First 8rda+ Vdd mod casualty...

[RichBa5tard]

My 8rda+ went up in flames at 1.94v Vdd today... The chip right next to the chipset voltage regulator (1cm to the left) catched fire (no kidding, it was glowing as bright as a LED).

I was going to overclock, so i slowly turned my pot.
mbm5 reported 2.04v, so i turn it back and it said 1.94v, i was aiming for 1.90v, so i turned it a little lower but windows froze.

Rebooting didn't help (motherboard turn itself of immediatly) so I unplugged the grounding of the mod (i didn't solder it on pin 4, but connected it to a fan connector grounding). Rebooted again and the chip right next started to glow... f*ck.

It killed my vidcard as well!!!!! I've yet have to test my friggin' expensive ram (2* Corsair XMS 3200) and CPU (XP2400+). I hope they still work...

By the way, my northbridge was watercooled.

Damnit. :'(

[jmke]

ARGH
sorry to hear that! :( :( :(

I hope someone can learn from this...

[Pjoeloe]

Damn mate, that is realy :( :( :(. I don`t know what to say, damn.... damn... damn...... :( 8rda+ rest in peace :(

For the people who are planning the Vdd mod. Don`t go higher than 1.85 Volt or lower than 680 ohm. Cool your chips with a good airflow, I think 1.9 Volt is realy the max (like 550/600 ohm) <<< BUT THAT IS OVERKILL!!!!

[Entuscan]

Sorry to hear that RB.

Well at least you got to enjoy your 8RDA+. Mine was dead after 5min of playing with it today.
5 minutes !!!

Just tried for maximum cpu overclock on the mobo. nothing froze.. straight: BiosRom checksum error. when I went to high.
=> Biosrom chip is fubar. if i can't get a replacementchip it's good for the bin too.

Sorry for the Epox fanboy's but something like this would never happen on an abit. Abits freeze at post; power down, clear cmos and everything is fine.


My first Epox OC experiance was verry dissapointing. :(

Btw, it just hit me but If you aren't going to try to rma the board or can't get it rma'd may I have your bios-chip???
I know it's a lame thing to ask, but it would save my board

[RichBa5tard]

Entus, if can get to leuven before Monday, you can have my bioschip.

Can you have a replacement for my board? It looks fine. :D ;)

[Pjoeloe]

Originally posted by Entuscan

Sorry for the Epox fanboy's but something like this would never happen on an abit. Abits freeze at post; power down, clear cmos and everything is fine.
Hmm, that`s a pity for you :( I`ve had in 4 years like 4 epox boards (kt133-266-266a-nforce2) and never had problems with ultra high settings. I think it`s just bad luck for you.....

[tweaky]

Sorry for the Epox fanboy's but something like this would never happen on an abit. Abits freeze at post; power down, clear cmos and everything is fine.

Well I must of had that bios checksum error appear about 5 times already since I got my board and as yet it has not failed on me ;)

Also when it does appear I just reset the PC and hold the Insert key down and it fires straight back up :D

[AKRedneck]

Originally posted by RichBa5tard
My 8rda+ went up in flames at 1.94v Vdd today... The chip right next to the chipset voltage regulator (1cm to the left) catched fire (no kidding, it was glowing as bright as a LED). Damnit. :'(

Hmmm, I'll have to give my board a visual when I get home later... I'm running at 2.0Vdd. Yikes!... Hey, what is the warranty on these boards anyway's? I guess if it fry's, screw it, this one requires too much Vdd anyway for high fsb. I wouldn't mind trying another one.. Maybe a V1.1 board.. :p

[Entuscan]

Originally posted by tweaky
Well I must of had that bios checksum error appear about 5 times already since I got my board and as yet it has not failed on me ;)

Also when it does appear I just reset the PC and hold the Insert key down and it fires straight back up :D

Are we talking about the same checksum error?

There are 2; the usaul post and get checksum error. And the Bootlock Bios Rom Checksum error. (no normal post; epa logo or anything) meaning a dead bios :(

[Holst]

unlucky Richbastard, hopefully you can live upto your name and buy another :(

I started a thread on AOA in your honour
http://www.aoaforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12995

[Holst]

Can i ask if you used SMG grabbers or solder ?

[Jeff]

Dude that sucks... :(

[Jeff]

Originally posted by Entuscan
Sorry for the Epox fanboy's but something like this would never happen on an abit. Abits freeze at post; power down, clear cmos and everything is fine.

You can't be serious? :confused: I'll guarantee you I can fry any other brand board just as easy as an Epox when dealing with overvolting via Vmods.

[Pjoeloe]

Originally posted by Jeff
You can't be serious? :confused: I'll guarantee you I can fry any other brand board just as easy as an Epox when dealing with overvolting via Vmods.
Indeed, playing with Vmods is like playing with a loaded gun, Don`t do it ;)

This could happen to every mb....

[sjohnson]

Originally posted by Jeff
You can't be serious? :confused: I'll guarantee you I can fry any other brand board just as easy as an Epox when dealing with overvolting via Vmods. Agreed, anyone who ever played with a kr7a at high FSB knows the meaning of dead BIOS. TG for BIOS Savior :)

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by Entuscan
Sorry for the Epox fanboy's but something like this would never happen on an abit. Abits freeze at post; power down, clear cmos and everything is fine.

Yeh, like my BD7II that stopped booting all of a sudden, then when I got it to work by leaving battery out for 3 days I can't OC for §§§§, and it's not the CPU I tried that already. Then 2 IT7s that blew on me (it's happened to several people). Yeh they're Intel boards but it's not like Abit is any better, at least I didn't do any mods and push it too far. What about the bad caps Abit used...I don't care who else used them, but Abit used them too, so they do do things like that.

Other than that I'm sorry to hear about that, hope you have better luck with your new BIOS chip :)

[Holst]

Originally posted by Entuscan
Sorry for the Epox fanboy's but something like this would never happen on an abit. Abits freeze at post; power down, clear cmos and everything is fine.
You can't be serious? I'll guarantee you I can fry any other brand board just as easy as an Epox when dealing with overvolting via Vmods.

Dont you just love the term fanboy, were obviously Epox fanboys but ive never in my life seen an Abit fanboy. One can only wonder why.

:P

[zakelwe]

The bleeding edge.

[TechTones]

What resistor will give like 1.80v for the vdd?

680?

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by TechTones
What resistor will give like 1.80v for the vdd?

680?

About 750 :)

[Bravo]

Im using 820 Ohms for 1.77 - 1.79.

[TechTones]

I think the limit should be in the 1.80v range. 1.85v is the tops, but I'd still stay with 1.80-1.82v

[Entuscan]

Originally posted by Holst
You can't be serious? I'll guarantee you I can fry any other brand board just as easy as an Epox when dealing with overvolting via Vmods.

Dont you just love the term fanboy, were obviously Epox fanboys but ive never in my life seen an Abit fanboy. One can only wonder why.

:P [/QUOTE]

First of all I'm not an Abit fanboy, I'll take whatever is best at the moment. Currently it's the 8RDA+ simple as that.

I didn't mean about killing the board due to Vmod. I meant about killing the bios just by raising cpu speed. Going from 1 bootup without errors or freezes to a slightly higher speed giving a direct biosbootlock, not a usual freeze at post or something.
I realise that posting my story in RB's vmod problem has caused some misunderstanding.

Unfortunatly bios problems seem to be a Nforce2 thing :( later bioses seem more stable now.
And offcourse I was a bit pissed off when posting this as I had a piece of new hardware that only worked for about 5minutes :)

About the Abit vs Epox thing. This was just my experiance in overclocking with both boards. Abit's freeze @post when gently pushing your cpu to far. The epox didn't, it just went from good post to fubar bios :( that's what I was supprised of. Not getting any warning/ heads up.

Hoping not to have offended the Epox fans.

Entuscan

[fibonaccov]

Originally posted by Entuscan
Are we talking about the same checksum error?

There are 2; the usaul post and get checksum error. And the Bootlock Bios Rom Checksum error. (no normal post; epa logo or anything) meaning a dead bios :(

Entuscan

You can get a new bios chip (pre-programmed to the bios level u want) from BadFlash.com (http://www.badflash.com/)...

More details in that

thread (http://www.aoaforums.com/forum/showthread.php?s=&threadid=12839)

Also taken from Randi in that thread:
...
...
If you get a no boot situation, power down reset Cmos before going back into Bios as I found out the hard way, if you just reboot and go straight into BIOS if it freezes on you in BIOS in all likelyhood you just corrupted your BIOS chip
...
...


Not always like this but it's always good to know...Have you tried booting from a floppy and reflashing the bios - sometimes this step works when u think ur bios is gone south...

--fibo

[Svenn]

Sorry to hear about your 8RDA+. I'm about to get one and I'm just wondering, I thought the VDD went to 2.2 in bios? And the Vmem goes to 2.9 in bios? If that's wrong, what are the volts?

[AKRedneck]

Originally posted by Svenn
Sorry to hear about your 8RDA+. I'm about to get one and I'm just wondering, I thought the VDD went to 2.2 in bios? And the Vmem goes to 2.9 in bios? If that's wrong, what are the volts?

The Vdd is not adjustable in bios, hence the Vmod... Yes, Vmem goes to 2.9.

I'm still running at Vdd of 2.0v. Visually looked at everything and I see no problems. Nothing glowing anyway's.... not to mention, I've only got aircooling on that nbridge... Soon 2 be watercooled..

no pain no gain right???.......:p

[Svenn]

Hrm, what does Vcore go to? Maybe that's what I'm thinking about then.

[fibonaccov]

Originally posted by Svenn
Hrm, what does Vcore go to? Maybe that's what I'm thinking about then.
2.2v

[KS1]

Be careful guys.

For my board, MBM and USDM underrate the voltage by 0.05-0.07V.

Better re-check using a digital multimeter on the tiny little inductor coil nearby.

[xtreme]

hm im on 1.9V -560ohm no problems here...

[King_of_qb]

going counter clock wise is to turn the voltage down right?
and do i have to ground the wire to pin 4 and if not where in my case can i ground it?

please reply asap

[TechTones]

You can ground ANYWHERE on the metal case of the computer
inside.

Less resistance= more voltage

More resistance= less voltage

[Learn]

Originally posted by RichBa5tard
My 8rda+ went up in flames at 1.94v Vdd today... The chip right next to the chipset voltage regulator (1cm to the left) catched fire (no kidding, it was glowing as bright as a LED).

I was going to overclock, so i slowly turned my pot.
mbm5 reported 2.04v, so i turn it back and it said 1.94v, i was aiming for 1.90v, so i turned it a little lower but windows froze.

Rebooting didn't help (motherboard turn itself of immediatly) so I unplugged the grounding of the mod (i didn't solder it on pin 4, but connected it to a fan connector grounding). Rebooted again and the chip right next started to glow... f*ck.

It killed my vidcard as well!!!!! I've yet have to test my friggin' expensive ram (2* Corsair XMS 3200) and CPU (XP2400+). I hope they still work...

By the way, my northbridge was watercooled.

Damnit. :'(

no luck guy :( , sorry

i currently using 1.8v , i' ve no prob.
when i 've turned my poti too fast (in windows), => windows freeze, i must rebooted , go in bios and see 2.41v for the vdd .nothing killed . no luck for you

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by TechTones
You can ground ANYWHERE on the metal case of the computer
inside.

Less resistance= more voltage

More resistance= less voltage

but which way is more voltyage on the screw clockwise or counter clockwise

[Jeff]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
but which way is more voltyage on the screw clockwise or counter clockwise

Depends on how you wire the VR.

The best way to experiment is to measure the VR with a DMM before you do the mod. That way you know for sure what to do.

[TechTones]

Yes it depends on which legs are used for ground. Really doesn't matter much. If you use a MM, set it for higher resistance and you'll be in safe territory if not under.

[Ace-a-Rue]

Originally posted by Learn
no luck guy :( , sorry

i currently using 1.8v , i' ve no prob.
when i 've turned my poti too fast (in windows), => windows freeze, i must rebooted , go in bios and see 2.41v for the vdd .nothing killed . no luck for you

This is what happens most of the time when anyone turns to fast and you don't let the voltage stabilize. Turning to fast will also surge the voltage. Readings from the bios or MBM are slow to show you the changes as you turn a pot with any speed. I strongly suggest turning in very, very small amounts and then wait between each interval adjustment for about 15 seconds so the voltage can then stabilize and be read by a DVM. Once you find the error between bios/mbm and your DVM reading, then I would rely on those readings to help adjust the VDD. Again, be patient and very slow with the adjustments.

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by Jeff
Depends on how you wire the VR.

The best way to experiment is to measure the VR with a DMM before you do the mod. That way you know for sure what to do.

so the hire the # on the MM means the hire the voltage or lower the voltage

[Ace-a-Rue]

Higher the MM reads means lower the voltage, or, higher the resistance lower the voltage.

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by Ace-a-Rue
Higher the MM reads means lower the voltage, or, higher the resistance lower the voltage.
ok will try this in a little bit (thought it was lower and had it set to zero, good thing i asked)

i wanted to know what would happen if the smd grabber fell of the mobo?

[TechTones]

Nothing really. The tip retracts so it can't short out anything. You might see a blip on the screen or slight disturbance but that's it. Worst case is you have to reboot. Now, if you're overclocked very high, and it reverts to default right away, you'll get a lock up and have to lower the FSB in the bios and redo the mod.

[King_of_qb]

i have been turning it slowly and still have not seen a change in the vdd voltage does it take a while before it starts to go up when u start at the max resistence?

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
i have been turning it slowly and still have not seen a change in the vdd voltage does it take a while before it starts to go up when u start at the max resistence?

Nope, mine would ony go up if I disconnected themicro clip from the pin, which may be your problem.

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by Bushboy
Nope, mine would ony go up if I disconnected themicro clip from the pin, which may be your problem.

u meen u would take off the smd grabber and then put it back on?

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
u meen u would take off the smd grabber and then put it back on?

Yeh I thought it was weird but it kept reading the same resistance no matter how far I turned it...so I took it off (the grabber) and adjusted it, clipped it back on and got more voltage.

[King_of_qb]

ok i will try that in a min first need to turn the pot back down some

[Ace-a-Rue]

What size pot are you using?

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by Ace-a-Rue
What size pot are you using?
1k variable

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by Bushboy
Yeh I thought it was weird but it kept reading the same resistance no matter how far I turned it...so I took it off (the grabber) and adjusted it, clipped it back on and got more voltage.

still no luck

[King_of_qb]

can someone tell me how many turns it took them to get there voltage?

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
still no luck

Hmm, where did yo uget the pot from? And also, I know it sounds really obvious but you are turning it the right way to lessen resstance...i have a pot that doesn't stop turning.

[King_of_qb]

i got it from radio shack and i am turning it counter clockwise i think it is the right way and mine doesn't stop turning either which way are u turning yours?

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
i got it from radio shack and i am turning it counter clockwise i think it is the right way and mine doesn't stop turning either which way are u turning yours?

It all depends which of the two hot pins you decided to use. I'm not sure if right/left is clockwise, but if you have a multimeter measure the resistance turning it both ways, but you have to take the grabber off first. If you dont have a multimeter, then it's gobba be hard to tell, and all you can do is try both ways and see which raises voltage.

EDIT: Hold on, are you using a hot pin and ground pin to connect, or using both hot pins? If you use both hot pins it will give you a set 1k resistance no matter what you do.

[King_of_qb]

i am using the middle pin as the ground and one of the side pins to go on the chip

[Holst]

Did you read one of my previous posts (the long one)

if you didnt that will explain how a cermat pot works and how to ue it.

If you have any questions feel free.

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
i am using the middle pin as the ground and one of the side pins to go on the chip

Use the ground to connect to the ground on the actual chip...pin4 I think it is, furthest from the DIMMS on the same side as the pin you already connected to...That could be your problem, not sure. Also, try turning it the other way or read Holst's post like he said.

[STEvil]

clip the grabbers onto the + and - of a multimeter (digital preffered) and turn the pot while watching the multimeter, that will give you the direction and if its working or not...

[Ace-a-Rue]

How do you have the wires soldered to the Radio Shack pot? If you don't have the SMD grabber wire soldered to the middle post, it isn't going to work.

[King_of_qb]

i just check the resistance with the mm and it said .371 is that hogh low or what and i am turning it the right way also i have one wire in the middle and i am using it as the ground

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
i just check the resistance with the mm and it said .371 is that hogh low or what and i am turning it the right way also i have one wire in the middle and i am using it as the ground

Use the middle pin to connec to the ground ON the chip that the other pin is connected to...The ground pin on that chip is the last pin on the same side as the one connected to your right/left leg on the pot. It should be the one furthest from the DIMMs. Also i'm assuming it says .371k, so 370ohms is far too low! Adjust it to 780 Ohms for a nice, safe voltage, then do what I decsribed above :)

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by Bushboy
Use the middle pin to connec to the ground ON the chip that the other pin is connected to...The ground pin on that chip is the last pin on the same side as the one connected to your right/left leg on the pot. It should be the one furthest from the DIMMs. Also i'm assuming it says .371k, so 370ohms is far too low! Adjust it to 780 Ohms for a nice, safe voltage, then do what I decsribed above :)

i had it grounding on the hs for my nb cause i broke that smd grabber. could that be the problem?

[Ace-a-Rue]

Yes, absolutely! The NB is not a ground.

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
i had it grounding on the hs for my nb cause i broke that smd grabber. could that be the problem?

I'm not 100% sure, but I assume that's what it is...Do you have aan extra SMD grabber you can use? Check if that heatsink has 0 Ohms btw, it might not even be a ground.

[Ace-a-Rue]

Ok, if you broke the ground SMD then just cut the wire and put an electrical grommet type on that cut end. Now attach it to any place on the case or to one of the m/b fasteners.

You don't have to attach it to leg 4 to make a ground for a complete circuit. It can go to the case or m/b mounting screws.

[King_of_qb]

no i don't i ordered 3 from outpost.com/ frys and they are on backorder but as soon as they are in i will get them overnight

so where else can i groung this ire can i put it on my case?

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by Ace-a-Rue
Ok, if you broke the ground SMD then just cut the wire and put an electrical grommet type on that cut end. Now attach it to any place on the case or to one of the m/b fasteners.

You don't have to attach it to leg 4 to make a ground for a complete circuit. It can go to the case or m/b mounting screws.

ok will try that now

[Holst]

This is starting to scare me now.

Please stop and read some more stuff before you continue King, it soulds like you have allready come close to killing your board. Better to stop and work out what your going now rather than break something.

[Ace-a-Rue]

Yes, yes, yes put it to your case!!:)

[King_of_qb]

Originally posted by Ace-a-Rue
Yes, yes, yes put it to your case!!:)

i did it and it is running at 1.82 vdd now thank u everyone for your help i don't know why i thought the hs was a ground thought i read it somewhere right now i am at 215 fsb thanx to u guys and do u guys think i should post this on my website it should be up and running tomorrow and for some reason i am getting alot of hits and it's not even up yet

[Bushboy]

Originally posted by King_of_qb
i did it and it is running at 1.82 vdd now thank u everyone for your help i don't know why i thought the hs was a ground thought i read it somewhere right now i am at 215 fsb thanx to u guys and do u guys think i should post this on my website it should be up and running tomorrow and for some reason i am getting alot of hits and it's not even up yet

Great to see it worked out :)

[xgman]

Is it possible that the MB burned up because something got loose in the mod and shorted out? Or maybe a combination of mod's?

If you don't use a multimeter to set the screw/ohm before installing the mod, you are just working in the blind. It is much safer to set the screw outside the board on a multi meter and then put it back.

I set 740 ohms on my 1K from radioshack and then installed it. It went form stock 1.58-1.6 to 1.82-1.84. So far no signs of trouble. I do have a crystal orb on my NB. I wouldn't reccommend this mod with only the stock NB heatsink.

[Ace-a-Rue]

Yeah, time to rev up those 6K 60MM fans.:D

[KingInge2000]

I'm running @ VDD 1.56V with 220.
What ohm do I need 2 stay save?
I'm cooling the nb with water.
What FSB could I expect?
I'd like 2 run @ 10*230.:D :D

[Nico]

Rich,

How were you grounding the mod? If you were chip grounding then maybe that's overloading another component?

Holst,

I'm scared too :D , it's nice to see people getting involved and it's the only way to learn, but I can see alot of fried boards if people don't take a little care. I know it's dangerous, but check other components with your finger to see how hot everything gets after a mod, and add little heatsinks and fan cooling as appropriate.
The 8KHA+ vcore mod is a classic example, the vreg chip and mosfets were cooking at about 1.95+ causing instability.

[RichBa5tard]

Originally posted by Nico
Rich,

How were you grounding the mod? If you were chip grounding then maybe that's overloading another component?


Grounding from a fan connector.

[Nico]

Any sign of thermal paste, solder or wire fragments on the burnt chip? If not it may have just been a bad chip, for modding purposes anyway.

[RichBa5tard]

No, the chip that burned out had not been modded, it was the one next to the voltage regulator of the chipset. Will post pics tonight if JMke can bring his digicam.

[Ace-a-Rue]

Originally posted by RichBa5tard
Grounding from a fan connector.

How did you secure the mod grounding wire to the fan connector ground? Solder?

[Nico]

Originally posted by RichBa5tard
No, the chip that burned out had not been modded, it was the one next to the voltage regulator of the chipset. Will post pics tonight if JMke can bring his digicam.

Yeah, That's what I meant. Just looking for any good reason for this adjacent chip to blow?

[RichBa5tard]

Originally posted by Ace-a-Rue
How did you secure the mod grounding wire to the fan connector ground? Solder?

Yes, it was firmly soldered onto it.

@nico:
My best guess is sudden change of voltage. It jumped from 1.8x to 2.04 to 1.94 within 2 seconds. I was usign a 10k pot, so the slightest turn made a big difference. Maybe i should have let it stabilize at 2.04v, instead of turning it back all of the sudden.

With some luck, i'm able to post some pics in an hour.

[Nico]

Could be!, It's best to keep a fine resolution and use to pot in the middle of its range. So 1k is ideal, but 2k would be about the max you would really want to use.

[RichBa5tard]

A friend, Jmke, took some pictures of the burned out chip and has put 'm online:

http://www.madshrimps.be/forums/showthread.php?postid=13845#post13845

Notice the white spot on the chip. That's the area that glows when I try to power the mobo.

[Nico]

Damm! you couldn't get much of a heatsink in there. :( maybe a long flatish one across both chips?

[Ace-a-Rue]

Originally posted by RichBa5tard
Yes, it was firmly soldered onto it.

@nico:
My best guess is sudden change of voltage. It jumped from 1.8x to 2.04 to 1.94 within 2 seconds. I was usign a 10k pot, so the slightest turn made a big difference. Maybe i should have let it stabilize at 2.04v, instead of turning it back all of the sudden.

With some luck, i'm able to post some pics in an hour.

Like Nico mentioned, you using a 10K pot probably did in your m/b. When you are shooting to use only 600-800 ohms with a 10K pot, which doesn't have a large turning radius, put you literally at the end of the turning radius. Now, slight movements mean big jumps either up or down......

[AKRedneck]

Originally posted by RichBa5tard
A friend, Jmke, took some pictures of the burned out chip and has put 'm online:

http://www.madshrimps.be/forums/showthread.php?postid=13845#post13845

Notice the white spot on the chip. That's the area that glows when I try to power the mobo.

I can see what you mean when you say this chip get's hot.. I briefly placed my temp probe over the chip while running at 2.0Vdd. Temperature was approximately 65°C. A small heatsink is definitely the answer for this chip.. I did look at the datasheet for the chip and it is capable of handling this temperature.

[Bravo]

Running 2.08v here. Been doing so for the last 15 odd minutes.

Checked the IC in question, it is hot. dialed the voltage back.

[AKRedneck]

HERE (http://www.irf.com/product-info/datasheets/data/irf7313.pdf) is the datasheet to the chip that burnt..:eek: <<On Rich's board..

[Ace-a-Rue]

You guys might find this extreme but I do it out of self preservation of my system. Ever since building AMD systems most of us knew we needed good cooling options if you were going to apply the voltage that makes lots and lots of heat.:p Besides using 2-4K rpm 80 MM fans to extract, I put my PS fans to high all the time. If it has a temp bulb to sense, that is outta-here. My NB has a 6K 60 MM mounted along with either 1 or 2 120 MM fans mounted on the inside frame. If you are blowing air onto the components, it will help avoid the hot spots that can build up like this little regulator can if you up the voltage......

Now don't laugh:D or scoff, it works great! A little extra noise is added but well worth it if you are an avid o/cer.


http://home.nc.rr.com/boeing/p4ht/case2.jpg

[Pjoeloe]

Tip of the day :) Get lost of all that cables and 2 coolers, and make some room for nice airflow. It will save you I think 10 degrees

http://www.xs4all.nl/~bruuuuut/case2.jpg

[Ace-a-Rue]

That is why I used round cables. Ribbon cables did block the LOWER fan. You are obviously blind to all the rest of the fans mounted in the case.....sheezit!! Can't believe it!!:rolleyes:

The whole Idea is move air within and extract from the rear and top front. Oh, I forgot to tell you I do that too. Sorry!

[fibonaccov]

Originally posted by Ace-a-Rue
That is why I used round cables. Ribbon cables did block the LOWER fan. You are obviously blind to all the rest of the fans mounted in the case.....sheezit!! Can't believe it!!:rolleyes:

The whole Idea is move air within and extract from the rear and top front. Oh, I forgot to tell you I do that too. Sorry!
I've got the same set-up - 2 120mm fans blowing on top of the video card and mobo in general - silent fans and theyVantec air extractor device (http://www.svcompucycle.com/vanfancarsys.html) air extractor device on the bottom left of the case to help improving airflow as it will suck out all the air produced by the big fans - hence improving air flow...if you're careful in selecting ur fans and how placing them - then you end-end with a fairly quiet and cool system while still oc'ing...I've no AC and my case temps (closed case) are 20-23c max really...room temps are the same...

--fibo

[Ace-a-Rue]

Other than the Vantec fan how many rear mounted fans do you have?

What I do is also remove all the back plates for the slots that are not used so air can exit, or enter to increase the air flow within the case.

[fibonaccov]

Originally posted by Ace-a-Rue
Other than the Vantec fan how many rear mounted fans do you have?

What I do is also remove all the back plates for the slots that are not used so air can exit, or enter to increase the air flow within the case.
I used to have 2 rear mounted but the air extractor does a better job than a rear extracted fan or even both combined - I measured it and am getting better case temps with it...so I only have another rear mounted at the other extremity + the extractor...

Am not removing the back plates because of dust...I know it sounds stupid but I want to make sure nothing can get inside the case :)

I also have a 4-Fan controller device so I can tune them all for higher cooling or some more quiet setting...

--fibo

[Pjoeloe]

Originally posted by Ace-a-Rue
That is why I used round cables. Ribbon cables did block the LOWER fan. You are obviously blind to all the rest of the fans mounted in the case.....sheezit!! Can't believe it!!:rolleyes:
The whole Idea is move air within and extract from the rear and top front. Oh, I forgot to tell you I do that too. Sorry!
Well if that is the idea... it`s just impossible@ this moment because of all the wires blocking the top front..... Don`t get me wrong, I just wanna help but that`s not epriciated I gues. Relax :)

[Ace-a-Rue]

I wasn't asking for your help.....I was just adding ideas on cooling the case and m/b like fibonaccov did. His suggestions are good as well as mine.

You are fixated on one stupid fan at the bottom when I have a multitude of fans blowing in, around and exiting. There is not a stale breath of air in that case.

[RichBa5tard]

Getting a little offtopic, are we? :)

[Ace-a-Rue]

I would say Pjoeloe has been an added distraction.

[Ace-a-Rue]

I hope you are looking in the mirror when you say that because you are one too!

It doesn't take a rocket scientist to understand my initial post so I will quote the part for your ** THIS IS FLAMING DON'T DO IT AGAIN ** again!



Now don't laugh or scoff, it works great! A little extra noise is added but well worth it if you are an avid o/cer.


Now, what part of that do you not understand?!! I didn't ask for your evaluation I was trying to provide help. But, you came in with your a*s leading the way and tried to rip in to my rig. I would say that you are acting like

[Aaron]

unlucky Richbastard, hopefully you can live upto your name and buy another

I started a thread on AOA in your honour
http://www.aoaforums.com/forum/show...&threadid=12995

quick question Holt. I just checked out that thread. I've never been to AOA before. Why is everyone jocking Epox and getting all bent out of shape if someone mentions any other board. Is it an Epox owned site or something.

It was actually pretty funny. Some dude says Abit does this, and then everyone freaks out. "Dude you can't say Abit" WTF?


Aaron

[TechTones]

Because the site is run by a Gay Hitler type character named Daniel and the Epox tech guy is some kind of communist. You think I'm joking right? Hang out there are see. Most of his "followers" are sissy's licking his boots. Ask them something they don't want to answer and they'll ban you. Challenge what they say and they'll ban you. Mention another brand name too many times and they'll ban you.

In other words it's a dictatorship and some kind of weird gay hardware cult. :D

[Aaron]

Because the site is run by a Gay Hitler type character named Daniel and the Epox tech guy is some kind of communist. You think I'm joking right? Hang out there are see. Most of his "followers" are sissy's licking his boots. Ask them something they don't want to answer and they'll ban you. Challenge what they say and they'll ban you. Mention another brand name too many times and they'll ban you.

In other words it's a dictatorship and some kind of weird gay hardware cult.

hahahahahahahahaha Thanks man, best laugh I've had all night. It didn't want to say anything, but thats kind of the impression I got.

Aaron

[Ace-a-Rue]

Those guys over there are not very tolerant of any out of line questioning and name pushing.:)

[Merenfreak]

Why can`t you just replace the burnt out chip ?

Is it possible to get such a chip somewhere ?

cyas

[shadco]

Originally posted by TechTones
Because the site is run by a Gay Hitler type character named Daniel and the Epox tech guy is some kind of communist. You think I'm joking right? Hang out there are see. Most of his "followers" are sissy's licking his boots. Ask them something they don't want to answer and they'll ban you. Challenge what they say and they'll ban you. Mention another brand name too many times and they'll ban you.

In other words it's a dictatorship and some kind of weird gay hardware cult. :D

As opposed to other epox techs that participate in other forums and add credibilty to Epox and their support of end users.

Seriously I think if anyone from Epox Marketing spent anytime reviewing the tone of AOA's Epox section they would be thoroughly embarassed and shut it down.

Thankfully there are epox tech's that participate here and at AMDMB.com

Shad

[TechTones]

I have seen that Epox tech completely DELETE whole threads because he didn't like the "tone" of the questions.

Questions like: Does the 8RDA+ lock the PCI bus?

Questions like: Does the 8RDA+ unlock all multipliers like the 400
boards?

Questions like that from poor people who bought the product and are looking for answers get the "communist" treatment. Then, you get a speech about your life and what kind of person you are for asking thse questions by Daniel the stupid stuck up gay bully.

You know what? A guy like Daniel needs to have his little ass kicked in. I bet he wouldn't speak to people fact to face like he does behind his computer. If fact, I wish I could meet him face to face.....

[Aaron]

I wish I could meet him face to face

Good god I opened a can of worms here, sounds like a lot of you don't like this daniel guy, sounds like a real :banana::banana::banana::banana::banana:.

Aaron

[Pjoeloe]

Originally posted by TechTones
Because this site is run by a Gay Hitler type character named Daniel and the Epox tech guy is some kind of communist lol

[Soldier2000]

Originally posted by TechTones
I have seen that Epox tech completely DELETE whole threads because he didn't like the "tone" of the questions.

Questions like: Does the 8RDA+ lock the PCI bus?

Questions like: Does the 8RDA+ unlock all multipliers like the 400
boards?

Questions like that from poor people who bought the product and are looking for answers get the "communist" treatment. Then, you get a speech about your life and what kind of person you are for asking thse questions by Daniel the stupid stuck up gay bully.


I don't have seen what you said but Daniel and EPoX tech are both helping a lot of EPoX users who have problems.

[Aaron]

Fanboy?


Aaron

[Soldier2000]

Originally posted by Aaron
Fanboy?


Aaron

:confused: :rolleyes:

[KS1]

soldier2000, it's true that they help people. I am not totally against them since as a user I got to listen to the rule as well.

At the same time, they appear to be very strict to thier(?) own rules that they(?) created. However, those rules seem to put a limit to their serviceability and the way that they think.

put it the other way, a modern business concept, the customer is a king. That is the wisdom of how to treat a customer in a highly competitive market.
If E or H want to help, there might be other alternatives for them e.g. they might use other names or thru other people to log into the system and provide some explanation unofficially that do not violate their own NDA. Then, the number of complaints will be greatly reduced, I believe.

Another example of how to treat a customer's problem. Many customers faced a screen-flashing and 3-mouse-pointer problem when running at FSB > 200, 210, 220 (it depended on the configuration). One customer found a solution (Vdd mod--a solution not from Epox). E responded in a thread discouraging people not to solve the problem that way because it might kill the board. E's intention is good. However, E did not provide any alternative to solving that problem safely. On the other hand, H provided info on how the problem might be solved but warned that to do it at own risk.

[Soldier2000]

Originally posted by KS1
soldier2000, it's true that they help people. I am not totally against them since as a user I got to listen to the rule as well.

At the same time, they appear to be very strict to thier(?) own rules that they(?) created. However, those rules seem to put a limit to their serviceability and the way that they think.

put it the other way, a modern business concept, the customer is a king. That is the wisdom of how to treat a customer in a highly competitive market.
If E or H want to help, there might be other alternatives for them e.g. they might use other names or thru other people to log into the system and provide some explanation unofficially that do not violate their own NDA. Then, the number of complaints will be greatly reduced, I believe.

Another example of how to treat a customer's problem. Many customers faced a screen-flashing and 3-mouse-pointer problem when running at FSB > 200, 210, 220 (it depended on the configuration). One customer found a solution (Vdd mod--a solution not from Epox). E responded in a thread discouraging people not to solve the problem that way because it might kill the board. E's intention is good. However, E did not provide any alternative to solving that problem safely. On the other hand, H provided info on how the problem might be solved but warned that to do it at own risk.

That's true

[Aaron]

Look all I'm saying is it is real crappy that there are people out there like Daniel. I read through a ton of threads over at that site and couldn't believe what I was seeing. Maybe I'm an idealist, but I believe that the internet is supposed to be a free exchange of ideas. I don't believe in deleting posts (with the exception of criminal behavior). But just shutting someone up because you don't agree with them, or you don't like what they have to say is just wrong. Clearly a lot of people agree. And some of them sound pretty pissed about their experiences with him and his site. Just read the previous posts in this thread and you'll see he's not real popular with a few people.

What's this guy like in real life? I don't know, could be a great guy, he could be the next noble laureate or he could be an annoying insecure obnoxious little know it all twerp who needs to have his ass kicked a time or two to snap him back to reality.

I’m not making any judgments about him or his “boot licking” subordinate lackey fan boys (teehee had to say it) as people, I’m just saying it shady how they run that board.


Aaron

(ok maybe a little judgement)

[RichBa5tard]

Back ontopic:

I had a chance to test my CPU and RAM i was using at the time my Vdd-modded epox 8rda+ melted.

In contrary to my vidcard, they still work fine. =^)

Running a XP2400+ on a KT133 chipset now, lol. :D

[eliteone]

I was banned on that board for saying "I dont think the 8RDA+ has PCI lock", heh.

[Aaron]

And well you should be, blaspheny!!!:D


Aaron

[KS1]

RichBastard,
I had thought that you burnt the IRU3037A.
But it is that IRU7313 that was burnt.
Why don't you try replacing it? IRU 7313 is simply a 2-power-mosfet-in-1. I think that using a 2 separate power mosfets might do the job as well.

[RichBa5tard]

Originally posted by KS1
RichBastard,
I had thought that you burnt the IRU3037A.
But it is that IRU7313 that was burnt.
Why don't you try replacing it? IRU 7313 is simply a 2-power-mosfet-in-1. I think that using a 2 separate power mosfets might do the job as well.

I haven't got the tools to desolder chips, and i sure don't know where to get a IRU 7313 chip in Belgium. :s

[KS1]

On page 7 of IRU3037 document, they provided a recommended spec of power MOSFETs.

Vdds 20V
Id 5.2A
Rds on 0.05 ohm

or from IRU7313 spec sheet:
Vdds 30V
Id 6.2A
Rds on 0.029 ohm

I think if you go to an electronic shop with this spec, you might get them (2 units). You can also get a higher/better spec.
Don't worry. You won't kill the board again. But you will need to do some messy soldering work.

On the other hand, I recall seeing some electronic shops in the US that carries a whole range of sophisticated electronic parts but I could not remember the exact site. try searching in the internet, if you want the same exact replacement.

[RichBa5tard]

Thanks for the information, i appreciate it.

I will look into it after my exams. :)

[Hallowed]

Originally posted by Soldier2000
I don't have seen what you said but Daniel and EPoX tech are both helping a lot of EPoX users who have problems.

BWHAHAAHA

:rotf: :hehe:

[KS1]

Don't worry. I heard that Epox will include Vdd adj in the next revision of m/b.
Pls don't ask this question at aoa/epox m/b forum. It might not be appropriate, I supposed.
click here (http://www.vr-zone.com/guides/EPoX/8RDA+/)

[Arz]

New victim to the list. My 8RDA+ got heavy wound: Dimm1 isn't working anymore! Just C1 and "peep . . peep . . peep . ." Luckily my Corsair didn't take any damage.
It took place when I was driving Pifast to test my new 2100+ and it said *snap*, machine booted and stopped at C1. Both Diim2 and 3 are still working fine, and performance is as good as it was before when tested the performance between one and two memory channels.
Well this piece was very early sample from review purpose and it didn't perform well anyway. It was beaten down still when we compared it to another, newer, 8RDA+. I was runnig at 218:2400MHz and 3-2-2-2.0, and still lost 0,5s in Pifast against 180:2300 5-2-2-2.0!

Next target is a brand new Soltek SL-75FRN-L, not because 8RDA isn't good, but it's hard to get one here in Finland. Though there was only one piece on Soltek either, but got it :D
And if Soltek turns out to be a sloppy one, then I'm surely back to 8RDA. ;)

[Soldier2000]

Originally posted by Hallowed
BWHAHAAHA

:rotf: :hehe:

.....

[RichBa5tard]

Originally posted by KS1
On page 7 of IRU3037 document, they provided a recommended spec of power MOSFETs.

Vdds 20V
Id 5.2A
Rds on 0.05 ohm

or from IRU7313 spec sheet:
Vdds 30V
Id 6.2A
Rds on 0.029 ohm

I think if you go to an electronic shop with this spec, you might get them (2 units). You can also get a higher/better spec.
Don't worry. You won't kill the board again. But you will need to do some messy soldering work.

On the other hand, I recall seeing some electronic shops in the US that carries a whole range of sophisticated electronic parts but I could not remember the exact site. try searching in the internet, if you want the same exact replacement.

KS1,

I've got some spare time and i'm really considering of replacing the burnt out chip myself. Where did you find the spec sheet? I can only find data on the IRU7313 chip. :s

If the burnt out chip is actually 2 mosfets in one, could you be so kind to give me the specs of the 2 mosfets? :)

[KS1]

Before proceeding, I think you'd better check if other components are not damaged either.
I think you might do this by using 10 normal A size (biggest) 1.5V batteries in pararell or if you have a power adapter that can output 1.5-2.0V DC at 5-10AMPS.
Jump the (+) wire to the output pin of MOSFET and (-) to GND.
Then switch the PC on. If nothing else is broken, a m/b should boot.

[RichBa5tard]

Buying 10 A size batteries just for testing is pretty expensive. :s

I'd like to give it a shot anyway, it didn't kill my cpu or ram and i'm not sure whether it blew my AGP card or not. I've got a cheap, old AGP card to spare, so i'm willing to take the risk. :)

[TechTones]

Wow why don't you just RMA the board to Epox directly??

[RichBa5tard]

I tried to RMA it to the store where i bought it, no luck. I didn't get warranty.

It costed me $20 and 4 weeks, i've lost enough cash on this mobo...

By the way, I live in Europe. It's easier to win the lottery than get something succesfully RMA'ed over here... :'(

[KingInge2000]

Anyone lost some SB or NB Features?
Think I lost my first IDE Channel.

[KS1]

Another alternative is to power NB from Vcore. Set Vcore to 1.50-1.65V. Jump the wire from CPU-pin Vcore to NB MOSFET output pin.

Just to see if it boots (anything on the screen at all or Port80 LED circling through boot process). If it works, you may want to leave it like that but Vnb will be tied to Vcore.

[RichBa5tard]

Originally posted by KS1
Another alternative is to power NB from Vcore. Set Vcore to 1.50-1.65V. Jump the wire from CPU-pin Vcore to NB MOSFET output pin.

Just to see if it boots (anything on the screen at all or Port80 LED circling through boot process). If it works, you may want to leave it like that but Vnb will be tied to Vcore.

That'd be a good solution if it works. :)

[RichBa5tard]

Eh, i can't seem to figure out what the vcore pin is.

I found out a local electronic shop sells those IRF Mosfets! But not the particular one on the 8rda+ :/

Does Vds (IRF7313: 30V) AND Id (IRF7313: 6.5A) have to be exactly the same?

Is it ok to replace it with two 50V/14A mosfets?

[KS1]

You should find which pin is Vcore by looking at AMD CPU datasheet. It's easier to solder from a pin of M/B socket to an output inductor coil of Vdd.

Anyway, this is an extraction from IRU datasheet which outlines a criteria for selecting MOSFETs. I think the spec you have exceeds Vdss and Id criteria. It will be one of the most challenging soldering work since it does not come in 8-pin package.

http://home.wanadoo.nl/krairach/krairach/iru_mosfet_selection.JPG
http://home.wanadoo.nl/krairach/krairach/iru_mosfet_selection2.JPG

[RichBa5tard]

I found someone with a dead 8rda+, and unsoldered his chip that i fried on my board.

[RichBa5tard]

I dunno how i managed to succesfully replace my dead chip, but it worked!! :banana:

My AGP port seems to be dead (could have figured that one out because it killed my ti4200), but a PCI VGA card works fine. :)

Left: voltmodded chipset voltage regulator (you'd think i'd learn out of my mistakes and don't voltmod it again? ;) Oh well, my soldering iron was hot, so why not...)
Right: fixed mosfet chippie

[RichBa5tard]

And it all works! :toast:

Currently burning in my XP1800+ JIUHB at 11*200mhz. This is going to be a fine folding machine.

Thanks all for helping me fix my board! (and screw you epos for letting me be a guinea pig ;) )

[KS1]

what a relieve!
congrats!

For AGP, have you try a 8x card (AGP3.0)?

[RichBa5tard]

No, only a 4x (ATI 8500).

I've got a R9500 (8x) card, but it's equiped with a pelt & h²o. I don't really feel like disassembling the whole thing. :)

Why would you think an 8x AGP card would work?

[KS1]

it uses a different volt.
maybe!

[RichBa5tard]

Dude, i don't know where you get all these brilliant idea's, but it works perfectly with my R9500 8x AGP card. Yey!

Thank you!!

[KS1]

just in this case, i think that m/b uses another set of circuit to make other volt.

Note:

1. before doing other mod, pls read my thread here
http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=10811

The carbon pot that you are going to use has +/- 20% tolerance level which is not good for a sensitive circuit.

2. Pls get a digital multimeter. It's more accurate.

[Nico]

Nice work Rich, not forgeting some good idea's from KS1:thumbsup: . With guy's vmodding boards and more recently changing mosfets and caps etc, I wonderer how far off we are from DIY motherboards?:slobber:

[RichBa5tard]

KS1, i switched the inaccurate pot with a fixed resistor. 1% tolerance and no chance to accidentaly overvolt. :)

[KS1]

success!

[GemaViper]

Cool, I found this post again. Anyway, its me again. The same exact chip that u fried on the 8RDA+, well, happened to me to. Im wondering what caused this?! What PSU did u use? You just slowly tuned your vdd and windows froze? And you lowered your vdd?! Weird... Mine fried after I tried another PSU which was an Aopen 250w.... It would get to BIOS, but would freeze after memory testing. I rebooted and same thing, then I rebooted and went in bios - no go. Finally, the chip burst into flames. Never had any probs with my Vantec 520w.... This is important to me: Did you damage your RAM after your mobo fried? Or any other component?! Im still sooo worried about my cpu, HDs, RAM, RAID card... My 4600 survived, yay. But you.... You repaired your 8rda by replacing the fried chip... You're good.... Yes you are. You're good, damnit.

[GemaViper]

Originally posted by RichBa5tard
My 8rda+ went up in flames at 1.94v Vdd today... The chip right next to the chipset voltage regulator (1cm to the left) catched fire (no kidding, it was glowing as bright as a LED).

I was going to overclock, so i slowly turned my pot.
mbm5 reported 2.04v, so i turn it back and it said 1.94v, i was aiming for 1.90v, so i turned it a little lower but windows froze.

Rebooting didn't help (motherboard turn itself of immediatly) so I unplugged the grounding of the mod (i didn't solder it on pin 4, but connected it to a fan connector grounding). Rebooted again and the chip right next started to glow... f*ck.

It killed my vidcard as well!!!!! I've yet have to test my friggin' expensive ram (2* Corsair XMS 3200) and CPU (XP2400+). I hope they still work...

By the way, my northbridge was watercooled.

Damnit. :'(

Dude! :eek: I think I got it! I think I know how our chips fried!! You said you took out the ground off your vdd mod... Maybe then the VR still gave it 1.9v+ with no ground protection and fried it?! And, when I tried the sh*tty 250w PSU..... I dont think it featured any over-voltage, power correction, etc, etc protections! Or simply couldnt supply enuff power stable and my 5v rail spiked causing my vdd to sky rocket or something?! Just.... WOW.... :slobber:

[The Byter]

Hi

maybe a little late but i killed my 8rda+ too the same way u did.
that chip next to the vdd one just cought smoke and was all bright !

i rma it and im still waiting (4-5 weeks now).
I used a crapy 1K pot, no more pot for me only fixed res.

say, r u sure its ok to give ground from another place, like u did with the fan ground ?

BTW: im happey 4 u that u fixed that mobo man ! great job !
i thought to do that too but had no chip for that.

[rabeb25]

wierd guys,I have my vdd in my epox all the way up to 2.4 with nothing happening, maybe it is because I have pelted the NB but I doubt it.

[Nookie420]

omg u are sooo lucky to have fixed it.

[space-ghost]

mmmm lucky save :banana3:

[Holst]

Hehe,

Well done with the fix :D :D