Trying to fix bent pins on a motherboard

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6 Jun 2006
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282
Location
Leeds
Hi all

Had a small mishap during maintenance some time ago which left a z87-ws motherboard unusable due to some bent pins on the array. I managed to get most pins looking OK but I could see that something wasn't right although couldn't see exactly what. These old eyes aren't as keen as they used to be.

Then I saw a macro lens add-on kit for my phone on Amazon - it arrived today so I immediately used it to see what was wrong.

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As soon as I got the focus right it was easy to see the problem.
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I first thought a small tweezer would do the job but the tiny one I had was far too big for the job. Had to find the smallest possible sewing needle - anything else was just too big. Managed to get a nice foothold with the threading part of pin which resulted in this:
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Then a poke with the needle end and voila
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And an overview
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Another shot of the setup - sorry for the slight blur.
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Haven't tested if it boots up yet - haven't got the time tonight but will test over the weekend and get back to you. Wish me luck.
 
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Good job, really is satisfying when you manage to get it going again.

I've done a few now, in my experience I can't quite get them back to how they were, they'll always be ever so slightly bent, noticeable from a certain angle under light, but as long as they aren't making contact with another pin and not overly off-square it works fine.

A stanley knife blade and very small flat head screwdriver and the zoom on my phone is all I use :D
 
A stanley knife blade and very small flat head screwdriver and the zoom on my phone is all I use :D

Couldn't get focus close enough to zoom - possibly because I had no tripod or stand. Fun playing with the macro lens though - got a list of things to go under it already :)
 
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