PC Pals Forum

Technical Help & Discussion => Self Building, Upgrading & General Hardware Help => Topic started by: twiggy on November 04, 2003, 22:23

Title: spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 04, 2003, 22:23
Ok i got my new motherboard and i dont wont to maek the same mistake, can someone just give me a little info on how to mount the motherboard to the case? Do you just put the spacers in the case place the motherbaord on then and screw it down? or is there other steps which must be takein?

thanks Mark
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 04, 2003, 23:02
erm! anyone? come on can you just leave The Laughter Zone for a min the stuff you put der is funny but i really need some help :-\

Thanks MArk
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Sandra on November 04, 2003, 23:09
Thats about it Mark, just make sure that the spacers hold any parts of the mobo clear of the case so it cant short out again  :)
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Clive on November 04, 2003, 23:09
I'm sure that someone with experience in that field will give you an answer very shortly Twiggy.  I promise we are not ignoring you.
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Clive on November 04, 2003, 23:11
Good timing Wonderwoman!   ;D
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 04, 2003, 23:11
Ok thanks a lot here gos............
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 04, 2003, 23:16
o another little question how come the spacers dont conduct the elec? they are made form metal as well?

Thanks Mark
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Rodders on November 04, 2003, 23:16
Hiya Mark!  And don't forget to apply for access to the Danger Zone - a restricted section of the site - where the loonies hang out.   ;)
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Sandra on November 04, 2003, 23:17
Sorry for the delay, I went out at 2-15 pm and got involved in helping to sort some electrical problems in the house that my niece has just moved into, then most of the evening I have been running around trying to locate a working PSU for her computer that decided to pop a capacitor inside it when she connected it up again in her new house.
I managed to get one off a friend only to discover that it had taken the hard drive with it at the same time, so tommorows job is sorting a new drive and installation for her.
Didnt get back home until 11pm  :(
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Sandra on November 04, 2003, 23:19
The spacers only contact the mobo on an insulated part not a conductive part of the mobo Mark, they are merely there to hold the pins that protrude through the mobo away from the metal case  :)
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Clive on November 04, 2003, 23:23
It doesn't sound as if you have even had time to take your costume off yet!  ;D
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Sandra on November 04, 2003, 23:25
I am sat here in the nude Clive wondering if I dare cook like this or whether I should get dressed in case of hot splashes  ;)
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Clive on November 04, 2003, 23:28
Best not to cook any bacon then.   ;D
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 04, 2003, 23:57
Ok pressed power swicth and guess what nothing? :'( Nothing at all, no flashs or bangs this time thow ;D But nothing is powering up no beeps no nothing?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Sandra on November 05, 2003, 00:00
Is the cpu fan connected to the correct wires Mark?
That should be the first easily noticed thing that comes on.
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 05, 2003, 00:01
yep no problems there at all
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Simon on November 05, 2003, 00:01
Don't want to state the obvious, but is the lead from the PSU to the Motherboard connected properly?
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Dack on November 05, 2003, 00:02

The spacers only contact the mobo on an insulated part not a conductive part of the mobo Mark, they are merely there to hold the pins that protrude through the mobo away from the metal case  :)

Not exactly :)

Some of the spacers - the metal ones - connect to earthing points that connect the earth of the motherboard to the earth of the case so that there are not separate earths in the computer (as that would provide a voltage differential and strange problems). The others are for keeping the pins away from the metal of the case.

http://www.scotsmist.co.uk/fitting_mobo.html (http://www.scotsmist.co.uk/fitting_mobo.html) for a simple guide to fitting motherboards.
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Dack on November 05, 2003, 00:05

Ok pressed power swicth and guess what nothing? :'( Nothing at all, no flashs or bangs this time thow ;D But nothing is powering up no beeps no nothing?

HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!


Cmos jumper set to the correct position and power switch connector on the correct jumpers?
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 05, 2003, 00:10
lead form psu to motherboard connected, cmos jumper set to pins 2 and 3 so no problems here.
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Dack on November 05, 2003, 00:15
Which motherboard is it? Is it the k75sa?
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 05, 2003, 00:17
its the k7s5a pro
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Dack on November 05, 2003, 00:23
You've put the power switch connector between pins 6 and 8 (horizontal) and not vertical?

What processor? Is it the same one as from the recently deceased motherboard?
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 05, 2003, 00:26
its the same one as last time xp2400

the power swicth is between pins 6 and 8
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 05, 2003, 00:33
should i just go and sit in da corner and for get this hole idea? ;D lol this is one of the biggest mistakes i have ever made and the most costly ;)
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Simon on November 05, 2003, 08:01
Stabbing in the dark here Mark, but have you got another PSU you could try?  Just wondering if it was damaged when the last m/board shorted out?   :-\
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Dack on November 05, 2003, 09:02
Was about to post this last night when my machine reset (damn this Camino chipset). :)

Summary (please correct me if I'm wrong):
1. You've fitted a new motherboard
2. You've used the same processor, power supply, case, graphics card and memory as from the machine that had the board blow up.

Possible causes:
1. Power supply went faulty when the other one blew up. You'd need to try it with another (known working) board to prove this. Same thing with the other components as when the undersize of the motherboard was grounded you would have had stray voltages connecting to all sorts of components (and of course the processor would have quite a current drain and hence be one of the most likely failures after the power supply).

2. Memory? - though I doubt you would have mixed SDRAM and DDRAM on the same board.

3. CMOS Battery dead - a long shot but IIRC there were some boards that were sent out with a faulty battery. Solution being change the battery over for a known good one.
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 05, 2003, 17:42
He hey got it working the psu had blown so that leaves the question did the last motherboard go? But any way problems!!!!! Set up the bios cmos and everything was fine then i exit and saved them, it rebooted and come up sayin xp1800 when its a xp2400 so went back into the bios and changed the speed to 166/133 (the biggest it would go) then exit and saved it. Then the screen was jsut blank nothign happening ??? So i turned it on and off nothing again just a blank screen. The cd drive wont open or anything ??? The fans power up and cd drive flashes but the monitor just says no signal.

 ???Any ideas ???

Thanks Mark
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Clive on November 05, 2003, 17:52
No techies around at the moment Mark but I'm sure there will be later on.
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Sandra on November 05, 2003, 18:15
I should think that the mobo and cpu went at the same time Mark.
I am just setting up a PC now that had a blown PSU and a failed hard drive, so its a chicken and egg situation with this one  ;)

I assume that you cant get back into BIOS and load failsafe defaults, that would be my first choice  ???
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 05, 2003, 18:56
ok no probs got it sorted just clard the cmos. ok but still got the problem with the cpu showing as xp1800 whn its a xp2400? an ideas?

Thanks Mark
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Clive on November 05, 2003, 19:06
That's a relief Mark!  At least you know it's working, so hopefully getting full power out of it will be fairly simple.  I'm sure someone will be able to help you on that.
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Dack on November 05, 2003, 20:13
Hi again :)

Looking at the manual, the settings in the bios should be 133 for processor speed and 133 for Ram speed.

The difference between the XP1800 and XP2400 is solely down to the multiplier settings (the 1800 runs at 11.5x while the 2400 runs at 15x133).

In other words either:
1. Your bios is not detecting the chip correctly and you will need a new bios upgrade to allow for the multiplier/chip recognition.

or

2. Your processor has blown one of the multiplier bridges that control its speed setting in it's recent 'lots of volts up the wrong place' scenario.

The manual says that it supports upto XP2600 so I'd guess at option 2 for which there is no easy fix.

What does the multiplier say in your cmos?
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: twiggy on November 06, 2003, 01:09
Oksortd it the boards auto detec thing put the clock sped to 100 so changed it to 133 and it picks it up as xp2400 with no problems! all running somethly do far windows xp installed a few games nero dreamweaver, norton ect.

Thanks for all your help!!!!!!
Title: Re:spacers
Post by: Sandra on November 06, 2003, 02:05
Glad to hear its sorted Mark  :)