it may be a later revision of that card, I'm glad its alive and functioning, I guess the only way to be 100% sure is to run some 3dmark on it and let it get warm and see what it does. That caps might just be filtering/smoothing and so may not be needed or they could help with power delivery when under load.
Even with a microscope, replacing tiny SMD components with a soldering iron is going to be awful. There is no comparison to hot air for these kinds of delicate repairs.
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:26:it may be a later revision of that card, I'm glad its alive and functioning, I guess the only way to be 100% sure is to run some 3dmark on it and let it get warm and see what it does. That caps might just be filtering/smoothing and so may not be needed or they could help with power delivery when under load.
I've run Unreal Gold timedemo for more than half an hour, and also run for a few times 3DMark2000. The card got so hot on the rear side where the GPU is, that I couldn't keep my finger on it at all. Loke you said, maybe are just some filtering caps....
bearking wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:39:TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:26:it may be a later revision of that card, I'm glad its alive and functioning, I guess the only way to be 100% sure is to run some 3dmark on it and let it get warm and see what it does. That caps might just be filtering/smoothing and so may not be needed or they could help with power delivery when under load.
I've run Unreal Gold timedemo for more than half an hour, and also run for a few times 3DMark2000. The card got so hot on the rear side where the GPU is, that I couldn't keep my finger on it at all. Loke you said, maybe are just some filtering caps....
20220320_003711.jpg
Have you repasted the card ?
seems odd for it to get that hot.
I don't have one of these for comparison, but I think the GPU would have to get unusually hot for it to pass that much heat through to the other side of the PCB, especially with a fan on it.
Would the missing capacitors increase the resistance to certain parts of the chip and cause it to overheat?
Kahenraz wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:38:Even with a microscope, replacing tiny SMD components with a soldering iron is going to be awful. There is no comparison to hot air for these kinds of delicate repairs.
I perfectly know what you mean, but I was used to use the soldering ion with a very fine tip. I used to work at a mobile phone repair/service center for more than 10 years, but it was 9 years ago since I left... I'm not that old, but still my age doesn't help me anymore with the ion... 😀
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:15:I ran across a Untested Riva 128ZX for 20 bucks which is a pretty good price since all the others are priced a hell of a lot higher.
Be sure to add a tiny TO-220 to the GPU to keep it cool. Those things run hot.
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:44:Have you repasted the card ?
seems odd for it to get that hot.
No, just gave it a good wash with water and dishwasher soap, after that I kept it in the oven for like half an hour @ 50 deg C to dry out...
Really, I cannot keep my finger on the card, exactly under the GPU. But the card is working fine! Odd...
Kahenraz wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:50:TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:15:I ran across a Untested Riva 128ZX for 20 bucks which is a pretty good price since all the others are priced a hell of a lot higher.
Be sure to add a tiny TO-220 to the GPU to keep it cool. Those things run hot.
Its getting a nice heatsink and fan that I bought from China a while ago, bought 10 of them for 25 dollars, made out of AL with a clear fan with blue LED in it, looks nice when running.
bearking wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:51:TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:44:Have you repasted the card ?
seems odd for it to get that hot.
No, just gave it a good wash with water and dishwasher soap, after that I kept it in the oven for like half an hour @ 50 deg C to dry out...
Really, I cannot keep my finger on the card, exactly under the GPU. But the card is working fine! Odd...
uhh you do know you are not meant to treat your retro hardware like its food 😁
But you should investigate if you can remove the heatsink and fan and give it some new thermal paste, looking back at the pic of missing caps its possible they are being used for voltage regulation too (They may be resistors) so the GPU core might be getting more voltage than it should be. I would be wary using it time till you repaste it and get it a nice PCI slot cooling fan !
Kahenraz wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:46:Would the missing capacitors increase the resistance to certain parts of the chip and cause it to overheat?
Really don't know, I'm just a hobbyist. I don't have that much of electronics knowledge 😀
Anyway, I will solder back the SMDs, util then I'm not plannig to use the card like this
I don't think baking a card is ever a good idea. You're subjecting parts of the card to a dry heat that were never designed for that kind of environment. This could affect the reliability of electrolytic capacitors and other components on the board. Quartz crystals are particularly vulnerable to heat.
I also wash dirty electronics in the sink with a mild detergent. To be sure that no soap gets stuck underneath any chips, and to reduce the time that moisture is left on the board, my approach is to use compressed air to dry off the card as much as possible and under chips, then let it air dry. I've also found that just leaving them in the dying rack has been equally effective, when time permits.
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:54:uhh you do know you are not meant to treat your retro hardware like its food 😁
but you should investigate if you can remove the heatsink and fan and give it some new thermal paste.
😀 😀 😀 my six years old little girl asked me, what I'm cooking in the owen when she saw me putting "something" in, and when she saw the card, she was dissapointed... She said something like: "ouuh, not your computer cards, again..." 😀
As for the heatsink, it is glued to the GPU. At this point I don't want to risk it to remove it...
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:53:Kahenraz wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:50:TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:15:I ran across a Untested Riva 128ZX for 20 bucks which is a pretty good price since all the others are priced a hell of a lot higher.
Be sure to add a tiny TO-220 to the GPU to keep it cool. Those things run hot.
Its getting a nice heatsink and fan that I bought from China a while ago, bought 10 of them for 25 dollars, made out of AL with a clear fan with blue LED in it, looks nice when running.
But a token TO-220 heatsink would be more authentic!
Kahenraz wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:57:I don't think baking a card is ever a good idea. You're subjecting parts of the card to a dry heat that were never designed for that kind of environment. This could affect the reliability of electrolytic capacitors and other components on the board. Quartz crystals are particularly vulnerable to heat.
I also wash dirty electronics in the sink with a mild detergent. To be sure that no soap gets stuck underneath any chips, and to reduce the time that moisture is left on the board, my approach is to use compressed air to dry off the card as much as possible and under chips, then let it air dry. I've also found that just leaving them in the dying rack has been equally effective, when time permits.
I find that if the GPU is small enough I can rinse it off with ISO after its soap wash and the ISO will absorb the water and help the GPU to dry faster with the compressed air.
Kahenraz wrote on 2022-03-19, 23:03:TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:53:Kahenraz wrote on 2022-03-19, 22:50:Be sure to add a tiny TO-220 to the GPU to keep it cool. Those things run hot.
Its getting a nice heatsink and fan that I bought from China a while ago, bought 10 of them for 25 dollars, made out of AL with a clear fan with blue LED in it, looks nice when running.
But a token TO-220 heatsink would be more authentic!
I believe we have had this discussion before 🤣
Authentic but useless !
But if you like I can attach one to a random Vram IC ? so pick one 🤣
TrashPanda wrote on 2022-03-19, 23:03:I find that if the GPU is small enough I can rinse it off with ISO after its soap wash and the ISO will absorb the water and help the GPU to dry faster with the compressed air.
I've done that too, and it's about good way to get a card dried safely.
Washing machines and dishwashers invented the Rinse Cycle many decades ago, to remove unwanted cleaning chemicals from the washed items. Apply that principle very thoroughly, when washing electronics with detergent. That is: give your washed PC parts a very thorough wash in water only, after washing in water+detergent.
And don't rush the drying phase. 99%+ of the water will be gone relatively quickly. It's the last <1% hidden in those tight nooks and crannies that'll get you.
I don't recommend hot drying, e.g. in an oven. It unnecessarily subjects an entire card, particularly all metal components, to the shock of thermal stress (expansion and contraction). Which may or may not have detrimental effects, but why take the risk?
I'm using isopropyl too and also compressed air, buy right now I didn't have at home any so that's why I used the owen. I used the owen method many times and I didn't had any problems so far
Kahenraz wrote on 2022-03-19, 12:11:RaiderOfLostVoodoo wrote on 2022-02-06, 20:29:All untested. So if they're not working, I'm screwed. Wish me luck.
How did these boards turn out?
The one in the middle works fine, but needs recapping.
The one on the left doesn't work. Found a severed trace. Maybe it can be repaired.
Didn't test the Slot 1 board yet. I only have one Pentium II CPU and it's buried under stuff.
Considering that a tested K6XV3+/66 was auctioned for more than 100 bucks a few days later, this was really a bargain.
