Chapter 0 Contents Chapter 0 Contents ............................................................................................0-1 Chapter 1 How To Use This Manual .................................................................1-1 1.1 A Thank-you Note Before You Get Started ......................................................................... 1-1 1.2 The Features Of This Manual ............................................................................................. 1-2 1.3 Preliminary Tools ..
Chapter 1 How To Use This Manual 1.1 A Thank-you Note Before You Get Started First of all, we would like to express our gratitude for purchasing our AOpen specially-designed bare-system. Once again, this bare-system is designed uniquely to meet all your personal needs with our great industry-designing ability and our everlasting perseverance to the quality of all our products. This manual is for those who want to set up computer by themselves. In other words, this is a book for " Fresh drivers on the road.
1.2 The Features Of This Manual In this brochure, you'll be able to learn how to: set up a personal computer on your own. correctly and safely put everything together and get some ideas about hardware. learn some practical techniques that make doing the job easier. In addition, this manual DOES NOT offer you: any sorts of back doors, such as overclocking. a great deal of hardware standard that are hard to comprehend. lengthy fanciful article or vague theories.
1.3 Preliminary Tools "A workman must first sharpen his tools if he is to do his work well". assembly, there are some tools that can't be spared. Right before you start the Firstly, the most frquently-used too is cross screwdriver by which most interior componets are fixed. A suitable screwdriver can make the following job much easier. Being so, does any screwdriver apply? Actually a magnetic tip one is suggested.
[Note] 1-4 How To Use This Manual
Chapter 2 Start To Assemble 2.1 Open The Housing This product you bought from AOpen Slim BareSystem series belongs to special standards of microATX/flexATX. And this bare-system boasts following distinguishing features: Adopt microATX/flexATX Slim housing which saves you almost 60% of housing space. The design of hand-harmlessness at bending edges ensures you 100% security when assembling is being carried out.
Push the housing a bit forward and lift it up Due to the consideration of protecting inner components from exposure, you have to push the housing ahead to open it up.
2.2 Check Accessories Opening the housing, you are supposed to see the following accessories: Power cord: Connects the power of computer. Are power cords all the same? Power cords are various in different countries. Please use a proper power cord according to your country. Fixed screws: After opening the accessory parcel, you'll see the following three different types of screws: As shown in the picture, the threads on NO.1 screw are wide and it has a hexagonal head As shown in the picture, the NO.
IDE Cable: a 40-pin connector to connect the hard disk with IDE interface and CD-ROM. 40-Pin Connector IDE Cable: a 80-pin connector to connect the hard disk with IDE interface and CD-ROM. 80-Pin Connector Disk Drive Cable: a 34-pin connector to connect disk drive.
2.3 Set Up I/O Back-panel The H300 housing series are equipped with all-purpose I/O back-panel. You can break through the openings according to your personal needs. If your motherboard comes with built-in sound effects or network functions, then you may need more openings to connect to external speakers and network connection. Check I/O connector ports on the motherboard with your housing and decide which openings you need to break through.
Use a tool to break the iron plate on the I/O back-panel. As shown in the picture, use a tool to tear down the iron plate by twisting it several times. Be careful when twisting!! When breaking iron plates, it is wise to use a pliers to avoid cutting yourself. If you fail to have a pliers on hand, pad a piece of cloth on your palm while doing it.
2.4 Set Up Hard Disk In the structure of personal computer, hard disk is the place where most of the data is stored. Therefore, it is one of the most important components in personal computer. This section will introduce you the knowledge of hard disk and some important tips while setting it up.
Connect IDE cable It would be easier to carry out the procedure if the IDE cable is properly plugged before locking up the hard disk to the frame. You can distinguish IDE cable from left and right. Normally, a standard cable has a foolproof device, which is a small salient on the cable, and a small dent in the socket. Just aim the salient at the dent and then plug it in. The first pin is close to power connector.
In fact, hard disk is a very fragile and delicate device though it's covered with robust metal. During the process, any slight vibration may damage it. Hence, be sure to get it locked in the fixed frame securely. Don't mess up screws!! Generally there are special screws for hard disk in the parcel when you buy a new hard disk. There will be no harm done using those screws. If no screws are attached, use those packed in the accessory parcel. Make sure to use the NO2 screws.
2.5 Set Up Motherboard In AOpen Slim PC H300 series, it's very easy to set up a motherboard. Just lift the hard disk frame and place the motherboard in the correct position. Finally, tighten the screws. Please follow the steps below: Read the handbook of the motherboard and adjust the settings of Jumper Currently most of the motherboards have a Jumper-free design (Jumperless design). Even so, there are still some other functions that need to be adjusted through Jumper.
Tighten screws Place some fixed copper bars at the base of the housing for screws tightening. Let's take a look at their positions: Just tighten the screws respectively. Here we use screws NO1. How tight should we screw? Tighten the screws moderately. Tightening screws too hard may cause motherboard damage.
2.6 Set Up CPU When setting up CPU, please don't go wrong with the direction of CPU. distinguish its direction. First of all, let's have a look at what CPU is like: It is very easy to Note that the arrow indicates the first pin As shown in the picture, it's FC-PGA CPU of Intel Pentium III, which is the so-called Socket370 CPU. There are still many other varieties of CPU available on the market. Please pay attention to the model when you buy one. It should be consistent with your motherboard.
Aim the arrow mark on CPU at the first pin in the socket Don’t worry!! CPU socket also has a fool-proof device. You may find the pin arrangement at four corners of CPU are different. Two of them have a bevel-angle which is for fool-proof purpose. As long as you don't insert it too hard, the CPU is unable to be located into the socket if it is wrongly placed! After CPU is located in the socket, pull down the rod and click to the tenon.
Set up the cooling fan above the CPU socket Get the iron piece of the cooling fan hooked by the tenon above the socket. Be careful not to scratch the motherboard! When setting up the cooling fan, please avoid the iron piece scratching the motherboard, otherwise it may cause serious damage! Use a tool to place the other side of iron piece into the tenon. At last, plug in the fan connector. Be aware of its direction.
Set Up Pentium 4 CPU With the increasing popularity of Pentium4 CPU in the market, we considerately introduce CPU installation of Pentium4 in this chapter. As with setting up all types of CPU, please don't go wrong with the direction, let’s take a look at Pentium4 CPU itself. Note that the arrow indicates the first pin As shown in the picture, it's a Micro FC-PGA CPU of Intel Pentium4, which is the so-called Socket478 CPU. Please pay attention to the model when you buy one.
Aim the arrow mark on CPU at the first pin in the socket Don’t worry!! CPU socket also has a foolproof device. You may find the pin arrangement at four corners of CPU are different. Two of them have a bevel-angle which is for fool-proof purpose. As long as you don't insert it too hard, the CPU is unable to be located into the socket if it is wrongly placed! After CPU is located in the socket, pull down the rod and click to the tenon.
Set up the cooling fan above the CPU socket Motherboard for Pentium4 CPU usually comes with a special-designed retention module which is as shown below. Be careful not to scratch the motherboard! When setting up the cooling fan, please avoid the iron piece scratching the motherboard; otherwise it may cause serious damage! Press the iron stick to get hooked on the retention module. At last, plug in the fan connector. Be aware of its direction.
Connect ATX power cord to the motherboard Before connecting 20-pin ATX power connector to transmit the current of the power supplier to the motherboard, please remember to plug in the 4-pin power connector at the first place. Still pay attention to the direction when you plug it in.
2.7 Plug In Memory The memory modules available on the market all belong to 168-pin standard. It is also very easy to install. As the picture shows below, the jag is the so-called foolproof device. Be careful not to plug in the wrong side. Pay attention to the direction of the jag Pull open two sides of tenons of the memory socket Make the golden finger as fresh as a new product!! The lower edge of the memory has a line of metal material, which is the so-called golden finger.
Aim the first pin and the jag on the memory module at the marked area of the socket. Insert the memory module vertically downward with both hands into the socket. Please be careful when you insert the memory module.
2.8 Set Up The Front Panel Audio Module (Optional Equipment) Except standard audio output and USB connectors, AOpen also considerately designs "the front panel audio module (Optional equipment)" for you. It allows you to conveniently connect speakers and earphones on the front panel and there are two sets of USB jacks to make your system a greater extensibility.
Plug in the second set of USB and the signal cable of the front panel audio connector Next we are going to connect the signal cable of the front panel audio module. first take a look at the difference of these two cables: Let's Connected to audio module Connected to motherboard Connect to audio module As pictures show, connect these two signal cables respectively to the front external audio module.
Settle the front panel audio module Screw the front-panel audio connector module to the housing. Connect the signal cable to the motherboard Do all USB face the same direction? The pin direction of the USB may be different on various motherboards. Please refer to your motherboard manual.
2.9 Set Up Diskette Drive The diskette drives available on the market are 3.5-inch with the capacity of 1.44MB. The floppy cable applied here is different from the IDE device introduced in the previous section. It applies a narrow 34-pin cable and no Jumper has to be adjusted before the diskette drive is installed.
Lock the diskette drive in the fixed frame Push the diskette drive into the fixed frame. And tighten screws respectively. Here we use NO.
2.10 Set Up CD-ROM Basically speaking, the set-up procedure of IDE CD-ROM drive is almost the same as that of installing IDE hard disc. First of all, let's take a look at your CD-ROM drive: Power connector CD audio Jumper settings IDE cable connector Adjust the Jumper settings of CD-ROM drive Like hard diskette drive, every IDE device needs Jumper setting. CD-ROM drive as Slave.
Plug in IDE cable When connecting IDE cable, please note that the red-line should be aimed at the first pin next to the power cord. The red line is aimed at the first pin Plug in audio cable The audio cable is a small cable composed of red, black and white lines. The red line is used to connect the right volume channel while the white one is used to connect the left volume channel. And the black line is used as earthing.
Lock the CD-ROM drive in the fixed frame Next lock the CD-ROM drive in the fixed frame. The screws used for CD-ROM drive are the same as those used for diskette drive. They are NO.3 screws with narrow threads. Put the fixed frame of diskette drive back to the housing It requires some tips to get this job well done. of the housing base for tenons. First of all, there are two jags at the front Make these two iron tenons click into the jags at the base of housing.
2.11 Connect Signal Cable After installing disk devices, we need to connect the other end of these cables to the motherboard. Please note that connector positions are various on different motherboards. Therefore, it is wise to read the words marked on the motherboard. Let's us now have a look at how these connectors are marked on the moterboard. You won't go wrong if you read the words correctly.
Connect the cable of the disk drive to the motherboard Aim the red side of cable at the first pin Connect CD audio cable to the motherboard We have connected one side of cable to the CD-ROM drive earlier, now we are going to connect the other end to make it work. Please note that the position of CD audio connector is various on different motherboards. You will never go wrong if you know how to read the wording on the motherboard. You won't go wrong if you can recognize the wording on the motherboard.
2.12 Connect Power Cord There is nothing easier than connecting the power cord to motherboard. Both power cord connector and socket have foolproof design. You cannot plug it in if you get it in the wrong direction. Just match the bevel of the connector with that of the socket to plug it in. Connect the power cord of hard disk drive First let's look how the power connector is like: You won’t go wrong if you match the bevel of connector.
Connect the power cord of CD-ROM drive P3 power cord is for CD-ROM. Connect it to the power socket of CD-ROM drive. P3 power cord is for CD-ROM Connect the power cord of disk drive The power cord marked PA is for disk drive. Although powered by 12V as well, you can easily recognize it with a smaller connector.
Connect the power of housing cooling fan (optional equipment) At the lower corner of the fixed frame, you can find a place reserved for the housing cooling fan. The power of the small fan can be directly obtained from the connector of the motherboard. Please connect the cable of the housing cooling fan to the pin marked FAN1 on the motherboard. Can a computer get sunstroke? The cooling device has a decisive influence on system operation when setting up your computer.
Connect ATX power cord to the motherboard Finally comes the one marked P1. It is ATX power connector to transmit the current of the power supplier to the motherboard. Still pay attention to the direction when you plug it in.
2.13 Connect The Signal Cables Of The Front Panel Lights The front panel lights indicate the current situation of the system such as power-indicating light, hard disk reading indicator, ATX power switch and system Reset button. Now look at their pin locations on the motherboard: Pins to connect the front panel lights Due to the lack of the standard pin module of the front panel lights, please refer to your motherboard manual and follow instructions to connect each signal cable.
2.14 Set Up Interface Card If there is no built-in VGA card in your system, you have to choose a suitable one. Read this section carefully if you desire to install other interfaces (such as network card, modem card, image card, or 3D-acceleration card). We take VGA card setting up as an example to demonstrate how to set up an interface. The set-up of other interface cards is very similar. Different interface cards not only vary in outlooks but in sockets! This is AGP socket that is usually brown.
Screw the rear iron plate off the housing you need to install Generally when leaving the factory, the rear iron plates are screwed on the housing. You should remove the iron plate before setting up the interfaces so that they can be screwed in.
Push the interface card vertically downward into the socket with both hands Be careful not to break the interface card. Tighten screws Finally screw the interface card to avoid looseness, which may cause short circuit or damage of motherboard or interface card. Here we use No.1 screws in the accessory parcel.
2.15 All Set So far we had completed 90% of assembling. It is much easier than you imagine, isn't it? The final thing to do is to locate the disk drive frame back to the housing and arrange all cables in order. Then it is all done! Remove the drive baffle on the front panel of the housing The rear iron plate we just removed is a perfect tool to remove disk drive baffle on the front panel. Force the baffle to right side to remove it out.
Clicking it back to the left side. Turn the cover pad back to complete it. That’s the final look of it! Put the housing back Next put the housing back to its base.
Push the housing back to the end This specially-design housing comes with a Front Audio cover, which you could just open and close it as below picture shows. Tighten the screws of housing Get screws tightened and all is done.
[Note] 2-42 Start To Handle
[Note] Start To Handle 2-43
Chapter 3 Check What You've Achieved 3.1 Connect The External Peripherals Having spent so much effort, do you feel confident to DIY your computer? Now, let's take a look at the connectors at the back of your system and know their names, purposes and positions.
Connect keyboard and mouse Connect monitor and tighten screws Connect the D Type 15-pin plug of the monitor cable to the monitor connector at the back of bare-system and tighten the screws. If the module you choose doesn’t have a VGA function, please note that the connector position is different. Remember to tighten screws after connecting.
Connect the multimedia speaker Connect the jacks of the multimedia speakers as marked. The device conformed to PC99 standard has been marked by certain colors. You won't get wrong if you follow those marked colors. Connect network cable If the model you choose has a built-in network function on the motherboard or you have installed an Ethernet network card, please remember to connect RJ-45 network cable.
Connect telephone cable You can install an internal modem card to allow your computer linking with the colorful Internet cyber world via a phone line. Please beware that there are two connectors on the modem card. One connects to phone line (To Line) while the other connects to telephone (To Phone). To Phone To Line Select proper voltage and connect power supply cord The voltage supplied by power outlet differs from countries or areas you dwell in.
Finally connect the power supply cable.
3.2 Turn On The Power To Check Ok, all cables have been properly connected. Are you getting confident of assembling a computer by yourself? The final stage is to turn on the power to check what you have done so far. Now take a short break and have a drink. Then turn on the computer to see how things are going.
After pressing Delete, you'll see the following BIOS setup: Now, you can move the cursor by using direction keys on the keyboard.
Then, the following dialogue screen will pop up to confirm the default BIOS values. Please press "Y" to confirm and then press Enter Finally, move the cursor to "Save & Exit Setup" and press Enter to save the parameters and exit BIOS setup.
At the same time, type "Y" in the dialogue box and press Enter to exit.
3.3 Postscripts First of all we would like to congratulate your successful computer DIY. Now you can install an operation system and some application software based on your personal requirements. However, these are beyond discussions of this manual which mainly aims to teach you correct understanding of DIY skills and enable you to assemble a computer step by step. As for the application part, you can find all varieties of books with comprehensive introduction in bookstores.
[Note] Check What You've Achieved 3-11
