Can you repair a mobo?

[cyclone2]

I have an Abit Bf6 sitting here that I paid a premium price for and its pooched after only 1 1/2 yrs :eek:

It will try to post but it seems like a heat issue with the mobo [not the CPU] It has a couple capaciters or whatever next to the cpu slot that have bulged tops. I read somewhere else that this was common on some of their boards and one fella repaired his, but cant find a web site or anyone thats done a fix ie: replace the offending capaciters and where to get them.........:confused:

[Axel]

motherboards are basically multi-layered wafers. Most components you can see such as the capacitors are typically connected at one of the top layers - typically on the bottom.

Not all boards use regular silver solder any more. the board is assembled and then either "dipped" into connective fluid that makes the component connections - or is soldiered by machine. Most boards are not soldered by hand anymore.

You are going to probably have the following three problems -

1) removing the old without destroying any connections or causing a short circuit

2) re-connecting the replacement capacitors without destroying any connections or causing a short.

3) frying daughter components due to a short when you power up the board....

so you might be trying to fix a $200 board and fry a $300 processor and or $250 worth of RAM in the process - is that really worth it?

So are you willing to risk $550+ in components to save a $200 board that you can probably replace for $140 today? - it's a risky bet I wouldn't do -

But - if you want to play - if you have a hot soldering iron and still have a TR-6 in pieces in your garage and if you don't care about the components you might fry in the process - go for it - we'd love to hear a success story......

[Axel]

one other thing I might point out - you might go through a week-end of work to find that something else you cannot replace caused the capacitor's to fail......

[Tomteriffic]

Evidently, my posts are invisible. But I'll try again.... any good "down in the guts of it" electronics tech can do this. I've had the bulging caps (a known issue on Abit boards from this era) on two BE-6's done quickly and rather inexpensively.

The question arises about the expense of a bench charge and some kind of hard-to-find parts. I have an unnatural attachment to Abit Slot 1 boards, so it was worth it to me.

[jadison]

Tomteriffic - Read This (http://www.xtremepccentral.com/vbforums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=1088). Sorry for the inconvenience. :(

I'm checking to see if any of my posts are missing as well...so far so good.

[Tomteriffic]

Jadison, thanks, I thought I was in trouble just for showing up :D Wouldn't have been the first time in my life :rolleyes:

Anyway, the second row of caps next to the slot are usually the culprit. Abit got a bad batch of caps and these are the ones that supply the startup voltage to the CPU and chipset. Which results in goofiness on restarts, no startup, etc., etc.

[cyclone2]

Thanks Axel and Tom :)
Insofar as killing a cpu etc my 533 cel and 2 meg vid are not worth much, just trying to put together a cruncher [eccp]

I mean if it worked though I could put my Cel 566 back in it and o/c it to 850 again [ cant o/c it in its new cheap board] :rolleyes:

[DNC]

:D

Nice to see you have found some direction. :D