War Story: for want of a nail...
(Actually, for want of a nylon post, but that's less poetic.) Only read this if you are interested in an example of hardware debugging. An older desktop, acting as a MythTV server, started crashing hard. - would start to reboot, get past POST, but didn't get all the way up. - didn't seem to be software because the spot that it stopped was not consistent. It would even crash while I was in grub trying to edit the kernel like to show more boot logging. - Power supplies are often the problem. My tester said all the voltages were there (but of course that's a pretty coarse test). - Often contacts stop conducting as well as they used to. Oxidization? Unplugging and plugging in all the RAM, cards, and devices did not fix anything so that probably was not the problem. - Then I notice the heat sink on the nvidia FeForce 8200 chipset was askew. And something was loose in the bottom of the case. Here's a picture of the motherboard: <http://www.ecs.com.tw/ECSWebSite/Product/Product_Detail.aspx?DetailID=873&MenuID=20&LanID=0> The heatsink in question is orange, near the top right. There are two nylon posts that hold the heatsink against the chip (see the white spots on opposite corners of the heatsink?). The one post had perished and let go. Probably slightly explosively since between the head of the post and the heatsink is a spring (a bit like the spring in a retractible ballpoint pen). When I touched the still-functioning post, it broke too. I figured the computer's behaviour was consistent with the chip overheating. I didn't know how to source the right nylon replacement posts. Instead, I used a pair of pairs of cable ties. I used some 20-year old thermal grease (hey, I seemed to have bought a lifetime supply back in the day). I first scraped off the one-time phase-change thermal pad that had been used. I was happy that my jury-rigged computer seems to be functioning correctly now.
| - Then I notice the heat sink on the nvidia FeForce 8200 chipset was | askew. And something was loose in the bottom of the case. | I didn't know how to source the right nylon replacement posts. | Instead, I used a pair of pairs of cable ties. A couple of weeks later, the cable ties gave out. I guess that they don't like heat. I went to Home Depot and found some nuts and machine screws to do the job. 4-40 by 1 inch. I just hope that they don't cause shorts. I had to buy a pack of 26 screws and another of 28 nuts. It is interesting that those numbers are not equal. I'd have to buy 13 boxes of nuts and 14 boxes of screws to have the same number of each.
On 06/19/2016 05:39 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
I had to buy a pack of 26 screws and another of 28 nuts. It is interesting that those numbers are not equal. I'd have to buy 13 boxes of nuts and 14 boxes of screws to have the same number of each.
I recall the Aikenhead's store on Temperance, where you could count out as many as you needed and put them in a small paper bag.
On Sun, 2016-06-19 at 17:43 -0400, James Knott via talk wrote:
On 06/19/2016 05:39 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
I had to buy a pack of 26 screws and another of 28 nuts. It is interesting that those numbers are not equal. I'd have to buy 13 boxes of nuts and 14 boxes of screws to have the same number of each.
I recall the Aikenhead's store on Temperance, where you could count out as many as you needed and put them in a small paper bag.
Home Hardware here (Bancroft) does that. Such parts cost on the order of a dime each. Maybe the one on College St. that absorbed Supremetronics? Mel.
| From: Mel Wilson via talk <talk@gtalug.org> | Home Hardware here (Bancroft) does that. Such parts cost on the order | of a dime each. Maybe the one on College St. that absorbed | Supremetronics? I'm jealous. I paid slightly more than a dime each, buying in bulk. Each pack cost 2.97 (+ tax). Apparently I've never before needed this size of machine screw (otherwise I'd already have them). So the packages will probably be clutter for the rest of my life. A trip to Bancroft would cost even more. And I'd put it off until July 28th (53rd Rockhound Gemboree). And then I'd come home with rocks that I'd clutter my house with. <http://rockhoundgemboree.ca/> (I do recommend the Gemboree although I haven't made it in a couple of decades. I still have rocks from there. The field trips were great.)
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 Mel Wilson wrote:
Home Hardware here (Bancroft) does that. Such parts cost on the order of a dime each. Maybe the one on College St. that absorbed Supremetronics?
Home Hardware in Elmira has (had?) a big scale with a suspended pan. You could scoop a bunch of bolts, nuts, washers and other assorted hardware bric-a-brac into the pan, then pay by weight. Alas, the store has "modernized" and I haven't seen that scale in years. - --Bob. On 2016-06-19 06:53 PM, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
| From: Mel Wilson via talk <talk@gtalug.org>
| Home Hardware here (Bancroft) does that. Such parts cost on the order | of a dime each. Maybe the one on College St. that absorbed | Supremetronics?
I'm jealous. I paid slightly more than a dime each, buying in bulk. Each pack cost 2.97 (+ tax).
Apparently I've never before needed this size of machine screw (otherwise I'd already have them). So the packages will probably be clutter for the rest of my life.
A trip to Bancroft would cost even more. And I'd put it off until July 28th (53rd Rockhound Gemboree). And then I'd come home with rocks that I'd clutter my house with.
<http://rockhoundgemboree.ca/>
(I do recommend the Gemboree although I haven't made it in a couple of decades. I still have rocks from there. The field trips were great.) --- Talk Mailing List talk@gtalug.org https://gtalug.org/mailman/listinfo/talk
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I went to Home Depot and found some nuts and machine screws to do the job. 4-40 by 1 inch. I just hope that they don't cause shorts.
I had to buy a pack of 26 screws and another of 28 nuts. It is interesting that those numbers are not equal. I'd have to buy 13 boxes of nuts and 14 boxes of screws to have the same number of each.
There used to be a place called Feeney Hardware, where you could buy boxes of that kind of hardware. Another good place to check out: John's Photo Hobby on the Danforth near Woodbine. They had small diameter threaded rod and nuts to match, from which you can make bolts of any length. They also have various diameters of copper tubing which can be useful in construction projects. For example, two tube diameters that nest can form a simple bearing mechanism. -- Peter Hiscocks Syscomp Electronic Design Limited, Toronto http://www.syscompdesign.com USB Oscilloscope and Waveform Generator 647-839-0325
On Sun, Jun 19, 2016 at 05:39:53PM -0400, D. Hugh Redelmeier via talk wrote:
A couple of weeks later, the cable ties gave out. I guess that they don't like heat.
I went to Home Depot and found some nuts and machine screws to do the job. 4-40 by 1 inch. I just hope that they don't cause shorts.
I had to buy a pack of 26 screws and another of 28 nuts. It is interesting that those numbers are not equal. I'd have to buy 13 boxes of nuts and 14 boxes of screws to have the same number of each.
But if you drop one, it is more likely the nut, and it is harder to find being smaller. So having a few more of those is helpful. :) -- Len Sorensen
On 06/20/2016 10:24 AM, Lennart Sorensen via talk wrote:
I had to buy a pack of 26 screws and another of 28 nuts. It is
interesting that those numbers are not equal. I'd have to buy 13 boxes of nuts and 14 boxes of screws to have the same number of each. But if you drop one, it is more likely the nut, and it is harder to find being smaller. So having a few more of those is helpful. :)
But if he keeps doing it, he'll have a screw loose! ;-)
participants (6)
-
Bob Jonkman -
D. Hugh Redelmeier -
James Knott -
Lennart Sorensen -
Mel Wilson -
phiscock＠ee.ryerson.ca