ROMED8-2T Front Panel Header pins inaccessible

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Rychek

New Member
Jul 28, 2020
12
6
3
I have an Asrock Rack ROMED8-2T and I really like this board. I put it in a 4U Chenbro case and quickly noticed that the front panel header pins (and the AUX header pins) all point toward the side of the board instead of up. This makes connecting the power button and other LED indicators quite bothersome due the board edge being right against the case edge. I realize this could be remedied by using a different case, but I need something rack mountable and I already have the Chenbro. Is there a slim 90 degree adapter or some other handy accessory to make the pins accessible without mangling the connectors of the wires to make them fit? I have been searching off and on for weeks, but have yet to find anything useful.
 

Rychek

New Member
Jul 28, 2020
12
6
3
That is the right idea, but much too large/deep. The header pins end a mm or three before the edge of the board and the board edge sits against the wall of the case. It is an odd arrangement for a board intended for a server case IMO.
 

hmw

Active Member
Apr 29, 2019
570
226
43
The connector linked to above probably has a height of 8mm. The pins on the motherboard would be a standard 6mm. A standard female jumper connector would be 8mm + 6mm for the wire side ~ 14 or 15 mm

Your best bet for low profile 2.54mm pitch female connectors is probably mouser/digikey/alibaba etc - or then RC model shops. There do exist female connectors with 2.5mm and 5mm height, they're usually used for board to board connections - you could try using one with a 5mm height, solder the wires and use heatshrink to insulate
 

gsrcrxsi

Active Member
Dec 12, 2018
293
96
28
Plug the front panel connectors in before installing the motherboard?

or bend the pins up a bit for some extra clearance. I had the opposite problem with an EPYCD8 motherboard. I installed 7 waterblocked GPUs, which covered the front panel pins (vertical). I bent them out at about 30-45 deg angle to be able to attach the connectors more to the side. Worked great.
 

Keith Myers

Active Member
Oct 10, 2020
146
30
28
I run into the issue that the USB 3.0 connector is often at the edge of the bottom of the board and if you install a gpu in the bottom slot you can't plug in the motherboard front panel USB 3.0 connector. I've used several of the modDIY.com low-profile USB 3.0 extender cables to bring the female connector out from under the gpu on several motherboards. Solves the problem nicely.

You could try the same with a 5.0mm header and solder some extender wires to and then to the male connector counterparts for the case I/O cables.
 

Rychek

New Member
Jul 28, 2020
12
6
3
Plug the front panel connectors in before installing the motherboard?

or bend the pins up a bit for some extra clearance. I had the opposite problem with an EPYCD8 motherboard. I installed 7 waterblocked GPUs, which covered the front panel pins (vertical). I bent them out at about 30-45 deg angle to be able to attach the connectors more to the side. Worked great.
I ended up installing the wires then mounting the motherboard. Not my favorite solution but it was cost effective and worked.