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Acer Ipimbar Rev 102a Manual Top Today

Here is the information for the Acer IPIMBAR (also known as IPIMB-AR) Rev: 102A motherboard, focusing on the top front panel header (front panel connectors).

This motherboard is commonly found in older Acer desktops like the Aspire M3800, M5800, AM5620, and eMachines ET1160 series.

1.1 Direct Acer Support Method

  1. Go to Acer’s official support page (www.acer.com/ac/en/US/content/support).
  2. Type your full desktop model (e.g., Aspire X3995) – not the motherboard model.
  3. Download the “Service Guide” – this contains the motherboard layout, jumper settings, and BIOS recovery steps for the IPIMBAR REV 102a.

How to connect your case wires:

Look for small 2-pin connectors labeled from your computer case: acer ipimbar rev 102a manual top

  1. Power SW (PWR_BTN): Connect to Pin 5 and Pin 6.
  2. Reset SW (RESET_BTN): Connect to Pin 7 and Pin 8.
  3. HDD LED: Connect to Pin 1 (+) and Pin 2 (-). Polarity matters for LED to light.
  4. Power LED (PWR LED): Connect to Pin 3 (+) and Pin 4 (-).

The Short Answer (Front Panel Header)

On the Acer IPIMBAR Rev 102A, the front panel header is typically a 9-pin (or 10-pin with one missing) block located on the bottom-right corner of the board.

Here is the standard "top" layout for that header (viewed from above, with the board mounted in a case): Here is the information for the Acer IPIMBAR

| Pin | Signal | Pin | Signal | | :--- | :--- | :--- | :--- | | 1 | Power LED (+) | 2 | Power LED (-) | | 3 | Power Switch (+) | 4 | Power Switch (-) | | 5 | HDD LED (+) | 6 | HDD LED (-) | | 7 | Reset Switch (+) | 8 | Reset Switch (-) | | 9 | Empty / Key (No pin) | 10 | +5V or NC |

Pro tip: Pins 1-8 are active. Pin 9 is often missing to prevent incorrect orientation. The power button only needs pins 3 & 4 (polarity doesn’t matter for the switch). Go to Acer’s official support page ( www

Expansion Slots

One of the limitations of OEM boards is often limited expansion, and the IPIMB-A2 follows this trend:

  1. 1x PCI Express x16 Slot (Gen 2.0): The most important slot. Used for dedicated graphics cards.
    • Warning: If you install a dedicated GPU, the onboard video outputs (VGA/HDMI) are usually disabled.
  2. 1x PCI Express x1 Slot: For wifi cards, sound cards, or USB expansion.
  3. 2x Standard PCI Slots: Legacy slots for older hardware.

5.1 No Display, Fans Spin

  • Likely cause: Dead CMOS battery or corrupted BIOS.
  • Manual fix (top flowchart):
    1. Clear CMOS via CLR_CMOS1 jumper.
    2. Remove all RAM, test one stick in DIMM1.
    3. If still black, perform BIOS recovery (see Part 3).

Part 2: Key Specifications of the IPIMBAR REV 102a (From the Manual)

Understanding your hardware prevents ordering incompatible parts. Based on the official Acer IPIMBAR Rev 102a manual (top view included), here are the verified specs:

| Feature | Specification | |---------|----------------| | Form Factor | Micro-ATX (24.4cm x 20.5cm) | | CPU Socket | LGA1155 (Supports Core i7/i5/i3, Pentium, Celeron – 2nd & 3rd gen) | | Chipset | Intel H61 Express | | Memory | 2x DDR3 DIMM slots, max 16GB (1333/1600 MHz, non-ECC) | | Expansion Slots | 1x PCIe x16 3.0, 1x PCIe x1, 1x PCI (legacy) | | Storage | 4x SATA 3Gb/s (SATA II – note: no native SATA III) | | Rear I/O | PS/2 keyboard/mouse, DVI-D, VGA, 4x USB 2.0, RJ45, 3x audio jacks | | Power Connector | Standard ATX 24-pin + 4-pin CPU | | BIOS | AMI UEFI (often whitelisted for Acer) |

Tip from the manual: Even though the H61 chipset supports SATA III (6Gbps) on some ports, this Acer revision often locks all ports to SATA II. Do not expect full SSD speeds.

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