Alternate solder points for 8800GTX VGPU mod?

[KingK76]

Hi everyone, this is my first time posting here and I have a question that I have searched through different threads to find the answer for but so far haven't been 100% clear on. First off I had modded my EVGA 8800GTX with success but a small lapse in care and the wire attached to the resistor for the GPU vmod came off and took the metal end off the resistor as well! So my card still works fine but I want to know if there is another point I could solder to as that resistor will no longer take solder. I have seen a few pics from a thread here that seems to show that you can (it would be the resistors to either side of it) but I'm not sure how to include that with my post. Thanks for any help anyone can give me!

[eclypse]

That pic your talking about would be this one from my thread. Red dots are areas that one could attach a VR for the GPU volt mod according to largon.

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=67577&d=1195664725

I have yet to fix my card.. I finally can tomorrow on Monday! I cant wait and i'm nervious as hell as well! heh

[KingK76]

Yep that's the pic! Well could you or someone tell me if you could use those or any other points to do the mod? Thanks!

[eclypse]

yes i've been told you can but i have not done it myself yet so i'm not pssitive.. But what the guy told me is that those 3 chips are all connected and lead into that tiny ic leg.

Wait for another guy to verify though..

I myslef am gona be connecting those 3 together using a wire to bridge them since the main resistor in the middle has a missing pad. i guess if the card powers on after then i can give you a YES. heh

[T_M]

that ic leg will definately work, the other two i cant confirm

[KingK76]

I just got a reply from viperjohn, he says "You can solder to the surface mount capacitor. That is the red dot end of the yellow line to the
lower right. That is where the mod should be soldered to in the first place and SMC's are far tougher and harder to kill components than SMR's."
I think everyone uses the resistor in the middle because the only guide that I have found online says to do so. I am going to go with V.J.'s word on this one, he really seems to know his stuff! It's too late for me to try now but after work tomorrow it's the first thing I'm doing. I'll let you all know how it goes.

[eclypse]

Welp i went over the volt mod area one last time with a DMM to be sure before i start workin on it and i've noticed something.

Check out the pic.


http://home.comcast.net/~eclypse/DSC07157a(1).jpg

The areas with the yellow dots have continuity! So looks to me like that chip on the left is connected to the first ic leg and not leg 6 like the broken resistor and the part to the right of it.

I've also scratched the coating off the area where the broken trace leads to and checked for continuity to the part to the right and yes it looks like the broken resistor and the resistor next to it to the right are connected.

So i was supposed to take a wire and solder it across the 3 resistors.. Well now it looks like i should only do it to the broken resistor and the part to the right only. Which doing so i feel i should go for attaching the VR to the 6th IC leg (Which looks damn near impossable!). I just think thats now my only option as i dont want to mess up the 2 resistors that will be bridged or the soldered wire if i try to touch it again with the VR wire.

I think i need to pull out the good 8800GTX from the system and take some readings since there no damage and get a real good look first.

[KingK76]

Well good luck with soldering to the ic leg! That part is so small I don't know if I could do it. I am going to try the mod using the SMC (red dot to the lower right) tonight, I just have to wait for my daughter to go to bed (she's 2 and when I get home from work if I'm not lavishing her with attention... well I'm sure it won't be a sucessful operation with her jumping around like a monkey and hanging off my arm!) anyway I'll let you know how it goes!

[eclypse]

HEHE! I know the feeling man.. I have a 2 3/4 year old Daughter as well ;)

I had to wait for my only day off to fix this card and thats today! I'm telling ya it sucked hardcore to wait about a week to fix this card.

Oh heres a link (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=166324&page=2) to what i've done so far fixing my card. i'm gona attach the VR to the same part as you. The way i fixed the card gave me that option.

I'm gona attach the VR right now.. Then slap it in the system. It will take me awhile though as i have to put on the water block.

I'll let you know soon enough if that point is good for the volt mod.

[eclypse]

ITS FIXED!!! ITS WORKING! ITS ALIVE!!!!!! ITS RUNING 3DMARK 06!!! LOL


EDIT: Voltages shown below are taken while the system was in the bios menu.

Memory voltage

http://home.comcast.net/~eclypse/DSC07172.JPG


GPU Voltage

http://home.comcast.net/~eclypse/DSC07173.JPG


Thats default untouched voltage after the mods. I have no idea what the default voltage is supposed to be nor any ideas as to what the voltage i should be shootin for on each, yet.. hehe Time to read i guess.. but first its time to volt mod the other card! :eek: :shakes:

Heres a pick for everyone to see what other spot i added the VR to for the GPU volt mod. Tested it and its working.

http://home.comcast.net/~eclypse/DSC07157b.jpg

[KingK76]

That is awesome! Listen, for the volt mod, soldering to the original spot I was using a 500ohm VR. Is that the same one I use when soldering to the new spot? Also I may need your help with how you fixed your card, you see the metal end has come off the same resistor that completely came off your card but now it is hanging on by a thread. It still works but when I took the card back out to go forward with the new mod tonight I kind of started to get cold feet because the resistor is so fragile I don't want to accidentally knock it off! You know it gives me a lot more confidence to know that you were able to fix it. I wonder if soldering to the new spot will just bypass the old resistor? What do you think???

[eclypse]

Just dont touch that resistor and hope it all works out. Yes i used the same VR to the new spot. I used a 1K VR set at 400 Ohms. You can use a 500 ohm as well.

So that resistor is making contact right? Well i guess so since the card is working.

Like i said leave that be! hehe. Hell i got lucky cause i had another card to take the same resistor off. If that resistor comes off you'll prob have to solder on a VR set at 33-34 Ohms. in its place.

[Orion24]

Heres a pick for everyone to see what other spot i added the VR to for the GPU volt mod. Tested it and its working.

http://home.comcast.net/~eclypse/DSC07157b.jpg
Just dont touch that resistor and hope it all works out. Yes i used the same VR to the new spot. I used a 1K VR set at 400 Ohms. You can use a 500 ohm as well.Just thought I'd share my experience :)

After having cleared my first succesful v-mod (Shamino's point) I decided I should re-do it since GT200 is still some months away, but I couldn't solder there anymore and tried the point you mention with a 500 Ohms VR. The system was immediately shutting down and as it seems it was because of the OVP. Finally I got it to work after changing to an 10K VR. I was getting extremely high voltage with 500 ohms to the point you mention.