What resistor? I can't see any in that photo. Where's the scratch? Fell free to put a circle around the spot or something.

There are different types of heatsink clips with socket 7.
The cheap ones are just one piece of metal and a bit of a pain.
The better ones have a little hinge on the side where you close them, that helps a lot:
https://sep.yimg.com/ca/I/yhst-90432262887525_2272_383252693

About that scratch - there's dedicated PCB coating. Or maybe nail polish. But if the board works, have you considered ignoring it and getting on with you life?

there is a green mask + uv light

others say just use nail polish

I've always just used clear nailpolish, never had any complaints 👍

badmojo wrote on 2022-04-16, 04:58:

I've always just used clear nailpolish, never had any complaints 👍

All I get are images of a PC sitting on the desk yelling at you complaining about a scratch and bawling like a baby till you fix the boo boo.

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-16, 04:13:

About that scratch - there's dedicated PCB coating. Or maybe nail polish. But if the board works, have you considered ignoring it and getting on with you life?

I'll pick up some nail polish. You'd think as a lady i would already have some around 🤣

I hate seeing stuff get dinged up though. Especially because i bought this as "NOS". Now that iv had to pull this board out to fix some dumb errors with ram a few times, I see other scratches underneath the motherboard. Including one that appears to be covered up by some small green film tape? I just pulled this out of the bag a few hours ago so uhh...........about being "NOS". *Suspicion*

Either way. It boots fine now so i guess its okay. Just kinda hurts me feelings seeing a board get dinged up the day it gets pulled out. Man, this isn't the first time i have lightly scratched a motherboard by accident either. Are these old boards just susceptible to this? Not even trying to be intentionally rough with it. They get scratched from getting bumped or rubbed by a standoff while screwing into the case or installing a dumb cooler with clips.

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-16, 06:59:

I'll pick up some nail polish. You'd think as a lady i would already have some around lol […]
Show full quote

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-16, 04:13:

About that scratch - there's dedicated PCB coating. Or maybe nail polish. But if the board works, have you considered ignoring it and getting on with you life?

I'll pick up some nail polish. You'd think as a lady i would already have some around 🤣

I hate seeing stuff get dinged up though. Especially because i bought this as "NOS". Now that iv had to pull this board out to fix some dumb errors with ram a few times, I see other scratches underneath the motherboard. Including one that appears to be covered up by some small green film tape? I just pulled this out of the bag a few hours ago so uhh...........about being "NOS". *Suspicion*

Either way. It boots fine now so i guess its okay. Just kinda hurts me feelings seeing a board get dinged up the day it gets pulled out. Man, this isn't the first time i have lightly scratched a motherboard by accident either. Are these old boards just susceptible to this? Not even trying to be intentionally rough with it. They get scratched from getting bumped or rubbed by a standoff while screwing into the case or installing a dumb cooler with clips.

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a clear view of the mounting clip?
Small green film tape? That doesn't sound like NIB to me, but I'd like to see a pic of this green tape stuff. It sounds awkwardly strange to me.

No, they aren't more susceptible to getting scratches or at least they are not supposed to.
These boards often get scratched up by improper handling, especially if they get tossed about and stacked on top of each other or improperly stored like when many PCBs are stored together in a single storage container without enough padding in between the PCBs.

Lightly scratching up a board is not likely to damage it btw. And it can always happen by accident.
Breaking off a surface mounted item usually is because one has been too careless, but scratches from standoffs etc, can happen and is usually not sufficient to damage the board in its basic functionality.

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-16, 03:43:

I was trying to put together a FIC PA 2000 board and while i was struggling to put on a damn socket 7 cooler, part of the metal mounting clip scratched a tiny bit of the motherboard and rubbed the coating off one of those small color resistors. Man i hate trying to put these things on. I was being gentle too!

Tbf, especially with a regular Socket 7 HSF which needs very little force compared to sA HSFs, if you scratched something up while mounting or uninstalling the HSF you were probably not being gentle. When being gentle, I'll have so much control over the movements of my hand that even if I slip out of the mounting clamp hook while installing or uninstalling a HSF, I'll still not drive the screwdriver into the PCB. I'll use both hands handling the screwdriver if I have to.

You really need to have a lot of patience and focus while handling the screwdriver. It's worth it in the long run to not be too careless when installing and uninstalling these types of HSFs. I mean mounting or unmounting the clamp takes just a few seconds at most unless it's one of those clamps that don't havea hook or if the heatsink or a motherboard component (or something lese) is physically blocking your movement space.

Having said that, even an experienced PC builder can miss something, have an unlucky slip-up (sometimes by bad design or when faced with something unfamiliar or temperamental) or a momentarily flash of lack of concentration.

Personally I actually like this mounting system. At some point you get used to it.
They work perfectly fine for what they are. It's LIF sockets I don't like 😜 Those are more like HIF sockets 🤣

It's not very clear from the photo what you consider to be the problem. Generally speaking, cover exposed tracks with nail polish or uv curable solder mask to prevent oxidation. Ignore small scratches on the protective layer that don't expose copper.

from time to time i buy a motherboard and specially on the back side, near the edges where the very thin copper traces are, using a magnifying glass i find a couple places where the traces are green
Not sure why since water never touched that part, but rubbing it with vinegar does not seem to remove it, so i need to scratch the surface to remove it and then use nail polish

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-16, 09:34:

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a c […]
Show full quote

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-16, 06:59:

I'll pick up some nail polish. You'd think as a lady i would already have some around lol […]
Show full quote

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-16, 04:13:

About that scratch - there's dedicated PCB coating. Or maybe nail polish. But if the board works, have you considered ignoring it and getting on with you life?

I'll pick up some nail polish. You'd think as a lady i would already have some around 🤣

I hate seeing stuff get dinged up though. Especially because i bought this as "NOS". Now that iv had to pull this board out to fix some dumb errors with ram a few times, I see other scratches underneath the motherboard. Including one that appears to be covered up by some small green film tape? I just pulled this out of the bag a few hours ago so uhh...........about being "NOS". *Suspicion*

Either way. It boots fine now so i guess its okay. Just kinda hurts me feelings seeing a board get dinged up the day it gets pulled out. Man, this isn't the first time i have lightly scratched a motherboard by accident either. Are these old boards just susceptible to this? Not even trying to be intentionally rough with it. They get scratched from getting bumped or rubbed by a standoff while screwing into the case or installing a dumb cooler with clips.

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a clear view of the mounting clip?
Small green film tape? That doesn't sound like NIB to me, but I'd like to see a pic of this green tape stuff. It sounds awkwardly strange to me.

No, they aren't more susceptible to getting scratches or at least they are not supposed to.
These boards often get scratched up by improper handling, especially if they get tossed about and stacked on top of each other or improperly stored like when many PCBs are stored together in a single storage container without enough padding in between the PCBs.

Lightly scratching up a board is not likely to damage it btw. And it can always happen by accident.
Breaking off a surface mounted item usually is because one has been too careless, but scratches from standoffs etc, can happen and is usually not sufficient to damage the board in its basic functionality.

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-16, 03:43:

I was trying to put together a FIC PA 2000 board and while i was struggling to put on a damn socket 7 cooler, part of the metal mounting clip scratched a tiny bit of the motherboard and rubbed the coating off one of those small color resistors. Man i hate trying to put these things on. I was being gentle too!

Tbf, especially with a regular Socket 7 HSF which needs very little force compared to sA HSFs, if you scratched something up while mounting or uninstalling the HSF you were probably not being gentle. When being gentle, I'll have so much control over the movements of my hand that even if I slip out of the mounting clamp hook while installing or uninstalling a HSF, I'll still not drive the screwdriver into the PCB. I'll use both hands handling the screwdriver if I have to.

You really need to have a lot of patience and focus while handling the screwdriver. It's worth it in the long run to not be too careless when installing and uninstalling these types of HSFs. I mean mounting or unmounting the clamp takes just a few seconds at most unless it's one of those clamps that don't havea hook or if the heatsink or a motherboard component (or something lese) is physically blocking your movement space.

Having said that, even an experienced PC builder can miss something, have an unlucky slip-up (sometimes by bad design or when faced with something unfamiliar or temperamental) or a momentarily flash of lack of concentration.

Personally I actually like this mounting system. At some point you get used to it.
They work perfectly fine for what they are. It's LIF sockets I don't like 😜 Those are more like HIF sockets 🤣

The one under the board i know 100% i did not cause. I spent hours troubleshooting yesterday and apparently it has issues recognizing ram too. I gave the sticks a good clean but if you do so much as breath on them improperly the system will boot loop till they are re-installed.

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-17, 03:15:

20220416_210744.jpg 20220416_210652.jpg […]
Show full quote

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-16, 09:34:

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a c […]
Show full quote

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-16, 06:59:

I'll pick up some nail polish. You'd think as a lady i would already have some around 🤣

I hate seeing stuff get dinged up though. Especially because i bought this as "NOS". Now that iv had to pull this board out to fix some dumb errors with ram a few times, I see other scratches underneath the motherboard. Including one that appears to be covered up by some small green film tape? I just pulled this out of the bag a few hours ago so uhh...........about being "NOS". *Suspicion*

Either way. It boots fine now so i guess its okay. Just kinda hurts me feelings seeing a board get dinged up the day it gets pulled out. Man, this isn't the first time i have lightly scratched a motherboard by accident either. Are these old boards just susceptible to this? Not even trying to be intentionally rough with it. They get scratched from getting bumped or rubbed by a standoff while screwing into the case or installing a dumb cooler with clips.

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a clear view of the mounting clip?
Small green film tape? That doesn't sound like NIB to me, but I'd like to see a pic of this green tape stuff. It sounds awkwardly strange to me.

No, they aren't more susceptible to getting scratches or at least they are not supposed to.
These boards often get scratched up by improper handling, especially if they get tossed about and stacked on top of each other or improperly stored like when many PCBs are stored together in a single storage container without enough padding in between the PCBs.

Lightly scratching up a board is not likely to damage it btw. And it can always happen by accident.
Breaking off a surface mounted item usually is because one has been too careless, but scratches from standoffs etc, can happen and is usually not sufficient to damage the board in its basic functionality.

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-16, 03:43:

I was trying to put together a FIC PA 2000 board and while i was struggling to put on a damn socket 7 cooler, part of the metal mounting clip scratched a tiny bit of the motherboard and rubbed the coating off one of those small color resistors. Man i hate trying to put these things on. I was being gentle too!

Tbf, especially with a regular Socket 7 HSF which needs very little force compared to sA HSFs, if you scratched something up while mounting or uninstalling the HSF you were probably not being gentle. When being gentle, I'll have so much control over the movements of my hand that even if I slip out of the mounting clamp hook while installing or uninstalling a HSF, I'll still not drive the screwdriver into the PCB. I'll use both hands handling the screwdriver if I have to.

You really need to have a lot of patience and focus while handling the screwdriver. It's worth it in the long run to not be too careless when installing and uninstalling these types of HSFs. I mean mounting or unmounting the clamp takes just a few seconds at most unless it's one of those clamps that don't havea hook or if the heatsink or a motherboard component (or something lese) is physically blocking your movement space.

Having said that, even an experienced PC builder can miss something, have an unlucky slip-up (sometimes by bad design or when faced with something unfamiliar or temperamental) or a momentarily flash of lack of concentration.

Personally I actually like this mounting system. At some point you get used to it.
They work perfectly fine for what they are. It's LIF sockets I don't like 😜 Those are more like HIF sockets 🤣

20220416_210744.jpg
20220416_210652.jpg

The one under the board i know 100% i did not cause. I spent hours troubleshooting yesterday and apparently it has issues recognizing ram too. I gave the sticks a good clean but if you do so much as breath on them improperly the system will boot loop till they are re-installed.

Whenever I see an old board with "ram" issues, I throughly clean the sockets with a tiny bit of the finest sandpaper I can find. There are lots of memory sockets that do not have a gold layer on them (the ones that have only been tinned) and a fine layer of oxide grows on them. Not a problem for systems within their first, say, 3 or so years, but 20 years later, yeah, oxide can be a problem. You dont have to go crazy on them, but just clean a little bit, and then some Isopropyl to clean whatever debree might be left.

If you ever decide to remove / replace the Cache chips, do that too as many IC's from that era have an oxide buildup between the pins and the sockets.

Donovan V. wrote on 2022-04-17, 05:15:

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-17, 03:15:

20220416_210744.jpg 20220416_210652.jpg […]
Show full quote

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-16, 09:34:

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a c […]
Show full quote

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a clear view of the mounting clip?
Small green film tape? That doesn't sound like NIB to me, but I'd like to see a pic of this green tape stuff. It sounds awkwardly strange to me.

No, they aren't more susceptible to getting scratches or at least they are not supposed to.
These boards often get scratched up by improper handling, especially if they get tossed about and stacked on top of each other or improperly stored like when many PCBs are stored together in a single storage container without enough padding in between the PCBs.

Lightly scratching up a board is not likely to damage it btw. And it can always happen by accident.
Breaking off a surface mounted item usually is because one has been too careless, but scratches from standoffs etc, can happen and is usually not sufficient to damage the board in its basic functionality.

Tbf, especially with a regular Socket 7 HSF which needs very little force compared to sA HSFs, if you scratched something up while mounting or uninstalling the HSF you were probably not being gentle. When being gentle, I'll have so much control over the movements of my hand that even if I slip out of the mounting clamp hook while installing or uninstalling a HSF, I'll still not drive the screwdriver into the PCB. I'll use both hands handling the screwdriver if I have to.

You really need to have a lot of patience and focus while handling the screwdriver. It's worth it in the long run to not be too careless when installing and uninstalling these types of HSFs. I mean mounting or unmounting the clamp takes just a few seconds at most unless it's one of those clamps that don't havea hook or if the heatsink or a motherboard component (or something lese) is physically blocking your movement space.

Having said that, even an experienced PC builder can miss something, have an unlucky slip-up (sometimes by bad design or when faced with something unfamiliar or temperamental) or a momentarily flash of lack of concentration.

Personally I actually like this mounting system. At some point you get used to it.
They work perfectly fine for what they are. It's LIF sockets I don't like 😜 Those are more like HIF sockets 🤣

20220416_210744.jpg
20220416_210652.jpg

The one under the board i know 100% i did not cause. I spent hours troubleshooting yesterday and apparently it has issues recognizing ram too. I gave the sticks a good clean but if you do so much as breath on them improperly the system will boot loop till they are re-installed.

Whenever I see an old board with "ram" issues, I throughly clean the sockets with a tiny bit of the finest sandpaper I can find. There are lots of memory sockets that do not have a gold layer on them (the ones that have only been tinned) and a fine layer of oxide grows on them. Not a problem for systems within their first, say, 3 or so years, but 20 years later, yeah, oxide can be a problem. You dont have to go crazy on them, but just clean a little bit, and then some Isopropyl to clean whatever debree might be left.

If you ever decide to remove / replace the Cache chips, do that too as many IC's from that era have an oxide buildup between the pins and the sockets.

Thanks for the advice! I'll make a trip to the hardware store and give it a go. Not sure i'm gonna stick with this board though. I think i want something a little tiny bit more modern. VIA Socket 5 is hampering performance a tiny bit, and this board still has other issues like wonky IDE channel 2 and floppy port that are bugging me.

EDIT: So i gave the ram sticks another yolo clean for the funsies. PC started consistantly, i did a ram test to make sure me yeeting things around in the case in annoyance didn't cause something to die. Midway through ram test: *PC freezes, won't reboot or POST*. I feel really bad for the poor Sound Blaster Pro installed right now. Constantly getting power cycled and pulled out of slots while debugging crap.

I'll give give the slots a last try sanding but I'm kinda done with this board tbh. Into the bin of projects it goes.

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-17, 03:15:

20220416_210744.jpg 20220416_210652.jpg […]
Show full quote

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-16, 09:34:

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a c […]
Show full quote

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-16, 06:59:

I'll pick up some nail polish. You'd think as a lady i would already have some around 🤣

I hate seeing stuff get dinged up though. Especially because i bought this as "NOS". Now that iv had to pull this board out to fix some dumb errors with ram a few times, I see other scratches underneath the motherboard. Including one that appears to be covered up by some small green film tape? I just pulled this out of the bag a few hours ago so uhh...........about being "NOS". *Suspicion*

Either way. It boots fine now so i guess its okay. Just kinda hurts me feelings seeing a board get dinged up the day it gets pulled out. Man, this isn't the first time i have lightly scratched a motherboard by accident either. Are these old boards just susceptible to this? Not even trying to be intentionally rough with it. They get scratched from getting bumped or rubbed by a standoff while screwing into the case or installing a dumb cooler with clips.

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a clear view of the mounting clip?
Small green film tape? That doesn't sound like NIB to me, but I'd like to see a pic of this green tape stuff. It sounds awkwardly strange to me.

No, they aren't more susceptible to getting scratches or at least they are not supposed to.
These boards often get scratched up by improper handling, especially if they get tossed about and stacked on top of each other or improperly stored like when many PCBs are stored together in a single storage container without enough padding in between the PCBs.

Lightly scratching up a board is not likely to damage it btw. And it can always happen by accident.
Breaking off a surface mounted item usually is because one has been too careless, but scratches from standoffs etc, can happen and is usually not sufficient to damage the board in its basic functionality.

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-16, 03:43:

I was trying to put together a FIC PA 2000 board and while i was struggling to put on a damn socket 7 cooler, part of the metal mounting clip scratched a tiny bit of the motherboard and rubbed the coating off one of those small color resistors. Man i hate trying to put these things on. I was being gentle too!

Tbf, especially with a regular Socket 7 HSF which needs very little force compared to sA HSFs, if you scratched something up while mounting or uninstalling the HSF you were probably not being gentle. When being gentle, I'll have so much control over the movements of my hand that even if I slip out of the mounting clamp hook while installing or uninstalling a HSF, I'll still not drive the screwdriver into the PCB. I'll use both hands handling the screwdriver if I have to.

You really need to have a lot of patience and focus while handling the screwdriver. It's worth it in the long run to not be too careless when installing and uninstalling these types of HSFs. I mean mounting or unmounting the clamp takes just a few seconds at most unless it's one of those clamps that don't havea hook or if the heatsink or a motherboard component (or something lese) is physically blocking your movement space.

Having said that, even an experienced PC builder can miss something, have an unlucky slip-up (sometimes by bad design or when faced with something unfamiliar or temperamental) or a momentarily flash of lack of concentration.

Personally I actually like this mounting system. At some point you get used to it.
They work perfectly fine for what they are. It's LIF sockets I don't like 😜 Those are more like HIF sockets 🤣

20220416_210744.jpg
20220416_210652.jpg

The one under the board i know 100% i did not cause. I spent hours troubleshooting yesterday and apparently it has issues recognizing ram too. I gave the sticks a good clean but if you do so much as breath on them improperly the system will boot loop till they are re-installed.

The scratch on the front (neat the CPU socket) doesn't seem like it would prevent the board from working normally. I can't really make out the damage but it looks relatively minor.
The whatever it is on the back, I can't make out what it is. Is it like a real hole or is it some kind of residue left behind? I haven't seen anything that looks like that before except the colors match the colors of the traces and the PCB.

The pics of your board (both front and back) and of your HSF including the mounting clip are still missing.

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-17, 09:11:

The scratch on the front (neat the CPU socket) doesn't seem like it would prevent the board from working normally. I can't reall […]
Show full quote

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-17, 03:15:

20220416_210744.jpg 20220416_210652.jpg […]
Show full quote

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-16, 09:34:

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a c […]
Show full quote

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a clear view of the mounting clip?
Small green film tape? That doesn't sound like NIB to me, but I'd like to see a pic of this green tape stuff. It sounds awkwardly strange to me.

No, they aren't more susceptible to getting scratches or at least they are not supposed to.
These boards often get scratched up by improper handling, especially if they get tossed about and stacked on top of each other or improperly stored like when many PCBs are stored together in a single storage container without enough padding in between the PCBs.

Lightly scratching up a board is not likely to damage it btw. And it can always happen by accident.
Breaking off a surface mounted item usually is because one has been too careless, but scratches from standoffs etc, can happen and is usually not sufficient to damage the board in its basic functionality.

Tbf, especially with a regular Socket 7 HSF which needs very little force compared to sA HSFs, if you scratched something up while mounting or uninstalling the HSF you were probably not being gentle. When being gentle, I'll have so much control over the movements of my hand that even if I slip out of the mounting clamp hook while installing or uninstalling a HSF, I'll still not drive the screwdriver into the PCB. I'll use both hands handling the screwdriver if I have to.

You really need to have a lot of patience and focus while handling the screwdriver. It's worth it in the long run to not be too careless when installing and uninstalling these types of HSFs. I mean mounting or unmounting the clamp takes just a few seconds at most unless it's one of those clamps that don't havea hook or if the heatsink or a motherboard component (or something lese) is physically blocking your movement space.

Having said that, even an experienced PC builder can miss something, have an unlucky slip-up (sometimes by bad design or when faced with something unfamiliar or temperamental) or a momentarily flash of lack of concentration.

Personally I actually like this mounting system. At some point you get used to it.
They work perfectly fine for what they are. It's LIF sockets I don't like 😜 Those are more like HIF sockets 🤣

20220416_210744.jpg
20220416_210652.jpg

The one under the board i know 100% i did not cause. I spent hours troubleshooting yesterday and apparently it has issues recognizing ram too. I gave the sticks a good clean but if you do so much as breath on them improperly the system will boot loop till they are re-installed.

The scratch on the front (neat the CPU socket) doesn't seem like it would prevent the board from working normally. I can't really make out the damage but it looks relatively minor.
The whatever it is on the back, I can't make out what it is. Is it like a real hole or is it some kind of residue left behind? I haven't seen anything that looks like that before except the colors match the colors of the traces and the PCB.

The pics of your board (both front and back) and of your HSF including the mounting clip are still missing.

Sorry about that. Will take a few more later today when i do the sanding.

Happy Easter! (or whatever you celebrate!)

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-17, 09:11:

The scratch on the front (neat the CPU socket) doesn't seem like it would prevent the board from working normally. I can't reall […]
Show full quote

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-17, 03:15:

20220416_210744.jpg 20220416_210652.jpg […]
Show full quote

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-16, 09:34:

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a c […]
Show full quote

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a clear view of the mounting clip?
Small green film tape? That doesn't sound like NIB to me, but I'd like to see a pic of this green tape stuff. It sounds awkwardly strange to me.

No, they aren't more susceptible to getting scratches or at least they are not supposed to.
These boards often get scratched up by improper handling, especially if they get tossed about and stacked on top of each other or improperly stored like when many PCBs are stored together in a single storage container without enough padding in between the PCBs.

Lightly scratching up a board is not likely to damage it btw. And it can always happen by accident.
Breaking off a surface mounted item usually is because one has been too careless, but scratches from standoffs etc, can happen and is usually not sufficient to damage the board in its basic functionality.

Tbf, especially with a regular Socket 7 HSF which needs very little force compared to sA HSFs, if you scratched something up while mounting or uninstalling the HSF you were probably not being gentle. When being gentle, I'll have so much control over the movements of my hand that even if I slip out of the mounting clamp hook while installing or uninstalling a HSF, I'll still not drive the screwdriver into the PCB. I'll use both hands handling the screwdriver if I have to.

You really need to have a lot of patience and focus while handling the screwdriver. It's worth it in the long run to not be too careless when installing and uninstalling these types of HSFs. I mean mounting or unmounting the clamp takes just a few seconds at most unless it's one of those clamps that don't havea hook or if the heatsink or a motherboard component (or something lese) is physically blocking your movement space.

Having said that, even an experienced PC builder can miss something, have an unlucky slip-up (sometimes by bad design or when faced with something unfamiliar or temperamental) or a momentarily flash of lack of concentration.

Personally I actually like this mounting system. At some point you get used to it.
They work perfectly fine for what they are. It's LIF sockets I don't like 😜 Those are more like HIF sockets 🤣

20220416_210744.jpg
20220416_210652.jpg

The one under the board i know 100% i did not cause. I spent hours troubleshooting yesterday and apparently it has issues recognizing ram too. I gave the sticks a good clean but if you do so much as breath on them improperly the system will boot loop till they are re-installed.

The scratch on the front (neat the CPU socket) doesn't seem like it would prevent the board from working normally. I can't really make out the damage but it looks relatively minor.
The whatever it is on the back, I can't make out what it is. Is it like a real hole or is it some kind of residue left behind? I haven't seen anything that looks like that before except the colors match the colors of the traces and the PCB.

The pics of your board (both front and back) and of your HSF including the mounting clip are still missing.

Shots of the board all around. Will try giving the ram slots a sanding.

I didn't see any other obvious defects with the board, except the little heatsink near the CPU HSF which seems to have bend heatsink legs (or whatever those are called, they are barely fins) but even though that indicates the board was handled roughly, this shouldn't really affect the boards functionality anyway.

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-18, 12:47:

I didn't see any other obvious defects with the board, except the little heatsink near the CPU HSF which seems to have bend heatsink legs (or whatever those are called, they are barely fins

I would definitely call those "fins". But definitely not Finns, they're barely Norwegians.

The FIC Pa-2000 should be a rather decent board, if not the most mature ever. Maybe stick to vanilla Intel Pentium and one type of RAM.
The subsequent PA-2002 and 2005 were very popular.

Fancy copper heatsink, really. Did you get that new? For a good price? So far I've only seen them far beyond retro appropriate numbers, like 20 €.

But if you're not overclocking that thing, bit of an overkill. Alternatively, should be content with the lowest possible fan speed, if not without one.

FIC PA-2000 Manual and photo

Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-18, 12:47:

I didn't see any other obvious defects with the board, except the little heatsink near the CPU HSF which seems to have bend heatsink legs (or whatever those are called, they are barely fins) but even though that indicates the board was handled roughly, this shouldn't really affect the boards functionality anyway.

Hahah! I gave the ram slots a few quick sandings and now the board wants to recognize the ram more consistently! Brilliant! Iv had the board running some game demos on loop and a ram test for a few hours successfully.

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-18, 15:32:

The FIC Pa-2000 should be a rather decent board, if not the most mature ever. Maybe stick to vanilla Intel Pentium and one type […]
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The FIC Pa-2000 should be a rather decent board, if not the most mature ever. Maybe stick to vanilla Intel Pentium and one type of RAM. The subsequent PA-2002 and 2005 were very popular.

Fancy copper heatsink, really. Did you get that new? For a good price? So far I've only seen them far beyond retro appropriate numbers, like 20 €.

But if you're not overclocking that thing, bit of an overkill. Alternatively, should be content with the lowest possible fan speed, if not without one.

FIC PA-2000 Manual and photo

I have a few of these actually .Got them in a bin full of junk/unused heatsinks. Guess startech stuff just likes to sit around. Fan is ear blastingly loud though.

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-18, 16:24:

Hahah! I gave the ram slots a few quick sandings and now the board wants to recognize the ram more consistently! Brilliant! Iv h […]
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Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-18, 12:47:

I didn't see any other obvious defects with the board, except the little heatsink near the CPU HSF which seems to have bend heatsink legs (or whatever those are called, they are barely fins) but even though that indicates the board was handled roughly, this shouldn't really affect the boards functionality anyway.

Hahah! I gave the ram slots a few quick sandings and now the board wants to recognize the ram more consistently! Brilliant! Iv had the board running some game demos on loop and a ram test for a few hours successfully.

Cuttoon wrote on 2022-04-18, 15:32:

The FIC Pa-2000 should be a rather decent board, if not the most mature ever. Maybe stick to vanilla Intel Pentium and one type […]
Show full quote

The FIC Pa-2000 should be a rather decent board, if not the most mature ever. Maybe stick to vanilla Intel Pentium and one type of RAM. The subsequent PA-2002 and 2005 were very popular.

Fancy copper heatsink, really. Did you get that new? For a good price? So far I've only seen them far beyond retro appropriate numbers, like 20 €.

But if you're not overclocking that thing, bit of an overkill. Alternatively, should be content with the lowest possible fan speed, if not without one.

FIC PA-2000 Manual and photo

I have a few of these actually .Got them in a bin full of junk/unused heatsinks. Guess startech stuff just likes to sit around. Fan is ear blastingly loud though.

Lucky bin, that.
That's the thing - I wouldn't mind shelling out the occasional tenner for a really decent retro heatsink, were it not for the safe assumption that dozens of them gather dust in some box and their first market value is really zilch plus the value of 200 g of copper - around 40 ct I think.
But, even with obvious NOS offers, they really bleed you, even on ALI express. As far as I cared to look. Dozen of run of the mill alu ones here.

You should really try just unmounting the fan, with any decent airflow in the case, even a 200 MMX should do fine, I think.
You could test that on a later board with temp sensor, definitely some intel TX and SS7 around who have that.
Or integrate a resistor around 150 Ohms in the cable or hook up the fan's ground to a 5 V molex pin, having it run at 7 V. Or get a better fan, of course - good 50 mm should be easy to source.

Donovan V. wrote on 2022-04-17, 05:15:

FioGermi wrote on 2022-04-17, 03:15:

20220416_210744.jpg 20220416_210652.jpg […]
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Tetrium wrote on 2022-04-16, 09:34:

Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a c […]
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Could you take some pics of the board both front and back? Could you also include some pics of your CPU HSF, especially with a clear view of the mounting clip?
Small green film tape? That doesn't sound like NIB to me, but I'd like to see a pic of this green tape stuff. It sounds awkwardly strange to me.

No, they aren't more susceptible to getting scratches or at least they are not supposed to.
These boards often get scratched up by improper handling, especially if they get tossed about and stacked on top of each other or improperly stored like when many PCBs are stored together in a single storage container without enough padding in between the PCBs.

Lightly scratching up a board is not likely to damage it btw. And it can always happen by accident.
Breaking off a surface mounted item usually is because one has been too careless, but scratches from standoffs etc, can happen and is usually not sufficient to damage the board in its basic functionality.

Tbf, especially with a regular Socket 7 HSF which needs very little force compared to sA HSFs, if you scratched something up while mounting or uninstalling the HSF you were probably not being gentle. When being gentle, I'll have so much control over the movements of my hand that even if I slip out of the mounting clamp hook while installing or uninstalling a HSF, I'll still not drive the screwdriver into the PCB. I'll use both hands handling the screwdriver if I have to.

You really need to have a lot of patience and focus while handling the screwdriver. It's worth it in the long run to not be too careless when installing and uninstalling these types of HSFs. I mean mounting or unmounting the clamp takes just a few seconds at most unless it's one of those clamps that don't havea hook or if the heatsink or a motherboard component (or something lese) is physically blocking your movement space.

Having said that, even an experienced PC builder can miss something, have an unlucky slip-up (sometimes by bad design or when faced with something unfamiliar or temperamental) or a momentarily flash of lack of concentration.

Personally I actually like this mounting system. At some point you get used to it.
They work perfectly fine for what they are. It's LIF sockets I don't like 😜 Those are more like HIF sockets 🤣

20220416_210744.jpg
20220416_210652.jpg

The one under the board i know 100% i did not cause. I spent hours troubleshooting yesterday and apparently it has issues recognizing ram too. I gave the sticks a good clean but if you do so much as breath on them improperly the system will boot loop till they are re-installed.

Whenever I see an old board with "ram" issues, I throughly clean the sockets with a tiny bit of the finest sandpaper I can find. There are lots of memory sockets that do not have a gold layer on them (the ones that have only been tinned) and a fine layer of oxide grows on them. Not a problem for systems within their first, say, 3 or so years, but 20 years later, yeah, oxide can be a problem. You dont have to go crazy on them, but just clean a little bit, and then some Isopropyl to clean whatever debree might be left.

If you ever decide to remove / replace the Cache chips, do that too as many IC's from that era have an oxide buildup between the pins and the sockets.

...aaannnddd the system finally crashed midway through a round of Transport Tycoon. Boo i say! Wouldn't boot until a quick re-seat of the ram. The system boots much more consistently at the very least. i guess more sanding is in order?

Also would sanding the ram sticks itself help?