KR7A mod to allow Tbreds to work?? Anyone know of these mods?

[The Tinkerer]

Apparently the Kr7a requires a board mod to work with Tbreds from 2200+ and up even if you use the latest bios. I have tested a 2200+ using Bios 9N, which supports 2200+ cpus.


So my question is:

Does anyone here know what that board mod requires

OR does anyone have an inside contact at Abit Tech who would be willing to share what changes are necessary so we qualified tinkerers can make our own mod without sending in the board for RMA?

I suspect it is a minimal change like adding a resistor to the vcore regulator to get better voltage ???

[The Tinkerer]

Also, if this is not the right forum, which one would be best to post this on?

Thanks for your help.

[Hardass]

Welcome to the forums! This should help, it was in the guides section. Link (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1432)

[The Tinkerer]

Originally posted by Hardass
Welcome to the forums! This should help, it was in the guides section. Link (http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?threadid=1432)


Thank you for responding. I have read that particular site and it sounds promising, but that mod was for the purpose of OCing the cpu, and has not been determined to make a Tbred work in the Kr7A. I wrote Abit an e-mail and requested specifics on the board mod that I have heard they do to fix the issue. Here is what they replied:

Subject:
Re: Kr7a raid v. 1.0
Date:
Wed, 2 Oct 2002 12:06:46 -0700
From:
"JEFF WONG" <jeff@abit-usa.com>
To:
<XXXXXXXX>
References:
1




Dear Customer,
KR7A will not work with Athlon 2200+
we are not providing upgrades
Yes it will support 2100 + CPU with 9N BIOS.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Jeff Wong



I have read that folks have been told to send the boards in with $25 to make them work. Whether they fix them or replace them I don't know.

[Hardass]

Hang on my friend and I will try to get a answer for you.:)

[The Tinkerer]

Originally posted by Hardass
Hang on my friend and I will try to get a answer for you.:)

I appreciate it. I have scoured the web in search of the fix. I have been trying to find someone who has an "in" at Abit to a tech support person who will answer the question once and for all. Cuz if this KR7A Raid won't do better than an Xp2100+, I will be one unhappy ABit customer. This is not my joke, but someone told me Asus and Abit are merging. The new company is Assbit.

[The Tinkerer]

Don't forget that the bios page for KR7A Raid on the ABit site lists bios 9N as specifically providing support for the XP2200+. Mr. Wong may not be aware of that.

[MrIcee]

Hi my friend:)

That guide I wrote was not specifically to overclock the cpu...that was a side benefit...it was intended to make the 2200+ function on the KX7-333R. Yes..to get 1800Mhz you'll have to run 144Mhz FSB...but that is a minimal FSB overclock which will actually give you higher system performance.

At this time...only board RMA's to Abit have been the "fix" for this issue. None of us are aware of what their actual hardware fix is...so good luck in trying to find out. This is why we developed the unlock....specifically so we could run the 2200+ period:)

Randi:D

[The Tinkerer]

Thank you very much for your help and efforts on my behalf. Here is a string of letters to and from Abit to share with you all regarding the so-called board mod being done to the Kr7A raid boards to get the Tbred to work for $25. My first letter asked what specifics there were for the mod and whether the Palomino 2100+ was the last cpu that would work:

The response from Abit:

Subject:
Re: Kr7a raid v. 1.0
Date:
Wed, 2 Oct 2002 12:06:46 -0700
From:
"JEFF WONG"
To:

References:
1




Dear Customer,
KR7A will not work with Athlon 2200+
we are not providing upgrades
Yes it will support 2100 + CPU with 9N BIOS.

Thank you very much.

Sincerely,

Jeff Wong



I then wrote back as follows:


Dear Mr. Wong:

Thank you for your reply. I have the Kr7a-Raid board verson 1.0. I was told to
RMA the board to Abit because it will not work with the Tbred xp2200+ and
higher. I have been given an RMA number, but if I understand your message, I
should not send the board in? Do they replace the Kr7a-Raid with a newer
version or a different board, such as the Kr7a-Raid 133? Does the KR7A-Raid 133
work with the Tbreds? My reason for asking is that many of us with the Kr7A
Raid have been told to mail the boards into RMA for "modification". Were you
aware of this?
Thank you,



I then got this response:



The reason I am not recommending the upgrade is because there is a $25.00
charge to the upgrade
and it only upgrade you to use 2200+ CPU and not any future CPU such as 2400
or 2600.

It is your choice to upgrade or not.

Thank you
Jeff



I have now dashed off this letter:



Thank you again. If I want to run the XP Tbreds, which of your motherboards will
support these cpus. You can understand I am disappointed in the lack of ability
to upgrade this fairly new mobo, and I know you are aware that the Abit download
site lists Bios 9N as supporting XP2200+ cpus in the Kr7A and Kr7A raid. Why is
this?


If I get a response I will post it!

[The Tinkerer]

Oh, and by the way Mr Icee, great thread on the vcore and vmem modifications! ;)

[The Tinkerer]

Assuming Mr Wong is right (no pun intended), what modification to the board would be cpu specific and not work for other Tbreds???? :confused:

[MrIcee]

Thank you my friend:)

I am not sure why the KR7A would not work with anything higher than the 2200+..unless for some reason the board will not support the higher multipliers that are necessary at stock FSB speeds ie: 14x, 15x etc.

Randi:D

[The Tinkerer]

Still... I would do the board mod even if it operated for just the XP2200+ because that cpu overclocks a lot better than the 2100, and you would be starting from 1800. I oc'd the one running in my A7M266 up to 2.024 Ghz with pretty good stability for air cooling. I wish the Abit techs would tell us what is being done, as I suspect the smart ones like you would figure out how to take their work even farther and possibly unlock the use of the higher speed tbreds. Maybe they want us to have to upgrade HMMMMM? :p

[The Tinkerer]

A forum member on Amdmb.com posted this:


Originally posted by wtz54321
1 . If you can accept using lower multiplier and higher fsb to run the cpu , you can also connect L3 of the cpu
and the board can work with all T-bred B core CPU using multiplier under 12.5X

2 . If you are able to solder your board by yourself , simplely remove the RN18 of the board , which is located above the CPU socket . The effect is the same as cut L1 on the CPU , however you will lose all other CPU support except T-bred B core CPU , once you want the fuction back , you have to solder RN18 back to the board

3 . either RMA the board , cut L1 , or remove RN18 of the board , the board can use the 2200+ , 2400+ , 2600+ , and even 2700+ and 2800+ using 166FSB(but 44 MHz PCI)

[The Tinkerer]

Look at the post just above the post that this link takes you to


http://www.amdforums.com/showthread.php?s=&postid=1219292#post1219292


Seems to be a fix for using the Tbreds in the Kr7A Raid boards!
If the pictures don't load, what he shows is cutting the #3 and #4 L1 bridges, and in that case, he says it will work at its fixed multiplier.

Or you bridge L3 #5, but you can't go over 12.5

Or you remove a resistor or a couple of transistors which may be the board mod Abit is charging to make (which mod makes it so you can only use the XP "B" tbreds. Seems to be consistent, but I have not confirmed the qualifications of the source.

[Madtripper]

I am also searching for an answer to this. I have tried the L3 bridge connect and cut #3 and 4 on the L1's but niether works. If anyone else has additional ideas or they have been able to have a 2200 Rev A Tbred run in a KR7A-133Raid deck, let me know.


Thanks and you all have a host of good info. I look forward to visiting often.


Tripper


Visit www.deadspacesociety.com (http://www.deadspacesociety.com) to waste time.

[Marci]

I just used Icee's TB2200+ unlock with a few extras...

Join 2 pins on underside of chip and join all the L3s that have pits, then run it at 180x10 or whatever combination to get stock speeds... worked on the KR7a for me...

[Madtripper]

Join two pins on underside of chip? I'm not familiar with that option. Also, it was my understanding that only the 5th L3 bridge need be connected. Any help?


Tripper

[Marci]

5th for a straight unlock but to solve compatibility issues with other boards you can take it further... hence why I differentiate between the two, the method I described as being the "compatibility" unlock...

[Madtripper]

Ok, your help will be much appreciated should it work. I suppose I need to reconnect my L1 Bridges but that can be done while connecting the the three pits on L3. About the two pins under the chip, can you be a bit more detailed? Thanks again for the help.


Tripper

[Madtripper]

Anyone have an idea what pins Marci is referring to? If so please drop a note.


Tripper

[The Tinkerer]

http://www.beachlink.com/candjac/PaloDecode0.htm

The above page shows some pins that have to be connected on a PALOMINO, so I don't know if that is what was referred to. I have not seen anything about pins on the Tbreds yet.

http://www.beachlink.com/candjac/TbredDecode0.htm

[PnoT]

I posted this on the amdforums concerning this issue but i figured it couldn't hurt to post here as well.


I have an Abit KG7 mb and was wondering if i could run the new 2400+ tbreds on it either by mod'n it somehow or running high fsb. Seems to be a mixed bag of tricks on the other forum as to what exactly needs to be done and i'd rather not have to ship my board back to abit for $25 just so they can connect a few dots for me :D If anyone does have some specific information with possibly a nice pic i'd greatly appreciate it.


Thanks in advance,


PnoT

[Spartacus]

You're going to be limited on your overclocking options with a 2400+ on a KG7. How high can you run the FSB now? I could not get the FSB to run stable at higher than 155 on my old KG7.
You can probably mod your KG7 to run the 2400+ at it's stock multiplier (15x) by using the KG7 equivilent mod of the KR7's "R18" or "remove the transistors" mods. I'm not sure exactly which resistor or transistors you'd have to disable, it's probably posted somewhere though.

[Ryogadan]

Same Problem

Hi people,
I have just the same problem as The Tinkerer. An Abit KR7A-Raid and a 2200+ T-bred (ID 680).
The first time I have mount the CPU, after i have cleared BIOS setting closing the jumper, I get the system works entering the BIOS and when the system restart i have no boot. At that time i have 9N release of BIOS. I found new version B5. I have mount a 1800+ CPU (system works great) and upgrade the BIOS to this release. Nothing! Same result or worse. The system with 2200+ never boot. I have found the post of The Tinkerer and the mods suggested. I tried to connect #5 L3 and i have also no boot.
What i can do? Probably I'll try to retur to 9N release (as the web page says support to 2200+ T-bred), with the #5 L3 closed, and after I'll try to close all L3. But something say to me i have also no boot.
I hope we can find a solution, because this MB is great. With water cooling i get a 1800+ run over 1900 real Mhz. With the same system but with an Asus i can't reach 1800 real Mhz.

Thanks,
Daniele

[The Tinkerer]

Originally posted by Ryogadan
Same Problem

Hi people,
I have just the same problem as The Tinkerer. An Abit KR7A-Raid and a 2200+ T-bred (ID 680).
The first time I have mount the CPU, after i have cleared BIOS setting closing the jumper, I get the system works entering the BIOS and when the system restart i have no boot. At that time i have 9N release of BIOS. I found new version B5. I have mount a 1800+ CPU (system works great) and upgrade the BIOS to this release. Nothing! Same result or worse. The system with 2200+ never boot. I have found the post of The Tinkerer and the mods suggested. I tried to connect #5 L3 and i have also no boot.
What i can do? Probably I'll try to retur to 9N release (as the web page says support to 2200+ T-bred), with the #5 L3 closed, and after I'll try to close all L3. But something say to me i have also no boot.
I hope we can find a solution, because this MB is great. With water cooling i get a 1800+ run over 1900 real Mhz. With the same system but with an Asus i can't reach 1800 real Mhz.

Thanks,
Daniele


On another forum, a member reported that the L3#5 bridge trick works with a 2400+ using bios B5. He reported he had the Kr7A Raid board revision 1.0, which is the same as mine. He was able to overclock the FSB to 170 with the 2400+ at 12.5, which is the max multiplier using the L3 #5 bridge trick. That gives a bit over 2100 Mhz speed. I have not yet had the money to buy a 2400 to verify his results, but if you can return your 2200 and get your money back, you might try a 2400, as it would SEEM that the 681 cpus may behave differently in our board. Good luck and report back.

[Spartacus]

>>but if you can return your 2200 and get your money back, you might try a 2400, as it would SEEM that the 681 cpus may behave differently in our board.

Tinkerer,

Based on what I've read of your experience and others trying the 2200+ in the KR7 (and other boards) I would agree that it's best to stay away from the 2200+.

I have the 2400+ running at 180x12.5 (2.25Ghz) using the L3 #5 bridge trick on my KR7A-R (9N BIOS). I couldn't tell you what version my board is unfortunately though. It's about a year old and I bought it about a month before they switched to the "-133" versions.

I don't think I've seen any reports at all of the 2400+ not working on a KR7A though....

Edit: Looked up my receipt on the KR7A, purchased second week of January this year if that helps any.

[Madtripper]

I guess whats ironic is I was waiting for a 2400 but got impatient. I recently sent a 2200 back that seemed to burn up in my kr7 board so maybe I can throw them some extra cash and get an upgrade. Of course that Soyo board is on the way too!!!

Tripper

[The Tinkerer]

Originally posted by Madtripper
I guess whats ironic is I was waiting for a 2400 but got impatient. I recently sent a 2200 back that seemed to burn up in my kr7 board so maybe I can throw them some extra cash and get an upgrade. Of course that Soyo board is on the way too!!!

Tripper

I would appreciate hearing your results if you do get the 2400. Thanks.

[The Tinkerer]

Originally posted by Spartacus
>>but if you can return your 2200 and get your money back, you might try a 2400, as it would SEEM that the 681 cpus may behave differently in our board.

Tinkerer,

Based on what I've read of your experience and others trying the 2200+ in the KR7 (and other boards) I would agree that it's best to stay away from the 2200+.

I have the 2400+ running at 180x12.5 (2.25Ghz) using the L3 #5 bridge trick on my KR7A-R (9N BIOS). I couldn't tell you what version my board is unfortunately though. It's about a year old and I bought it about a month before they switched to the "-133" versions.

I don't think I've seen any reports at all of the 2400+ not working on a KR7A though....

Edit: Looked up my receipt on the KR7A, purchased second week of January this year if that helps any.

Yes that helps a lot. Appreciate your results. You are the second to now confirm that the 2400 will work and you are using 9N so it looks like 9N or B5 will do the trick. Now if only Abit would make the bios work with the actual multiplier... :toast: