SM20 Down

gtghmgtghm New
edited January 2004 in Folding@Home
Ok, sorry guys but I got some bad news. SM20 is down until I can fix her.
I tried the new stick of ram that mmonnin sent me, but the box kept locking up on test #5, so after some more investigation I noticed one of the capacitors that is located just on the outside edge near the dimms was leaning over to one side. I looked like at one time it might have been in the way of a CDrom drive or something as it looks like it would match up there if there was something in the slot on this case... I know that it must have been that way from the beginning as there isn't anything close to it in this case. I can't say that I didn't do it though..., although I really don't think I did... But looking at it, it was bent over so far that one of the posts had come out of the cap.
I tried to poke it back in very carefully but it wouldn't go... I have done the research on the particular cap in question http://www.luxon.com.tw/radialfx.htm is the link to the exact replacement. I am going to try and find a replacement cap, I am confident that I can install a new cap. If there is a problem with me doing that let me know and we'll come up with a different plan.

Again my sincere apologies.
Alas, it does feel like shes a bit on the cursed side...

"g"

Comments

  • gtghmgtghm New
    edited December 2003
    BTW, until I get her back up I'll move over one of my clients to SM20 production.

    "g"
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    If it's OK to do, any cap with the same capacitance & voltage should work, I think (someone correct me if I'm wrong)
  • gtghmgtghm New
    edited December 2003
    Thats what I was thinking too, but I want to be sure first. I know that it has to be 16v and 100uf, the spec sheet says that its 120Hz, 105C.

    I am going to my local electronics place on monday to see if they have an equivilant part. If not then I will try to order it.

    "g"
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited December 2003
    You can also use a higher voltage rating cap too, just make sure that it's capacitance is the same. Also, it's most probably a polarized cap so make sure you note which terminal comes out of which hole on the mobo.
  • gtghmgtghm New
    edited December 2003
    Ok so if I have a 25v 100uf cap that is polarized I could use that?
    Positive 'bout that :)? I think I might have a spare on a craped out board but I tihnk they are listed at 25v, I don't want to inflict any more damage to the board if I can help it... :) Let me know for sure and I'll give it a go. :)

    "g"
  • ThraxThrax 🐌 Austin, TX Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    Now accepting support to rename SM20 to "SM20_The_Cursed."
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited December 2003
    Yeah, you should be good to go with that 25v 100uf cap. The voltage rating is telling you the max that cap can handle. It's OK to run less than max voltage. Be aware though that soldering on that board can be mucho tricky though; I hope your soldering skills are better than mine.:eek:
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited December 2003
    I've soldered stuff onto boards before (ok, so it was only a wire to short a couple pins on a dell board so the goddamn thing would stop bitching about the cpu fan not working when I used a non-dell fan) and it's not that hard. No harder than soldering anything else, at least. If it were a small SMD thing, I'd be concerned about soldering it, but something the size of that cap shouldn't be a problem.
  • gtghmgtghm New
    edited December 2003
    Yea, I think I can do it, I have a small tipped pen soldering iron and low temp solder just for this kind of thing... I think I would be in trouble if it was an SMD thing too but its a cap and its right on the edge corner of the baord. No other traces or things in the way to worry about.

    I'll get back to you on the progress...
    "g"
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited December 2003
    Hmm ok. If it doesnt work then we will get you something else or try to at least.
  • gtghmgtghm New
    edited December 2003
    Ok after hours of TS here's what I got.

    I was able to drum up another Cap it was a 25v 100uf cap but it seems to work..., kinda.... The board boots and will go into the BIOS. I have it testing memtest right now but during the last hour or so I was getting a system hard lock on test 5. So I went into the Bios and disabled the L1 and L2 cache and it passed test #5. So I figured fine then... I went to boot into the OS and now all it does is go into reboot hell... It gives me a screen that says start windows normaly bla...bla...bla so I choose that, it goes to the intermedieate black screen before XP loads and then I get a beep and it reboots... I tried resetting the CMOS, moving memory sticks. I'm going to try and see if I can boot off the XP CD later afer a nap...
    So, I don't know what we want to do. I think that I have 2 sticks of good memory a stick of 32Meg and a stick of 128Meg. I think that the HD is good and the PSU is good. I think that there is a question about the CPU or the Board. One of the 2 or both are flakey and until I can boot back into the OS I can't get her folding....

    "g" outtie
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    SM20_The_Cursed it is.....
  • muddocktormuddocktor
    edited December 2003
    I think that SM20 isn't an acronym for Short-Media 20. It definitely stands for Sado-Masochistic 20.:eek:;)
  • gtghmgtghm New
    edited December 2003
    Well... Its not going too well, I can't get it to repair the os I don't think that it would do any good to reload the os because it keeps locking up during the install.

    With out the L1 and L2 cache on the system is so unbeleiveably slow so I'm not sure how good of a folder it would be...

    As all of my stuff is (shifts eyes back and fourth... and wispers) Intel I really don't have anything lying around. I used my only junk mob (pretty sure it was toast) for the cap that I put on the SM20 board.

    I hope that this dosen't mean the end to this box?
    I feel like I have let the team down some how...

    I'll keep trying stuff till we figger somthin out,
    "g"
  • primesuspectprimesuspect Beepin n' Boopin Detroit, MI Icrontian
    edited December 2003
    It's not your fault, Greg.... We'll get whatever parts you need. You've already gone above and beyond... I mean, how many people take a soldering iron to a broken motherboard? :D
  • GHoosdumGHoosdum Icrontian
    edited January 2004
    gtghm wrote:
    I hope that this dosen't mean the end to this box?
    I feel like I have let the team down some how...

    No, g, I've let the team down; it was the hardware I donated that went bad!

    In the case that I had it, though, the motherboard was clear of all the drives and stuff, so I don't think a CD-ROM hit the cap or anything. Maybe I didn't pack it well enough and the cap bent in shipping?

    :bawling:
  • gtghmgtghm New
    edited January 2004
    Oh well, water under the bridge, I know that we'll get it fixed.
    We all were hoping that it would get up and running smoothly, Looking at it know I'm not sure that it was necessaraly any one's in particular fault... I think that these things happen from time to time, I just hope for my sake I can get everything cooking once I get the other board and stuff... :)
    "g"
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