Foxconn N15235 Front Panel Connectors - Google May 2026

This is the section you came for. After cross-referencing OEM service manuals from HP (Compaq SG3 series) and direct hardware probing, here is the verified pin layout.

Assume you are looking at the motherboard with the PCIe slots facing left and the I/O ports (USB, Ethernet) facing up. The front panel header is at the bottom right.

Unlike 99% of modern motherboards that use the Intel standard 9-pin or 10-pin front panel header (with a missing pin for keying), the Foxconn N15235 uses a proprietary 16-pin (2x8) header. You cannot just plug in the standard individual connectors (Power SW, HDD LED, etc.) directly.

The reset switch connector is a 2-pin connector that connects to the system's reset button. When the reset button is pressed, the RESET leg is connected to the GND leg, signaling the motherboard to reset the system.

In a perfect world, every motherboard uses the Intel standard pinout (two rows of 5 pins with one missing key pin). The Foxconn N15235 mostly follows this, but because this board was used across multiple chassis (HP, eMachines, Gateway), the color-coding of the wires may vary wildly. Foxconn N15235 Front Panel Connectors - Google

Warning: Do not trust the wire color alone! Always assume red is positive (+), but sometimes manufacturers swap them. Use the pinout diagram below as your source of truth.

Look at the very bottom right corner of your motherboard. You are looking for a block of 9 pins arranged in two rows (Row of 5, Row of 4). The 10th pin is missing to prevent you from plugging it in upside down.

Here is the exact layout:

[TOP ROW - Pins 1 to 5]
+---+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |   |
|PLED|PLED|PWR|PWR|   (Empty/NC)
| + | - | SW| SW| 5
+---+---+---+---+---+
[BOTTOM ROW - Pins 6 to 9]
+---+---+---+---+
|   |   |   |   |
|HDD|HDD|RES|RES|
|LED+|LED-|SW |SW |
+---+---+---+---+
 This is the section you came for

If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve just inherited an old pre-built PC (perhaps an HP Pavilion or a Compaq Presario) or you’re trying to resurrect a board pulled from a defunct machine. The motherboard in question? The Foxconn N15235.

This board is a classic OEM workhorse. It isn’t flashy, but it gets the job done. However, there is one universal frustration that stops every build dead in its tracks: The Front Panel Header.

If you don’t have the specific OEM manual (HP/Compaq rarely included one with the retail box), hooking up the Power SW, Reset SW, HDD LED, and Power LED becomes a frustrating game of guesswork. Let’s solve that right now. If you’re reading this, chances are you’ve just

The Foxconn N15235 also has a separate USB header (labeled F_USB1) that looks similar to the front panel header. Ensure you are not trying to plug your power switch into the USB header. The USB header has 9 pins in a 2x5 grid with a plastic square shroud around it. The front panel header has no shroud.

Before we dive into the wiring, let's define the hardware. The "Front Panel Connectors" (often labeled F_PANEL or FP1 on the board) are a block of 9 to 14 pins located on the bottom-right corner of the Foxconn N15235 motherboard.

These pins control five critical functions of your computer case:

The Problem: On a standard motherboard, the power switch is usually pins 6 and 8. On the Foxconn N15235, the layout is shifted. If you plug your case wires in using the "standard" layout, your PC will not turn on.