MoBo pin socket help?

**compunoob** · August 20th, 2010, 05:00 PM

A pin on my CPU accidentally broke off, and since the CPU wasn't under warranty anymore, I decided to fix it myself. So, I tried the ethernet wire method. The tiny piece slipped from my pliers and fell into the MoBo socket. Well, now I'm pretty tired of trying because I spent all that time trying to make it just right. My question is, if I buy a new CPU, and if that little piece is still in there, could it somehow affect the performance of the CPU and MoBo and how?

BTW I already tried putting the CPU in without the pin. No luck.

Thank you.

**Nude_Lewd_Man** · August 21st, 2010, 04:37 AM

Hi, if the bit of wire just dropped in, then you should be able to just tip the MoBo up-side-down and it should fall back out again......in theory at the very least..

**ShyguyXPC** · August 21st, 2010, 05:22 AM

or shake it out, as there should be some space under the socket itself.

Is this an older motherboard, or a newer AMD board? It can't be an Intel Socket 775 or newer, I know at least that much.

**compunoob** · August 21st, 2010, 04:22 PM

Originally Posted by ShyguyXPC

or shake it out, as there should be some space under the socket itself.

Is this an older motherboard, or a newer AMD board? It can't be an Intel Socket 775 or newer, I know at least that much.

It's an old socket 939 MoBo. So should I shake it out? What could happen if I don't?

**ShyguyXPC** · August 21st, 2010, 04:38 PM

POOF!!!

For one thing, if its shorting some connections, or soldering points for the socket.

**compunoob** · August 21st, 2010, 04:40 PM

Originally Posted by ShyguyXPC

POOF!!!

For one thing, if its shorting some connections, or soldering points for the socket.

So, it could potentially cause connection issues?

**ShyguyXPC** · August 21st, 2010, 06:00 PM

if its touching 2 or more connections inside, yes. if its sitting inside not touching anything then no...

its hard to say.

can you take the mobo out of the case, and take any components off of it, and then shake the board, see if you can hear it inside the socket? if you can't it either fell out or is stuck against something inside the socket.

I know that doesn't do much to help, but aside from actually desoldering and prying off the ZIF socket itself, there isn't much else to do really to know for sure if it is out of there, or still in there.

If I could find a stinking image of Socket 939 ZIF Socket, the underside of one, to see if there is open space underneath incase the wire fell through and is resting on the board under the socket, that'd be great, but from 3 or 4 thorough Google Image searches, it looks like no one has ever done that before, or at least posted what it looks like under the dang socket.

and I don't have a 939 board anymore, sold it, only still have an Opteron 165 sitting around.

If I had a spare dead 939 board, I'd love to take it apart and see what the underside of the socket looks like, post it online so there's at least SOME Reference to look up. since it seems no one has bothered to do so.

**Blitzkreig75** · September 17th, 2010, 10:18 PM

I've "removed" more than a few PGA sockets in my days and I can tell you with absolute certainty that there is no space between the pins, (and where they pinch together), and the PCB underneath. The pins slide into a spring-like up-side-down-V-shaped part that is the part of the part that is soldered to the PCB.

The only hope you have is that the tiny wire is sandwiched between the two pieces of plastic that make the socket, and in such a way that it's not overlapping any of the pin holes.

Try the suggestions here to shake it out and all, but if that was ME, I'd just get the crappiest chip I could find and try it out. If you used a single piece of a braided CaT5 wire, you SHOULD be able to see it.

Try getting a pen light, (like one of those cheap white LED ones), and a magnifying glass and actually look down inside the pin holes with the clasp open. If the wire is logged in there, I'd think the LED light would shine off of it, and the pinch-thingies that the CPU pins go into are out of view with the socket open.

Ultimately, though, you may very well be hosed. If it IS in there, you MAY be able to take the top plastic piece off, (the part that slides when you close the socket), but they are extremely easy to break. If you are successful taking off the top plastic piece, they easily clip back into place.

EDIT: Just an FYI, Shyguy, the plastic parts of these sockets feel like they're pressed into the 'V'-like pieces. I don't think you could take the entire socket off without severely damaging the PCB. I've had to literally pry off the ones I've removed. Some with a great deal of force. Once off, though, the PCB kinda looks like the bottom of a PGA CPU, but instead of pins, they're these tiny little V-kinda-shaped spring-pins.