Caseless USFF Build

[David.Nisker]

I was given an Asus ChromeBox motherboard to tinker with from a friend and I'd envisioned myself beginning a caseless build of this USFF device.

This is my first ever USFF build.

The problem I immediately faced is that it seems quite harder to find parts than with ATX builds I have done in the past. To my dismay, I can't even get it to turn on as (although I have no problem sending power into the board through the power supply adapter) I don't have the proper connection to hook up the power-on port on the board (the port is not connected to a power button). I've tried pulling out the CMOS battery and powering it up and even that won't get it going.

Any suggestions on how I can get this (hopefully) caseless build off the ground?

 

[Therandomness]

You need a power brick for these kind of motherboards (it's a NUC). Usually it's a 12-19V power brick (according to the Asus website it should be 65W) and you just find those in a lot of places on the internet, like here.

If anyone can say what I just said is wrong, please correct me and I'll learn c:

 

[David.Nisker]

Thank you for your suggestion.

I re-read my post and noted that it lacked clarity as the problem is not with my finding a power supply. I have a power adapter that meets the device's power specifications and am able to connect that to the motherboard without any problems.

The problem is that once I have hooked up the power properly, I am not able to power-on the device as I do not have a power button. The small power white port / jumper on the motherboard, that had originally been connected to the power-button on the Asus case, is not connected to anything.

I thus am able to feed power into the device, but am not able to turn the device on. For an ATX build, I would be able to find the common connection; however, I have no idea how to go about finding such a connection for the USFF build.

 

[iFreilicht]

Um, this might sound a bit dumb, but have you tried to short out the two pins of the power button connector with a screwdriver or metal paper clip?

 

[David.Nisker]

Yes - only I used a staple due to the size. The problem is there are several pins on the connector (I believe it was 7) so I tried every possible combination of 2 and failed. I'm guessing that perhaps I have to either keep them connected for longer (as one would with a button that has to be held down for a few seconds) or more than two of the jumpers needed to be connected. I am trying not to fry the board so I only held each pair for three seconds (noting a few small sparks each time).

 

[Phuncz]

Ah the NUC power button. It also has LED pins, so it explains the 7 pins.
You could look at Intel's technical documents for the NUC systems if any have a corresponding connector: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/boards-and-kits/000005545.html

 

[Kmpkt]

Good selection of NuC parts here

http://www.microsatacables.com/intel-nuc-products/intel-cables

 

[David.Nisker]

Ah the NUC power button. It also has LED pins, so it explains the 7 pins.
You could look at Intel's technical documents for the NUC systems if any have a corresponding connector: http://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/boards-and-kits/000005545.html

Thanks for your suggestions! I didn't even know the Asus ChromeBox was part of the NUC family. I figured the NUCs were a different format and now I certainly have a much better starting point for doing research on that connector.

Will update once I have researched more.