So THIS happened (burnt mobo pins), what should I do?

[Fuzzy]

After a year of running 5x 6950s, with the cards powered off of an OCZ 1250w and the mobo/cpu off a CM 500w, the ASUS P5N-T Deluxe refused to boot. Then I found this:



Obviously 5 cards was too much power draw from the 5 un-powered PCIe x1 ribbon cables.

I have some spare 4-pin molex connectors, is there a mod that'll let me connect power to the PCIe x1 riser cables?

I also have an identical board that was DOA, so I'll be re-sodering the 24pin ATX socket this weekend, but I'd like to make sure it doesn't happen again too.

[SysRun]

sand it down and reconnect. bummer man.

[Fuzzy]

sand it down and reconnect. bummer man.

Forgot to mention, I have an identical board that was DOA, so I'll be re-sodering the 24pin ATX socket this weekend, but I'd like to make sure it doesn't happen again too.

[jjiimm_64]

After a year of running 5x 6950s, with the cards powered off of an OCZ 1250w and the mobo/cpu off a CM 500w, the ASUS P5N-T Deluxe refused to boot. Then I found this:



Obviously 5 cards was too much power draw from the 5 un-powered PCIe x1 ribbon cables.

I have some spare 4-pin molex connectors, is there a mod that'll let me connect power to the PCIe x1 riser cables?

I also have an identical board that was DOA, so I'll be re-sodering the 24pin ATX socket this weekend, but I'd like to make sure it doesn't happen again too.

sounds/looks like you had a cheap psu on the mobo.  Try a SeaSonic

[ssateneth]

That is very interesting. I too use 1x width unpowered risers and went to check on my 3 rigs. My 4x5970 rig shows no signs of scorching yet. Neither does my 5x5850 rig. My 5x5870 rig though has slightly discolored 12v wires though (the same ones that are scorched on your picture). I touched it and the wires and the connector are fairly warm to the touch. Almost worrisome!

The power supply connected to the "warm" wires is a PC Power @ Cooling 1KW-SR (83% efficient, not 80plus certified). My other 2 rigs are using a hale90 750 watt and a rosewill lightning 1300 watt, both 80plus gold

[Lethos]

I've had that happen before, was years ago, it blew out the motherboard and PSU. Was an expensive replacement for a 16yr old, who had just started learning the value of monies, aka earn it yourself to get it replaced.

[rograz]

Same thing happened to me last summer, soldered the 2 affected cables directly to the back of the motherboard and it's been running 24/7 ever since.

[crazyates]

I've had that happen before, was years ago, it blew out the motherboard and PSU. Was an expensive replacement for a 16yr old, who had just started learning the value of monies, aka earn it yourself to get it replaced.

You mean you didn't have parents buy you whatever you wanted! 

[kjj]

Yup, you can buy modified cables, or do it yourself.

To do it yourself, get a razor and cut out the +12V lines in the ribbon cable.  You want them separated from the ribbon, and cut from the motherboard (plug) side, but still attached to the card (socket) side.  Strip the ends, then attach to the yellow (+12V) lines of a molex adapter.  If you have some dead 12V fans, those are a good source of molex plugs, or buy splitters.

If that didn't make total sense to you, or if you don't know how to find out which wires in the ribbon you need to work on, please for the love of god, search for better instructions.  There are probably tons of threads right here on the forums about this, and maybe dozens of external websites that show how to do it in more detail.

Those pins burn because video cards split their power draw between the PCIe power connector and the PCIe slot.  Why a big video card with extra power jacks draws any current from the slot is a mystery to me, but they do, and if you have a bunch of cards that handle the split poorly, it overloads the +12V pins on the ATX connector, and they overheat and burn.

[Unacceptable]

Just pull the pins from the 24 pin male plugin (they lock with a tiny tang inside,use a very small screwdriver) & replace the 2 connectors that burnt by either wire nut or solder & heatshrink (from an old PSU 24 pin male plugin).Then use the scavanged 24 pin male plugin.

MARK ALL THE WIRES as to where they go & push them back in exactly as they were on the old one & your done  

You may get lucky & your mobo female plugin is ok  

[Lethos]

I've had that happen before, was years ago, it blew out the motherboard and PSU. Was an expensive replacement for a 16yr old, who had just started learning the value of monies, aka earn it yourself to get it replaced.

You mean you didn't have parents buy you whatever you wanted! 

I know they had the audacity!

Anyway, good luck fixing it, I would replace anything that looks damaged, it is going to do more damage if it happens again.

[Cablez]

Before you get too involved in trying any repairs. Do you have a secondary PSU lying around? I would see if that motherboard posts or if the power fried a bunch of traces underneath.

[Fuzzy]

This is happening to others too.

And here is a bit of info on making powered extenders.

Unfortunately the solder on the ASUS boards has a very high melting point, removing all 24 pins is near impossible, and when you do, the remaining holes are in very bad shape, the heat of the soldering gun messes the PCB up.

It is possible to just remove the bad pins, but I have a spare mobo (only 4 pcie slots) that I'm gonna use for now.

[Ilikeham]

If the soldering is high melting point you use a non powered soldering iron heated in a tortch flame to red hot, a mere touch is all it takes and the whole board doesn't become a heat sink and get damaged.

[kjj]

If the soldering is high melting point you use a non powered soldering iron heated in a tortch flame to red hot, a mere touch is all it takes and the whole board doesn't become a heat sink and get damaged.

Uh, I'm not exactly a pro, but I've done a lot of soldering work, and this seems very, very wrong to me.  Have you ever tried this technique?  On electronics?

If I were trying to remove an ATX power connector, I'd soak the area with a temperature controlled SMD rework gun at a very low setting, flux the shit out of one pin at a time, then use a decent quality suction iron on it.  Pause and resoak between pins to allow the heat to balance out.  If you are very good with wick, you could try that, but make sure you pre-heat and re-flux the wick too.

Removing a structure like that from a modern 4 or 6 layer board is not trivial, particularly when it was made in an industrial process using ROHS-compliant solder.

[Ilikeham]

If the soldering is high melting point you use a non powered soldering iron heated in a tortch flame to red hot, a mere touch is all it takes and the whole board doesn't become a heat sink and get damaged.

Uh, I'm not exactly a pro, but I've done a lot of soldering work, and this seems very, very wrong to me.  Have you ever tried this technique?  On electronics?

If I were trying to remove an ATX power connector, I'd soak the area with a temperature controlled SMD rework gun at a very low setting, flux the shit out of one pin at a time, then use a decent quality suction iron on it.  Pause and resoak between pins to allow the heat to balance out.  If you are very good with wick, you could try that, but make sure you pre-heat and re-flux the wick too.

Removing a structure like that from a modern 4 or 6 layer board is not trivial, particularly when it was made in an industrial process using ROHS-compliant solder.

Yes I have tried it, many times, the fact that it seems wrong to you personally is OK with me.

At home with basic tools this is how it's done. People over heat these boards and damage the copper traces and sometimes the fibre itself. The plastic wire clips gets melted and mangled and the whole thing is a mess. Pre heating it for one or two pins is pointless, you don't want all the solder off normally, just a single busted pin out, which means heating it in a localized area as rapidly as possible and getting it free without removing all the solder in most cases. I've even "pre froze" delicate areas around a repair point using fibreglass wool and an upside down air can to keep the heat localized.

A single touch from a red hot tip while hauling the damaged pin out means a clean removal and it's relatively easy to solder a new pin in with standard flux core solder and a basic iron after that.

If you are more confident, have advanced equipment, then by all means, use a more measured approach.

My approach works however. The fact that it is "ghetto" doesn't mean it doesn't work correctly.

[kjj]

If the soldering is high melting point you use a non powered soldering iron heated in a tortch flame to red hot, a mere touch is all it takes and the whole board doesn't become a heat sink and get damaged.

Uh, I'm not exactly a pro, but I've done a lot of soldering work, and this seems very, very wrong to me.  Have you ever tried this technique?  On electronics?

If I were trying to remove an ATX power connector, I'd soak the area with a temperature controlled SMD rework gun at a very low setting, flux the shit out of one pin at a time, then use a decent quality suction iron on it.  Pause and resoak between pins to allow the heat to balance out.  If you are very good with wick, you could try that, but make sure you pre-heat and re-flux the wick too.

Removing a structure like that from a modern 4 or 6 layer board is not trivial, particularly when it was made in an industrial process using ROHS-compliant solder.

Yes I have tried it, many times, the fact that it seems wrong to you personally is OK with me.

At home with basic tools this is how it's done. People over heat these boards and damage the copper traces and sometimes the fibre itself. The plastic wire clips gets melted and mangled and the whole thing is a mess. Pre heating it for one or two pins is pointless, you don't want all the solder off normally, just a single busted pin out, which means heating it in a localized area as rapidly as possible and getting it free without removing all the solder in most cases. I've even "pre froze" delicate areas around a repair point using fibreglass wool and an upside down air can to keep the heat localized.

A single touch from a red hot tip while hauling the damaged pin out means a clean removal and it's relatively easy to solder a new pin in with standard flux core solder and a basic iron after that.

If you are more confident, have advanced equipment, then by all means, use a more measured approach.

My approach works however. The fact that it is "ghetto" doesn't mean it doesn't work correctly.

Ahh, I was thinking of swapping the whole assembly, not just a couple of damaged pins.  The few times I've popped ATX sockets off boards, it was because I wanted the sockets.

I suppose after overheating like that, the pins probably don't have a press-fit to the frame any more and will come out one by one.  Make sure you have a firm grip on those pins and hope they come out quick on the first try!  And if you have a dead (or even just old) board that you can mangle for new pins, go for it.

For reassembly, I'd reconnect the plug before soldering.  That will keep the new pins aligned and sink more heat (but that shouldn't be much of a problem with new solder).

[Sitarow]

After a year of running 5x 6950s, with the cards powered off of an OCZ 1250w and the mobo/cpu off a CM 500w, the ASUS P5N-T Deluxe refused to boot. Then I found this:



Obviously 5 cards was too much power draw from the 5 un-powered PCIe x1 ribbon cables.

I have some spare 4-pin molex connectors, is there a mod that'll let me connect power to the PCIe x1 riser cables?

I also have an identical board that was DOA, so I'll be re-sodering the 24pin ATX socket this weekend, but I'd like to make sure it doesn't happen again too.

Here is a good you tube video how you can prevent this happening on motherboards with out added molex connectors to supply 12v power to the PCIe lanes.

[ssateneth]

After a year of running 5x 6950s, with the cards powered off of an OCZ 1250w and the mobo/cpu off a CM 500w, the ASUS P5N-T Deluxe refused to boot. Then I found this:



Obviously 5 cards was too much power draw from the 5 un-powered PCIe x1 ribbon cables.

I have some spare 4-pin molex connectors, is there a mod that'll let me connect power to the PCIe x1 riser cables?

I also have an identical board that was DOA, so I'll be re-sodering the 24pin ATX socket this weekend, but I'd like to make sure it doesn't happen again too.

Here is a good you tube video how you can prevent this happening on motherboards with out added molex connectors to supply 12v power to the PCIe lanes.

You say it doesn't require adding molex, but that device is opposite what you said; it requires using an extra molex. It's just a "neater" way of adding a molex to supply extra 12v power. Unfortunately, it requires using an extra pci-e slot and some of us don't have extra pci-e slots (we're mining on all of them)

[scifimike12]

You say it doesn't require adding molex, but that device is opposite what you said; it requires using an extra molex. It's just a "neater" way of adding a molex to supply extra 12v power. Unfortunately, it requires using an extra pci-e slot and some of us don't have extra pci-e slots (we're mining on all of them)

He said on motherboards that don't have a Molex connector for additional power.