Update on the Terminator II with AMD DX4-100, the first impression was quite disappointing, maybe I understood why, entering the BIOS I saw that by default, the RAM times are more conservative, maybe because the RAMs at that time could be slow, and in this way it ensured compatibility with any RAM, so considering that I have a FSB 33 and 60 ns EDO RAM, from the BIOS I selected all the fastest settings (Fastest 2-1-1-1 0WS), I memorized them, and I redid the benches (including those of Phil's).

At startup, I notice that the PC is better, I have the doubt that now the L2 cache works, in fact it doesn't work yet ️, but a higher DOS startup speed is visible.

Even Phil's benches confirm a clear improvement, which was more or less what you could expect, so let's see the best scores, with slow and fast settings, AMD 486DX4-100 CPU:

1) 50.0 > 66.6 2) 49.1 > 64.8

3) 35.7 > 45.0 4) 10.4 > 12.6

5) 11.4 > 15.1 6) 4.6 > 6.0

A) 67.59 > 98.02 b) 28.07 > 36.20

C-e) 8.1 > 10.4 d) 3.8 > 4.8

K) 127.8 > 192.0 m) 180 > 201

N) which would be Speedsys 4.70, with the score of 37.24 obtained only with the fast settings, with the slow ones it could not work.

In addition to these I have done others, and they all show an improvement, but the L2 cache problem always remains to be solved, I think it would make even better scores, we will see later if there is a problem with the chips (failures?), or it is something else.

One of the things I would like to do in the next few days, is to continue experimenting on the SOYO SY-5BT (5BT5), the model I own has an L2 cache chip with missing pin, not long ago I managed to discover, milling the plastic, the inner part of the PIN, so that I can weld a micro wire, and restore the original connection.

This will most likely allow the operation of the L2 cache, with relative performance gain.

But if for some reason it doesn't work, the only way to have an L2 cache, is to use a CPU with an integrated L2 cache, like for example an AMD K6-2+, but this requires a VCORE of 2.0V or less, it depends on which we have, the minimum voltage for these CPUs, should be 1.5V, a little far from the 2.2V of the normal K6-2, so some time ago, I had found all the necessary resistances to make the voltages from 2.3V to 2.7V, which can be added to the position of the jumper for 2.2V, or bypassing the resistance, they can be connected directly to PIN 2 (of the jumpers).

For voltages below 2.2V, so from 2.1V up to about 1.4V, I have to weld a wire on the track that connects the resistors, in order to bypass them, then I will only have to put a guinea pig CPU, and measure the VCORE on the mosfet, it doesn't matter if the CPU with much lower voltages doesn't start, but I think that up to 1.6V any K6-2 can start, I'm interested in checking the VCORE, I don't have to do stability or bench tests.

In short, in a few days I could do the welding of the wire, for the VCORE, regarding the L2 cache chip, I don't think I can weld a micro wire, for the moment I don't have adequate equipment, to do such a job.

Today I dedicate a few minutes to the 486 PCI Terminator II motherboard, the PC currently has an AMD 486DX4-100, 16 MB RAM 72 PIN (2X8), a PCI Miro S3 1 MB video card, an ISA SB16 sound card, a HD of about 540 MB, floppy 3.5 from 1.44 MB, in short, an adequate equipment for using DOS Windows 95, but currently I only use DOS, without Windows.

After running the various benches, I changed VGA to see if it made a certain difference, so from the results of the bench we are the same or very close, a sign that the card I used does not make much difference, for the tests I used the 2 MB PCI SiS, maybe a different card like a Matrox PCI, it could earn a little (better scores?), or they could be limited by the speed of the CPU, which in this case could slow down the flow of data coming from the GPU (?).

I'm not going to report the scores obtained, and given the results, I put the VGA PCI Miro S3 from 1 MB, I don't know if by expanding the memory to 2 MB, you can gain something, in the bench with higher resolution, I don't think so, but most of the benches use low resolutions, so it should be the same to have 1 MB or 2 (?).

A further possibility could be the use of an accelerator board, but I think that even in this case, it would be limited in performance from the CPU, maybe it improves the bench a lot, but maybe it works below the real potential, surely it would be better on an S.7 of about 200-500 MHz, in short the 486 are a little slower than the Pentium equal frequency, but even if it is possible to push them beyond 133 MHz, there is always a certain gap, and for me at that point, you might as well go on the S.5 or the S.7.

Going back for a moment to other PCs, lately I have evaluated the reconfiguration of my PCs, some are quite similar if not even the same, I will see in the future to differentiate them, and not create the same PCs, both for CPU and for equipment.

Also today I did some tests with the 486 PCI Terminator II, but then I dedicated myself to a different motherboard, an S.7 Chaintech 5TDM2 M101 190, I did some checks to understand if it has an HW problem, here after various attempts, I have not solved, it still does not start, and at least for today, I raise the white flag 🏳.

From the various attempts, with different RAM and VGA CPUs, I did not find a combination between these that showed progress, the Post Card ISA PCI always shows the usual — —, but sometimes it shows two 0F FF codes, there are no previous codes, only those two, but I don't think they are codes that can help, I think they are randomly generated codes, or they are codes that appear when the PC is turned off.

I checked the mosfet (regulators?), one in particular seemed suspicious to me, but I discovered that it is the one that generates the RAM voltages, using the 5V coming from the power supply, there are 3.22V on the PIN 3, ditto on the VCCs of the SDRAM, so even if it is perhaps a little low (the voltage), it should work.

Checking that of the VRM, I measure on the three PINs:

1) 7.83V 2) 4.88V 3) 3.20V

Here too it's a bit low, the test CPU is a Pentium 133 MHz, I don't think a tenth of V less, prevents startup.

Here is probably the source of the problem, there are no jumpers, except for a strange four-PIN JP15, which is reserved (default Open), I don't know what it is for, and looking at other same motherboards, there are no jumpers, in short, it has automatic CPU recognition!

And it seems that it works, at least for the VCORE, the voltage is not wrong, unfortunately it is not possible to see what it does with FSB and multi, if those two settings are wrong, the CPU would refuse to start, in my case a P133 has multi 2X and FSB 66, here I don't know with what frequency and multi it starts, at least at the first start it should start with the most conservative settings possible, I think 2X and FSB 50, I could easily see this, with a frequency meter, if I wanted there would be a PCI board with display, which shows half the frequency of the FSB (synchronous), but I don't think you can easily read the multi of the CPU, maybe from the back of the Socket 7, you could see which pins are connected (?).

One last consideration, I noticed that after a while the RESET LED flashes, sometimes when it turns on CLK turns off, it almost seems like a continuous loop, as if the program starts and then immediately after it starts again, some time ago I reprogrammed the BIOS, with the 5TDM2720 file. BIN (AWARD 07/20/98), but I don't know it seems strange to me, that that file and the other have the same defect, rather it seems more likely that the problem is somewhere, it remains to be seen where it is?

Every now and then, I recover some board to be repaired, which some time ago I had already tried to make it work, more than anything else it is to try something else, in short, there is a minimal possibility that you can make the motherboard work.

So, what do I have between my paws ???

A classic ASUS P2B-F REV 1.00, basically the one that preceded the most famous P3B-F, apparently should be very similar to the P2B, but I think it differs from the number of SDRAM slots, four against three.

Being very similar to the P3B-F, I bought it thinking it was that, in fact when it arrived, I saw that it was a P2B-F, but when it was tried, the card did not work, or to put it more simply, I never managed to make it work.

I remember trying various CPUs and RAM, none showed a boot sign, in my free time I tried several times to turn it on, but nothing has worked so far.

The last test performed, was done with a Pentium 3 500 2.0V, here this would show a possible problem, measuring the Mosfet (regulators?) Near the CPU (VRM), I found this:

Q4 1)+6.06V 2)+1.79V 3)+0.02V

Q5 1)+4.69V 2)+4.76V 3)+1.75V

And I would say that the voltage of the VCORE is low, it seems to be the minimum available for this motherboard (about 1.8V), but I don't know if it's enough to make the CPU work, however I think it should be at just over 2.0V, instead of just under 1.8V.

Here maybe you should check the electrolytic capacitors, someone (or more) could have a somewhat high ESR, and the consequence would be the reduction of the VCORE voltage, visually they are all in good condition, but being quite dated, it would not be a surprise if they were to be replaced.

This kind of work can be simple, if you don't have difficulties with removing the pond from the holes, but you can never know, maybe here it could be relatively simple, even if there are several, the ones along the Slot 1, in short I would change them if there were excellent possibilities that the board would work later.

Another attempt, with the ASUS P2B-F motherboard, I did it today, I used a Pentium II 400 CPU, the difference is the multi 4X, this CPU should have total compatibility, that is, be supported since the release of this MB, even if the BIOS is the first version.

Needless to say, even in the past, I've tried various CPUs, maybe even this one, but so far none has shown codes, usually only — —, a sign that something is still wrong.

Here, I had made it possible to change the electrolytic capacitors, because I had measured a low VCORE, today after some tests, I can say that the electrolytic capacitors are old, but they are not in very bad condition, so the failure to start, may have different origins, moreover I checked the voltages on the Mosfets again (regulators?), and using another multimeter, I saw a VCORE of 2.03-2.05V, so right!

From other investigations, I discovered that the board is capable of generating voltages from 1.3V up, so even Coppermine CPUs could be used, without the need for overvolts, which is instead necessary in other P2B series boards.

So what could prevent the startup?

I can imagine it, but it could be something else, having tried more CPUs, I could say that it is the Slot1 that has some problems, in fact it doesn't seem like that, because I tried to move the CPU a few times, and this should make sure that it can start, and even the repeated reinserts, should improve the contacts, which here does not seem to have any effect.

Checking the temperatures, I notice that after switching on, in about ten seconds, both the SB and the frequency generator begin to heat up, the latter perhaps becomes hotter, but I think it can be normal, also often after a few seconds that it is on, from the speaker a siren-like music starts playing, I think it wants to warn for something (?), in short, everything could be working, so if the BIOS works, it should make a code appear, and usually others appear, up to the start screens.

Even if I had a small chance, I tried everything I could, on the ASUS P2B-F motherboard, with the result that nothing happened!

The problem with these Slot1 motherboards, is usually between the pins of Slot 1, with time they oxidize and perhaps even lose elasticity, that is, when the CPU is inserted, the single PIN does not press with sufficient force, to ensure good contact.

For oxide, there are various systems to remove it, one chemical and the other mechanical, the chemical one would be the use of a reviving spray, the mechanical one would be possible by repeatedly inserting the CPU, or something of a certain thickness, for example paper folded several times.

Although, however, it happened to me that some CPUs are working, in some motherboards they don't work, maybe it's a BIOS problem, which doesn't have an updated list, or there's something that doesn't like those settings, in short, it's not sure that if it works in one, it works in another.

Regarding the BIOS, I had probably updated it, I verified that the version written in the chip is 1013, so much more recent than the original one (1006?), and since the file is readable, it should also be working, because the behavior of the card has not changed, both with the old and with the new BIOS, so since it does not start, and the codes are always — —, I would suspect other things that it does not work.

Since I have tried various CPUs, with a frequency between 400 and 500 MHz, and even a 533/133, with various FSBs from 66 to 100, including 75 and 83, I would rule out that the CPUs are defective, maybe there may be some unfortunate examples, but I don't think it's possible that they are all, then moreover in the past I tried working CPUs, removing them from other PCs.

In conclusion, it is clear that there is a problem somewhere, some suggest that it may be the I/O chip that prevents starting (if broken), unfortunately it is not possible for me to do further checks, such as quartz verification, which could be a second hypothesis.

After giving up on continuing the investigation, on the ASUS P2B-F for lack of ideas, I return to the MSI MS-6529 845 Pro VER:1 motherboard, a Socket 423 with Pentium 4 1.5GHz 256/400/1.75V, basically the first type of Pentium 4 put on the market.

From a previous start-up test, it behaved like a short-circuit board, because immediately after starting, as soon as it starts it turns off immediately, that is, in practice it is the power supply that detects a short circuit and turns off, I had already written that on the Mosfet Q2 Q6 and Q9, there was a short between PIN 2 and 3, probably due to the faulty internal diode, and therefore they should all be replaced, even if it is not said that they are all faulty, but they are all connected to each other to PIN 2, so I wanted to be sure that the short circuit is there, but I do not have very low values, so Let's see if I can understand each other better.

I use the multimeter diode test, on PIN 2 with CPU inserted I measure about 25-28 in all three, removing the CPU the values go up to 39-44, so these readings seem to indicate a problem somewhere else, because we will have had to read another 25-28 in case of short!

I try again to check the PIN 2-3 of the Q2 Q6 and Q9, let's see if the internal diode reads the same values, with CPU or without, well with CPU or without I read the same values as before, but since there is an internal diode, in a position with red and black tips, I shouldn't read anything, so one of the readings is wrong, in the sense that you shouldn't measure the same value by exchanging the tips.

The certainty that those Mosfets are defective, you could only have by removing them, and redoing the measurements, in that case we can see if they change or not, this is because being connected to something else in the circuit, the measurements could be affected, and therefore what you read is not really accurate.

I continue, but I still change the motherboard, yes because as I wrote a few times, I can work on several motherboards at the same time, so in reality I don't put them away, but I can examine them at the same time, given anyway that mine is just a hobby, aimed at repair, to add the motherboards to my collection, and that I'm not a technician, I studied these things at school, so what I do is experiment, with time ⏱ I can identify where the problems may be, and personally I have never looked for a failure, testing every single component, which is also impossible If you don't have professional equipment, type welders, oscilloscope, etc...

But I know how to recognize and above all measure a component, well I am limited by a simple multimeter, which however for most measurements, tells me if something is fine or not.

So, the motherboard is Olidata OLI-BX REV. 1.10, I have another one that works, but this one has a problem, the BIOS chip was missing, I put it using a DIP32 Winbond W29C020C-90Z chip, programmed with version 1013, in the attempt of the first start, it turns off when turned on, due to a short that makes the power supply protection intervene.

I looked for the short on the Mosfet, and I think I found the problem on the junction between Q9 and Q10, on the diode test I see 006, which seems really low to me (as a value), for the confirmation that it is not good, I repeat the measurement on the working OLI-BX, here I measure 036, so for me here is the problem!

It remains to be seen if it is Q9 or Q10 that causes the problem, Q10 is connected with PIN 2 directly to ATX PIN 4-6-19-20 (+5V), while Q9 has PINS 1 and 3 connected to ground (black ATX wire).

Let's see what they are, Q9 is signed as PBYL 1025B, while Q10 is a 76121S H849, I have to see if I can find a pdf, which helps me understand but at the moment the biggest suspicion, is the Q9 because it is connected to ground (PIN 1 and 3), and on PIN 2 I can see that measure (006), this is enough to do a test, raising PINs 1 and 3 and redoing the measurements, to see if they are the same.

If the problem is in that Q9, it will be replaced with another one (possibly the same), I will look among the scrap motherboards if I find it, in case then I would have to face the difficulty of removing both, and replacing the faulty one.

So, making a brief summary, I have some motherboards that after starting, turn off immediately, so with a likely short on a line, I don't know exactly how the power supply protection works, that is, if it detects abnormal voltages on the lines or on the ground (black wire).

I remember that the shutdown happens immediately after starting, not even a second I would say, while some motherboards turn on and start to start, some turn off before the BIOS screen, others after starting to load, some even after loading Windows, in short, these are other types of problems in my opinion, and can be caused by other things, for example turning off after loading Windows, it could be caused by a problem with the CPU heat sink, and the PC turns off to avoid damage to the CPU.

But in the first case, that is the immediate shutdown, it is very likely that there is a short component, either in the VRM zone or in the RAM zone, maybe if both are working, the problem could be in other points, I don't know exactly but there is the possibility that it can be found in other chips (ICs), such as LAN I/O chipsets etc..., or it is hidden under the surface mount components (who knows?), in short, it can be anywhere, but it is usually around something important.

My research on scrap motherboards, did not highlight any component that I can reuse, that is, I mean Mosfet or similar, of course it is not said that there is not a possible alternative, so if I want to repair the Olidata OLI-BX motherboard, I am forced to order spare parts, unfortunately I have nothing similar, among those I keep in stock, looking at what there is, I do not have any Mosfet, usually on the MBs you find one or more, and they are of the N-Channel type, in reality what I should replace, is a diode, so it is necessary to raise the PIN 1 And 3, to test it and see if it's actually broken (it could be), but I'll have to do this before ordering the spare parts, just to be sure to order something I need.

I did other investigations on other motherboards, including an ASROCK 478 P4VT8+ VIA chipset, economic equivalent of the ASUS P4B800, I identified a problem with an SMD on the back of the SB, the SMD was missing, and I put a recovery one, unfortunately it doesn't seem to be good, so I'll have to remove it and start looking for another one.

Here I come back to an S.7 motherboard, this time I think I've identified the problem, we'll see after saying what board it is!

A classic ATX, unusual format for S.7 (usually AT), produced by FIC model PA-2010+ 4.1 (Rev. - Ver. ?), the chipset is VIA VPX, basically had some components to replace, and this has already been done, there were some pins of the NB and SB to straighten, and this was also done!

Unfortunately, despite these works, during the start-up test, I did not see any post code, this indicates that there is still at least one problem to solve, but today taking the board between the legs, I noticed a couple of electrolytic capacitors slightly swollen, even if they could still be working, I will still have to replace them, and at that point I would not know if to change the other three in the middle, just to avoid imminent problems, they are all 1000uF 6.3V, marked I.Q (!!!), in short, the brand says it all.

A problem that remained, is in the RAM 72 PIN sockets, in the 1 socket a PIN is damaged, it is crooked and has come out of the seat, on the opposite side instead, another PIN is crooked, these two will have to be straightened, hoping that they do not break, in that case it would be inevitable to replace the RAM 72 PIN socket, a job that I would gladly avoid, since it requires a lot of effort, to remove the pond from the individual PINs.

Looking at the two SDRAM sockets, you can see that a lever is missing in one, on the PIN 84 side, to try the PC is absolutely not a problem, if instead it works, it could be if you intend to expand the RAM, in a PC like that, 128 MB is a nice amount, but a lot depends on the RAM you have, so I could use two 64 MB or a 128 MB one, in the first case the missing lever, it could be a problem, if it can't keep the RAM in place.

Finally, I would have to do the most important job, the repair of an interrupted track, which I think is fundamental for the operation of the PC, if this is the problem, after the repair I should see at least some post code, but nothing strange that I can see the BIOS screen on the screen, I hope to be successful, even if I already know that that VIA VPX chipset is not as competitive compared to that of Intel.

Here we are again, I repaired the track on the FIC PA-2010+ 4.1 motherboard, I performed a microsolder, reconnecting the two ends with a thin layer of tin, after cleaning the entire area with alcohol, I tested the continuity between the initial and final part of the track, and from what I see on the multi-meter display, now the track works!

In the meantime, I checked the back, here too there are some traces a little scratched, I have to check these too, surely those who do this work daily, will have a microscope that helps a lot in the work, but usually in the absence of that, you use a magnifying glass, then anyway you have to understand if there is an interruption, because if it is only a little scratched, there should be no problem, we'll see what will come out.

Regarding the swollen electrolytic capacitors, it would perhaps be better to change also those in the VRM area, and maybe some others in areas like RAM or chipset, there are also two polarized tantalum capacitors, here are these even if they are in good condition, they would be replaced for prevention, from what I know, sometimes they can break down and explode, strangely in this kind of motherboards, you can't find any more, even if maybe some manufacturers still used them ️, maybe they had to run out of stock?

Finally, regarding two SB PCI CT4810 audio cards, I discovered that the SMD capacitors, although not showing any figures, differ both in voltage and in capacity, I thought they were standard, and that depending on the color the capacity changed, instead without a scheme, it is not at all easy to go back to the values used in the factory.

In my free time, I can always take care of some motherboards, I took back between my paws an ASUS P5KPL-AM EPU LGA 775, a short time ago I had straightened a couple of PINs of the Socket T, but looking at the back I saw an interrupted track near the holes of the SB heat sink, to make it short in removing it, they damaged it!

The work without professional tools 🛠, like a microscope, is not easy at all, but since it's a single track, I'll try, if I'm lucky I'll fix it.

After scraping a little paint, to discover the copper, I start welding, unfortunately I can't reconnect the two parts with the tin alone, so I decide to try with a very thin copper wire, initially with some difficulty, but later without any help (enlarger), I manage to do it, the result is not what I hoped, and it's also quite ugly to see, but now I've restored the trace, and this in my opinion, aesthetics aside, is fundamental for the operation of the motherboard, because it's a track that connects the SB to something else, so it was important Reconnect it.

For today, therefore, I'm done with this motherboard, I'll see in the next few days to connect a CPU and a RAM, and do a boot test, I should first find a way to put the SB heatsink back, the two plastic clips are missing, if I can recover them from a scrap MB, otherwise I'll try to find an alternative system, to keep the heatsink fixed.

As a motherboard, it is not the best, both for the format (uATX), and for the number of memory slots (2), but also for the integrated video, if the latter is not powerful enough, there is the possibility of using a PCI-E 16X video card, while for other expansion cards, there are two normal PCI, plus a PCI-E 1X, the latter I think can also be used for some video cards that have this attack, but alternatively there are sound cards and more for PCI-E 1X.

As for the ASUS P5KPL-AM EPU, I decided to try if it works, or if there is any chance that it will work.

So I start trying an E4600 CPU, which should be more than fine here, despite everything, however, there is no post code visible, only the usual — —, so I decide after a few attempts to try another CPU, but everything remains the same, so at a certain point, I decide to use simpler CPUs (single-core), among those I have I choose a Celeron D 326 SL7TU 2.53GHz/256/533, at the moment I'm not interested in the performance, if it shows any code, or starts, I'll think about changing the CPU later.

I proceed with the start of the PC, there is still ️ nothing different from before, so I decide to do a further CPU change, but when I lift the metal latch, it is strangely hot!

This means that the CPU must be too, in fact it is not cold, but before trying another CPU, I decide to look at that one, at the top there is nothing to see, while in the back, I realize that there is something strange, between the various SMDs there is a fusion, of one or two PINs, I don't think it was like that, but in fact I don't know, but the doubt remains, that it was the motherboard (?), or not?

From this moment on, I would say that with this motherboard, I would have finished doing any test, before I had even checked the voltages on the mosfet, and for the CPU there was about 1.05-1.25V, so I think nothing strange, unfortunately this CPU I think is now KO, looking better at the photos, it seems to me that a PIN has come off, I just hope it is a protection, more than anything else to avoid damage to the motherboard, but looking at the CPU that I used before, I don't see anything strange, even if all the SMDs are different.

Even if the Celeron D 326 CPU was still ️ working (?), I won't use it anymore, if in the future I have the opportunity to find another one like it, I could think about it, and possibly get another copy, but the use I would make of it is more than anything else, as a guinea pig to try other 775 motherboards.

Here after the problem with the Celeron D 775 CPU, now I have the doubt about which of the CPUs I tried work (?), to make sure I should try them on a working motherboard, but for the moment it is not the work I want to do, so I continue with the usual tests of other motherboards, and to stay on something similar, I move on an MSI MS-7173 VER:1. A (RC410M), nothing special except for the ATi chipset, instead of the more common Intel VIA etc...

UATX format, with two PCI and two PCI-E slots (one 16X and one 1X), there is integrated audio, video and LAN, then we have 4 SATA sockets plus two ATA, and the socket for the floppy cable, for the memories there are two slots for DDR2 (1.8V), unfortunately the BIOS PLCC32 chip is welded!

The motherboard arrived in good condition, in the back known of the signs, which interpreting them, I understand they were made to replace some electrolytic capacitors, the work is not done very well, but in any case it seems successful, while for the substitutes, seven pieces of 1000uF 6.3V, the quality is lower, the brand is unknown to me, while the others are almost all of quality.

So I wanted to try it today, but after taking a look, I found a problem to solve, in the corner above the ATX 24 PIN socket and that Floppy 34 PIN, noticed near the edge, a semi-detached SMD capacitor, signed C31, so every test will have to be postponed, you must first put that SMD back in place.

The tiny dimensions, make the work more complex, right now I don't want to make an attempt to re-solder it, I just write down this problem, and try again later.

For supported CPUs, they do not seem to be supported, except for the Pentium D (?), but this is a problem that could only be faced when the card works.

Here after examining some of the motherboards, which I keep aside pending repair, I select some to be able to do some checks, but at a certain point, I change my mind, I had put away a 775 motherboard, but I decide to re-examine it, because among the notes, I had written that it had a trace in the back to be fixed, so I start to take a look, I find that trace suspicious, but despite being scratched, it does not seem interrupted to me.

So I decide to try it, and if it doesn't go I'll move on to another motherboard, so let's see what it's about:

uATX motherboard from a Lenovo PC, Socket T (LGA 775), Intel Dual Core E2180 CPU - 2.0 GHz, Intel Chipset with integrated video, two DDR2 RAM banks, and integrated audio and LAN.

The model is an L-I946F VER 1.2, I'm looking for info about it, I don't know if it's on TRW, but I figured out which PIN to connect for the PWR-ON, the other PINs are probably the RESET and the LEDs, and who knows what else.

So I recover everything I need for a first start, and after connecting as soon as I turn on the power supply, the PC starts but stops immediately on code 00 —, so there is a minimum of operation, but there is a problem that prevents the post codes from continuing.

I start to make various attempts, moving the RAM, without RAM, and many other tests, but nothing works, then I try to remove the CPU, undecided whether to try another one, out of curiosity I look at the back, to be sure that there are no problems with the SMDs, everything is ok

I start checking the alignment of the PINs, to see if someone is crooked or misaligned, still nothing strange.

So, before replacing the CPU, I clean the contact dots, and I reassemble the CPU, just out of curiosity, I try to start it again, it seems to start but it turns off immediately, after viewing some codes, just in case I turn it off.

I try again a few times, after removing and putting the CPU back, and it always does the same thing, but then I notice that after the immediate shutdown, it restarts by itself, it is a behavior that I have already seen on a PC with MB ABIT, and at a certain point some beeps are emitted, because the RAM is missing, after inserting it, I try again and then it starts to display some screens on the screen, including those of the BIOS.

You can see some errors, which are due I guess to the CMOS reset, and the lack of the CR2033 battery.

For today it is more than enough, and having exhausted the available time, I postpone to the next few days, further tests and tests.

Here we are again with other motherboards in test, in the last few days I have reordered several MB, some are in fair condition, it is not impossible to repair them, but many of these have some missing SMDs in the back of the chipsets, so in short it is possible to replace them, but getting the values right is extremely difficult, the same problem is in some video cards, I have some PCI-E 16X, but for now I focus on the MB, so despite having looked almost everywhere, I can't find an ASROCK 775 ConroeXFire motherboard, I could have put it among the working ones, because it was not completely ko.

So, I start trying the motherboards, which I had repaired in the past, they are two AM2, one Gigabyte and the other ASUS, the Gigabyte is aesthetically nice, the model is GA-M55S-S3, unfortunately after connecting everything, it did not give any sign of life, no attempt to start, nothing at all, it had made me doubt that there was a problem with the power outlet, in reality no problem

Resigned, motherboard change, switch to an ASUS M3A REV. 1.02G, more or less it's like the other, well in reality it seems slightly inferior to me in terms of equipment, as a CPU there is an Athlon 64 LE, CPU recovered from an Acer PC, after an upgrade to Phenom X3 8650, however with this one, adding a 1 GB DDR2 RAM, and an 8MB ATI Rage XL PCI video card, I try to boot, and there is a certain activity, even if I don't see anything appear on the screen, but after a certain wait of several seconds, I see a writing, with a message to search boot disk.

So, I can say that the card is working, I immediately perform a couple of upgrades, the video card I use is a Radeon X550 256 MB PCI-E 16X, I don't know if it's suitable for the PC, but for the moment being a temporary configuration, for me it can be fine

Later, but I think it will take more time, I will see to make a change of CPU, maybe with a 4 Core, and also the memory will be increased (again), for the moment I have gone from the initial 1 GB to 2, but later I would like to get to 4.

With two RAMs, which now work in dual-channel, I can't see how much difference it makes, but from previous experiences with similar PCs, performance improves using Windows, while moving to 4 GB, there is still an improvement but in proportion it is less.

Despite having dedicated time to other MBs, with the relative recent successes, I did not stop looking for the ASROCK ConRoeXFire-eSATA2 REV motherboard. G/A 2.01, and I finally found it!

It was among the motherboards to try, along with another 775 motherboard, however I didn't remember that it was complete with everything (or almost), in addition to the motherboard with the CPU, which is an Intel Celeron D 330J 2.66GHz/256/533 SL7TM, there is a 512 MB DDR2 PC2-4200 RAM.

Let's start with a brief description, ATX format (classic) T socket (775), with integrated audio and LAN, four DDR2 RAM sockets, three PCI slots, and three PCI-E.

In particular, the PCI-E slots are, two 16X and one 1X, the 16X ones support the connection between two video cards, via a special connection PCB.

A second peculiarity, is that in the shield, we find two SATAII sockets, I think it is used to connect external disks, it remains to be understood if the power supply must be external, or it is still necessary to open the PC to use a power supply cable (?).

Another special thing about these sockets, it is necessary to connect with a SATA cable, the SATAII ports of the same color, orange or red (or both with two cables), and a second cable is necessary to connect the external drive, in short, maybe it is simpler than it seems (complicated?).

Exactly I don't know how many years ago I replaced some electrolytic capacitors, they were not swollen, but they were damaged, the replacement was made to prevent any future losses, when the work was completed, I had tried the board, and the result was disappointing, although the card starts, and the post codes flow, it gets stuck on codes 39 38, the correspondence of this code 39, is not really clear, and it did not allow me to identify where the problem was, but today I would like to do some tests.

Maybe I'll have more luck, and the results will be different, there may not be a failure somewhere, in fact I will try to see if I can solve this problem of blocking code 39, the motherboard even with the limits of the i945 chipset, has an interesting equipment, and there is the support of Conroe CPUs, or other dual cores, which would be the first upgrade I would do.

After doing some tests, with the ASROCK ConRoeXFire-eSATA2 and Celeron D from 2.66 GHz, I couldn't go beyond the usual post code 39 38, I exclude it's caused by a problem with the RAM, having tried several and working on other PCs, and I confirm that in my opinion, there are no hardware failures in electronic components (SMD etc...), even the BIOS works very well in my opinion, it's true that I could rewrite it to eliminate the slightest doubt, but I would only waste time unnecessarily, I concentrate on checking if any SMD is missing, especially in the back of the PCB, I don't see anything missing, So I decide to try to change the CPU.

As a replacement I would have an E4600, which I had on my Linux PC with MB ECS, I removed it because I put a faster one, I disassemble the CPU heatsink, and I lift the unlock lever, as soon as I remove the CPU, the problem is immediately visible, a contact is crooked!

The final part that rests on the contacts of the CPU, is lower than the others, it should be raised and realigned with those next to it, for today I don't think I can straighten it, I don't understand how it's possible that only that one has bent, and honestly I don't think I've ever disassembled it, however there is a certain optimism, it doesn't seem impossible to me to put it back in place, the only thing is that both the size and the fragility of that PIN, could complicate the arrangement.

A perhaps positive thing, but I don't know to what extent, is that this LGA 775 Socket, is welded on the back of the PCB, that is, it is possible to replace it by removing the welds to each single PIN, a job of enormous patience, which would probably be done more easily, with a hot air welder, however, the problem of the spare part remains, usually those I have seen, have the surface weld with tiny tin balls, this instead has as I said before, the traditional PIN-to-PIN connection, certainly much better, also for any mods, connecting the affected PCB from the back of the PCB, yes Can change FSB or I think also the VCORE.

Unfortunately, the delicacy of these tiny contacts prevents me from fixing it in a very short time, I don't want to force it, and above all I don't want to damage those next to it, basically I should hold it still on one side and lift the pin that is crooked.

When the work is done, I think the PC can finally start up without any problem, for this reason, I will try to straighten the other CPU (E4600) first, so that if it works, I don't have to remove it anymore to upgrade.

In this way I will be able to have at least for the CPU, the final one, for the memories no problem, initially I will use a pair of DDR2 RAM, and if necessary I will add two more.

With the ASROCK for today no news, but since I had a few minutes to do something else, I took back between my paws, a motherboard for P4/400, it is an AZZA P4M2-MVB REV:1.1, the board had been repaired some time ago, it had to be tried but recently I noticed a swollen electrolytic capacitor, which I had to replace, and so I start to group everything I need for a start on the bench.

That there was a swollen condenser, I noticed it after starting up (I didn't remember it), but let's see how it went.

First a brief summary of the PC, the motherboard is uATX format, with integrated audio and video, VIA chipset, I tried different RAM, and I have a DDR 333 CL 2.5 256 MB, the CPU was initially a P4 2.40/533, which I later discovered incorrect, because it worked at only 1.8 GHz, however later I changed it with another 2.40/400, and I did a short overclock with FSB 110.

For tomorrow if I can, I'll do the usual bench DOS from Phil's, plus others that I do, for Windows instead, I should try to connect a disk and install an XP, I don't think it's convenient to put a later one, even if RAM should be added anyway, the maximum is 2 GB, since we only have two DDR sockets.

Despite that swollen condenser, the motherboard now works, of course I didn't do anything in particular, just a few starts, but usually this is enough for normal operation, without any problem.

I think the BIOS is the same as the one on TRW, I don't know if an updated one has ever come out, if so, I think it's not easy to find, but it would be interesting if it solved some problems, I point out that it should be one of the first motherboards for P4 with DDR RAM.

Overall it would be a motherboard, quite economical, with a fairly complete equipment, if you want you can add a PCI LAN card, in one of the three slots available, you can also replace the integrated video card, with an AGP to be inserted in the appropriate slot, there are no AMR or CNR slots, even here if necessary you have to use a PCI slot for any modem-fax, but today perhaps it would not be needed, a USB WiFi receiver would be enough.

Overall, from what I've seen, it can be interesting to compare it with similar PCs, that is, the P4/400 I used the NW, which should be the fastest installable, I think it's not possible to put a Prescott, and in any case it would have slowed down to 400 FSB, even if then you can overclock from 100 up to 132 MHz (it's the maximum).