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Flimsy capacitor

inflynx

inflynx

inflynx

Associate
Joined
9 Apr 2008
Posts
733
Location
London
I've bought a second hand Quadro FX card for some modeling work.

When the card arrived I've noticed a capacitor at the back of the chip is very shaky :(











Looks like it might have happened during posting or packing. The card works fine (well, as far as I can tell) for now, but I don't want it to give me a nasty surprise in some time. I really need this card, so I am willing to fix it, if it's possible. But if it's serious I will obviously return it.
So, anyone seen anything like that? What should I do?
 
most gfx cards have built in redundancies, since bits will die over time anyway etc. But as such it will shorten its lifespan, without knowing the exact make up of a card its impossible to tell though, could be totally unimportant, or it could be that without it, it is now on its last legs.
 
The problem there is that it has started to peel away the top trace layer of the PCB. I'd be getting a refund on that.
 
I shall do a number of crazy stress tests to see if it is working properly and not getting any slowdowns.
If it passes all test, maybe I can just put a drop of nonconducting glue on that place to prevent it from peeling off any further?
 
If the card works fine under stress for a few hours - simply gently press the capacitor down and apply a small blob of nail varnish(?) to "lock" it into place. I doubt that you will have any further problems with it.

Thinking about this, it is rather strange that graphics cards manufacturers dont cover the backs of their PCBs with some sort of protection. I bet that components are damaged on the backs of cards quite often. Only yesterday eveing I was "tinkering" around inside my PC, and I noticed that a SATA cable had fallen off a HDD. The SATA plug had a metal clip on it, and had fallen dangerously close to the back of my graphics card. A thin plastic cover over the PCB would go some way to preventing physical damage or short circuits.

Yes, it would add 17p (estimate) to the cost of a card, and heat buildup might be used as another excuse.

See, it`s not just me with the "varnish/glue" idea !
 
Hairybudda said:
I'd RMA that, it'll be dead within months if not weeks.
Click to expand...

Are you sure about that ? As an ex TV repair engineer, I`ve done my fair share of soldering and repairing damaged PCBs. I`ll predict that if that card works fine for a few hours, then it should continue to do so for a long while so long as that capacitor doesn`t get any further physical abuse. By applying some strengthening material to the capacitor should make it virtually as reliable as any othe component on the board. To me, it looks like the copper pad that has become raised is simply part of a "through connector" to another layer of the PCB (or even through to the other side of the board). The clue is the two small holes at the end of the pad. If the electrical connection is still good, then I don`t see that there is much risk of a problem if the board is treated carefully.

It might be worth the OP contacting the vendor to show what has happened, and ask the vendor if he will consider a refund. The vendor may well say that the card was despatched in perfect condition, so it`s a case of who`s telling the truth ?

BTW. I wouldn`t go anywhere near that capacitor with a soldering iron, the heat may well break the connection. Soldering would be a last resort if the card stops working properly.
 
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You should see my old nvidia 7200gt (or 7800 i forgot) its like this in a few places. There used to be a big orange cap until i yanked it out the PCIe slot ( the clip broke). Still works perfectly.
 
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