Question think i just fired my motherboard with RGB pin connector

May 20, 2020
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So today i spent a good amount of time putting together my own first build outside of upgrading and everything was going fine i had tested fans and even the lights on my Eclipse P400 before going forward with cpu and the rest of my build however i had noticed the RGB stripe that i connected was loose and before i had everything set up it turned on so i figured i'd save it for last but once i plugged it in the wrong way it wasn't working then i fitted in again pc turned on lights and everything was good for a few seconds then pop and then i smelled something burning pc no longer turns on i haven't touched it since will take it apart and check things tomorrow ,looking it up more i thought i read everything right but being new to RGB stuff i had no idea for my case i had to buy a adapter to actually fit my motherboard now i'm lost on if it's just my motherboard or i just lost all my parts due to this one thing being plugged in any help would be great

i also plugged in that random sata cable to the case too i have no idea that might have cased a problem as well
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Phanteks PH-EC416PTG_BW Eclipse P400
MasterWatt 650 Watt Semifanless Modular Power Supply, 80 Plus Bronze Certified
G.SKILL F4-3200C16D-16GTZR Trident Z RGB Series 16GB, 288-Pin SDRAM DDR4-3200MHz (PC4 25600) Desktop Memory
AMD Ryzen 5 3600 6-Core, 12-Thread Unlocked Desktop Processor with Wraith Stealth Cooler
Cooler Master RR-212S-20PC-R1 Hyper 212 RGB Black Edition CPU Air Cooler 4 Direct Contact Heat Pipes 120mm RGB Fan
MSI Performance Gaming AMD X470 Ryzen 2ND and 3rd Gen AM4 DDR4 DVI HDMI Onboard Graphics CFX ATX Motherboard
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
Three overall concerns:

1) Initially plugging the cable in the wrong way may have been salvageable but trying to reconnect the plug with power on was likely fatal to at least the motherboard.

2) Regarding the need for some adapter for the motherboard to fit in the case: what sort of adapter? What led you to that adapter and how was it installed? Any photos?

3) A SATA connector would not connect to the case. The cable would go between the motherboard and a SATA device. Was it a data cable or power cable? Photos? Both ends.

Overall, based on the photograph provided it appears to me that the motherboard is, unfortunately, fried. There is significant damage just above and to the right of JRGB1.

Seeing additional photographs will help understand what all may have gone wrong and/or help identify other damage that may have occurred. Any other misconnections could have sent current the wrong way and into other components.

Still is it likely that there is no way to immediately determine if other components were damaged.

They will need to be individually tested in a compatible and known working system.
 
May 20, 2020
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spent a few hours talking to my friend about it we still have no idea why the JRGB1 slot is 12V and online it was saying it connects to a hub for RGB parts i don't have a adapter or a RGB header that i apparently need to buy from what the case manual says for those pins

the white and black cable is the sata cable that goes right to the top of the inside of my case ,everything was working just fine before i plugged in that RGB stripe ,my friend thinks it's just the motherboard but asked if i tested anything or if my PSU smelled it just smells like a PSU but i'll strip everything out since i'm already sending back to amazon and getting something else won't be a few weeks till i can test it on new motherboard unless there are some things i can test without another pc don't have a spare one to test things on that's free

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May 20, 2020
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again all of it was fine and connected correctly besides of the RGB pin i had booted to windows on a old SSD /looking at bios for a hour or so , before plugging that in wrong at first it didn't turn on the lights so i turned it off then plugged it and put it back in then the frying happened i think it must of been because i didn't wait and unplug it from the PSU only powered it off

if you still want to see everything connected ill post em the next time you get back to me cheers for now it ant a big deal only just trying to make sure everything else is alright
 

Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
What exactly is printed on that black tape just before the connector?

I can make out some of it but not sure about the rest. Seems to imply some sort of proprietary connector requirement.

And this:

" we still have no idea why the JRGB1 slot is 12V and online it was saying it connects to a hub for RGB parts i don't have a adapter or a RGB header that i apparently need to buy from what the case manual says for those pins "

Not directly sure what went wrong. Overall, very likely that a short circuit was created and the resulting spark "hit" the motherboard as the current found a way out. The excessive current is what fried that area of the motherboard.

Also FYI:

https://pcpartpicker.com/forums/topic/286177-jrgb1-rgb-led-connector-in-msi-z370-gaming-plus

https://forum-en.msi.com/index.php?topic=328872.0

Re-read the motherboard's User Guide/Manual and all other documentation for installed components.

Even if connections physically fit/match that does not mean that the connections are correct.
 
What exactly is printed on that black tape just before the connector?

As far as I can tell, it says :

"Connect this connector with Phanteks' Multi-color LED strips only."

Edited Picture of label

The last picture in post #3 looks like the LED strip - not plugged in
- but in the picture with the label, something is definately connected to the LED-strip only connector... and it doesn't really look like it is actually the RGB LED strip which is connected, but it is hard to tell for sure
 
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Ralston18

Titan
Moderator
This:

" in the picture with the label, something is definately connected to the connector for the LED strip-only connector"

Trace the wire to the other end: "something connected" (my quotes) should not be an open question.

You need to know what that "something" is, why is it connected, and should it be connected.

That is why the documentation becomes important. Including all notes and fine print.

All the more so if proprietary components are installed.
 
This:

" in the picture with the label, something is definately connected to the connector for the LED strip-only connector"

Trace the wire to the other end: "something connected" (my quotes) should not be an open question.

You need to know what that "something" is, why is it connected, and should it be connected.

That is why the documentation becomes important. Including all notes and fine print.

All the more so if proprietary components are installed.


I was a bit hesitant to reply because I didn't want to cause extra confusion, but I think I did anyway by replying.. -I apologize.

-I'm not OP, which is why I use very vague terms in my post.

I didn't want to point fingers at OP, I just wanted to point out, that it looks like "something" isn't connected in the correct way, and should be investigated further - like you've been pointing out to OP the entire time

- it was meant a bit like "a second opinion" agreeing with you.

Sorry for the confusion I seem to have caused instead, that wasn't my intention.

EDIT :

However, it looks more like a pwm fan is connected to the RGB LED Strip only-connector, rather than an actual LED strip.
 
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May 20, 2020
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to add to your question on 7 that picture with label is the same RGB strip in last picture just the other end that i had tried plugging in that's shown resting on the bottom of my case ,it's starting to sound like i did the most common thing you're not suppose to do plugging the fan RGB wrong ,outside of everything else that i read closely the rgb stuff was the only thing i wasn't to sure about and did look up and this is how i got here.

i ordered a psu tester as a start wont be a while till i can get another motherboard that i'm aiming for due to shortages everything seems to point towards it just being the MB from other people that have done it but you never really know.