super glue as "solder"??

[OgreX]

k so.. after hearing all the 7800gtx volt mod horror stories..(people melting off parts they shouldn't etc..) and me still* thinking about trying to do the mod with my shaky hands.. even when I've Never touched an iron before anyway...

I just woke up thinking "Is there Seriously no cold soldering compound type products available???"

I mean feel free to call me a complete noob but.. the legs of the "trimmer" only have to make contact with the metal right? is there any reason something like super glue wouldn't be fine if this is the case? or does anyone know of a real product?(is jbweld conductive?)

[Jochenp]

If glue is conductive, it will screw up your whole card. It will leak onto other legs of the smd and will short-circuit the whole stuff.
You can use SMD-grabbers, they are quite safe and cheap, no soldering required
(and you've got RMA-ability)
I've got some conductive putty her at home, but I wouldn't trust it on my 300$ card, uhuuuh

[Banzai]

I'd go with the grabbers dude. Best way.

Ryan

[IYP]

grabbers or if you can be exact with it, conductive epoxy

[OgreX]

got any links to the conductive epoxy?

[OgreX]

If glue is conductive, it will screw up your whole card. It will leak onto other legs of the smd and will short-circuit the whole stuff.
You can use SMD-grabbers, they are quite safe and cheap, no soldering required
(and you've got RMA-ability)
I've got some conductive putty her at home, but I wouldn't trust it on my 300$ card, uhuuuh
I think the glue could work with a tooth-pick tack job.. though
is sounding like super glue is conductive..

also pretty sure the grabbers wouldn't work with this mod.. nothing to "grab" for one of the points and the other.. don't see working too well either

[Holst]

if you are clumsy with a soldering iron what makes you think you wont be clumsy with glue?
Glue will cause just as much damage if you get it in the wrong place.

Grabbers are an option, although I dont like them.
They can move, short, fall off or give an intermittent contact.

buy a decent sodlering iron and practice.

Best way is to buy one of those cheap soldering kits ... LED flasher or something like that (case mod?)
If you can make one of those then you can do a simple Vmod.

[lalPOOO]

I agree with Holst, learning to solder is the best answer. See if you can find/pickup a dead videocard or motherboard, and then just practice on that.

[OgreX]

the point is.. why solder if you don't have to?
I understand how you solder-gods might be too proud of/live for your work to think other things could work.. but, if there is a safer/easier way for noobs than to risk frying their $500 vid card I'm gonna try and find it.

I kinda think a toothpick with a tiny bit of glue/epoxy on it would be a little safer for some reason. + I've seen no mods other than solder.. So I guess I'll fight "the power"

and have you guys seen the 7800gtx 256 vgpu mod? there's seriously nothing good for grabbers to "grab"..

[SamHughe]

the point is.. why solder if you don't have to?
I understand how you solder-gods might be too proud of/live for your work to think other things could work.. but, if there is a safer/easier way for noobs than to risk frying their $500 vid card I'm gonna try and find it.

Well..the point is...if you are so afraid of frying $500 vid card you should not try v-moding (or any kind of moding) it in the first place. I'd take their advice and try to learn how to solder or you'll forever be a "noobie". It doesn't even have to be a dead motherboard. You can train yourself on any kind of electronics like an old radio or something.

[Disposibleteen]

This is true and there are only about 638575462 guides online on how to solder. Google is your friend.

[sin0822]

also wouldnt glue or anything other than solder and grabbers cause more resistance?

[OgreX]

I'm not afraid to kill the card. I wouldn't actually mind if it was dead. cause it doesn't overclock for @#&*. would give me an excuse to order a 512 version.

BUT, all I wanted to know with this thread was if there was another *magic* option.. a "liquid solder" if you will.. AND I take it there isn't.

[iddqd]

I'm pretty sure the residue formed by cyanoacrylate as it evaporate is conductive (while the plastic that is dissolved in it is not, of course). I should test this with a multi.

[Adam217]

Get something to practice on, soldering is easy once you've taken the time to learn. It can even be enjoyable. Also spend a little extra and get a decent iron, the cheap radio shack ones will work, but a decent one will make everything that much easier.

[sdat1333]

hmm
well im gonna be vmodding my GTX in a week or two and glue would be SO much easier.
i odnt mind solderng that much but it would make things easier to use glue. So thats a nogo on the glue idea?

[Dissolved]

if you cant solder, then you probly shouldnt be trying to voltmod.

they sell very fine piont soldering iron tips. and u use a small wattage iron 15w or so.

[sdat1333]

no i dont mind soldering at all, and im ok at it, i just was curious to see if there was an easier or safer way to do it.

anyways, any suggestions on where to get some fine point tips? and my iron right now is 35 watts i think, is that too much? I thought with wattage on irons, it was kinda like amps on rails of PSUs, you only use what you need, so higher wattage just means more capacity. Or is that wrong?

[Dissolved]

no i dont mind soldering at all, and im ok at it, i just was curious to see if there was an easier or safer way to do it.

anyways, any suggestions on where to get some fine point tips? and my iron right now is 35 watts i think, is that too much? I thought with wattage on irons, it was kinda like amps on rails of PSUs, you only use what you need, so higher wattage just means more capacity. Or is that wrong?


35w will burn.

if your in the usa, Frys carries fine piont irons.

ill have to look online for my model iron, but it was like 15bucks, and the tips are around 2 bucks.

[sdat1333]

hmm no frys where i live
(raleigh NC)

[Dissolved]

hmm no frys where i live
(raleigh NC)


i have a weller wp25 25w they didnt have a 15w around when i got it. so it heats components pretty quick.

http://www.cooperhandtools.com/brands/weller/index.cfm?search_criteria=1

I believe i have the ST7 tips. they are pencil type very pinpiont.

I used to fix/mod xboxs so i got sodlering down pretty well, and my hands shake a bit.

heres one on ebay http://cgi.ebay.com/Weller-WP25-Fixed-Temperature-Soldering-Iron-LIKE-NEW_W0QQitemZ7537281274QQcategoryZ109556QQssPageNa meZWD1VQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem

[OgreX]

hmm
well im gonna be vmodding my GTX in a week or two and glue would be SO much easier.
i odnt mind solderng that much but it would make things easier to use glue. So thats a nogo on the glue idea?
be careful wondering such things.. I've found the solder-gods quite touchy about the idea of anything else working and possibly actually being easier.. between 2 posts..:eek:
I'll probably be going with the "can't beat em.. join em" approach in the end too but..

would something like this (http://www.action-electronics.com/chemtron.htm)
"CircuitWorks Conductive Epoxy-Glue & Conduct!
The epoxy for high-strength conductive bonding Excellent electrical conductivity.
High strength conductive bonding - Repairs defective traces and creates jumpers to board
Quick solder less electronic connections - Two Part Epoxy–easy 1:1 mixing ratio
Compatible with CW2200 and CW3300
Bonds heat sensitive components - Functions as a heat sink
Makes surface mount connections - Grounds circuits - Controls static discharge"
work? or still not a good enough connection?..

[Nosfer@tu]

I understand you OgreX.

Thougth about the Grappers thing for a long time till I changed carreres and in doing so I learned how to solder.

Just buy a DM (In denmark it is called a multimeter) and se if you can make 2 wires stick together and see if they have contact with by using the DM.

It that works you should only need a sharp knife to crach some of the Protective xxxxx (It is not paint, it is se throug. Dont recall the english work :( )

[hardnrg]

if you even half-serious about modding, a variable heat 50W soldering iron, and learning the skills to wield it with confidence are both worth the money and effort...

i got mine on sale, with employee discount on top for about $15 and it comes with a tip pretty much the same size and shape as a regular pencil... all you need then is one of those "crocodile clips on arms" stands, maybe one with a magnifying glass built in, to hold the wires and see what you are doing...

here's my first attempt on a 9800pro:

http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6789/img01351uk.th.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img01351uk.jpg) http://img266.imageshack.us/img266/6122/img01367bo.th.jpg (http://img266.imageshack.us/my.php?image=img01367bo.jpg)

i used superglue to stick the pots to the board... not in any electrical contacts...

[hewger]

=/ i've used superglue to make vmodds =D
Spread the wire so u get better contact, use a toth pick to hold the pressure there, use a little glue, w8 10 secs and snap of the tooth pick and u got working vmodds.

I use some random glue from local shop. I haven't done it on any expensive cards though. Only my fx5200(Just wanted to see how it did with some modds)

On my other cards, i solder.

[Jochenp]

And, how did your 5200 do?(I'm always very interested in budget-overclocking:))

[Revv23]

certainly this would be possible, but you ask for a safe way to do it. and the safe way is soldering, my hands shake terribly, and i have barely legible handwriting, but i can solder.

It only takes a few trys to learn how to solder well, like i say, you want a safe easy way to vmod, learn to solder. Once you get decent at it it is far easier then any other form of connecting wires. (coming from somone who has used everything to avoid learning soldering skills, ive even gone as far as bolting wires in a psu together)

What i dont think you realize is that is it is far easier and safer to solder then other methods of vmoding are. Plus if you get good at it you can get rid of it fairly easy if you are careful not to burn anything.

one thing to look for is a pencil mod. That might be a safe alternative to soldering.

[superkdogg]

If you are completely against soldering, use a conductive epoxy and wires from an old IDE cable. Just make sure that your epoxy conducts well and preferably sets quickly. BTW, JBWeld is not electrically conductive.

imvho, there's nothing wrong with epoxy-ing, but the thing is it's actually more dangerous because it's harder to reverse. It's easy to do, and you can cut out the toothpick by simply picking up a tiny bit of epoxy on the tip of the wire you want to connect and then place it on the connection point be it solder pad, leg, etc. I wouldn't do it w/ super glue though-at least not without checking the resistance that super glue would add vs. a better conductor-it could really screw up your math.

[cdelong]

I once used super glue to put a broken cap back on a CPU.

[Judaeus Apella]

What about this?

http://www.frozencpu.com/slt-06.html

[crodan85]

What about this?

http://www.frozencpu.com/slt-06.html

I have heard some bad things when using these irons near any static sensetive electronics. But I would use a cold soldering iron for connecting wires and emergencys only.

[Judaeus Apella]

Man... theres something really creepy about that avatar...