Front panel case audio

[rmx77]

i happen to have come up with a very nice case but the front panel has 3.5mm headphone type jacks coming from the front panel. i have been wondering if there was a converter or adapter that would convert the 3.5mm jacks to the pin connectors that are on the board. if there isnt is there a way i could still use the front panel audio or a way to modify it?

 

[1965ohio]

What case is that? Is it an OEM case like Dell or HP? The only easy solution for you is to remove one of the metal covers for PCI expansions and run the wires to the back of your motherboard and plug them in there... if they are long enough.

I haven't seen any newer cases with this kind of connector for front panel audio other than some older P4 OEM cases with a PCI sound card that had internal connector for such a panel.

 

[rmx77]

the case happened to be a custom build case. i just dont want to always have to unplug the front panel audio all the time to use speakers or even the rear mic port. i want to have those cables connect up to the audio header on the motherboard rather then to the rear audio jacks. it would be a pain to always have to be connecting and disconnecting the cables just to use rear audio.

 

[1965ohio]

If you can get a panel header from a generic AC97 panel and cut off the leads on your wires and had a wiring diagram to wire it up... then you could use both. It's a lot of work if you can't find the wiring diagram or aren't experienced with wire stripping and soldering.

Another option is to plug it into the rear as I suggested and then plug you speakers into the front, and when you want headphones just unplug the speakers from the front and switch.

I don't know exactly how your case is wired, but the AC97 panel header should look like this...

So it is just a matter of cutting the wires, stripping them and knowing which one should go where so you can stuff it into an AC97 header or splice the wires together, solder and tape them off.

But the easiest would be to plug those jacks to the back of the board and use the front for your speakers and headphones... just switch them out as needed.

 

[rmx77]

the case is wired up with the normal usb and then the front audio has

http://www.szprice.com/product_images/s/cable_2__77170.jpg

i dont know if there would be a way to convert those cables if at all. the board has hd audio but the front panel i think would be analog audio. strange for a case to be like this.

 

[1965ohio]

Cases like that are usually OEM and those leads will be plugged into a PCI soundcard.

If the leads are long enough, you might want to do like I said and try to run them to the back and just plug your speakers into the front and switch it for headphones when needed. This will eliminate the hassle of reaching behind the case.

But if you can get that connector I showed you, then you can cut and strip the 3.5mm jacks and wire them up to the header. That can be a hassle if the color coding on the wires does not match standard audio header colors.

 

[1965ohio]

I have been looking high and low and wearing google out. I haven't found any adapters or modern sound cards that still have 3.5mm connectors on them. All the newer cards have the same header as your motherboard.

 

[rmx77]

i just never used the front audio from the case but i thought it would be nice to. i wish there was an adapter that i could have put on the 3.5mm jacks that would convert them to the motherboard header. most 3.5mm cables are 2 wire while the header cables are several wires like the usb headers.

 

[1965ohio]

Finding said adapter is the problem. I seemed to have exhausted my google search terms for this one. If you ever need front panel audio, just use a USB headset or something. It is probably cheaper and easier than what we are looking for in the first place.

:lol:

 

[rmx77]

i did look at the case and i do see i can replace the front panel since it is just screwed to the front of the case. i do wonder then if there is something i could use in place of that front panel that would have hd audio. the on board audio is 7.1 channel hd surround.

 

[1965ohio]

Without the exact case model and a detailed diagram... I can't offer much assistance on that.

 

[rmx77]

i dont have a model for the case i am afraid. the case happens to be one that may have been made for an amd setup. the whole front audio panel is on the bottom of the front of the case it has a blank for where firewire would be if there was that, 2 usb ports then mic in and the headphone jack. the firewire blank is vertical rather then the standard horizontal. its a slight bit smaller then the floppy drive. maybe i could find a good front panel that would fit in the floppy drive bay that also has a card reader then just take the original front panel out.