Something to get me started

[antipop]

Alot of guy here are doing vmod, so i'm getting teased to try it myself but i'm not very confident in my own skills. I need something to practice on and that i can check if i done it correctly. I need also something that looks like what i'll be doing on my mobo. What do you recommend me, what tools, what parts?

[Marci]

Good variable soldering iron with a fine tip upto 45w, acidless flux, good quality fluxless solder, a solder sucker.

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00314.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00314.jpg)

Any dead PC Hardware has chips on with similar size legs for playing around with. I'm using a popped Asus mobo....

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00315.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00315.jpg)

And we're gonna be going from a leg on the chip to the right, to a grounding ring on the left...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00317.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00317.jpg)

I use CD-Rom Audio leads or strands off old HDD Cables for wires for my vmods. CDRom Audio leads have the handy connector at each end that an 18-turn Cermet style VR just plugs straight onto...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00322.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00322.jpg)

So, cut a CDRom audio cable in half. Look at the ends and find out which wires are the two outer connectors.... usually red and white.

Start with the red wire (we'll use it as hot). This is done by stripping back a section of shielding, twisting the bare wires together, http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00324.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00324.jpg) dip into flux, http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00326.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00326.jpg) heat the wire with the soldering iron set to a fairly hot heat, http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00328.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00328.jpg) then touch solder to wire and it should lightly coat the wire with solder. http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00329.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00329.jpg)

Voila.... tis tinned.
http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00330.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00330.jpg)

Now, get a cuetip and add a tiny amount of flux to the leg of the resistor/chip on the board that you wanna solder to. http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00332.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00332.jpg) Clean the tip of your soldering iron on a wet solderingsponge. Touch the wire to the leg, http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00334.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00334.jpg), get a TINY amount of solder on the very tip of the iron, http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00337.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00337.jpg) touch the iron to the wire, watch the solder melt n' do it's job, remove iron hold it their for a few seconds til it cures. Give it a GENTLE tug to ensure it's taken hold, examine closely to ensure it makes contact only with the right point / leg and that it isn't shorting.

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00340.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00340.jpg)

Do the other wire (ground) to any grounding point... good one is the earth (BLACK wire on fan connectors) on mobo fan headers, or the silver rings round the screw holes where u screw your board down.

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00341.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00341.jpg)http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00343.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00343.jpg)

Now, on your 3 pin cermet VR, bend the TOP pin nearest the screw out of the way, and plug the remaining two into the CDRom Audio Connector, so that what was the middle pin goes to white, and the bottom pin goes to red. Twiddle to your hearts content! Tidy it up with a zip-tie...

http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00345.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00345.jpg)http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00346.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00346.jpg)http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/thumbnails/DSC00348.jpg (http://www.over-clock.com/marci/vmod/images/DSC00348.jpg)


Use a multimeter to preset resistance to highest before firing up the system.

http://store.over-clock.com/50kvr.jpg
18 turn Cermet Style Variable Resistor

**EDIT: Pix Added - Click Thumbnails for larger Image**

[antipop]

Marci, that's a great job you've done!!!
Now everything is clean in my head on how to do a vmod, i'll just have to practice but the pic really helped me a lot
This is a must read for everyone that want to starts a vmod
ps can you tell me what flux is and what does it do exactly

[Marci]

The purpose of flux is to clean surfaces that are going to be joined together to enhance wetting by solder in the molten state. To accomplish this the flux must be able to deoxidize metal surfaces at high temperatures without decomposing

Source: Solder Flux Basics by Paul D Stransky (http://www.finishing.com/Library/flux.html)

[Oc2theSkY]

We need a guide like that for a sticky.

[Marci]

propose getting a mod to edit title to "How to vMod / Soldering Guide" and get em to vote on stickying it if u feel it warrants it...

if a non-thumbnailed version is preferred, see: http://www.over-clock.com/cgi-bin/ikonboard/ikonboard.cgi?act=NW;f=31;t=1973

[antipop]

I was thinking about a sticky
I've asked this a few times but this is the best answer i got yet and i feel that it's not that hard to do just a bit of practice first

[Marci]

cool! cheers guyz!