Broke a CPU pin...

T

truffle00

2[H]4U
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May 16, 2001
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I purchased a Pentium 4 2.6 processor several months back (3? maybe 4?). I've used it in a few systems, and when I was installing it in the most recent one, a pin broke off while I was putting the processor into the socket. This is a really stupid question, but is there anything I can do? I imagine I can't get an RMA, and the pin is lost (it's not in the motherboard socket and so it will be impossible to find). Can I solder some other conductive metal stick into the socket?
 
It's pretty hard to solder that small an item. You could find a small piece of copper wire and tin it with solder, then tin the spot it came from, but the tip on the soldering iron would have to be filed down to 1/32 of an inch to have any accuracy. I've actually rebuilr pins on chips with a little post of solder built by touching the end of the spot briefly, numerous times, with an iron with solder on it, slowly building up a post.
 
DOH! try emailing the vendor and also try emailing intel for the hell of it maybe somebody will be helpful. If all else fails good luck in soldering that hehehe
 
Stick it in and see if it works. Ive seen processors with 4 pins missing work. So all hope might not be lost.
 
I think it's a no-go on the ground pin...I could turn on the computer, but I wouldn't get a display. I tried 3 different graphics cards, using both DVI and VGA when available, so I think I can rule that out. I think I also ruled out the Shuttle's power supply because I detached everything except for the essentials (CPU, RAM, even used onboard VGA). All of these "guts" were working on another system (until the motherboard died), so the only missing link would be either the Shuttle or the CPU. With the broken pin, I'm going to guess the CPU...

I think I'll contact the motherboard repair guy...I'd probably fuck up the soldering anyway.
 
I had this happened to me but I was able to make a makeshift pin. I took an old network card and tore apart the network plug. The conductors in the plug make an excellent replacement for the pins. It's almost the same diameter and strength. Anyways I cut a small piece of it and made a small ninety degree bend at the end so that it doesn't fall compllete in the motherboard socket. I also make sure the ninety bend wasn't too big that it could short out other pins. I put the pin in the corresponding socket hole and installed the processor and voila! Problem fixed. :)

Good luck.
 
Interesting....and everybody is bitching about LGA775, this is exactly the kind of thing LGA is supposed to prevent...hey, a $90 mobo is cheaper to replace than a $200 CPU!
 
Buckus said:
Interesting....and everybody is bitching about LGA775, this is exactly the kind of thing LGA is supposed to prevent...hey, a $90 mobo is cheaper to replace than a $200 CPU!
Click to expand...
I really wish they would come up with a design which doesn't involve hundreds of tiny, fragile pins, though.
 
Elledan said:
I really wish they would come up with a design which doesn't involve hundreds of tiny, fragile pins, though.
Click to expand...

They could, but then the chip package would be at least 2x the size, and the distance between points on the CPU and the connection to the motherboard (read: pin) would become, in computer terms, astronomical.

I'm sure there is a way, though...if you figure it out, patent it and sell the idea to Intel!
 
Buckus said:
They could, but then the chip package would be at least 2x the size, and the distance between points on the CPU and the connection to the motherboard (read: pin) would become, in computer terms, astronomical.

I'm sure there is a way, though...if you figure it out, patent it and sell the idea to Intel!
Click to expand...

they did, slots anyone?
 
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