My front panel audio stopped working, so I removed the panel PCB replaced the 3.5mm audio jack with a new one.
I soldered it myself, and it does not look pretty. So before I attach it to my motherboard, I would like to know if it is OK to (accidentally) short the motherboard's front panel audio or USB headers.
That really depends which pins. If you touched the line-level pins or NC (not connected), no issue. If you touched the +5V lines to something else, potentially... depending on what you shorted them to. Use the below image as a guide.
The outcome also very much depends on whether the machine was powered on at the time of the short.
Best case, you shorted 2 line-level pins which is not an issue. Worst case, you put 5V to ground, but it should dissipate through he ground wires into the PSU. There are some other possible outcomes listed here.
