VOGONS


Reply 700 of 844, by Robert B

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bjwil1991 wrote on 2021-02-01, 07:03:
Has anyone seen something like this on a motherboard after letting it dry from the alcohol treatment? […]
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Has anyone seen something like this on a motherboard after letting it dry from the alcohol treatment?

FNN2XNAl.jpg

All I have is 91% at the moment due to a few things that keep popping up here and there and I'm out of DeoxIt D5. I know 99.9% is better, but hard to find at Microcenter, but easy to find on Amazon.

I did use baking soda, some 91% Isopropyl Alcohol, and a toothbrush to scrub those areas and it looks a bit better than the picture above.

The dust or whatever it is comes off when I use my finger to get it off or a Q-tip soaked in alcohol and the other end to dry the area. I'd use my sink water, but there's so much crud in that it's not safe for motherboards, even the dishwasher isn't safe either since it only has 1 heat setting: hot.

That phenomenon is normal on older boards and sometimes in the case of newer ones. It happened to me as well. Some of the substances used in the manufacturing process have oozed out due to the IPA. In my case I just washed the boards with mildly hot tap water and dish soap. Then I used IPA and then I finished the process with a few hours of cotton sticks and IPA 99%. This was the key to success in my case.

You mentioned that water in your area isn't safe for washing components due to its hardness or residues. You should buy some distiled / demineralized water and heat it a little bit. Wash the motherboard with it and some dish soap. Spray more water to rinse it. Then wash it with IPA. Let it dry and then finish it with the detailing stage with cotton sticks and IPA.

If you are patient you can use only IPA to wash it as many times as necessary. This will need more IPA but I'm not sure that you will get the results you want as I found that some types of dirt and residues can be removed only with water while others will come off only with IPA.

I said that you used 91% IPA. I usually buy only 99% IPA. Those 9% might be some substances that could've reacted with the stuff on the motherboard.

I have yet to use baking soda but I used vinegar.

In a few words. Be patient and experiment. 😀

appiah4 wrote on 2021-02-01, 14:13:

Same here, the only time I had this happen was if the board had weird gunk or flux residue on it that the IPA could not dissolve completely, and it would get smeared across the solder mask during drying. Wiping would make it even worse. I had to take dishwasher soap and toothbrush to some to remove the weird layer.

From my experience if the silkscreen has been compromised by corrosion or some other chemicals, passing of time etc. it will come off no matter what you do. I had a few boards that lost all the silkscreen on a large area after the battery leaked. I only used vinegar to neutralize the acid and it just flew off the board. There was nothing I could do to prevent it.

H3nrik V! wrote on 2021-02-01, 08:31:
Robert B wrote on 2021-01-30, 12:30:

[*]Powerleap PL-IP3/T PL-IP3T Slot 1 to 370 Slocket Adapter Converter Card + Pentium III 1GHz 1000/256/133

It's even the Tualatin version, isn't it?

Should be. At least that is what I saw on the Internet. The CPU beneath the cooler is a P3 1GHz/256/133 though.

brt02 wrote on 2021-02-01, 10:43:
IIRC the i752 ended up integrated into 810 chipsets, so you might have joy extracting drivers from intel's 810/815 graphics dri […]
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Robert B wrote on 2021-01-31, 21:03:

As I've heard i752 drivers are hard to come by. I'll dig deeper into the matter.

IIRC the i752 ended up integrated into 810 chipsets, so you might have joy extracting drivers from intel's 810/815 graphics driver installer.

Robert B wrote on 2021-01-31, 21:03:

The only thing that I'm going to do it is going to be a little dust off and that is it.

A little dust off? yeah right - I'll wait here for the full RobertB treatment 😀.

Intersting proposition. 😀 To my knowledge this ES card wasn't released to the public so the drivers for it were kind of left up in the air. I'll dig more to see what I uncover. Thanks for the idea!

I'm might just do a dust off as the card is a prototype and I'm afraid that I might diminish its value like it is the case of old coins that were polished or restored. That card might have some markings made at the factory. I still didn't inspect it thoroughly. That will come later.

I'm battling with myself not to clean it as best as I can. 😁

imi wrote on 2021-02-01, 11:01:

I have drenched many boards in 99.9% IPA after vinegar treatment and just let them stand upright to airdry, never had that happen before 😮

That haziness is quite common for older parts. If I let them airdry upright it was more common if I used an air compressor to dry the part faster then the haziness was greatly reduced. You should've seen my face when I first saw it on my freshly washed part. 😁

appiah4 wrote on 2021-02-01, 14:13:

Same here, the only time I had this happen was if the board had weird gunk or flux residue on it that the IPA could not dissolve completely, and it would get smeared across the solder mask during drying. Wiping would make it even worse. I had to take dishwasher soap and toothbrush to some to remove the weird layer.

My thought also. The culprit might be flux residue or other chemical used in the manufacturing process. Also lets no forget the thin layer of dust and grime that sticks to any electronic part during its lifetime. If you want to make the PCB shine you really have to use vast amounts of elbow grease. 😀

Reply 701 of 844, by devius

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Robert B wrote on 2021-02-01, 16:05:

If you want to make the PCB shine you really have to use vast amounts of elbow grease. 😀

This.

If the board is really really dusty or grimy then just rubbing the alcohol alone won't cut it, since there will still be a lot of grime left, just more spread out. You have to clean off the residue afterwards with a dry cotton swab or cloth.

Reply 702 of 844, by bjwil1991

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@Robert B thanks for the tips. I'm planning on getting some distilled water, dish soap, and loads of 99.9% IPA along with spray bottles for the IPA, plain distilled water for rinsing, and soapy distilled water for the washing along with better brushes to prevent scoring and scraping.

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Reply 703 of 844, by Warlord

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I use simple green concentrate it's anti-static and rinses residue free. there's no need for alcohol if you use that stuff. Its a lot better than dishsoap. You also don't need IPA because its that good. Should try it robert. simple green + paintbrush + rinse with water = done and perfect the 1st time.,

Reply 704 of 844, by bjwil1991

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Huh. I'll give that a whirl on a board sometime. Just need to get the simple green and a paintbrush along with a spray bottle for the simple green. For me, rinsing with distilled water is better since the tap water in my area has something in there that causes boards to look horrible.

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Reply 705 of 844, by Robert B

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Warlord wrote on 2021-02-05, 09:08:

I use simple green concentrate it's anti-static and rinses residue free. there's no need for alcohol if you use that stuff. Its a lot better than dishsoap. You also don't need IPA because its that good. Should try it robert. simple green + paintbrush + rinse with water = done and perfect the 1st time.,

Thanks for the tip! I'm afraid that Simple Green isn't available where I live(Romania). I use Fairy dish soap and as you say, it also rinses pretty fast and doesn't leave residues.

Reply 706 of 844, by Robert B

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Unlikely survivors! aka The story of two GeForce 3 Ti 200 128MB cards

Last year, on the 6th of June, I found at the flea market, dumped into a dirty bag, two cards that looked to be something out of the ordinary. These apparitions are something uncommon at "the dump" of the city, as I've seen them there just a few times over the span of more than five years. Even now I remember the blue Prophet that has been restored up the the last nut and bolt. Good times!

So, what are the cards that I am talking about?

No more, no less, than two nVIDIA GeForce 3 Ti 200 cards. You might be inclined to say that this is nothing special and in any normal circumstance you might be right. So, what's all the hubbub with these cards?

The catch is that these puppies are the 128MB variant.

Some time ago I was telling you that my old "violent" purple Palit Daytona GeForce 3 Ti 200 64MB AGP graphic card bite the dust and that wasn't ok with me. Any HW casualty, even if we are talking about bottom of the barrel stuff or stratospheric high end, makes me equally sad. The VOID is hungry for frags so he snipes whatever he can.

Fast forward to 2020 and behold! Instead of one GeForce 3 Ti 200 I got two cards and with 128MB on top!

What can I say? This is as good as it gets!

The cards I found are:

  • Chaintech A-G320 GeForce 3 Ti 200 128MB
  • Palit Daytona AGP719 GeForce 3 Ti 200 128MB

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Wish granted but at what cost?

I got what I wanted but when I saw the state they were in, I couldn't stop asking myself what am I going to do with them! 😁

Well, let's see what can we get from these two potatoes.

The Palit Daytona was very dirty. The fan was clogged by a thick brown deposit the worst I've seen to that date. The rust was feeling like home, all in all it wasn't something for the faint hearted. 1 EURO you pay, 1 EURO you get!.

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Before anything, I did what could only be called a humanitarian gesture and I cleaned the cooler as best as I could just to get rid of as much dirt and grime as possible in the first stage cleanup. I just couldn't leave it as it was until the moment to restore it would come.

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To complete the package, the Chaintech wasn't in better shape. Deposits everywhere. Rust in many places, the fan and the heatsink were full to the brim with an adherent deposit that had a solid feel. 1 EURO you pay, 1 EURO you get!

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Like it was the case with the Palit Daytona, the first task was that dedicated to cleaning the cooler. Nothing was more important than the removal of the dirt that was offending my eyes!

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A few days after I cleaned the cards just so that I will be able to store them in a box, one thought kept creeping in more and more insistently.

Are these cards still among the living or I'm going to give it my all and in the end I'll get a big FAT ZERO?

Let's find out if they are still alive and kicking! What have I got to lose?

I prepared the PIII 800 MHz and I powered them up.

The news were positive. Both of the cards were running great. Who would've thought?

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After the quick testing session I got even more good news. A few caps on the Palit Daytona just couldn't help themselves and got swollen.

GF3-Ti200-X2-034.jpg

And what is the good news? Well, I got rid of the Canicon junk and I soldered something better. 😁

I looked on the internet for the specs of the Canicon 1000uf 6.3V caps and I searched for replacements.

The visits to the local electronic shops returned only Mr. Chong LOW ESR aka Me fix it! Me fix it GOOD! A not so great choice.

I searched into my box-o-things and I found some Nichicon VY caps. These were perfect in regard to the size but inferior in regard to the specs required.

I wanted to buy some premium caps from TME, like I did in the past, but the order was too small so in the end I gave up on this ideea.

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After deliberating for a few days, I decided to solder the Nichicon VY caps even if their specs were a little inferior than those Canicon caps. When I read spec sheets about Canicon, JackCon, Chhsi, etc caps that are presented as having better specs than many established japanese caps, I reserve my right to be wary of such "literature".

Nichicon VY it was.

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Operation completed!

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The compulsory test.

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Flawless!

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The Chaintech has Sanyo caps. I say RESPECT to the japanese caps for not losing their heads under pressure!

In case you are wondering if I changed the TIM before the testing sessions I can say that I did NOT. Before I powered up the cards I gently twisted the heatsinks and I saw that the TIM was still soft, so I decided not to waste MX-4 paste. The good stuff!

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What's hiding under the white stuff?

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Rusty, rust-rust! I really hate this stuff. My worst enemy. Even if you get rid of it it leaves deep scars.

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Given the fact that both of the cards were suffering from rust issues I had no restraints and I washed them with lots of hot tap water and lots of Fairy dish soap.

Afterward a few IPA 99% sessions followed.

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Say a prayer.

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The brackets were put in a rust removal solution.

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I washed the coolers with hot tap water and dish soap electric motors included. Lots of Fairy dish soap bubbles and soft brushes not to damage the windings.

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Fizzing action.

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When I took apart the cooling fan from the Chaintech card I had a nasty surprise. Rust inside the propeller and the electric motor. Good times ahead!!! &$*#&#*($%^@#%$!!!!!

I was already asking myself what made me buy these basket case video cards!

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I put the propeller in water to see if some of the rust would go away but that didn't help one bit.

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At first I was reluctant to put the plastic propeller in the rust removal solution but in the end it landed there with the metal bits.

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Free rust on the bottom of the container.

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As I said earlier. Rust doesn't forgive! Pitting in all its glory. At least rust is eliminated. Is that a plus? I really can't say for sure. Lots of polishing action ahead!

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Fresh push-pins for the Palit Daytona card.

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As good as it gets. The springs from the push-pins of the Chaintech card were also put in the rust removal solution. Rust be gone!

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Final results.

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The brackets have been polished by hand and with a felt wheel. I insisted until I was in the diminishing returns territory. The results were acceptable and I knew from past experience that once the plating is gone from a surface no amount of polishing can make them new again. To restore these bracket to as new state I would need access to a company that is plating metals and that is not an option for now.

The PCBs have registered a full recovery. As expected. No suspense here.

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Some assemblies required!

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After a lot of work I was able to give these cards a little of their original sparkle. After being put through great hardships by their owners and the environment they sat in until I got to them, they got a chance to shine again.

Not all was perfect though. The scars from the rust will never fade away. The cooling fans, against all of my efforts, even if they spin freely, are far from silent.

However, let's see what I was able to get in return after all the hours put in.

GF3-Ti200-X2-099.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-100.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-101.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-102.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-103.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-104.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-105.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-106.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-107.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-108.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-109.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-110.jpg GF3-Ti200-X2-111.jpg

Two working GF3 Ti 200 128MB AGP cards? NO BRAINER! I'll take it any day of the week! 😁 These cards are close to 20 years old. Time flies!

GF3-Ti200-X2-112.jpg

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/hQzcf3R

More later.

Reply 710 of 844, by Robert B

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Monica Bellucci - Mediterranean Nights

MAD PROJECT #2: GOT WOOL?! NOPE! Then GET RESTORED! 😁

Any resemblance to actual things or of other nature is purely coincidental!

Joke aside, now is the time to return to our muttons. I mean components, cards and even more boards! For the HW maniac there is nothing more appealing than a component, be it a motherboard, a graphic card, a soundcard or any lump of textolite littered with as many ICs as possible. The more components the better. Money is no object, the end justifies the means, so why bother? You know you need it! You know you want it! YOU HAVE TO GET IT! 😁

We live in strange times! Graphic cards toil in the salt mines, prices are down right obscene, a hard time to be a gamer ... I miss the days when things were simpler ... life was closer to the real stuff ... but I digress ...

ME+THE FLEA MARKET=LOVE! 😁

Yep. Good ol' flea market. Come to think of it I really don't know why they call it flea market. I mean I understand the meaning of it but I found so many treasures there that the naming "scheme" eludes me entirely.

The flea market. My father also had "a flaw". He used to go regularly at the flea market but he didn't buy anything. He just went to see what's for sale and to repair our family car. A LADA 1200s in the '90s. We had three LADA 1200 cars but the one with the s was the best. I loved that car and I still do! My first car. The car I learned to drive. The car I drove 'till the pistons gave up. Rear wheel drive. No ABS. No Power Steering. When others used to freeze in their cars I was in short sleeves in my LADA. 😁 ... but I digress again ... The sound of the engine @ 120 km/h in 4th gear! The speedometer needle was leaning toward the right. You could feel the drive shaft vibrate with every fiber of your body. Ahh the sound ... Ops! I digress again ...

I think that the flea market affliction got transmitted genetically as I have the same "flaw" as my father. If only he was still alive so that we could drink a beer and chat some more ... but I digress again ...

Once in a while, something gets past my armor and I buy stuff that plainly screams: DO NOT BUY ME!

Are you a fluffer? Sure boss! For 3 EUROS I got stuck with this puppy:

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WOOL INSIDE! Idiot OUTSIDE!

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ATI Radeon HD 5870 cards represent something special to me and I have great respect for them. I can clearly remember the time when these monsters appeared and I still get goose bumps!

If I could afford such a card? Ha Ha Ha! NOPE! Me, an nvidiot through and through, was using a GAINWARD BLISS 9800GTX 512MB DDR3 256-bit bought right before the launch of the GTX 260, in 2008, ... 999,99 RON wasted away. Regardless, I still loved the 9800GTX as it was mine!

The actor of this episode is none other than: PowerColor ATI Radeon HD 5870 2GB Eyefinity 6

It was an impulse buy as it looked to be whole. The backplate did its job and protected the card and I said to myself: WHY NOT?

What could possibly go wrong? Yep! What on Earth could possibly go wrong?!

Ever since I bought the card I new that I would have to take my restoring skills to the next level.

So, methodically, I went on to eliminate each obstacle that stood in my way , until the total conquest of the Pl..t, ahem, conquest of the ATI 5870!

Initialy I expected the dismantling of this card to be a complicated matter but to my surprise everything went smoothly, like when you undress a beautiful woman, ahem, a high caliber graphic card. 😁

The screws were easily sorted depending of their size and location. Every element that has been removed could easily be put back just by using the power of intuition.

THE REDS really know how to make stuff said the envious GREEN guy inside me ...

Screw after screw, I got to the point when I was about to separate the backplate from the card.

I heaved. I heaved again! NOTHING happened! The F..K?!?!

Hoping to separate the backplate I tried to heat up the card using a hair dryer.

Still NO DICE!

Well, brute force from a gentle angle came to the rescue. From one side I managed to lift the backplate a little and with carefully placed force I could feel it giving in.

It gave up but at what cost?

5870-E6-011.jpg

Add thermal pads to the shopping cart please.

Maybe you are wondering why I didn't power up the card as it was. Well, the cooler was looking quite tired and I wasn't going to risk giving the juice to something in that state.

I mean, respect for the cards must come first even if in the end you might not get what you were hoping for. You know me. ALL IN or ALL OUT! No half measures. No corners cut! The straight and narrow! Nothing will stop me!

Without even feeling it, I emarked on an expedition toward the unknown, guided by a blind belief in the vivacity of this card.

Every path must have a guiding light. I had complete and total faith in this card. If a 470 GTX managed to crawl out of the gutter why couldn't a mighty 5870 do the same?

Add to the mix the 2GB of VRAM plus Eyefinity E6 and this card had all the data to become legendary.

Let's get to nutcracking.

Torn thermal pads. You have to break some eggs if you want to make an omelette.

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2010. A good year! I was 11 years younger! It seems like yesterday!

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As expected, the separation of the PCB from the cooler didn't go according to plan. I got a little sweaty in the process.

Against all the odds I managed to save the wide majority of the thermal pads. At least I thought I did at that time! Those soft and yellowed bits had SINGLE USE plastered all over them.

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The mighty PCB! NAKED!

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Look at that real estate! I feel something rising and that isn't the real estate price!

The naked die made all the effort to be worthwhile.

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My precious! So perfect! I was in love ...

Encased into an impenetrable armor made from plastic, aluminum and copper, the PCB was intact. Apart of some dirt and grime in the cooling fan area it was minty fresh.

It seemed that I had a winner in my hands.

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All the data gathered implied the high end nature of this monster.

Some stains and dirt.

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What's the matter with this screw that is kind of loose? Hmmm ...

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Ever since I bought the card I just couldn't help but notice the stuff that was clogging the cooling fan. Even so I was still caught with my guard down by the deposits inside the cooler. Also the fan wasn't spinning too well and I knew that it will require some elbow grease if I was about to use it.

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These tiny bits of plastic gently whispered to me that I will have more stuff do somewhere down the line.

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The scratches and the tiny dents in the backplate were a clear indicator that this card suffered not only from a bad treatment from its former (careless) owner but also from "a good" treatment applied in transit aka from where it came until it reached me. Supposedly from Germany.

Against all of the warning signs I was still unabated and my belief in this card was at an all time high. Besides, if in the end the card would prove to be a lost cause I could console myself with the saying: the journey is more important than the destination!

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What beast can leave a card like this? Ignorance is bliss ...

Taking into account the dirt inside the cooling fan, I equipped myself with a breathing mask, protection goggles and latex gloves. The hairs inside the fan blades were clearly from some animal.

I used a pair of fine tweezers to remove most of the wool that was stuck inside the cooling fan but the operation didn't go according to plan as the result was kind of meh.

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After "the failure" with the tweezers I resorted to the BIG GUNS.

Water under pressure.

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Look at the debris.

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MORE!

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Heatsink included!

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After many minutes of using water under pressure I held in my hand something that looked familiar. The stock fan.

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After this initial cleanup I could closely inspect the wobble that the cooling fan had. The play inside the bearing was colossal and nothing could've made me foresee the damage inside .

Due to the accumulated dirt, the propeller was off balance and the steel shaft dug into the bearing. In turn, the cooling fan ate from the aluminum onto which is was fixed and also seriously scraped the plastic shroud.

At that time I still believed that I could save the fan so I searched on the Internet for a way to dismantle it. An easy procedure and totally safe if done properly aka my middle name. 😁

After I managed to clean the poor cooling fan , I quickly washed the PCB using hot tap water and some Fairy dish soap.

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When in doubt water it down or something like this?! Well, ..., in the ballpark at least ...

After the hot tap water and dish soap stage, an IPA 99% wash was in order and then the PCB was dried using the now classic method: hanged to dry.

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The thermal pads were toast but I kept them for future reference.

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I washed the metal parts and the plastic shroud with hot tap water and dish soap. I used microfiber cloths and soft brushes.

I took precautions to keep the contact of the water with the plastic shroud to a minimum. I really didn't want to damage the massive paper sticker that was present. It had a glossy surface but on the sides the paper was clearly visible.

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The massive heatsink turned out quite well after the wash with water. To be safe I quickly dried it using an air compressor.

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In the picture bellow you can clearly see how the fan ate from the aluminum.

Even now I can't understand how a human being can use a card in such conditions. It is beyond me. Ignorance is bliss, again ...

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Until I dismantled the cooling fan, more cleaning stages were in order.

With a sharp blade I had to scrape off the black stuff from the plastic shroud that dug inside the surface and also to scrape off the black paint from the heatsink that contaminated the red plastic.

A pig of a job. Labor and time intensive.

Let's see what I got in the end.

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At last! Something that I can work with!

The PCB was cleaned one more time and it came close to what I wanted but I was still not satisfied. I WANTED MORE!

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Ever since I got the card it was obvious that if I wanted to test it I would need an adapter.

A quick search has revealed that a suitable mini DP - DVI adapter can be expensive.

The flea market came to the rescue as I found there a couple of Apple adapters that seemed that they might do the trick. 2 EUROS / pcs.

5870-E6-054.jpg

As expected, the NTK(HK) FD9238H12S DC 12V 0.8A fan, is capsulated.

5870-E6-055.jpg

So I had to use the "three levers method" as presented on the internet.

5870-E6-056.jpg

The picture above is for reference only.

The safe method is to position two of the levers on top of each other in such a way that they do not make contact with the PCB of the fan. The third one is used as a counter force when you will dismantle the fan.

5870-E6-057.jpg

I kept the screws so that the levers won't get out of their position.

I placed the fan on a soft rag or a soft surface and I carefully applied force.

There is no need for excessive force. You just keep everything under tension and by gently alternating force on the right and left side you will feel the moment when the propeller will separate from the electric motor.

The YT clips are too violent and there is no need for the motor to pop up. You will hear and feel a soft click and that is it.

The propeller is held in place by a teflon washer and can be put back without problems.

Easy as pie!

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The groove that fixes the propeller into the teflon washer.

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The motor!

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To my surprise, the brownish dirt that was present on the fan, was also present inside the motor.

Due to the hard conditions it had to work, for who knows how much time, the old grease and the fine copper dust resulted from the damaged bearing, were a PITA to remove.

I still hoped that I could save the fan 😁 so I took everything past 11!

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This wasn't supposed to happen but it did. More stuff to clean.

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If you think that I was ready to throw in the towel you are mistaken. This was absolute madness!

Next came some polishing stages using polishing paste and rags and because I didn't get what I was looking for I resorted to wet sanding with 1500 grit sandpaper.

This was uncharted territory and I wanted to see what must be done for the future when I'll have tackle this stuff again.

Many stages of cotton sticks and IPA 99% followed.

Even after so much cleaning some brown stuff would still creep out from an area that looked clean. Thank GOD that it wasn't tobacco residue!

I already was asking myself when I was going to see the light at the end of the tunnel as it seemed that I was going nowhere.

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After so much scrubbing, the plastic wasn't looking too well. This was to be expected so I used some silicone grease that was left to dry on the affected surfaces and then the excess was wiped off with a soft rag.

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So fresh, so clean!

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Some black tape and some grease.

I am ready to power this sucker up and see what's what!

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Well ... this didn't end well. I really don't know what I was expecting ... maybe the fan fixing itself ...

0MoPjPL.gif

This fan is a beast and that wobble made me feel uncomfortable around it. At full blast it can tear your face off! 😁

Any sane person would've given up by now.

Not me! 😁

To eliminate the wobble I planned to use a steel piece to take out the play inside the bearing.

5870-E6-083.jpg

This didn't go according to plan as the steel piece was too small and got lost inside the cavern dug out by the steel shaft of the propeller.

At this point in time any tentative to save the fan was thrown outside the window and I just wanted to see if I could really could do something that would give me a somewhat usable item.

I drilled a hole inside the bearing.

5870-E6-084.jpg

As I didn't know how far I could go, while I drilled away, I touched with the teflon washer a little but I managed to not damage it too much. It was still in place.

In the pictures you can clearly see the teflon washer and its role..

5870-E6-085.jpg 5870-E6-086.jpg

As I still wanted to power up the fan even if the teflon washer lost its function I searched for alternatives.

The winner came into the form of the classic solution that is present on the wide majority of the fans. It was a PITA to shoehorn the new teflon washer but in the end I was successful.

5870-E6-087.jpg 5870-E6-088.jpg 5870-E6-089.jpg

As the tiny steel piece failed to do its job I used a bigger iron piece that seemed to be what I needed.

I cut a tiny piece and by carefully positioning that bit I was able to eliminate 95% of the wobble of the fan. To permanently fix the iron piece I used POXIPOL.

I was confident that I solved the problem even if I was fully aware that I will have to buy a replacement fan. You don't want this beast loose inside your case!

This was just a matter of ambition beyond reason and nothing more.

5870-E6-090.jpg 5870-E6-091.jpg 5870-E6-092.jpg

START YOUR ENGINES!

5870-E6-093.jpg

Well, ... no improvent! 😁

For 6 EUROS plus shipping I bought a cooler from a Gigabyte ATI Radeon HD 5870, just for the fan.

This card was a money pit but I wasn't ready to stop spending.

I removed the label while I waited for the replacement fan.

5870-E6-094.jpg

After so much trouble with the fan if you think that the rest was smooth sailing you are quite mistaken. NO SIR!

The plastic shroud had many torn bits into which the screws went and many of them could not be glued back. Many more were missing.

So I asked myself what options do I have?

To reconstruct the missing parts I resorted to POXIPOL.

I inserted a screw into each damaged channel and I used POXIPOL to create a thick collar.

As it was the first time I did this, the looks weren't to high on my list and the most important aspect was the strength of the patched areas. This was an "inside" job so the looks were secondary. What mattered the most was for it to hold.

5870-E6-095.jpg

A few minutes later, while the POXIPOL was still soft/tacky I gently removed the screws.

This way I got a mirror image of what was missing.

In the future I'll use some moldings in which I will press the POXIPOL and in the end everything will look close to factory spec. 😁 I'm mad I know!

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The heatsink came out shining.

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A few fins were rattling and I used some POXIPOL to fix them in place. Nothing gets past me. Every imperfection must be addressed individually! 😁

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Some black paint to cover the scars.

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I filed and scraped off the excess POXIPOL.

5870-E6-107.jpg

A good fit!

5870-E6-108.jpg 5870-E6-109.jpg

I'm still hoping!

5870-E6-110.jpg

The replacement fan arrived.

As expected it was also dirty but it had zero play. YAY!

If you think that I used it as it was your are again mistaken as it underwent the same cleaning procedures as the one before it.

As an added bonus I had to tackle some rust that was present on the inside. I used an anti-rust solution to get rid of it.

No remorse. I used lots of hot tap water and dish soap.

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Looking sorry for itself.

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You can clearly see the difference in the evacuation of the hot air between the ATI 5870 and the ATI 5870 E6.

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As good as it will ever going to get.

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I performed the sticker transplant and I cleaned the propeller.

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Bearing OK!

5870-E6-128.jpg

Fresh grease and a tiny drop of motor oil 5W40. Click and the propeller was in place as if nothing happened.

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DONE AND DONE!

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Clean bill of health.

I4eDFA7.gif

Stacked and waiting.

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One step closer to the truth. I wonder if this card is still alive and kicking!

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Power cable permanently fixed.

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Looking good!

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High intensity friction!

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This almost got past me!

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Sisters. I did a quick test to see if the screws were easily entering the areas that were reconstructed with POXIOPOL. All was OK and I registered nothing besides some moaning. I was careful not to tighten them to much. In the end the plastic shroud was held tightly against the heatsink.

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Sparkling. I wasn't able to remove some stains and I insisted no more.

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The thermal pads are of two types. 1 mm the soft squishy type, which once pressed is around 0.5-0.8 mm depending of the location and 0.5 mm fiberglass reinforced.

Pads.jpg

As I didn't want to buy two types of thermal pads and I was anxious to power up the card, I resorted to the Arctic soft blue 0.5 mm thermal pad I had available.

To get the 1 mm I needed I stacked two sheets of 0.5 mm.

A not so sane approach as the Artic thermal pad even it is soft it is anything but squishy.

I was ready for a custom job and I had no doubts that I could pull this off.

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Cya in another life. Into the trash you go!

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The PCB came out mirror like!

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The cooling fan connector was damage during the dismantling procedure and it was repaired with POXIPOL. The plastic is thin and brittle.

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Pads applied. Ready for a first test.

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After the first test, the thermal pads adhered perfectly to the heatsink and stayed there when I separated the PCB.

The TIM imprint wasn't too good, a clear sign that the thermal pads required fine tuning.

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More fine tuning needed.

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After some fine tuning.

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Some tests with various TIM thickness. Arctic MX-4.

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Tighten it down!

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On the right path.

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The imprints in the thermal pads denote a good contact. After the card will be powered up the heat will do the rest.

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The adjust the more rigid thermal pads I used a tiny plastic cylinder. I placed a tiny transparent film on them I gently applied pressure. I repeated this procedure as much as needed. No corners were cut or this could spell disaster.

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Thermal pads applied on the memory chips on the back of the card.

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Screws tightened.

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Testing. Thermal pads showed good contact. Minimal tuning required.

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I must mention that at all times I verified the deformation of the PCB in relation to the cooler and the backplate. Everything had to be as close to original as possible. The width of the thermal pads was adjusted until all was perfect.

After so many dismantling stages something was due to get out of my sight.

As I'm always paying attention to details, once I counted the bits of transparent film that were on the thermal pads something wasn't right. Each time I checked I came out one piece short.

I dismantled one more time the card even if I didn't want to. 😁

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With this occasion I got a confirmation of a fact that I already knew.

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After a titanic effort that could only be compared to something close to insanity I managed to finish the restoration of the card.

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Expectations were HIGH!

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Even from the first power up it was clear that something wasn't right.

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Black screen of nothingness.

The error returned on the Q-Code of my ASUS MAXIMUS IV EXTREME-Z says it all. Error Code 62 (installation of the pch runtime services) : "Very often Qcode 62 is related to the GPU especially if the VGA_LED is lit".

Dead 5870 E6.

In a last attempt I plugged my MSI GTX 1070 Gaming X and next to it I installed the ATI 5870.

I managed to get into Windows and in Device Manager the ATI was detected but the system hanged no matter what I tried. All I was able to see was the Microsoft Basic Display Driver installed and that was it.

The card didn't output an image no matter what I tried.

Also the fan didn't get to normal speed and the card got hot as hell.

Dead and buried.

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Many lines ago I was telling you that the journey is more important than the destination and what a journey this was!.

I had faith in this card up to the last moment.

I have no regrets. I learned many things and much experience was gathered. It would've been nice to have a card that was living and breathing but at this point in time there is nothing more to be done.

If you believe that I won't buy these kind of cards in the future you are gravely mistaken. 😁

Nothing more to add. That's a wrap! And don't even think about coming up with stuff like: TOLD YOU SO! 😁

Cya later with more episodes in a forum near you!

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/3YkCwPK

More later.

Reply 711 of 844, by devius

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I've cleaned a lot of fans over the years, but I have never come across one so disgusting as that one 😆 Good job there, even if the card isn't working. Also, nice tip about the Poxipol. I don't think that brand is sold here, but it seems to be just regular two component epoxy glue right?

Reply 712 of 844, by texterted

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Oh man, what a shame, but you can't win them all I suppose. Still, nice restoration as usual.

Cheers

Ted

98se/W2K :- Asus A8v Dlx. A-64 3500+, 512 mb ddr, Radeon 9800 Pro, SB Live.
XP Pro:- Asus P5 Q SE Plus, C2D E8400, 4 Gig DDR2, Radeon HD4870, SB Audigy 2ZS.

Reply 713 of 844, by Robert B

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devius wrote on 2021-02-28, 12:42:

I've cleaned a lot of fans over the years, but I have never come across one so disgusting as that one 😆 Good job there, even if the card isn't working. Also, nice tip about the Poxipol. I don't think that brand is sold here, but it seems to be just regular two component epoxy glue right?

Yes POXIPOL is a regular two part component epoxy glue. It is available in Romania. It comes in two variants silver and transparent. In some instances I found it better than other brands(Bison) and in other weaker.

What scares me the most is that I'm sure that somewhere down the line I'll find something worse than that fan. 😁 I just can feel it! 😁

texterted wrote on 2021-02-28, 15:25:

Oh man, what a shame, but you can't win them all I suppose. Still, nice restoration as usual.

Yep! Can't win them all but I have no regrets! 😀

NEXT EPISODE: Boards and even MORE boards!

PRW-2021-047.jpg

More later.

Reply 715 of 844, by Robert B

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A large warehouse. 😁 You made me smile amadeus777999! I consider myself still underweight! 😁

Those four boards needed a lot of work but as expected, in the end I prevailed. 😀

PRW-2021-056.jpg

More later.

Reply 716 of 844, by Robert B

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Pump It Up [8 Bit Tribute to Endor] - 8 Bit Universe

Boards and even MORE boards!

Boards, boards and even more boards! MORE! I need to inject myself! 😁

If in the beginnings of collecting (or should I say hoarding) of old HW, I had certain restraints in regard of the acquisition of motherboards, especially because of their sheer size, these restraints are long gone.

When you already have hundreds of parts, you know what this entails and even if you want it or not, you always have to make room for more tenants. Boxes upon boxes of electronic artefacts, stacked on top of each other, all in different stages of occupation, sit and stare at you wondering what you will put inside them this time?! You would be amazed about how much stuff can fit even in the smallest of them! Such a case is that of the box that has inside it 12 3dfx graphic cards and one of them is the V4-L. From outside it looks unassuming, not bigger than an A4 sheet of paper, about 8-10 cm tall, but what it matters is the content of it which is really special!

In a way I'm privileged as I don't keep my parts at home but the reverse of the medal is constituted by the moment when I'll have to move them! That will be for sure a fun experience! 😁

For some time I have in plan a big reorganization of my collection but I keep postponing it year after year. The last time I did this was around 2017. I know exactly what I have but I have difficulties finding the parts in the boxes.. 😁 The excel table tells me what I have but it doesn't tell me the column and the row where I put them. I tried to write with a maker on the outside of the boxes what they contain but this doesn't help me when there are tens of cards inside. So, I still rely on my memory but that isn't enough. I need a few hundred ESD bags and some standard sized cardboard boxes on which I'll put a comprehensive list that tells me what's in there! Soon ...

In todays episode I will present four motherboards that easily fit into the retro category. We are not talking about high-end stuff or some exotic parts but we one fact is blatantly obvious: motherboards with ISA slots are getting rarer and rarer. I don't even have to mention the ones with the VLB slots, rara avis ...

So let's get on with the show!

Four motherboards bought last year, weeks, months apart, went through my hands and all were saved. Some were in better shape, others looking worse for wear, but in the end all of them proved to be still alive and kicking, so no mystery here. Some were an impulse buy, at 2 EUROS/pcs with the CPU. Others a clear why not? With these four motherboards I have crossed the psychological threshold of 50 motherboards! Yikes! 100 here I come! 😁

The actors of this episde are:

* Acorp 5TX29 VER: 1.1, REV. B Sk. 7 + AMD K6 200MHz AMD-K6-200ALR
* Expert EXP4045 VER 1.2 Sk. 3 + AMD 486 DX4 100MHz * A80486DX4-100NV8T * Am486DX4-100
* FIC PA-2005 Ver. / Rev. 1.3 Sk. 7 + Intel Pentium MMX 166MHz * FV80503166 * SL27H
* Lucky Star 5VP3 Rev 2.1 Sk. 7 + Intel Pentium MMX 200MHz * FV80503200 * SL27J

Let's GO! GO! GO!!!

Acorp 5TX29 VER: 1.1, REV. B Sk. 7 + AMD K6 200MHz AMD-K6-200ALR Paradisio Ft Maria Garcia & Dj Patrick Samoy - Bailando

I bough this kit for just one reason. I'm pretty sure that you already know why as soon as you have read the title above.

Why haggle for the CPU alone when for the same price you can have the whole kit? NO BRAINER!

To date, this is the slowest AMD K6 that I own and the moment I found it was really special. I wasn't expecting something like this but this is the charm of flea market visits: you never know what you will find there. I lost count of how many treasures I found there, so, a fact is certain: I'll go there as long as the market will be open and as long as I am still breathing. 😁 Flea market adventures but without the fleas! YAY! Good times!

A motherboards with the date code of week 12 year 1998. 1998. A good year! I just finished high school and I entered the university. It seems like it was yesterday. Only when I look in the mirror I see how much time has passed since then. I don't feel or look (too) old 😁 but man, 23 years is a lot of years!

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The tasty AMD K6 200MHz AMD-K6-200ALR. Minty fresh! No TIM?! What the f...?

5TX29-04.jpg

The motherboard isn't something special. Just your regular Sk. 7 mobo, a "transition model" towards SS7 with SIMM and SD-RAM slots, AT and ATX power connectors.

ACorp. My first graphic accelerator was made by this company, so ACorp is something special to me. The 8 meg Vanta was the $hit when I had it with my Celeron 366MHz+440ZX.

The motherboard was in good shape apart from some scratches on the back, which albeit big, were only skin deep. Some dust in the CPU socket area. All in all nothing out of the ordinary.

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On close inspection though, I found a lot of bent pins in the SIMM slots. YIKES!

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The doc is operating! With the help of various tools I managed to straighten all of the bent pins from the SIMM slots. A SIMM slot replacement is a daunting task even for me. I can do it but I lack the required tools.

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Even these guys got a second chance.

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Mechanical testing in progress ... and in the end I prevailed! It felt so good!

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All done!

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I believe that a few eagle eyed readers have already spotted this detail. I'm talking about the tiny white plastic hooks from the SIMM slots that are placed in such a way so that the corresponding hole made in the PCB of the SIMM memory sticks rests over them. It is a measure to fix the memory stick in the slot and also to ensure a correct insertion of the memory stick in the slot. Even without these tiny hooks, the memory sticks are held well in the slot. A few being MIA is just an aesthetic shortcoming and nothing more.

The gorilla that removed the SIMM sticks didn't have the patience and/or the knowledge to push aside the metal clamps as it is normal. For sure this motherboard was destined to be recycled.

As my eyes were hurting from watching the torn plastic where the tiny hooks once stood, I used a nail clipper to make them look better.

5TX29-16.jpg

Better? Better! Job done!

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Even if this motherboard is just an ACorp, that doesn't mean that I treated her differently. I handled it like it was the greatest board on earth.

Get that dirt! Every nook and cranny!

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So fresh! So clean!

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A few rows above I was telling you that I managed to save all of the bent pins that were present in SIMM 72 pins slots. I was quite proud of my achievement. Unfortunately I was forced to learn a lesson the hard way. The name of that lesson is: what happens when you take things too far.

After the intermediate stages of cleaning I decided to fire up the board, so I installed some SIMMs and I pressed the power button. The board refused to POST no matter what. RAM error code, stick after stick!

I checked all of the jumpers but I could not find anything wrong.

As I thought that I have to arrange again the pins from the SIMM memory slots, even if I saw that they made good contact, I applied another stage of fine tuning that ended with a foreseeable outcome: a broken pin. It was to be expected ...

However, after a few moments of cold shivers, luck was still on my side as the broken pin is PIN 48, which is N/C or not connected. YAY!

5TX29-23.jpg

If I was to use this board I would install some SD-RAM for obvious reasons, but it is something else when all is present and still in good working condition.

In the end, my problems with the SIMM sticks, weren't because of the bent pins but from a very simple reason. The board simply "didn't like" some sticks. Plain and simple.

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I tried various SIMM sticks combinations and all of them worked. This motherboard got a clean bill of health!

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The rest was smooth sailing. Elbow grease and patience. Hot tap water. Fairy. IPA 99%. Many cotton sticks.

The results? Well, you know me!

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gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/pzd5495

Expert EXP4045 VER 1.2 Sk. 3 + AMD 486 DX4 100MHz * A80486DX4-100NV8T * Am486DX4-100 Milesybwoy Ft. Murphy - Persuasive Talk [LAK7-09]

Ahhh Sk. 3! My first PC, was powered by an AMD 586 at 133MHz!

The socket 3 motherboards are very special to me. My first PC had a socket 3 motherboard, back in '96. The string SiS 496/497 is engraved into my soul.

TheExpert EXP4045 motherboard, is an example of an early Sk. 3 board, full of ISA 16 bit and VLB slots.

To fully utilize this puppy you need a separate controller card for FDD, HDD, Serial and Parallel ports. Awesome stuff!

Even knee deep in the dirt, this board still looked awesome. I dig it!

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The CMOS battery didn't have the time to pour out its venom and it was quickly removed.

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The dirt was feeling like home and was present everywhere.

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ExpertBoard. A nice touch putting that on the PCB.

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The AMD 486 DX4 100MHz * A80486DX4-100NV8T * Am486DX4-100 CPU.

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Even if the battery didn't have enough time to damage the PCB, the traces of "salt" on the terminals, made me to use vinegar to neutralize any potential trace of acid.

Besides, some areas like the pins in the ISA slots, had some green stains/B] after the contact with some substance, so I had no excuse to not use vinegar. I still dislike the smell of it.

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This type of silent killer is responsible for the demise of many precious electronic artefacts.

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To make matters worse, the motherboard had contact with water or it was kept in a damp environment. Rust didn't need a special invitation and did what it does best: to give me headaches!

All of the tiny metal clamps, that fix the SIMM memory sticks in the slot, were rusty.

I used a tiny screwdriver to get them out from the slots. I was very careful while I performed this operation as I didn't want to crack the plastic.

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I left them in the rust remover solution for about an hour.

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Meanwhile, I turned my attention towards the place where the rusty metal clamps used to sit. The plastic was brown and I tried very hard to get rid of the staining. I wasn't expecting so much hassle with such a simple task but I refused to quit no matter what.

I tried IPA 99% and rust remover solution but I didn't get the expected results. No matter what I tried it looked like the stains are there to stay.

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I tried water under pressure and some dish soap but to no avail.

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Still not what I was looking for.

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I tried to manufacture various "tools" made from cotton sticks, but to no avail.

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While I scratched my head looking for a solution, inspiration struck me!

Well, the solution was staring me in the eyes but it took me a while to see it!

To simply put it, what I used in my attempts to get rid of the rust stains up to that point, weren't the right tool for the job.

The salvation came in the form of very fine tweezers that were able to get in all of the corners. Using tiny bits of cotton soaked in the anti rust solution I was able to remove every trace of the rust present and in the end all the areas looked as good as new. This procedure required some time and a lot of patience.

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The results speak for themselves.

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Rust be gone! YAY!

The metal clamps came out better than expected. Apart of some minimal pitting and some tiny marks they looked pristine.

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PERFECT!

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Rezidues.

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Before I performed the final stage of cleaning I fired up the board.

These motherboards are immortal. Time and time again, when I find and I restore them, they refuse to die and the happy POST beep fills me with joy. I had no doubts that this one is still alive.

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In the end the motherboard came out better than new. While I took the pictures I was very careful not to leave marks all over the glass surface. 😁

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gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/X3fjM1v


FIC PA-2005 Ver. / Rev. 1.3 Sk. 7 + Intel Pentium MMX 166MHz * FV80503166 * SL27H Deborah Aime La Bagarre - Cheat Codes


The first time I laid my eyes other this board I knew that it was something special.

The board is beautiful, the construction is solid and even just by looking at it you know that it is a quality product.

FIC stands for First International Computer, Inc., an old manufacturer of PC components founded in 1980.

After I bought I browsed the Internet and I found out that this model is quite desirable. Thanks Internet! Only that PA-2005 string didn't give me any clues!

You could see from a mile away that not long ago it was taken from the case that protected her for many years. In the blink of an eye my hand instinctively reach out for her. MINE! ALL MINE! I also took the two neighbouring SIMM sticks that for sure were removed the board and I tried to haggle for kit. Ahem, I say I tried to haggle but to no avail as the seller knows me well and the haggling margin is influenced only by the moment of the day when you have the "bad luck" to find something worthy to buy from her. How much is it? This much? Do you take less? NO! Here you go! Thank You! Done deal.

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A TITAN cooler sat pretty over the socket, and under it a Pentium textolite edition was also sitting pretty. Nice! NICE!

Damage? One torn electrolytic capacitor. An easy fix. I got this covered in spades!

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So fresh! A Pentium CPU that sees the light of day after who knows how many years. Looking perfect in every way. Still no TIM. Damn! This stuff wasn't optional you know! I say this to whoever put together this system but I'm pretty sure that I'm just talking to myself.

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Mobo? Check! PA-2005? CHECK!

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I quickly soldered a new capacitor. I found one that was perfect in regard to size and color but with higher specs. Problem fixed!

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Look at those detailed jumper settings with the little white arrows pointing towards them. Nice! NICE!

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1.3 revision.

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The cooler was cleaned well and the fact that it is from a well known manufacturer made all the process feel a lot more worthwhile. The fan is with ball bearings and as we all know once the balls go south aka the tiny steels ball lose their coating or the balls "get square" there isn't much that you can do. Even so, I made it spin from the smallest breeze. The first chance I get, I'll replace it with a brown Noctua and I'll transplant the sticker. Talk about an upgrade! 😁

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Testing 1,2! TESTING! Beware of the machine's range!

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Immortal piece of tech! Nice! NICE! The board is firing on all its cylinders! What do I have left to do?

Let's make this puppy shine better than a diamond in the goat's a$$!!! It really whips the llama a$$!

I really wouldn't want to look at this wonder in direct sunlight! Good thing that the sun wasn't out while I took these pictures. Sunglasses needed!

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Like its sister the Acorp, this motherboard also had some torn hooks from the SIMM slots that I fixed as best I could. No biggie.

Looking fantastic!

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One edge of the motherboard started to fray, and some fibers were starting to come loose so I quickly took measures to fix this. The cause can be anything from age to mechanical shock. Most probably it rubbed on something hard hence "the damage".

Some carefully placed transparent POXIPOL and all was ok.

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Such a beautiful board. I wish I had one back in the day!

gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/L45Wh3t


Lucky Star 5VP3 Rev 2.1 Sk. 7 + Intel Pentium MMX 200MHz * FV80503200 * SL27J


Lucky Star! There is a name I remember fondly from back in the day.

This motherboard was really lucky too! By the looks of it, scrap was plastered all over it! (Madonna - Lucky Star echoing in the back ...) 😁 Madonna - Lucky Star

The motherboard was very dirty with some black deposits that were very adherent. To make matters worse it also had a fractured jaw. All in all DO NOT BUY was all that I could think when I first saw it.

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As I felt really lucky I bought it together with the Expert board.

Uhhh Pentium!

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So much crap sticking to every surface!

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The broken jaw ahem ISA slot(s).

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5VP3?! YEAH MAN! 5-V-P-3!!! The heck is that? You don't fell Lucky? Well check the Internets to find out bro!

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So much abuse! In the end the bent metal part broke off in half while I tried to straighten it. I took out the two tiny rivets and I removed it entirely. To solder broken stainless bits is a PITA and I decided to skip this.

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1998 again? Nice! NICE!!! Back in the '90s I wasn't a 90's kind of guy but after I got older I really miss those days!

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Serial presence detect? Ahem Serial Number present and accounted for! LS QC-OK! OKAY! ROGER! COPY! OVER!

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The Pentium CPU still looking kind of fresh. Can it play Cr...s? Ops wrong timeline. I meant to say Quake!

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I put the damaged ISA slot in a vice grip after I glued it back. Shhh don't cry. I know exactly what I'm (not) doing! 😁 Now I know why I bought this tool. I knew that X years from then that I would need it! At that time I liked how it looked so I took it home.

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After I glued the ends of the ISA slots I had to straighten the bent pins inside. A pig of a job, as the pins have some hooks on the inside and it is quite hard to get them back to factory spec.

The best method to solve this was also the use of the vice grip but this time to the extreme. With this occasion I also got to test the quality of the "glue job" that held up very well. I squeezed the ISA slot as much as I could or as much as I felt comfortable in such a way that the pins inside would be in a "compressed" state.

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Then, using various tools I massaged the pins until I got what I wanted.

After I "relaxed" the ISA slot I could see the results that exceeded my expectations.

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Clean it baby!

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Testing?! Yep Good ol' testing session(s) when you anxiously press the POWER button! You never know what you will get but you hope for the best!

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Didn't I forget something?! Yep! The ISA slot was fully recovered.

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Glass Glass Baby! or it was ICE ICE BABY! I don't recall exactly! 😁

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I still feel like I forgot something! AAaaaaa the pics with the problematic ISA slots!

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Besides the top ISA slot, the bottom one was also out of line. With a gentle approach, that required the use of a rag and the vice grip, I was able to get it back to factory specs.

Now more pics with the board.

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gallery: https://postimg.cc/gallery/QjXNJPz

And there you have it! 4 recovered boards. 4 saved beauties. 4 mother of all boards ready to do my bidding! 😁 Damn what a group, I feel like a G6! 😁 Far East Movement ft. The Cataracs, DEV - Like A G6

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Erol Alkan - Spectrum

More later.

Reply 717 of 844, by chrismeyer6

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Nice job as usual Rob those boards look great! The repairs on those simm slots blew my mind. I don't think I have the mindset to get all those tiny pins all lined up and back in place like that.

Reply 719 of 844, by PcBytes

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Or anything LGA 🤣

"Enter at your own peril, past the bolted door..."
Main PC: i5 3470, GB B75M-D3H, 16GB RAM, 2x1TB
98SE : P3 650, Soyo SY-6BA+IV, 384MB RAM, 80GB