USBa and USBc Front IO panel for Mac Pro 1.1 "cheese grater" modding

USB and USBc Front IO panel for Mac Pro 1.1 "cheese grater" mod

Front IO panel replacement for Mac Pro case conversion. It fits two USB-a ports and one USB-c port.
[no audio jack because I couldn't find an HD audio cable with a single jack]

Made for and tested on a Mac Pro 1.1 (2006). May fit in other Mac Pro versions but that is not confirmed yet (if you try on other Mac Pros please give feedback in the comments).

Parts required

• 1x USB3 (two ports) to motherboard header adapter (see dimensions below)

• USBc to motherboard header adapter (see dimensions below)

• 5x PH1 screws (keep those from the original IO board)

• 3x M3 x 10mm screws

USB adapters dimensions

Here are the rough dimensions of the adapter I used (should be pretty standard, but better safe than sorry)

Assembly instructions

01-Preparation

1. Bend the anchor points on the USB-A ports.

1. Route the power and led cables so they're not in the way

02-Assembly

1. Lock the cables using three M3 x10mm screws.

   

   

   

   

   

1. Mount the assembly inside the case, using the screws and posts of the original front IO board.

   

   

   

Wiring the front button (soldering required)

The front button PCB has 3 welding pads.

The left is the LED positive, and it goes to the motherboard PWR_LED+ pin

The center is a common ground for both the LED and power button. To work properly it needs to be wired to both PWR_SW- and PWR_LED-. Usually on motherboards is not clearly indicated which side of the PWR_SW is negative; try one side, if it keeps powering on and off, switch side.

The right is the power button positive, and it goes to the motherboard PWR_SW+.