odd motherboard voltage reading

[jbanter]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

Thanks PCBONES.
I'm not with the motherboard at the moment, I'll have a look later.
But if I remember correctly, I think I've seen the Nichicon HM and something like KZJ/KZG top vent but the caps are green. I've seen the panasonic vent on some of the replaced caps, but I don't remember the color.

I'm just curious though does the random voltage spike like I said before can have a bad effect to the rest of the components on the board? Like RAM, CPU, GPU, PCI cards.

[Pyr0Beast]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

That voltage spike could be simply a SW issue.

[jbanter]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

That voltage spike could be simply a SW issue.

What's SW?

I have taken some pictures of the capacitors on my board.


These are the replaced caps, I think the tall one is Panasonic FL but I have no idea what the short one is.


Side picture of the yellow one.


I found a few Rubycons and bunch of Nichicon VR(M).






So far I see Rubycon MCZ, green caps with KZE marking, Nichicon VR(M), similar looking caps to Nichicon VR(M) but without the plus/cross vent. And then there are the replaced caps, Panasonic FL (I assume) and unidentified yellow caps.

As far as I can see there's nothing wrong with the caps, but I don't have the equipment to test. What's recommended here?

[PCBONEZ]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

On the black/yellow see the fancy letter F with the line above and below.
That's a Fujitsu "Functional Polymer". - Good caps.
Newer versions have no plastic sleeve and are marked with red.

The only thing I see of concern is the 85C Nichicon VR caps.
They tend to start going bad after a board is 5+ years old due to dry-out.
Your mileage may vary [a lot],, as the heat in cases varies [a lot]...
Some of them are on IC chip reference voltages [like Vtt] for the CPU, RAM and Chipset or controllers so when they do go they can really hose things up.
[The really small ones not having any vents is normal.]
In your last pic the two between the PCI and AGP slot look slightly bloated.
Could just be a photo-illusion but when small ones bloat that's about as much as they bloat.
The one in the bottom left of the next to last pic looks a bit puffy too.

I posted photos of bloated Nichicon VR on one each an Intel socket 370 and Intel socket 423 board here.
https://www.badcaps.net/forum/showpo...0&postcount=42

A D865PERL is probably about the same age now as the skt 423 board was when those photos were taken.
.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

SW = Software.

[jbanter]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

SW = Software.

Oh. I did suspect that then I went to download speed fan to check. Another weird thing happened. At first, the software registered my computer to have 1 set of the 12v, 5v, 3v but after a restart I have another set with different values. These values are around 1 volts or so. I haven't had time to check again since.

On the black/yellow see the fancy letter F with the line above and below.
That's a Fujitsu "Functional Polymer". - Good caps.
Newer versions have no plastic sleeve and are marked with red.

Oh I see, but these along the Panasonic FL are taken from old motherboard, should I be concern?

The only thing I see of concern is the 85C Nichicon VR caps.

I did see some of that before but I wasn't sure because it's not very noticeable.

Oh btw, thanks for referring me to BigPope, he does ship to my country and have a kit for the board. So I guess I just get the kit, that ought to cover every caps right?

[kaniki]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

check the kits.. some kits only replace the known or commonly bad caps.. if you want to change every cap, then always check to make sure with the vendor..

as for previous questions.. yes it could be just a bad sensor or software issue, and if that is the case then there is no problem, but if the power is actually fluctuating like you said, then it is bad on components and can/will dramatically shorten their life. but one thing to remember, if the voltage actually did go that low, then the PC would not run stable and would have constant problems with keeping it running, which would lead me to believe bad sensor or software issue..

since you dont know the quality of the condition of the caps that he replaced it with, it would not hurt to replace them. but if that does not fix the voltage problem, something may have been slightly damaged on the voltage sensor when the previous caps blew.

[Per Hansson]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

Hi, you dont mention any actual problems with the computer
I would therefore suspect it is just a software problem

I have a recent S775 board, Maximus Formula, I can sometimes get the same odd readings from it, board works just fine tho...

Also the replacement caps look good, the job looks nicely done (bar seeing the actual soldering on the underside of course)

I would however open up the powersupply to make sure you have no bloated caps in it, this might be one reason why the original caps failed...
(Let the powersupply sit idle with no power connected before opening it up, and dont touch anything inside)
There are lethal voltages inside powersupplies and if the bleeding resistors do not work or where not installed (yes I have seen this) You can get a big shock from the powersupply when working inside it if touching the wrong component...

[PCBONEZ]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

Oh btw, thanks for referring me to BigPope, he does ship to my country and have a kit for the board. So I guess I just get the kit, that ought to cover every caps right?

Cap kits generally only have the larger 8 and 10 mm caps.
When you want the small ones it's better to order individually.
Ask him what is included in his kit to be sure.
BTW: Big Pope's available caps list is here:
http://www.capsmod.net/caps/

[Pyr0Beast]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

Seems like a very fine board to me if it works, don't bother.

I once unsoldered -12 an -5V psu rails and Gigabyte board still showed OK on those lines :3
This things aren't really reliable.

[jbanter]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

check the kits.. some kits only replace the known or commonly bad caps.. if you want to change every cap, then always check to make sure with the vendor..

as for previous questions.. yes it could be just a bad sensor or software issue, and if that is the case then there is no problem, but if the power is actually fluctuating like you said, then it is bad on components and can/will dramatically shorten their life. but one thing to remember, if the voltage actually did go that low, then the PC would not run stable and would have constant problems with keeping it running, which would lead me to believe bad sensor or software issue..

Good to know thanks.
I'm thinking of putting the motherboard back to the tech shop. Ask them to check the board voltage with a multimeter. But I just haven't got the time to do so.

I would however open up the powersupply to make sure you have no bloated caps in it, this might be one reason why the original caps failed...
(Let the powersupply sit idle with no power connected before opening it up, and dont touch anything inside)
There are lethal voltages inside powersupplies and if the bleeding resistors do not work or where not installed (yes I have seen this) You can get a big shock from the powersupply when working inside it if touching the wrong component...

I took a look inside before but didn't see anything visually that warranted a concern. But this motherboard did go through a dead PSU before.

As for problems, I haven't experienced anything aside from the constant alert from the monitoring software every now and then. But I haven't run it very long either (about 1-2 hours max each time). The alerts get nerve wracking after a while. I do wonder however, wouldn't the spike cause a blue screen, freeze, or restart?

Cap kits generally only have the larger 8 and 10 mm caps. When you want the small ones it's better to order individually. Ask him what is included in his kit to be sure. BTW: Big Pope's available caps list is here: http://www.capsmod.net/caps/

Thanks, I'll check with him again before ordering.

Btw, what do you guys use to clean the motherboard from dust? The motherboard photos here seem very clean. I used to buy that can that blows out air ('dust off' or something like that) from stores like best buy when I was in US. Apparently I've never seen one here in my country. What's the alternative? I always use a brush, but that can't get it clean.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

Way back to the beginning..
.

After a while, I notice that my Intel active monitoring software is alerting me of spikes outside the threshold. One time, its the CPU temp gone to 100C, then 12V gone to 15V, then Vcore gone to 0V, all these are happened separately and each happens very fast less than a second I think.

All of those are VRM and/or CPU related.
As the mobo once had a bad PSU, you might want to do a close visual inspection of the VRM MOSFETS looking for cracks, pits, or shinny spots.
Uncommon problem but worth a look as it does happen. [Especially with a bum PSU.]

[Per Hansson]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

Yes, what PCBONEZ said^^
However keep also in mind that had the vcore really gone to 0 volts the computer would either have crashed or more likely turned off
If you're not seeing problems in actual usage and don't have a multimeter to check with (buy one?) then I would not worry (unless it starts crashing)

[PCBONEZ]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

^^ Agree

[370forlife]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

As it's been said before, huge exaggerated voltage spikes are usually just software issues. They really may be very small spikes that have no effect on stability. You might want to get a good multimeter and check out the voltages on the psu. Also check for heat discoloration of the PCB around the cpu VRM, but as long as it's running fine I don't see a reason to panic.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

Way back to the beginning..
.
Quote:
Originally Posted by jbanter
After a while, I notice that my Intel active monitoring software is alerting me of spikes outside the threshold. One time, its the CPU temp gone to 100C, then 12V gone to 15V, then Vcore gone to 0V, all these are happened separately and each happens very fast less than a second I think.


All of those are VRM and/or CPU related.

Also wouldn't hurt to re-seat the CPU if you haven't already.
[Re-seat means remove and replace it.]
One or more pins may have developed a poor connection with the socket.
.

[kaniki]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

The alerts get nerve wracking after a while. I do wonder however, wouldn't the spike cause a blue screen, freeze, or restart?

Btw, what do you guys use to clean the motherboard from dust? The motherboard photos here seem very clean. I used to buy that can that blows out air ('dust off' or something like that) from stores like best buy when I was in US. Apparently I've never seen one here in my country. What's the alternative? I always use a brush, but that can't get it clean.

First, since it is just software, check the settings and turn off the alerts.. that should fix the annoying alarms.

second, you can use caned air, or a brush or even a vacuum if you want.. just make sure that whatever you use, it is always best to make sure that the power is turned off and the power cord is pulled before you do anything. IF the board is too dirty, then there is always the meangreen or whatever soap you have aspect.. there is a thread about it somewhere on here. just make sure not to hit anything on the board with anything hard and do as i said (unplug it, etc) and you should be fine.

Also wouldn't hurt to re-seat the CPU if you haven't already.
[Re-seat means remove and replace it.]
One or more pins may have developed a poor connection with the socket.
.

I think you mean remove and reinsert or reinstall.. Replacing it is kinda excessive..

[jbanter]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

As the mobo once had a bad PSU, you might want to do a close visual inspection of the VRM MOSFETS looking for cracks, pits, or shinny spots.

VRM MOSFETS? It sounds like something I read before, can't remember now. Where is it located?
Suppose it has traits you mentioned, is it replaceable?

I think you mean remove and reinsert or reinstall.. Replacing it is kinda excessive..

lol, yeah I don't think I'll be able to find a P4 CPU anymore around here. But I get what he's saying though, thanks.

[Per Hansson]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

VRM MOSFETS? It sounds like something I read before, can't remember now. Where is it located?
Suppose it has traits you mentioned, is it replaceable?

It's the small square surface mount components between the CPU's 12v input filter caps and vcore output filter caps

Q3B1 > Q3B2 (12v input)
Q2B1 > Q2B4 (vcore output)

But if they where broken I don't think the computer would run actually, perhaps if only one is broken but then the other should get so hot to compensate for it I think you could smell it

[jbanter]

Re: odd motherboard voltage reading

It's the small square surface mount components between the CPU's 12v input filter caps and vcore output filter caps

Q3B1 > Q3B2 (12v input)
Q2B1 > Q2B4 (vcore output)

Are the markings on the board and not the component? I think the first picture in my post shows one of the components. Is it the one?
If so, I only found Q1B1, B3; Q2B1, B2, B3 and Q3B1, B2, B3 on the board. But there's no visible discoloration or cracks.

Another thing what can cause a motherboard to power on by itself, when the switch at the back of the PSU is turned on? The front panel connector is not even connected to the motherboard.