clik into 6/8pin males just the same as molex pins do, after you repair/reset the lock arms of course. To remove the pin, I 1st take a mini-flathead, gently insert it & "close" one half of the pin head, then "close" the other half - like closing an open clam shell - til it looks more like a half-open clam shell. This step is usually necessary to help the actual pin removal tool slip down between the sides of the plastic & the metal pin to flatten the lock arms for pin removal, they then back out like normal psu pins should. Repair lock arms afterwards, resplay clam-shell, lol w/a needle/thumbtack (if it was closed prior for tool access):
Liberating the mio harness intact may or may not be a breeze for you. For me it is. Even if I repair 2-3 wires by putting on new pins, it's no biggy. Par for the course. The ability to work w/a full intact mio harness is worth the cost of a few psu pins & a little time lost in the end. When in doubt? Buy a used harness off ebay & have some new psu pins onhand. When in doubt? Take your stock harness to a local pc shop, get online & show them the Reference Photo, point at mio harness, say: "I want you to hook that to my psu". I doubt they charge much to do it. You can always get a quote for free ... Best of luck to you & your original mio harness ... End Edit
This is a finished product & I do think it's worth it to go the extra mile
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Other Harness Build Strategies Using the Same "Style" Connectors
Short of a liberated mio harness - or using new psu cables (w/some new pins) as material - a good source for connecting materials for your needs would be 6pin &/or 8pin male-to-male extensions. If you can't find any of those, you can back the pins out of a 24pin male/male extension - why? - for pre-made wires w/correct psu pins on both ends.
Online shops also sell individual wires like this, 8" is plenty, $1 a piece, these are qwik-n-painless, excellent material to begin with. Make sure you purchase 18 gauge wire, since that is what stock mio wire is rated at:
these Mod/Smart pre-sleeved wires were available on FrozenCpu.com, which might be out of business
PrimoChill.com is now stocking Mod/Smart products, contact them about pre-made wires.
MainFrame Customs has male/female pre-crimped 16Gauge wire in 6"/8" lengths & longer, nice to have when making a 24pin extension for ax1200i, whos 24pin atx uses primarily 16g wire:
You can also use standard issue male-female 6/8pin extenders; the male ends plug into your psu (when you have the right type):
These type of y-split extension harnesses provide twice the wire of a single extension; if you use this as harness/wire material, snip off the useless "female" end, apply new psu pins to form basis of your mio harness ... you can buy these sleeved probably too ...
With this method? The bulk of the time & labor lost are in apllying the new psu pins, & since we're using out-of-the-bag connectors/wires who are in no way "pre-wired" or pre-slotted for our needs physically or by color, (ylw's/blk's) you should back any pins out then re-order them so they qualify as ylw(+) blk (-). Bench test your harness before using it, to confirm all 10pins meet volt/ground specs.
When needed, back the pins out, put new pins on bare ends when called for, & when you're done you will've "tapped" & connected 9 wires making up 3-5-12v + ground.
I have posted quite a few finished mio harness photos & material choices in this posting; look at what some of your choices are, & hopefully what I said above will help you build 9 of 10 mio wires into your hand-made harness ...
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Different Approaches to Finding or Making a 10pin Mio Connector
You can look online for empty 10pins or liberate the whole thing off a stock harness, as said earlier. A stock mio 10pin can be gotten directly off your stock psu harness if you:
You can purchase a used stock harness on eBay to snatch a 10pin or whole mio harness from, or, fool with your own harness for now & buy a replacement down the road ...
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A Hand-made 10pin
Odd as it may sound, if you're one of those folks that do not want to fiddle w/your stock harness nor prefer to buy a used harness to fiddle w/then a working hand-made replica 10pin connector can be made of course from:
No matter what your source, for a typical 20/24pin psu connector, for example, there is a correctly keyed 5x5 ("10pin") section on it - in 2 potential places - that can be made into a suitable replica of a stock 10pin; by using a razorblade, utility knife, or dremel tool to cut the correct section out. I easily use a utility knife to widdle out home-made 10pin connectors. The correct 5x5 keyed sections have been circled in the photo below:
Look at the pic below, look at your stock 10pin, look at the Reference Photo, then make your replica on your connector candidate of choice.
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10pin harness from an 8- 12" 24pin extender
We've heard by now we can try 6/8pin males. We can take a male-female extender to get a male connector + wires. If you buy a 24pin male-female extender (but male to male is best since you have the "right" pins on both ends) - about 8-12" long? - you can make a 10pin out of it, but you can also have the basis of your wiring harness too if you cut off the female end (or back the pins out of male ends, lol). You'd have to attach new psu pins to those bare ends, slip those pins into whatever source your 6/8pin males come from ... we realize our wire colors are all wrong this way from the start, so, to fix that, back pins out, rearrange wires, steal wires of a better color from the discarded section. An 8" harness should reach any psu out there, but you may need a long m5ppl tapping wire. Maybe toss a couple extra bucks at a 24" extender, who knows. 24pin extenders are the root of a better workable solution to working with all ylw/all black wires from typical pci/cpu extensions.
Whatever your strategy, whatever materials you use, you still need to decide if m5ppl is to be standard 5v or the real deal 5vsb. Which is to say: where do we tap 5vsb from to begin with? What is 5vsb anyway?
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+5vsb power: what it is & why you need it
5vsb, 'stand-by' power for our purposes means when your stock psu is plugged in - but the pc itself is off - the stock psu feeds +5v 'stand-by' power to mio & mthrbrd - their stock ppl wires are "hot 5v" when the psu is plugged in/pc off - hence mio tell-tale led & mthrbrd led are lit, mthrbrd can charge usb devices:
You can not do a power supply swap & run your mio as Alienware & as nature intended it unless you tap 5vsb power somehow. To tap 5vsb from your new psu - w/out toying w/your new 24pin harness - you can buy a (short or long) 24pin male-to-female extender/extension/adapter.
ax-1200(i) would require 16awg to match its 24pin master harness wire/pin specification, & again, you can't use an extender on it's 2-part 24pin proprietary since they don't fit. Either buy a spare from Corsair to tap, use an extender @ mthrbrd end of harness, or tap the one they gave you at the chassis. Find the best method, & tap it - what are you waiting for?
The "other" way, & the best place to tap 5vsb is from your 24pin chassis connector @ the modular input in your case floor area, next to your mio harness. Before I mention "backing pins out", here is a link to using a stand-alone connector to quickly tap 24pin #9ppl 5vsb either on your 24pin master harness or more preferably an extension, (w/the right 16 gauge):
RadioShack/Advance Auto etc "Tap-In Squeeze Connectors" "Quick Splice"
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yJvndUqfgZA
If you tap your #9ppl master harness this way up top or down low, if you ever remove your psu (before you sell your pc for instance), you would remove that mating/tapping connector above, & consider a bottle of black "plasti-dip"/Liquid plastic. Put dabs on your #9ppl (Coarsair #9blk, lol) to mend & restore any insulation the connector bit into. Huh?
This is how I easily tap into 5vsb on a Corsair, Seasonic & Hale90 24pin mthrbrd harness at the modular/psu end:
Find 5vsb #9 on your 24pin harness; if the 24pin harness branches into a 10+14pin, 10+18pin or similar, trace where 5vsb branched off to, by sight or continuity test:
Below, I use a thick needle to make a "hole" through the wire I pulled up on (B) - to make a hole for insertion of the new tapping wire through. Strip the new wire (twist the ends) ... the new "blue" tap wire bare ends will insert "inside of" hole & rest "under" the crimped ppl wire (C). The psu pin should cradle the blue vinyl sheath as in photo "A", so stuff it in there good. You can slip heatshrink on to help hold them together & apply heat. Slowly compress/flatten top crimped wire to lay flat on new tap wire, (use mini-screwdriver to help coax wires into pin),& tightly crimp pin wing tabs tightly closed w/needle-nose, solder them together (C/D), reinsert in your connector (after you reset the lock arms):
Another good method, similar to above, is when you have the initial needle-hole through the ppl wire, & you stripped the "blue" wire end bare, & insert it into hole (A), when it comes through the hole, you can "split it", fork-ed, like a snake's tongue, like a Y, (B) then wrap the wire back around itself (C):
In photo C, wrap the two split ends back around the ppl wire, trim excess,lay ppl wire flat, apply hetshrink, crimp wing tabs closed, & solder it. Makes a good connection this way, the blue wire won't tug out ...
- 5vsb break away connector -
If you do a similar 5vsb tap method, chances are you'll want a brewak away connector for your tap wire. Without one, your mio harness purple wire will be directly tied to your 24pin (or 24pin style extension), joined at the hip ... no biggy ... but for ease of service I prefer to put a connector on my 5vsb tap wire. A typical 2pin or 4pin works nicely. For instance, make your tap wire 2 inches, put a new pin on its end & slip it in one half of a connector ... put a reciprocal pin/connector on your m5ppL wire ... unsnap it when m5ppl needs distached from 24pin ie when mio harness should distich from 24pin/extension.
Here are some Seasonic x-1250 harnesses I built for a UK forum member:
The main nthrbrd 24pin harness supplied w/the psu splits into a modular end pair (10pin+18pin), which need 6" extensions to reach the chassis. Here I've built individual 18pin & 10pin extensions, & the mio harness. On the 10pin extension - where 5vsb (purple) is tapped - I made a 2 inch tap wire & put a 4pin connector end on it. Mio harness wears the receiving 4pin connector; they plug together, & break away for service. See photos of my other harnesses; most wear a 5volt break away connector which allows 5vsb tapped from a 24pin source, or, "converted" to standard 5volts "jumped".
A pro splice n' dice job might work for you to "patch" a mio 5vsb wire into a 24pin harness or extension. You can look online / search videos for the many ways you can join & tap wires together ...
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Now that we know how to tap 5vsb, why do we need it again?
I do think this is an issue that needs addressed since to tap 5vsb is annoying. As we browse the original thread, we're told little more than the member integrated a Corsair 1200watter into his case, got pwr/grd for his 10 pin by tapping into his psu by:
Later he says:
That's all we're told. Clearly he did not & could not get 5vsb from a sata or molex. Clearly he got 5volts to his #5ppl - but - it wasn't 5vsb, which it couldn't be as described: his mio wasn't "hot 5v" while his pc is off but psu plugged in.
The master i/o is hot 5v when the psu is plugged in/pc off for reasons:
So when he says in his post-build thread: "full functionality" w/his mio w/just "sata+molex", I doubt it as I should. And so should you. In the interest of rewiring my mio 10pins w/5vsb I tap the 24pin or tap an extension & toss a break-away connector on plain & simple. Result? Full System Integration & you can quote me ...
- Turn m5ppl "5vsb" into "Standard" 5volts -
If we back-engineer what the original member might have done, we can assume he simply patched his m5ppl into a (red) 5volt psu pin port, maybe spliced it into an actual (red) 5volt wire (the dreaded "splice n dice w/black electrical tape job"), who knows. However, your mio will work if you send m5ppl "standard" 5volts grabbed from a 5volt psu source, it will work normal, but you lose what I call "5vsb features".
If it's too much, well I hear ya, but in the end, m5ppl has to get 5volts from somewhere, so Plan B is to find a standard 5volt source, right?, so long as you know the reasons why mio was designed to have 5vsb power will not & can not be availabe to it through just your sata/molex "standard " 5v source ... your psu - hence your mio - won't & can't go hot 5v on m5ppl 'til you turn your pc on, got it?
Apparently, the ax1200i has a pair of 5volt pins in its 6pin port (it is otherwise "unused" in their 4/5 wire sata/molex cables). That would be a great place to grab standard 5volts for your mio m5ppl wire.
If your sata port only has one 5volt pin, you can jump your ppl wire into your red wire/pin, (see jumping/tapping wires from earlier, above).
*** - Optional Jumper Method - ***
One method I use to "jump" standard 5volts to m5ppl, is I mate a 2" red jumping wire into my m10red pin. I insert this jumped pair into the psu 5volt slot of the 6pin (sata) connector. From there, I crimp male psu pins on the red jumper & ppl wire ends, pop a 4pin female on them.
I then assemble a reciprocal 4pin male w/a one inch "bridge wire" which can "cap" the 4pin female connector, so m5ppl "gets" 5volts from the jumped red wire, see photo:
With the simple method above, 5volts (dual red wires) is sent to two places:
If you or anybody else ever want to go back & grab real 5vsb off a 24pin (or 24pin extension) - you can ---> simply pop the male 4pin bridge cap off & plug in your new 4pin male w/5vsb wire tapped from a 24pin, as in the photo below:
With this method, "tapping" w/a 2" red wire, using a break away connector w/or w/out a bridge cap, will allow your mio the option to have standard 5volts OR 5vsb, depending on your mood ... sweet ...
Again, in the photo below, mio (left) has this same application & is wearing a removable 4pin male bridge cap to "turn" ppl wire into standard 5v, but the situation is totally reversible & it can wear a 4pin male tapped into a 24pin at anytime so ppl can get real 5vsb ...
The bare mio (right) you can see I jumped/tapped the red 5v wire ... it too will wear a 4pin female connector which can accept a 4pin male setup whichever way your 5volts design calls for:
If you have questions about what I'm calling the "Optional Jumper Method", & an explanation of what the three photos from above are telling you, just ask ...
In a nutshell:
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Are we having fun yet?
By now we've done a crash course in how to work with the Corsair ax1200i, all power grounds were tapped & you either tapped 5vsb off a 24pin or by-passed the step & tapped 5v from the psu instead & made m5ppl standard 5v by use of some form of y-split or jump method. Your harness should be done now.
This simple harness test is safe. The harness isn't plugged into anything, soooo. If any of your volt/ground pins fail this test? It's an indication a pin is in the wrong slot, either in the psu connector(s) or mio's 10pin. You can remove your harness, probe mio's 10pins relative to psu connector end(s) with a full-blown continuity test, find which pin(s) is/are wrong, back it out, put it in right slot etc
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SeaSonic x-1250
The build quality of Seasonic demands we look into its 6pin sata ports as sources for all 3-5-12v-grd (pwr/grd). Inspecting its 12pin (6x6) ports, we see it keys up to either a hand-made 12pin, or a pair of 6pin pci-e males w/out center locks, as a fall-back in case you don't want to cut up a new cable or buy one, or can't find an empty 12pin ...
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NZXT Hale90 v1
In an all 8pin "universal" modular layout like Hale90 v1, where the front modular panel can power every supplied 8pin cable & connector type they give you on every port, to find 3-5-12v grd - to define & solve their final "4x4" pinouts - you gain much insight for your data sheet by looking at & probing the cables they gave you, trace known wires back to pins etc. - then for certainty I would take their 8pin male cpu/graphics cable & 8pin sata/molex cable, hot-wire psu "on", find a known ground pin, use my voltmeter & resolve their 8pin in a matter of moments. I can do just as much with an 8pin extender: find ground & probe all pins.
To solve one of their 8pins is to solve all of their 8pins:
Hale90 v1 can accept a standard male 8pin "power/cpu" connector- & because it can - mio can mate to it quickly & easily after you solve one of their 8pin port pinouts, find 3-5-12v grd, tap it accordingly for mio.
What this tells us is that any single 12volt rail psu w/an all 8pin panel can probably be used in our Area 51 w/almost no trouble. I am not telling you to buy a Hale90, I am telling you that if you buy one like it - when it gets there - do what I did & test one of its ports - solve its pinout - then tap it correctly with standard male 8pins in any port you choose. Mio will need ground quads, & mathematically the 8pin port on this psu carries 12v triplets ground trips. It does not carry 4 ground pins per 8pin port: you will factor in the need for two male connectors to tap all pwr/grounds with -or- use the y-splitter / jumper trick for the last ground & cut your connector count down to one. Tap 5vsb if you can, y-split/jumper stndrd 5v if not.
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What have we learned ...
By solving a master i/o wire connector scheme for the 6pin + 8pin front modular panel like Corsair ax1200(i), the formula for a master i/o connector scheme for all single 12v rail power supplies on the market like it may have been solved: tap their 6/8 with your 6/8 & follow the provided directions. For an all 8pin like Hale90 v1, one or two male 8pins is the cure. The simplicity of Hercules 1600 w/stndrd 6/8pin. Any fully modular single 12v rail psu on the market should be a good candidate for inclusion in your Area51, if they're using standard 6/8 or a derivative.
We learned that some companies design their modular panel ports (Hale90 v1 8pin) where anything can plug into one port: sata, molex, graphics card. We learned from Corsair (6/8pin) that they chose to give sata/molex on one side (6pin) & exclusive 12v-grd ("graphics/cpu") on the 8pin. Corsair ax-i, Hale90v1/Hercules, they will all wire into an Area51 in their own unique way on top of the fact you'll make your own unique harness. There IS no best way. There IS no one way. There are many ways. It's a drain to think about it, lol. If in a year from now, 100 people have used this article to install a new psu, & we all met up in Albuquerque for a convention: would it surprise us if we each had some variation on a theme? No two wire jobs alike? Uh huh.
I think we're about to the end of this discussion for now. Let's go over a few final things, & then I'll let you browse newegg for candidate psu's to consider. You won't see psu's the same way again now will ya ?????
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Distilling it all
Using random materials I was able to make a custom harness
Your finished product can be as imaginative as your starting materials
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Mop-Up Work: Other Tasks & Considerations
The psu fan faces up. The ventilation area now admittedly isn't ideal, but, this is unavoidable: "c'est la vie" say the old folks. You would of course need to be extra careful while working inside the case so screws etc do not fall inside the psu case, since mounting the fan upright isn't negotiable:
Also notice your stock psu rear black honey-comb trim plate requires a vertical wall plug mount & no provision for an on/off switch; you may or may not be able to re-use that trim, so buying a "spare" trim on eBay & modding it is a good idea.
The 1st daunting task of note is removing the old psu & its entire harness. To get at the top stock cpu 8pin, the hard drive bay door panel must come off, & the full plastic hdd bay trim & its led light as well in order to both remove the old 8pin cpu connector & route your new 8pin:
cpu cable routed along back sill; I was lucky I didn't need an extension
The "extension-less" work around is to route your cpu cable along the back sill & hope it reaches the port, or, re-use your (a) stock cpu 8pin harness:
Moving on, you must disassemble some of the interior to get at the stock harness sata connections behind the pci fan housing / remove your videocard(s) to get @ & remove the 24pin mthrbrd harness connector. Here's an Area-51 teardown video link on youtube by A-ware if you need a tad more more help with basic parts removal:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgt9IX1ORuM You can also consult your owner manual, & adobe pdf service manual. What you need to do to install a new psu in your case should be rather obvious if you stare at it long enough.
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- a mthrbrd harness extension? Say it ain't so ... -
Will you need a '24pin' mthrbrd harness extension? Area-51 is an ultra-tower, it's oversized; most mthrbrd harnesses are a standard 24" long, & so is our stock mthrbrd ATX harness.
The reason our stock 24" mthrbrd harness "reaches" the stock psu is:
From what I've seen, most psu brands orient the mthrbrd ports over on the left;
If your new mthrbrd cable just doesn't want to reach, there are a few things you can do about it. Your new mthrbrd cable will have two ends:
The 1st thing to try is to unscrew the black cable mngmt snap organizer, "drop it down"; it can/will orient to "other" lower case wall screw holes. If dropping it down doesn't help, you can temporarily remove it - & check if that helps your mthrbrd harness to reach - if so, you can always reinstall it after you find or figure out what type of extension you'll need
To help get my Asus to work w/my stock psu, I dropped the cable mngmnt "thingy" down a rung, choosing different holes to align it to the tray; that may or may not help w/your stock mthrbrd & harness to reach (sata ports might be in the way) but it's worth a try
If you reach the point you know you need an extension, they are easily found on eBay & online pc shops etc - a basic 24pin extension - after your mthrbrd 24pin comes out of the cable organizer, (whether you lowered the cable organizer or not) you plug your mthrbrd's 24pin end into it, & the extension does the rest. A 4" extension or so should suffice, & if you "tap" the purple 5vsb wire for your mio harness, you'll need to work an 18"-24"-30" wire into the scheme as the result.
My cases have windows; I didn't place my mthrbrd extension "up top" where I can see it, I made my own extension "down below" @ the modular end:
my 7" hand-made ax1200(i) mthrbrd extension; 5vsb (w/break away connector) taps on the extension, not the main mthrbrd harness ...
Hand-making your own extension takes a bit of work. For the ax1200i extension above, I started w/a new 24pin ax1200i harness, I snipped off the 10+14 end to about 7", applied 24 new psu pins & popped on new 10+14 reciprocal connectors & sleeved it. I take this route to ensure I'm using genuine materials made from genuine cables; yours could be a similar situation.
Alternatively, I could buy a typical 8" 24pin extension like this one:
If I'm making an extension for ax1200i, which uses a dual 10+14 modular end, I'd back off both the unusable 24pin ends, & pop new 10+14 male&female connectors on it, while tapping 5vsb also, plain & simple.
Alternatively, knowing I'd have to buy 10+14 male/female connectors, I could buy pre-sleeved wire like below as my material, & assemble a custom 10+14:
this pre-made 8" wire has new male & female psu pins @ both ends; granted, @ $1 a piece you'd need 24 of them, but these are so easily worked with, you can't exactly let $25-$30 stop your psu swap. This is also less labor-intensive then backing all 46 pins out of the pre-made extension from earlier above.
Keep in mind that if you begin your install w/a standard 24pin extension & you take my advice by jumping standard 5volts & using a bridge cap to make mio pin5 purple standard 5volts, you should have things squared away to at least begin using your new psu, & you'll have all the time in the world to go back, rethink things, & possibly work the kinks out of your wiring/connecting scheme.
The new ax1500i comes w/an extra-long 28" mthrbrd harness which might reach, but I do offer a mini 3" extension for it, for no other reason than tapping 5vsb off of it, & not fooling w/the original cable. If you have a better idea or solution for dealing w/standard-issue mthrbrd harnesses in the A-51, let us know ... I myself have found that a hand-made extension that hides in the case floor & gets its 5vsb wire tapped is about the best solution, all-be-it a hand-full to fabricate start-to-finish.
How To: Custom Individually Sleeved Set
- A Basic ax1200i / ax1500i 24pin Extension -
An AwareClub Member's bought nice individually sleeved types for ax1200i/1500i
-![box - Copy.JPG]()
We're going to integrate his new cable set into his beloved Area-51: to do so requires special cables. Oh joy.
This brand of specialty cable set was chosen since it uses soft flexible parachute-cord (paracord) individual wires sleeving, & so will streamline their way throughout all 4 corners of Dream Land. I'll comb through these knowing he needs the vitals, but I can 'burn' a few extras. As is typical, he gets two cpu cables, so I home in on the spare Cpu-Eps 8pin as my material. Here. I'll walk through making an extension. Later? I'll walk you through the m i/o 10p harness, using an extra molex cable I can burn for the 10pin. Connectors are shown late; I'll be outfitting these w/some new psu male & female 16gauge pins, force crimped & soldered. 1st, I back the pins out of the cpu 8pin. B4 backing out pins I insert a solid-metal rod inside the pin 1st, so it doesn't smoosh when I use my filed down screwdriver tip to extract it - compress the pin's locking wing tabs one side at a time ...
Both ends of the cpu 8pin have had their pins backed out: I have 8 wires, but I have 16 'factory' psu pins to work with, since it is double-ended![7658.PTDC0005.JPG]()
Most cpu 8pins are 24" long, this one is 27.5" (700mm). The basic premise: cut each wire into thirds. 8-wires x three = 24 wires. One cpu cable is enough material to make my 24-wire extension. For each wire? I'll have two new smaller wires w/factory pins, here each is cut down to 7.5" & will need to be outfitted w/a new male psu pin of course. The 'center wire' will need one male & one female psu pin applied. The cpu 8pin connector? I'll use that later on for the mio harness, to tap three 12v & four grounds 'in one fell swoop'. The molex cable will supply the 6pin for 3v & 5v. I'm about to integrate 5volts stand-by: I'll tap it right here right now:![1362.PTDC0014.JPG]()
Blessed with an eight-wire 27" cpu cable, if I cut each 27" wire up into 'thirds' I get my 24 'wires' for my 24pin extension. My target length for each wire is 7.5": two wires @ 7.5" = 15", so I have 12.5" piece leftover. For the rest of the wires? I cut that 12.5" down to 7.5" of course & toss the scrap. For 5volts stand-by? I make an exception. Above - @ about the 7.5" mark - I score the insulation off: 1/2 the exposed wire will insert into a new psu pin, I will fold it back over on itself & allow the 5" remnant to become my 5vsb 'tapping wire' (below)
7.5" end (top) gets a new female pin. The 5" jumper pin will be housed in a 4pin connector later.
In Part 2, I'll give the master i/o harness a reciprocal 4pin, so it can grab 5VSB on "#9 Ppl" from the pin above![6253.PTDC0019.JPG]()
16 wires had factory female pins. 8 wires I had to apply my own females. On the left side? Crikey! I have to apply 24 new male pins on that side. For a matching specialty harness like this I've got my work cut-out for me.
![_4118.PTDC0025.JPG']()
ax1200i - ax1500i get a 10pin & 14pin on the end of the 24p atx cable. I've bought male & female 4p 10p & 14p connectors. Now that all my wires are dressed w/new pins, time to plop 'em in their slots![6175.PTDC0034.JPG]()
Did I say plop 'em in their slots? I meant: about time to get paid. Finished. ax1200i ax1500i have the bottom half of their modular panel orient so that the connectors pop in upside down. Like in the photo above, the 10p & 14p pop in upside down; I compensate for this on the left end, by giving the wire routing a pre-twist, making sure the left end, the one which connects into the real 24p (10p + 14p) atx mthrbrd main harness, has the positive latches facing 'up'. Here he gets a two-piece extension. If I was using just bare wires for this build, I would have 'sleeved it' before popping the modular ends on. A one-piece extension, as in my other photos
- Building the MIO 10Pin w/the Same Cable Material -
The cable set provided a 21" molex cable (21" between modular 6p & 1st molex head), so I cut the molex head off, backed the 4wires from the molex 6pin modular connector, cut each of the 4 wires into thirds, netting twelve 7" wires. Four have factory pins. MIO needs 10 wires, so I apply new pins to the remainders.
w/pins on both ends & my connector materials (4p, 6p, 8p,10p) I'm ready to pop pins into correct slots.
Pay Day: ax1200i is now ready to go into A-51. The proper way
edit: I later designed & sent a Sneaky Pete adapter
the long 14p extension won't be used, just the little 10p 5VSB tapping adapter above
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Probable Parts List
A broad list of the probable gear you might need to scare up:
***Note: psu companies, like Corsair etc, dis-allow user to install male cable connectors into psu ports that they didn't provide & pinout for you. You can apply "extenders" etc to the device ends of their cables, no doubt, but you should not plug males into the modular chassis end, not until YOU pin them out first, right? Right. If you apply an 8pin male to your old cpu/mthrbrd cable, with the intent to re-use it due to its longer size, no need for extender etc, YOU HAVE TO PIN IT OUT CORRECTLY ON YOUR 8pin MALE MODULAR END BEFORE YOU PLUG IT IN. The cpu mthrbrd end has to see 12v+grd, so your male end has to pinout correctly for 12v + grd at the psu panel. Use your master chart, pinout the male with it so the old harness gets ground on its 4 blacks, & 12v on its whites & blue-whites pairs....
"Re-using" your stock cpu 8pin cable by putting a new male end onto it to tap your psu pwr/grd is a MODIFICATION. Pin it out correctly, & yes you can re-use it without the need to remove it, route a new one, & possible pay for the use of an $8 cable extender ... that's my thrifty side talking to your thrifty side
*Likely places to get or order gear: Newegg.com MicroCenter.com TigerDirect Frys eBay Performance-pcs PrimoChill.com MainframeCustoms
Your various sundries will be more or less depending on your overall plan
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edit 9.15.15 How-To: Corsair HX1200i
- New HX1200i shares same familiar Type3 pinout as ax1200i / ax1500i / similar Corsair psu's -
Corsair Ribbon Cables10p MIO / 24p Extension / Cpu 8p Extension
Two forum member hired me to make custom Corsair swap cables for RM & HX series so you'll find both builds below; black ribbons are used in some models like RM850 / Hx1000i & 1200i / ax1500i etc.
On 'all' Corsair 24pin ATX cables the modular psu end branches into a 10pin & 14pin, so in order to make a '24pin' extension I'll make 10p / 14p extensions. Got it? See photos. The 24 inch CPU 8p cable they provide's a tad short so I'll make it a matching 8pin extension. The mio 10pin will be made from ribbons of course where on HX I'll slap on 6p/8p ends & for RM a pair of 6p ends in order to tap power for the 10p mio.
5VSB is present on the 24pin ATX cable, more precisely, since it branches into 10p/14p, 5VSB is on the 10p section, & it was 'tapped / jumped', using a 4pin break-away connect as I normally do. Find the HX / RM ribbon-builds below:
here I've started with a new 24pin ATX ribbon, I'll cut the 10p / 14p branch (psu end of cable) off:
above: the beginning of a short 5VSB tap wire: aka 'jumper'. right now the ribbons are 8.5" long
below: my target length is 7"; I trim all ribbons down to 7" except 5VSB wire; 5VSB wire is 8.5" long from above, right?; I attach a male pin to it at the 7" mark, flip it back, slap another pin on it; it's one wire, all I've done is strip some insulation off at the 7" mark to help create the 'jumper':
above: factory end w/new pins left >< I attach 24 male pins + 5VSB 'break-away male pin'
below: I didn't take photos of the entire build, finished product shown. MIO 10pin wears 6p/8p modular ends, 4p break-away for 5VSB; bottom is the 10p/14p ATX extension; MIO plugs in for tapped 5VSB:
above: new 24inch 24p ATX (right) plugs into 10p/14p extension for demonstration
MIO10p + CPU8p extension. Owner also ordered H100i GTX baby-Mind-Meld liqwid-kooler adaptor
- Corsair Ribbons for RM Series -
above / below making the mio 10-wire 10pin from a 5-wire & 4-wire ribbon + discrete solo-5vsb wire. the left ends wear factory psu pins, the right ends are hand-crimped & soldered. Factory pins come from backing off un-needed connectors from sata/peripheral cpu cables etc
above / below making the 10pin extension
above / below the 14pin extension
ready for shipping & install
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Proven Pinout Chart: Corsair ax1500i
*each SATA 6pin port gets x2 5volt pins, one is used to power SATA devices, one is unused in the 6pin connector:
ax1200i/1500i have interchangeable cables & thus have identical pinouts across the board in the sata 6pin & cpu/pci-e 8pin, as well as mthrbrd 10+14
ax1200i Proven Pinout
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tap these front panel pins correctly? AlienFx is yours
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Proven Pinout Chart: Original Corsair ax1200
![22071102313l.jpg]()
Drastic changes between ax1200 & ax1200i
note sq sq sq / u u u 6pin, & a solid VGA 8pin
We see a serious revision between ax1200 & ax1200i in the front panel fixed pinout: the 6/8pin connectors & their pin assignments both changed:
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Finding 3v 5v 12v Grd on ax-1200i Cable Set
No matter what psu you decide to use, you need to solve its front panel fixed pin assignments; do a full pinout. You'll find all 3-5-12v grd pins during a safe "bench" test - on a table or in your case - but not with the psu plugged in anywhere to your motherboard.
All cables will have two ends to them:
ID / investigate volts/grounds of both sides of your cables to make sense of them on both ends. Their cables will have universal "device connector ends" which plug into your motherboard, video card, dvd, hard drive etc. (that end of the cable which plugs into your 'device' / the device end):
Although the device end has to be identical for all PSU cables, the 'psu modular connector end' of the supplied cable that plugs into your psu chassis is pinned out in whichever way the psu front panel is pinned out by the manufacturer:
Since most of the MIO 10Pin harnesses I make use one 6pin Sata/Molex & one 8pin CPU, out of the pouch I'll grab a Sata cable & Cpu cable:
For instance, ax-1200i comes with an industry standard 8pin cpu "device-end" mthrbrd connector. It's top row of pins (5-8) has to be 12volts x4. Its bottom row (1-4) has to be ground x4. Yet at the modular end of their 8pin cpu cable? It's reversed: (5-8) 12v x4 are on the bottom row, (1-4) ground is x4 are on the top the row. So long as the modular end & device end pins out ok, it is safe to use their cable. If you run a continuity test on their provided cpu 8pin cable, for instance you will discover these issues. In other words, Corsair says not to plug in anything to their psu which is not their cable:
As I was saying, the device end must be pinned correctly for volts/grounds, & the modular end must be pinned out correctly for volts-grounds. When we look at the industry standard pinout charts for sata/peripheral/6+2, cpu 8pin etc, we can compare them - use them as landmarks - against the manufactures cables at the modular ends, & divine 3-5-12v grd w/continuity tests just as easily as if we were bench testing the psu "on" with a voltmeter & probing its pins for the same information:
For 5v+12v+grd, look at the industry standard pinout photos, take your peripheral cable, sata cable, 8pin cpu cable, probe their device end connector pins at known 3-5-12v-grd connector pin locations with continuity tests on the other modular end connector(s) pins, & eventually the true picture (the grid) emerges as to what their front panel fixed pin assignments are for 3-5-12v grd; based on "which slots/rows" the pins are in that the modular end is tapping the psu from, & what the device end(s) are eventually seeing on their known pin assigments inside their industry standard connectors.
If you buy that psu, or any other, as I said, perform a safe bench test with psu "on", no cables connected yet, probe bare fixed front panel pins, find all 3-5-12v-grd, create a master sketch of front panel & modular male connectors. Inspect their cables with continuity tester, probing the device end fixed pins relative to modular end fixed pins, reconfirming your master sketch of the front panel & modular male fixed pinout assignments.
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Proven Pin-out Chart: SeaSonic x-1250xm / Xfx Pro 1250
original x-1250xm (see below for 2nd generation x-1250xm2)
A suitable x-1250 Master I/O Harness might look similar to the one I've built here. Note 5vsb is tapped w/its own break-away connector
2014 / 2015 Newer Seasonics & Revised Front Panel PinOuts
X-1250 XM2 | Platinum 1200 XP3 | Snow Silent 1050
Seasonic X 1250 |1050 XM2
![DSC_9201_S.jpg]()
Seasonic revised the X-series 1050 | 1250w inside & out, which includes subtle changes to the front panel modular connector types, numbers & voltage assignments, making it a different power supply from the older XM1.
For your MIO 10pin, tap into a 6pin & 8pin port, 5VSB pin is shown
Seasonic SS-1200XP3 Platinum 1200 & 1050w
I own a new cable set for p1200; the front panel pinout's proven by continuity test & internal Seasonic pdf document related to all their psu wiring. Nothing's changed about the way Seasonic pins out the 6pin (type1/aux) or 10+18pin (mthrbd output). They've dropped the 12pin look & exchanged it for all 8pin pci-e jacks, who's 12volt pins lie on the bottom row as new revision.
6pin sata/molex (unused slot probably = 12v) >< 8pin cpu >< 8pin pci-express (unused slot = 12v)
Seasonic Snow Silent 1050w
HOW TO: Seasonic XM2 Platinum 1200 Snow Silent Swap Cables
Since the newer Seasonics are using the same front panel pinout, they can all share cables & all come with a sleeved 24pin & flat ribbons, the cables I made for a forum member can help guide you through your Seasonic swap. For starters I tackled the 5VSB jumper as follows:
Later I'll be making 7" cables, so for the 5VSB wire the idea will be a 7" wire with a 3" jumper; the easiest solution for me is to take a wire, remove the insulation, expose bare wire & crimp it to a pin
one wire folded over on itself - I'll solder it to the pin also - later I will put new pins on the wire's ends
The Seasonic 24pin ATX will branck into a 10pin & 18pin end, which plug into the front panel. As usually happens I will make a 7" 10p/18p extension. Above, I have 27 black wires, I've attached new male & female psu pins to the ends, & I have male / female 10p/18p connectors. My 5VSB wire is shown left, with 'jumper', using the technique from earlier. Since the male psu pins are pointy, I do not want the sleeve to snag later on, so I'll push the male pins into the male connectors 1st
next I'll add sleeve, heatshrink etc.
above, sleeve & heatshrink go on 1st, then I push the female pins into the female connectors, use a ziptie, cover with heatshrink. Same routine for the 18p below:
10p 18p extensions are finished. Next, a basic CPU 8pin extension
a 24" CPU 8pin ribbon was cut down to 6"; I apply new male pins & will push them into a new male 8p
MIO 10pin next:![MIO (2) - Copy.JPG]()
b4 / after. I've taken a pair of sata 5-wire ribbons. The target length is 7", but for my 5VSB wire I need about 4" extra. To begin, I cut an 11" ribbon, I leave the 5VSB wire alone (leave it 11") & I cut the other 4 wires down to 7". Next, apply new female psu pins at both ends (& added a sleeve to the 5VSB wire)
connectors & I simply push the pins into the correct slots
Below? Pay Day ...
Proven Pin-out Chart: Nzxt Hale90 V2 1200 watt
Cpu 8pin = 12v x4 + Grd x4 / Pci-e 8pin = 12v x3 + Grd x5 / Peripheral-Sata = 3v Grd 5v Grd 12v
Proper Hale90 mio harnesses might look similar to the two I've built here; the blk harness is tapped 5vsb while the white harness can optionally "by-pass" 5vsb - purple & red can be "jumped" w/a small jump wire - or - purple can go hot like the blk harness ---> where red is "unused"...
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Proven Pin-out Chart: Antec HCP-1300 Platinum
I dig this high-power psu - made by Delta for Antec - I'll build a few mio harnesses for sale (eBay) out of my hcp-1300 cable set, create the pinout chart & post photo of harness 3.21.14
simplicity: verified: 03.19.14
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My Seasonic x-1250 swap
2.14.15 Edit: I removed the Ss1250 & put it in my baby ALX, moved up to a 1500w, later, below
I took a novel approach to my own Seasonic x-1250 psu swap by keeping my cable set new in its pouch, & employing the stock harness instead for all power/ground circuits; essentially, I broke the stock harness down to its constituent parts, attached the correct modular fittings to all the seperate cables, & invented a mthrbrd harness extension. The result is a new psu & tailor-made tailor-fit cables for Area-51:
I have plenty of wire, pins & connectors here to do damage when I want to, so not that I did, but someone like you would want to cut your new 24" pci-e cables in half & make two cables out of one:
Whether I'd employed Seasoic's 24" mthrbrd harness or the 24" stock harness, both would have required the hand-made extension; Seasonic's approach to their mthrbrd harness modular connectors is a seperate 10pin + 18pin (see front panel photo) so my extension - which was a must - called for additional 10pin & 18pin male/female connectors & 6" of correct color/gauge wires, new male/female psu pins & about 2 hours of my time to make the mthrbrd harness extension. I bought a spare rear blk psu honey-comb trim plate, zipped it where needed with a dremel-tool to accommodate the rear psu on/off switch, so now it fits & is a welcome sight. All in all, this is an install I'm quite pleased with & proud of; x-1250 has my approval: it's a winner, a nice trump card over stock, using hand-made cables at all points
center, you can see the hand-made 10+18pin mthrbrd harness extension
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Xfx Pro 1250 for my Asus-51
For my Pro 1250 install, I kept the cable set new in pouch & purchased a new Corsair ax1200 cable set so I could run all-black cables to match the Sabertooth z87 mthrbrd. The cables were all hand-done, custom rebuilt & reworked to work on the Xfx front panel pinout, & some changes to other cables to better fit inside DreamLand. The hard drive sata cables were cut down from a four connector to a two connector, like the stock ones are.
2.14.15: I scrapped most of this ax1200 harness last summer & re-did my cables using an upgraded 16gauge ax1200i set. The vid-cables shown here are now being used in my baby ALX, where I removed the ferrite-cores at the ends (used to improve signal qwality I assume)
Pro1250 wears the custom-made Corsair ax1200i cable set I made for it for a stealthy install. A mandatory bench-test was performed after the photos were taken, by plugging the psu in, jump-starting it on, & probing every cable/pin for correct output. You would do the same, verifying any new cables you've made, like your mio & mthrbrd extension (if you made one)
Most 24" mthrbrd harnesses "dead-end" @ the case wall; if the psu's mthrbrd port is all the way over on the other side then the main harness can't reach; I've solved this time & time again by making a 6"-8" extension, which can be tapped 5vsb, span the necessary gap, & stay stealthy in the case floor. This to me is a better scheme, rather than trying a 24pin extension coupling up top at the blak snap-lok
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Nzxt Hale90 v2 1200 in my Lunar-51
I keep my Hale90 black ribbon-cable set new in the pouch, & I've custom-made a cable set for this build using a new Antec HCP-1300 set I had, & rebuilt it to Hale90/A51 specs & correct new modular connectors when needed. I chose Antec 1300 cables because they use upgraded 16g wire where it counts & I like the black look to 'em as well. They seldom use 18g wires, but when/where they did in a few spots, I modded them to 16g specs by jumping a 20g wire along w/the 18g --> where an 18g + 20g = 16g (=
I hand-made the 7" 24pin extension, 3-wire sense extension, & master i/o harness. Topping it off, this Hale90-Meets-Antec-Meets-Area51 cable set also uses gold-plated Molex psu-pins throughout.
Edit: 02.14.15
On a Theoretical Approach to the Area-51 r2 1440w Psu Swap
I've made a new companion post here, the title says it all:
Below, in a long series of photos I've made a temporary proto-type case harness & discussed the theory behind it, followed by an actual custom harness that was made in June, months later:
- You're looking at one of the 1st - if not the 1st - R1's to house the r2'S Delta 1.44kW psu -
Psu was purchased on eBay by me on GroundHog Day, was removed from a new r2, got it for $235 shipped w/full case harness & 3way sli ready.
- It sparked to life on February 8 >< I am a founding member of R1.44 Nation -
This Delta is sold by Alienware as a 1500watt psu. It wears a 1500watt max output sticker. It can hit 1500w, but only when the minor volts 3.3/5 help it inch its way there. It also wears a 1440w max 12v rating on that same sticker. It's rated at 1440w max 12v, it is a 1440w psu as the result. By comparison, ax1500i can hit 1500w on its 1500w 125a 12v-rail, EVGA T2 hits all 1600w on its 133a rail. This Delta is rated to max out at 120amps / 1440w on the 12v side, so it's a 1.44kW psu. Semantics & fudging are used for them to label it a 1500, go figure, padding the bra & stuffing a sock down the front don't count in my book nor on the open market's book ... 1500 alienwatts ...
Custom hand-made connex wires adaptors & harnesses to get it to work. This is a prototype kit; I will go back & do something better later on, probably using an all-black case harness
cut your rear trim to fit the new plug
Proven Pinout Diagram for r2's Delta Front Panel
pin numbers from chart on left are relative to the mthrbrd 24pin Slots 1-24
'Jumps' on the blu/wht connectors, illustrated below: note daisy-chained grounds
Sata Row: org3.3v red5v blu12v blk grounds ... all three bottom slots are ground, middle slot 'unused'
CPU Row: r2 gets a cpu + pci-e 'all-in-one cable' that 'shares' all three 6pin ports. 12v's & Grounds
top left & top right of the 24pin atx blk (R13) & red (R15)
bottom left & bottom right of the 24pin atx blu (R14) & wht (R16)
Pci-e Video Cables Row: all grounds top >< all 12v's bottom
the Stock r2 Undersized 19 Inch MthrBrd 24Pin Harness Inside Your Case:
when using the black snap-lok, 24p's way too short to reach
Our stock 24p? It's a 24incher, & I use/make 7inch 24p extensions.
Target length for any 24pin is 24+7 = anywhere from 30inches to 32inches + or - overall length
The r2 24p is only 19 inches long: you need a 10inch min, but a 12inch 6p extension best (?)
pci-e 6wire 6pin male-female extension - above - might be your new best friend (eBay $5 ea)
if using foot-long (30cm 300mm) extensions like above, maybe a good time to tap the eqwivalent of the 5vsb pin in a toss-away cable like above ... (= *** (blu 6pin in the r2 24p houses 5vsb purple wire)
We'd imagine whatever we're about to do with 6pin extensions as either four separate 6pin extensions or one hand-made fat extension (w/4 6pin heads on both ends). In other words, were it me, I'd probably buy four of the typical pci-e extensions shown above, pop the 4 female heads off (the heads that house the female psu pins) & sleeve them all up it into 'one cable' w/4 heads at both ends:
Is there room right there to mate four new 6pin males to that blk blu red wht female group?
Using (or buying) a stock r2 24pin is a good idea of course since it is pinned out exactly the way it needs to be inside the blk blu red wht 6pins shown. Pan down right now to the photo below, you can see that when the blk blu red wht are all plugged into the Delta's front panel? the 24p head's too short:
remember: the basis of the discussion I'm having is the theoretical approach to the stock r2 24pin:
above: I plugged blu blk red wht into the psu, & guess what? the head's all wrong. The other form of extension we can try is the fast good-old-fashioned 24pin extension, right? You can't plug a typical 24pin extension on that end though, it won't fit in the snap-lok. Is now the time to forgo the blk snap-lok? I don't know.
look at the photo above & many of you might say: pop a 6" 24p extension on the 24p head, route it to the right & be done with it, forget snap-lok! Crude but effective, gentlemen ...
$5 eBay: 6" (15cm) 24pin atx extension ... & call it a day?
plugged into psu. it might barely reach if you forgo the black snap-lok organizer: it's a very close-call. In this photo, this is a pure attempt at NO EXTENSIONS. Straight from psu to mthrbrd 24p port. On day one? You can try this. If no good? Buy up 6p or 24p extension(s) and post-pone install, lol.
If you get away w/a scenario like in the above photo, you'd decide next if you're going to tap the blu 6pin end which houses the purple 5VSB wire & route your tapped jumper to your new mio cable - or - forget tapping 5VSB & turn your mio's 5vsb pin into 'standard' 5 volts, after you've jumped or tapped into a standard 5v line off of one of the psu's sata-molex port trio 6pin ports, right?
When using the stock r2 24pin, game-plan for how you wish to treat your mio pin5 (ppl):
The discussion on how to handle the r2 24p is getting complicated, right? Extensions, snap-lox, 5vsb, which end is best, tap the blu 6pin for 5vsb, tap a 6p extension instead ... good grief ... moving on ...
In all my cases, I use the sata data cables to help hold the harnesses to the wall (below, see my black cables behing data cables) so look at the photos again; for this r2 24pin, you already know the video-card will dictate what that round cable does right there @ the 'sata port area' & whether forgoing the black snap-lok will help that 19incher reach. This was my high-anxiety install day, I knew I wasn't using that 24p so din't install my vid-card to see if it'd still reach. I see now I'll have to go back & take another look for everyone, missed my opportunity here. We all might use different vid-cards, so, who can say:
what happens at the circled area (& below it too) with your vid-card(s) will dictate if you need a 24p extension when using the original stock r2 24pin mthrbrd harness, shown above
All my cases have a window, so I would never pop a 24p extension on the head; I make/hide all my connections in the floor area. I've tried to outline here that you do at least have many options to explore, don't you. That 19inch r2 24p can wear a 24p extension on the 24p end, or, four 6p extensions on the blk blu red wht 6p ends. Snap-lok, don't snap-lok, partial snap-lok in lower rungs, try no extensions, try it all. Eventually you & your wallet will discover the best way to integrate the short 19inch r2 24p into your ultra-R1.
What to do for a 24pin atx when not using the 19" r2 24p atx
(to be cont, >< under construction)
- My Hand-Made 24pin Extension -
(to be cont. >< under construction)
Earlier I told u that the easiest way to extend the r2 19" 24pin atx mthrbrd harness is to use four 6pin extensions - or - 'make' them into 'one sleeved extension'. Essentially I have made one sleeved extension for my ALX, below. Were I using the 19" stock r2 24pin my extension would of course be using four male & four female 6pin connectors at each end. Below, adaptor for my 'Seasonic' 24p
you're looking @ 7" 24p extension. If you're using a standard 24inch 24pin mthrbrd cable for whatever reason like I am, it can't reach so the extension helps it get the rest of the way. 31" overall when using the black snap-lok. If you're using the 19inch r2 24p, your 'extension' will probably be 12inches long & connect up 'higher', somewhere around the bottom of the mthrbrd at the level of the pci-e fan.
As always, message me or chime in w/your qwestion(s) & concerns
M I/O 10pin
a stock mio harness plucked right out of the U647R harness may be your best friend; this one still wears the stock psu pins which are not molex pins & I prefer to snip them off & apply molex pins. When these mio's come out of the bulk connector some lose their pins wherever they jump to another pin. If you're gutting U647R, you can snatch these pins for mio of course from somewhere else, but in the end, you may need new molex pins, so get some.
Mio harness will need connectors now right? You have options, empty 6pin or empty 8pin as always. Where & how you tap the Delta is up to you. Mio needs 3.3v & 5v so grab it from the top wht Sata row. Mio needs 12v x3 & ground x4 so tap it from the red 12v/ground row perhaps or there's 12v-grounds present in the wht sata rows as well, many options, too many to go over.
you can tap the r2's cpu cable too, lol, below
if you use the stock r2 cpu cable above, & have or can get an empty 8pin 'male' (below), you can devise a scheme where your mio taps that unsleeved PCIE PWR to snatch up mio's three 12v & four grounds reqwirements from it in one fell swoop.
if you do not use the r2 cpu cable, or do use it but do not tap the PCIE PWR 8pin? You have options for mio, like, snatch three 12v three ground from a red panel port & find that final ground elsewhere.
on the left? that's a 6pin port, but my mio harness is still wearing an 8pin for the Seasonic, so I've used an empty 6pin to pop into the red port & built a short extension w/an 8pin male end on it. Only 6wires are tapped of course: mio will tap 6 out of its 10 wiring needs from that red port, regardless, see below
You're looking at a prototype adaptor kit I'm using right now. The dual-24pins are a Sata Port Multiplier which grants me access of the three wht sata ports to six. Ok? Mio taps into one to snatch 3.3v (org) 5v (red), and hard to see it but it snatches a blk ground also.
- Mio with 5VSB -
the remaining purple wire (sleeved, going into a 4pin above) is for 5VSB & will connect into my 7inch 24p extension, which I've tapped-jumped into that psu pin earlier and threw a 4p connect on it.
5VSB has been tapped or jumped into the 24pin extension; mio clips into it, above & below
my mio harness wears a 4pin break-away connect. I've tapped-jumped 5VSB from my new prototype 24pin extension. When Delta is in my case, I simply click the connexion together, & I'm done.
- Mio w/out 5VSB: Tap Standard 5volts Twice -
simply stated, pretend the purple wire (mio pin5 / purple) is a red 5v wire & find your way to get it hot 5volts. If you can, jump it to the real red 5volt wire's pin and insert them into your connector so they both get 5volts off the same pin ... message me or post your qwestions
Cpu 8pin
Stock 28.5" Split Cpu + Pci-e 'all-in-one' Harness
The unsleeved section above wears a tag that says PCIE PWR; I assume it augments the pci-e lanes in the r2 x99 mthrbrd, doesn't matter to us & could come in handy to power the mio board: it's an 8pin that supplies 12v on the top row & grounds on the bottom, identical to the true cpu 8pin (sleeved).
If you obtain this cpu cable, I think it'll just barely reach the psu panel since it's 28.5 inches long. I won't be taking my cpu cable out to test it yet. One day, I may install a new harness, if so, my old one comes out & then I'll test the r2 stock cpu cable out 7 let ya know if it reaches:
My cpu cable right now - routed against the lower mthrbrd sill - reached this far, about an inch over the top of the longer Delta; @ 24", I feel the 28.5" stands a chance at reaching the red row. In the next section called 'A Sata Multiplier', one wonders if the top wht sata row will defeat plugging in this cpu cable into the red row of ports. If so? Slap a short 8pin cpu extension on the end of it up @ the mthrbrd 8pin cpu area as the easiest work around:
Since Delta is replete w/an all 6pin front panel, we know from earlier that pci-e 6pin extensions can eqwally attach to the red ends of this cable. In this case you'd use three of the shortest you can find: if you want that unsleeved PCIE PWR 8pin to go live, yes you need all three reds to plug into the front.
There are other ways to get power to your mnthrbrd cpu 8pin. If your scenario involves using the R1 U647R harness, you detach the old 51" cpu cable - build pins on the end of all 8wires - obtain a PAIR of empty 6pins, push your 8wires into them in the right slots using my Delta Reference Photo & qwickly plug it into the Delta
A Sata-Molex Multiplier:
How to handle your Main Sata-Molex-Peripheral & HDD Sata reqwirements
Delta only has three 6pin ports, which are used to power r2's sata pair & a molex-peripheral. We need more than three 6pin ports. A minimum of four, five is better, six is best. 4, 5, 6: it all depends on how you wire up your rig; for instance, you do not need 'three' sata harnesses to power your hard drives like the stock system did, you can use two sata harnesses wearing three heads each to power your six hard drive bays, ok? Below, I made Airene a sata hdd harness pair wearing three heads ea; the page loads the photo wrong, not me, lol. This in an attempt to cut down on her case clutter. I used a pair of black sata pass-thru caps inbetween a 'normal' pair of sata cables (a sata cable w/2 heads):
If you do yours this way w/whatever cables you use or make, you'll occupy two sata 6pin ports in your psu which means your mio & main sata need their spot on the delta, so you will be a port short. Right?
Above, I will eventually use a 6pin male-female system identical to the blk-purple y-splitters I make
To make these 6pin y-splits (which I could not find on eBay or I'd buy them, that does not mean they aren't made, just I could not find them yet).
Hand-made y-split. For Delta, one day I'll make 3 of them. When all 3 are plugged in? I'll have acess to six 6pin ports. Look at the photo below; I've substituted for now for the use of dual 24pins which can still accept six 6pins, three in each 24pin row. My hard drive satas plug in the top 'row':
in the right photo above, 6pin on my mio harness plugs in: 5 more sata-molex can plug in, for instance, my three hdd sata 6pins plug into 'the top row', main sata into the bottom row & 'one port open'. I need 5 sata 6pin ports but I have access to 6, again, one open for future needs:
if you obtain or buy the stock r2 sata cables (above), if they don't reach your hard drive sata ports behind the pci-e fan, use pass-thru connex (below, red) or go back to our old friend the 6pin extension, shown to you earlier in the stock r2 24pin section (as extenders for the blk blu red wht 24p 6p ends). Not all power supply front panels are pinned out in a universal standard, so, simply popping in someone else's sata cables may fry out your new delta or other hardware - but! - you can buy sata cables all day long, figure out the Delta pinout, and wire up the 6pin end to the Delta ... got it? If not, post your qwestion in my thread, I will explain to you how to use some other psu's sata cables on the Delta. You'd most likely back some pins out of your intended 6pin, rearrange it to be wired up right for 3/5/12 & grounds pair (5wires in a 6pin connect) boom that is it.
stock r2 Delta sata cables shown above can easily be augmented of course w/cheap sata 'pass-thru' heads, just like the stock R1 hard drives satas use, black connex of course, red are shown
For your Main sata to power your dvd and other stuff? We're getting low on wiring here people: the r2 only gets a sata pair. We're lucky if they are enuff to power just the six hard drive bays. Find some online, eBay I guess, most psu companies make their sata cables to wear a 6pin at the end of it, so back the pins out if you need to, pin your cable out for the Delta, and be in business pretty qwik. Another option? Buy U647R - R1's stock harness, snip it out, slap 5 psu pins on it, get an empty 6pin, wire it in yourself since it is the perfect length anyways. You can snip out the three hard drive harnesses too, slap pins & 6pins on their ends, back in business w/perfect Area -51 R1 cables.
I will leave this discussion open and unfinished: if you have qwestions regarding how to hook up your hdd sata & main sata, where to get cables, how to pin new ones out, hopw to make then from U647R, just ask, I'll try to spell it out better for you (& others) ie cross that bridge when u get to it.
Video Cables
Some of you will be blessed like I was to buy up a used chassis w/the full cable set included, if so, simply use the included vid-cable(s). They are 13", just like the old stock cable was/is. Perfect.
I think it absurd the $23+ price of the r2 video-cable pair when purchased new from Dell Sales. If you need one or two or three pairs, expect to pay $23 - $69 for yours w/my sympathies.
You can use my photos & guides here to help hand-make any vid-cables, upgrade to 16gauge wires etc. It's easy enuff to do since the pinout is a basic grounds top row 12v's bottom row
- Wrapping it all up -
PSU part# is 800GY ... currently $465 from Dell Sales b4 shipping & tax
80Plus Gold, four 12v rails, 1440watts combined max. Not too shabby, shoulda coulda woulda been better, is better then the stock 1200watts are-were. Slightly less powerful & efficient then Corsair ax1500i, after a chat w/Dell Sales it retails a tad pricier @ $465 just for the chassis? 80plus rating:
If you feel the need to have this in your R1 over say ax1500i, or an eVga g2/t2 1600w etc, I wouldn't blame ya for being a purist. Standard psu size: 3.4" x 5.9" x 8.6" (8 5/8" it's a long one).
The modular case harness cables each have their own part# so consult Dell on how to buy what cables u think u need. While they are still 'new' or 'barely' used here as I type this in February 2015, & since we now know they can be bought on eBay, my advice is to grab a 'used chassis' w/low miles on it & when possible grab the case harness with it too.
If you want a brand new one & can afford it, get it & the cable set from Dell:
Get the psu new from Dell & your own cable set:
Buy an R1 U647R Full case harness & build it to Delta's specs:
June 2015: Delta gets a custom individually-sleeved cable set
U647R Full Case Harness Rebuild for ax1500i & ax1200i
The case harness I'm working with Memorial Day weekend is the 9th original case harness I've converted for use with the DoomsDay Machine. As an afterthought, I decided to take a few pictures which I'll try to add commentary for. You'd begin by backing the pins out of the black bulk connector; I prefer to snip all of the factory pins off & apply new 16gauge Molex Mini-fit Jr terminals (classic 4-sided psu pins) since they're a definite robust upgrade over the odd inferior 2-sided factory pins:
The case harness uses 18gauge wire & a larger 16g pin makes for easier/faster crimping w/18g wire. I'll use the entire harness plus I'll make a 7" 24pin extension, which I'll tap 5vsb from for mio's 10pin. I'm also making upgraded video cables; the stock cables are single cables w/one 6pin & a 6+2 jumper, but in the end it is a 6-wire cable. I'll be making four upgraded true 8-wire 6+2 cables (where I might occasionally use 16g wires, but this time I'll stick to simple 18g vid-cables, just like stock), I'll remove the 6+2 jumper & re-use the basic 6-wires the case harness provides, then add two black ground wires so the vids are now 8-wire cables. I have extra materials to work with here, a case harness only provides a pair of vids, I'll hand-make the other two using spare wire.
Below, a grainy photo of a basic disassembled harness wearing brand new psu terminals at all ends:
24pin 7" Extension
From spare wire, I've gathered up 24 correctly colored wires, trimmed them all to length & applied new male pins at one end / new females at the other end. The purple wire has a 5volt stand-by jumper on it, destined to plug into my mio harness later to supply mio with 5vsb. I'll be yanking the 18gauge yellow 12volt wires from the mthrbrd 24pin ATX harness later, replacing with 16gauge 12volts, so I've used a pair of 7" 16gauge yellows in my extension ... next, I'll push the pins in to the male connex 1st, (it's easier to sleeve the harness from the female pins-side, since they aren't pointy / won't snag) ...
the 24pin ATX cable used in ax1500i / ax1200i has a 24pin mthrbrd end that branches into a 10pin & 14pin modular end; I'll duplicate my 24pin ATX cable to branch also, which means my 24p extension has to have 10p/14p male/female connex. these are now ready for sleeve, ziptie, heatshrink ...
above, I apply black liqwi-tape / liqwid plastic to the sleeve ends 1st so they don't fray or move
above, the heatshrink is now on; I've slipped the other heathshrink on as well for the moment, it has to go on now, before the pins are pushed in to the waiting connex; next, I'll begin to pop the pins into the female 10p/14p in the correct slots, use a ziptie to secure the sleeve, add liqwi-tape, finish off with heatshrink. To ensure all my pins go in the right slots, a voltmeter w/audible continuity tester & a chart I made will be used to ensure accuracy. The chart was made from original ax1200i cables:
I assemble all of my 10p / 14p male / female ends using this color chart
Because ax1200i/1500i 10p/14p modular ends connect upside-down, I'll make sure of two things: the male end (left in photo) points 'up', the female modular end 'points down'. Any way of saying this is the left end top row will become the right end 'bottom row':
Finished. Later, when you see the 24pin motherboard ATX cable I built snaps into the extension, you'll see the connectors at the coupling 'point up', & I've built my extension in such a way that the psu modular ends 'point down', making for a smoothe transition between the 24p ATX, extension, & psu. What was a bare purple 5VSB wire's now sleeed w/a 4pin break away connector, waiting for mio 4pin:
24pin ATX Cable
from the color chart earlier, you'll see that ax1200i / 1500i have a jumper on pin 13 (an 18g org & 22g org); the 22g is a 3.3v 'sense' wire. Our factory harnesses use a 3.3v & a 5v 22g sense wire. I toss the unused red 5v sense wire, keep the 3.3v sense wire (I back the 18g/22g wire-pair out of pin2 & move to pin 13 1st, to recreate the ax1200i 24pin ATX harness wiring). All 24pin ATX connectors only house 23pins (slot / row 20 is always empty); due to that jumped 3.3v sense wire, at the bottom end of the atx cable, you will in fact get 24pins in the overall 10p / 14p branch (due to the sense wire).
Next, for ax1500i, I remove the 18gauge yellow/white 12volt wire-pair & insert upgraded 16gauge wire, so that the stock motherboard can be well-fed over the 24pin. My how-to post here starts off w/a photo of someone's burnt-out 12v pins 10 & 11 --> my harnesses get 16g 12v wire on pins 10/11 to help alleviate that problem (an EVGA PowerBoost is still rcommended to saturate the pci-e lanes with 12volts). In the photo above you see I've pulled the sleeve back, I've separated the 10pin branch from the 14pin branch, applied new pins, zip tie, heatshrink, extra heathshrink then I will push the pins into the 10p / 14p, zip-tie the sleeve, liqwi-tape then heatshrink & I'll be done:
the male ends of the '24pin' (10p / 14p) extension left; female 24p (10 / 14) ATX on the right
MIO 10pin Harness
Mio harness was liberated from the bulk connector, pins snipped off, new pins applied, now I slap on the 6pin, 8pin, & 4pin for 5VSB purple ... the 6p / 8p are pinned out using my ax1500i Reference Chart
CPU 8pin
The stock CPU cable is 51 inches long; I cut mine down to 30" (I found it pointless to have that extra 21 inches of resistance / added resistive wire) ... apply new pins, ziptie, liqwi-tape, heatshrink, then pop the pins into a new 8pin EPS/CPU connector etc. Instead of routing like a stock 51 incher, the 30 incher stays tucked to the mthrbrd sill wall & easily spans to an available 8pin port on the psu. Most power supply pouches provide a 24inch cpu-cable, which do barely reach most 8pin ports, but some aftermarket motherboards can have a cpu 8pin in different areas of the board, so my 30 incher works on the stock x58 Alienboard & all aftermarket boards (if you're running off a 24incher & need a longer cable, buy a simple 8pin extension of about 6-8 inches).
Sata Cables: Main & Hard drives
Main Sata / Peripipheral cable Is easy, just like the mio harness; apply 5 new pins & pop a 6pin on it
The hard drive cables, I normally sleeve them. I stopped using all three hdd cables; now I use just a pair, but I apply two extra sata pass-thru connex on them so that two cables can power all 6 hdd bays.
1st I apply new pins & pass-thru satas, sleeve, ziptie, heatshrink, pop on 6pin connex, ziptie & heatshrink to finish them off
True 8-wire 6+2 Vid Cables
When freed from the bulk connector, I'll have 6-wire video cables wearing a 6pin & 6+2 jumper:
my goal is to remove the 6pins, remove the jumpers, keep the 6+2 connectors, keep the 6-wires/pins:
Because it is going to be an 8-wire cable, I need to apply new psu terminal pins to the 6 bare ends & make a jumper ground wire pair also; 6 factory wires will fill up the 6pin connector part & I need to hand-make the black ground-wire pair that will pop into the 2pin part of the 6+2:
Stock vid-cable pairs are 11 inches (blu) & 13 inches (ywl) ; bear with me:
For the 13 inch cables? I use a 26 inch piece of wire, trim the very middle insulation off, crimp a psu terminal onto that bare metal, & now both ends are free. I'll apply psu pins to them, they will go into the 2pin part of the 6+2. For the 11 inch cables, I use a 22 inch wire, & do the same. In the photo above, the 'jumped' wire pair is one 22inch wire with a psu pin crimped to the middle of it ...
Now I have my so-called 8-wires. I pop the 6+2 connector on, sleeve it, ziptie, heatshrink (pop the other heatshrink on too, momentarily). Now on the other end, I will pop the solid 8pin on, ziptie/heatshrink, bam, cable is done. I do this until all four are finished ...
Aurora Full Case Harness for ax1200i / Xfx-Seasonic 1250
I've bought a pair of ALX case harness, part# NRHJ9, disassembled them, new psu pins on the ends, correct modular connectors & pinned out using my Pinout Charts. Rebuilding a case harness is a good idea if you're using dual-video-cards, in order to take full advantage of the custom-fit custom-length cables, whether it is the longer cpu cable, unsleeved mthrbrd 24pin etc. The premise is, having your case wired exactly like it is right now, simply pulling your stock psu out / slipping the new one in, no fuss no muss. With my spare-wire assortment I'll also provide the buyer with four true 8-wire 6+2 video cables, a marked improvement over the whimpy out-dated 6-wire jumper pair.
{Edit: 9.08.14} A word on building my 1st Aurora -
I'm consolidating Aurora psu-swap stuff here, then move it to its own thread later, after I work with the case & do my build which will take some time. This section is 'a work-in-progress':
Sept 8th: the stork just dropped off my new bouncing baby boy, Area-51's baby bro' (never seen Aurora b4 in person. handsome lil' devil). He comes w/a stock 875w W299G Delta pacifier / binky (12v = 825w max); I'll chest-feed him well w/@ least a thousand, perhaps more. When I finally put power to the lil' guy? His scales'll arch up jus' like Toothless, when Hiccupp's Mama tickled him ... I think I just found a name for 'im fella's ... my new lil' baby Dragonaut ... whoopie!
On the same day the KnightFury arrived, a fellow grey posted a successful R4 swap story:
On my recommendation he went w/an Xfx Pro1250, & was stoked from the gobs of potential untapped power on hand; no doubt many psu chassis' fit in Aurora & running a solo beast-card will be easy. The trick is finding out the best ways to incorporate - manage - the new cable set when running dual-cards due to cramped conditions under & around the bottom card, & requisite 'breathing room' for its fan.
So. Aurora in solo-card beast mode is a basic ez psu swap-out experience; dual cards requires some head-scratching. I started with dual-Radeon R9's & moved upto a solo-290x, so I was in the same boat as the rest when it comes to a psu swap w/dualies; I'll do what I can to help out & offer some input on how to 'manage' the new cable set when running dual-cards. My stock psu had a 30day warranty, I kicked it for the 1st couple weeks, made a few changes to the original case harness & improved the cable management on the various other wiring:
I sold the new Hale90 1000 & installed a Seasonic x-1250 with more info on the Aurora Psu Swap:
My R4 has custom cables throughout; if you do not work with psu pins or know how to cut a 24" video cable in half & make a pair of them from one, consult your local pro; pay someone & get it over with. The 24 inch cables in your new pouch will swamp your build.
Tip. For dual-cards? Reroute your harnesses:
Having test-fit a reference Radeon R9 270x in tandem w/the stock case harness, it's atrocious what Alienware's done. The case needed designed to be 1/2" to an inch higher, plain & simple.
My immediate impression for a fix? Do you see where your three black flat cable clamps are? No reason at all they have to stay there, not when they can easily be moved. Why get all snagged up under the bottom vid-card, when a practical approach is to bring your main mthrbrd 24pin, cpu 8pin & main sata/molex 'straight-out' from the cable organizer, then duck left & down the rabbit hole. Perhaps the hdd sata tip-toes next to the mthrbrd etc. True, the adhesive on the clamps may not be as bullet-proof the 2nd go around, but, you could try new ones, example:
New clamps will have new adhesive: a hard-core approach is to 'drill' out these clamps, old or new - with corresponding holes in the removable sill plate - identical to the smaller rope-type clamps, like the cpu8pin pair in the roof - which are secured by both screws & adhesive backs. Repositioning clamps & routing your harnesses out from under the bottom vid-card fan, might buy you precious inches - well worth looking into. Of course, you can apply new 3M double-sided tape w/a heavy-duty rating to your old clamps, if you intend to move them. Positioning your final clamp @ the rabbit hole @ a 45 degree angle may help your cables stay away from the fan. Your mod's done right when your shroud closes ...
Tip #2: if you don't want to 'lose' your hard drive cage to make room for new power supply cables because you have a 3rd or 4th hard drive, the 5 1/4" bay 'blanks' can basically hold hard drives; if not w/all 4 screws, then @ least two screws. An eBay search for 'Aurora blank' showed results. FYI: you'll have to unscrew both hdd caddies to help remove your old harness: you'll need an extra-long screwdriver (7" shaft) to get at the caddy screws on the far right. I used an 8" *** extension fit w/a 1/4" drive socket & screw bit. If your caddy does come out for cable room, it can always go back in when it's time to sell case & drop old psu back in etc.
5.20.15 Today's Tip? Corsair Hx1000i / Hx1200i w/all ribbons set
I keep an eye out for who's doing what. Flat ribbons are catching on; the Hx1000i & new Hx1200i are using a 24pin flat ribbon. Chassis size is 5.9 x 3.4 x 7.1. I make no guarantees an all-ribbon cable set like above will bale your bottom vid-card out but @ 1st sight they look promising. Note: the case as designed will try its best to undermine your swap intentions ... Nzxt Hale90 1000/1200 use ribbons & a sleeved main 24pin. Seasonic x-1250XM2 & Platinum 1200 use ribbons & a sleeved 24p also.
Aurora ALX Hard Drives: When to Mod SATA Cables
the stock Aurora hard drive sata cables wear 'pass-through' 'punch down' sata head connectors & have approximately a 2inch / 5cm spacing between heads. Left head is using a 'pass-through' cap while right head has 'end' cap. A link to basic utube vid on modding a sata cable is later below
standard heads are too long & can't work in ALX
The photo above shows a cable with a pass-thru & a standard head; your new pouch might have sata cables with a standard head (or several in a daisy chain):
SATA Power Cable Mod
I don't like the clawed caps because they are tedious to remove & claws can break, I prefer the pass-thru / end caps. When buying pass-through / punch down sata connectors you will need four of them for the hard drive cages & they'll need caps: buy two pass-thru caps & two end caps: one type each for the hard drive cages.
Typical places to buy sata connex in the US: KoolerTek Mainframe FrozenCpu Perf-Pcs
International Sales ... this is my HongKong contact, very reliable ... very: iLavModding
See this post also, where I go over hard drive cage removal, & modding sata cables to help the cages go back in: Aurora ALX PSU Replacement - Issue With HD Cages
It isn't worth it to try & 'borrow' pass through heads from your old case harness (the claws may break).
- buy parts & watch the utube video -
Some Final Thoughts For Now
You have every reason to seriously consider a psu swap now. Does the wiring/connecting job seem too much? Go get a consultation from your local pro, show him the 10pin Reference Photo, remind him of 5vsb. I don't see how it could cost much to wire a 10pin in. But you can at least get a quote, & if it's too much? D-I-Y. I gave you enough of a head-start here to be successful:
The title of this post used to be a 'Theoretical Approach' to swapping; no one I know of has published a complete how-to on any brand psu. Perhaps they have, many times, elsewhere. You are urged to keep searching online. I would certainly apologize if the information I gave here left out vitals & hampered your install. My defense for that? You yourself should theorize an install before doing it:
Put your strategy on paper then decide if you're prepared to put down money on supplies & a psu to see if they work ... this is an attempt to plant a fertile seed in your mind only ... I vouch for the theory itself, & the approach, certainly, & my hands-on experience with nearly fifty successful swaps as of 3.16.16 is a strong testimony. At its core this is an opinion piece about making a hand-made master i/o psu harness & 24pin extension. I would urge you to brainstorm even further improvements to the types I listed using the materials I listed & expand at your own pace, but I can't list every way to make a harness or account for unforeseen abstract 'whatevers', even though I have more ideas & will continue to have other ideas as surely you will also.
Lastly, it's ok if you ask me: what did you mean when you said 'such n' such' ... but I have a life separate from the A-51 psu swap, & I don't have time to help find your parts & stuff, I got all my stuff online. I told you what I learned along the way about using a modular psu as the basis to power the master i/o. I did it with very little help of my own I might add. You will certainly know more going into your build then I ever did. If you ask me how I built or build my harnesses, it's simple; do what I did: look at the Reference Photo & problem solve it ...
there was no information ... just that photo & the words: 'sata+molex+ax1200+mio' --> 'work'
This is not the last word on a psu swap; nor is it the 1st, but it is the most. I look forward to a peer reviewed thread where we improve our data through theory, testing, hands-on practice, highlight strengths/point-out weaknesses, where all ideas are welcome for building a better mouse-trap. All input is welcomed ... & very much needed here since the forum is absent of any good psu change-over material when you search for it ....
- thanx for taking the time to read & post on this power supply swapping thread -
Black Angus
yes, my Pro Kit is at work in there, the ax1200i how-to was posted earlier above
Live the Dream
SLK_VIK
8 Posts
0
March 2nd, 2015 15:00
Thank You Very Much for Posting This!!
I have a New Old XPS 730 h2c, that was in storage since new. I just retrieved it and it's having strange electrical problems such as usb noise based on power usage, right channel hdmi sound static noise, random bsods and even bios and startup hard freezes, especially when playing 4k video or 60 fps 1080p video (has quad sli 9800 gx2s).
Since it was tucked away in storage I never got to use the warranty, so Hopefully I can rewire a Corsair AX1200i to this system and have it run right!
~Vik
SLK_VIK
8 Posts
0
March 2nd, 2015 16:00
Hahaha, Always Modding Something got me the nick name SLK_VIK =)
Awesome, i'm going to look through it thoroughly, and see if we cant get this old dragon shooting flames again! =)
Currently I acquired 2 Nforce Motherboards, 4 9800 gx2s, 2 MIO boards, no combo of the swaps made any difference. I will be sure to post up my findings for other XPS owners to read through.
I'm on a mission!
Thanks Again!
~Vik