19
http://www.tyan.com
2.16 – Connecting External Devices
The standard devices you should expect to plug into the motherboard are keyboards, mice, and
printer cables. The following diagram will detail the ATX port stack for the following board:
S2099 Trinity i845E
Depending on the individual motherboard design, the PS/2 keyboard and mouse ports may
sometimes have their positions swapped. The most common designs implemented today place
the keyboard connector closest to the motherboard, while the top connector is for the mouse.
Although primarily to connect printers, the parallel printer port is also used for devices such as ZIP
drives, external CD-RW drives, scanners, and other external devices. Serial ports, also known as
COM ports, are primarily used to connect external modems and other RS-232C devices.
TIP:
While the ports have been created to accept connectors in only one direction, make sure to
be careful when inserting connectors. At times, attaching connectors in the incorrect orientation
can damage, bend and or break the pins.