NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

[TheSwede86]

Hello!

Bought an used NF7-S Rev. 2.0 motherboard and found out that it had one bad capacitor.

I may soon have another NF7-S Rev. 2.0 motherboard that I can plunder good capacitors from so my question is should I change the bad one?

The user that previously had the motherboard said it worked fine, but I am thinking about overclocking it and regardless it seems good to take pre-emptive steps to ensure the motherboards stability.

I have the following items at my disposal:

A temperature controlled grounded solding station
(So I should connect a grounding wire from the motherboard to the solding station?)
Solder sucker
Solder but its 60% tin and 40% lead supposed to 60 resin and 40 core
(since im not native in english resin translates to that what is found in trees when it "bleeds" and core well, it simply translates to "center of, center" so a little clarification here please).
A pair of pliers with side cutters
Good original capacitators the same as the one I am replacing

So basicly I heat the solder and suck it when its warm with the solder sucker and then when I have cleared the solder from the two "pins" I gently pull it out and then make sure that the holes are visible and then CHECKING THE POLARITY I install the new one and apply fresh solder and then its done?

I have read the "FAQ" Items/Removing/Installing but I wanted to ask a few question and write my procedure (my modus operandi) to make sure that more experienced people could come with suggestions/corrections and ideas.

I hope my english is sufficient and I apologize in advance for any spelling errors, if you need clarification or any more information feel free to ask me and I will try to devolp it further.

Link to bigger image of the bad capacitor:


Thanks in advance and I hope for many good replies - TheSwede86

[tazwegion]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

So basicly I heat the solder and suck it when its warm with the solder sucker and then when I have cleared the solder from the two "pins" I gently pull it out and then make sure that the holes are visible and then CHECKING THE POLARITY I install the new one and apply fresh solder and then its done?

I have read the "FAQ" Items/Removing/Installing but I wanted to ask a few question and write my procedure (my modus operandi) to make sure that more experienced people could come with suggestions/corrections and ideas.

Personally I (occassionally) use a desoldering vacuum tube, but there are risks involved with using said tool, that being (from what I've been told) circuit trace damage resulting from tool tip 'accidental slippage' whilst working to remove solder (and juggling soldering iron, desoldering tool & motherboard)

BTW welcome to the forums, and yes definitely replace faulty capacitors (especially if you're looking for stability), that cap looks like a Rubycon? I used to have an Abit NF7-s Rev. 2.0 great board... I'm suprised the Rubycon failed as they're pretty much a premium component

[willawake]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

I'm suprised the Rubycon failed as they're pretty much a premium component

its rather an odd bulge. looks like it was damaged/dented from the top instead. still it is recommended to replace as vent looks damaged.

[kc8adu]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

agree.
something hit it and did the damage.

[gonzo0815]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

If the vent is not harmed, i would not recomend to replace it. The risk of dammagin it during the repair atemp for no reason is not justified.
What is this crude on the top? dirt? dust? if its dried up elektrolytics then may be a replacement is justified.

[Per Hansson]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

To me it does not look like a failed cap, just glue or some other shit stuck to it, but it might be the photo lying?

I dunno about your question about the solder, it is supposed to be 60% tin and 40% lead. Some flux might be good too, that's usually put inside the core (in the middle of the solder) in that case... Resin is the name for the way the flux is held in the core, from dictionary.com:

resin: any of a class of solid or semisolid viscous substances obtained either as exudations from certain plants or prepared by polymerization of simple molecules

Solder = Lödtenn
Tin= Tenn
Lead = Bly
Core = Kärna, mitt
Resin = Kåda

[Tom41]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

The best thing to do would be to test the cap with an ESR meter and see if it is still good - but that may require desoldering anyway. Is it possible to measure ESR with the cap still soldered to the board?
To me, it doesn't look like it's actually bulged or vented, more like something has dripped onto it and dried. If it is a Rubycon (not one of the counterfeit Rulycon or Robicon), it's very unlikely it failed just like that.

[tazwegion]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

its rather an odd bulge. looks like it was damaged/dented from the top instead. still it is recommended to replace as vent looks damaged.

Yes I agree, initially I was thinking it looked like a 'charring mark' like from a short/arc etc. but it also kinda' resembles solder on top of the vent too

[gonzo0815]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

The most common flux is chemically activated resin, it is called Colophony and it is derived from trees.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Colophony

So it is not just some liquid like rosin, it is rosin.

[TheSwede86]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

Two new pics:





Its definitly uneven and has bumps in it.

So there is some damage, but the previous owner said it works fine as it is but since I am seeking 100% stability and going to overclock it replacing it seems to be the only option.

Ok so 60/40 Resin Core is the composition of the solder, not the metal used in it?

My 60 tin / 40 lead will work just fine?

The Guide for Removing/Installing says that I should pre-heat my solder station to 450 degrees celsius but in another forum they said that anything above 110 degrees celsius would damage the capacitor.

(The capacitor would only hold for a short time when exposed to 110 degrees)

Best Regards - TheSwede86

[gonzo0815]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

Well, the capacitor will never eache those 450°c, but unless you have a very good high grad and high wattage solder station, you need the littel mor heat, to get the thin melted, as those thick grounding layers are sinking the heat very fast from the solder point.
The goal is to work fast, then there is no harm for any component.
If you have to less heat or power, you will need a very long time to melt the solder.
And then the components will get very hot and will be harmed.
You can thrust the people here, as their knowledge is in most cases derived from the real world.

But again, try to clean the surface of the cap, if the metal seal is not broken, the cap is probably ok.
The reason why bad caps do bulging is because their chemistry was going foobar, and excessive pressure is build up.
In your case, i doubth, that this bulging is derived from a bad cap rather then from rough handling. So if the metall vent is tight and no elektrolyt can evaporate, there is no reason to change this caps from my point of view.

[Per Hansson]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

"Ok so 60/40 Resin Core is the composition of the solder, not the metal used in it?"

They where lazy, that means it has 60% tin and 40% lead with a resin core also

[willawake]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

resin/flux would be in the region of say 3%

[bryanhunt]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

Ok so 60/40 Resin Core is the composition of the solder, not the metal used in it?

My 60 tin / 40 lead will work just fine?

The Guide for Removing/Installing says that I should pre-heat my solder station to 450 degrees celsius but in another forum they said that anything above 110 degrees celsius would damage the capacitor.

60/40 is fine. 63/37 is easier to work with due to a lower melting point.

The 450 degrees is in F not C (450C would cause the tip of your soldering iron to glow if you turned down the lights). 450F is a bit warm but if you have a low power iron you might need to heat the iron up a hotter to keep up with the load. Ideally you want to have the iron in the solder as short of time as possible because, you are right, if the body of the capacitor were to heat up too far you would end up damaging it.

[willawake]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

nope its 450oC

[gonzo0815]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

Shure it is 450°c, and this is not that hot than it is sounding.

[gonzo0815]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

Is this your Station Willa? if yes, how it goes with recapping? is that 60w enough to get the job done easily?
I have this Station seen several times and it seems to be a good unit.

[willawake]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

its fine for recapping but using the chisel tip included. not good at all with conical or other thin tip. i think ersa is making good products but the prices vary, some places sell them for very expensive (180 euro???)

you might find it on sale somewhere like i did. maybe you can find digital 80 cheap now its obsolete?

some versions come with basic tool iron, others come with ergo tool. mine came with ergo tool even though it had a picture of basic tool on the box



basic tool



ergo tool

[TheSwede86]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

Now I got a problem, the guy who were about to sell me his original capacitors for the motherboard didn't have them.

I found this one:


And the original is this one (follow link):

http://www.rubycon.co.jp/en/tech/v-d...d=10&size_l=23

They both have the same:

Capacity (1200µ)
Voltage (16v)
Tolerance (+- 20%)
Temperature Range (-40 to +105)

But I am unsure on the brand on the one that isn't Rubicon, could it really have such an impact when all the other spec's match so nice?

And is there anything that I have missed/overlooked while comparing the two?

[Big Pope]

Re: NF7-S Rev. 2.0 Bad Capacitor (see pic)

Actually, can recap with 1500uF 16v instead of 1200uF 16v, without any problem.