Solve : SPARK DURING CPU SOCKET CLEANING?

1.	Solve : SPARK DURING CPU SOCKET CLEANING?
Answer» Hi. I purchased an MSI Z 97 PC MATE socket LGA 1150 motherboard sold as-is/damaged/not working. The seller said it would post to bios without CPU. On inspection the only problem was thermal paste on some of the socket pins. So-o-o, I set up on my desk on a paper pad with a high intensity light, alcohol, fine paint brush and a dental pick sharpened to a fine point. What I forgot was a ground strap. As i was brushing the dirty pins, a spark jumped from the socket to the lamp hot enough to burn out the bulb. Question: was that static electricity or condenser discharge? did I DAMAGE the board? can I safely set the mobo up with a CPU, monitor, mouse and keyboard to see if it will post? Quote from: pogo on July 12, 2018, 08:33:34 AM note: I meant capacitor not condenser! Condenser is merely an older word for capacitor. It is not wrong, just old-fashioned. A static spark would not be enough to destroy a bulb, I think. Maybe if it was an LED, but even then I'd be surprised. You have nothing to lose by assembling the PC and seeing if it will POST.I have heard many horror stories of static blowing chips on motherboards. Sorry... Nasty static charges can be like 7KV, albeit at low amps. If I were you, I'd be inclined to connect the necessary components to get it to fire up. I'd toss it in a case, throw on the CPU, RAM, and HD. Throw cable management to the wind and boot that bad boy up. If you're lucky it didn't blow anything. If not, tough luck. I'm a big fan of the grounding strap and anti-static pad setup. Something like this. https://www.amazon.com/Vanpower-Anti-Static-Ground-Mobile-Computer/dp/B0756T4WR9/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1531495712&sr=8-17&keywords=anti-static+pad+and+strapWhy throw it in a case to test ? ?...Be easier to breadboard it.I know... considering the circumstances... I was TRYING to encourage responsible behavior. There is nothing irresponsible about bench testing/breadboarding a system to see if it works...Toss it in the case... throw on the CPU + RAM... throw cable management to the wind... boot that bad boy up... Are we assembling a PC or having a RAP PARTY? Did we just get off on the wrong foot?Just an internet misunderstanding . A minor disagreement regarding what steps the OP should take. You were trying to help and that's what we're all about here. Welcome to the forum Quote from: Allan on July 13, 2018, 12:05:17 PM Just an internet misunderstanding . A minor disagreement regarding what steps the OP should take. You were trying to help and that's what we're all about here. Welcome to the forum Thanks. I agree with patio, it is easiest to breadboard.I chose to breadboard it. I set the board on top of the box, installed my i3 4160 and cooler, 1 stick of 8 GB ram then hooked up the Power supply, all from my working computer. hooked up the monitor to the on board video. Turned on the power switch. Referring to the manual, the power contacts from the case are pins #6 & #8 on the JFP 1 connector. I used a small screw driver to jumper the pins. I got nothing, no fans, no PSU, no post, no LED. When I re-assembled my computer, it booted & loaded windows 10 OK. I didn't install a HDD on the breadboard. Is that necessary? Oh, and SneakNinja, I get your point. a responsible repair person would have had a grounding strap on the board before touching it, if he knew where to attach one.No you don't NEED an HDD to post. Not sure why jumping the pins didn't work. Maybe the surface of the screwdriver wasn't conductive? I'm lazy and just position the case close enough to use that power button. I don't trust myself to safely jump it. In the link I provided, the plug goes in the ground hole on an outlet nearby. Then you clip the strap on the other clasp in the picture. Personally, I don't do it, I typically just TOUCH a nearby plugged in PC case frequently to discharge any static as I go and then am very careful about moving around. Avoiding building a charge. It's probably not the best way, but has been effective thus far.Or - - - I fried the motherboard to well done. I don't have a jumper small enough to connect the pins. & your right, I couldn't connect the pins with a screw driver. the blade touched a couple of other pins as well as the power/ground pins. I look at it this way, I got a new CMOS battery and a lesson. I'll probably try to hook up the board one more time before I scrap it.

Answer»

Hi. I purchased an MSI Z 97 PC MATE socket LGA 1150 motherboard sold as-is/damaged/not working. The seller said it would post to bios without CPU. On inspection the only problem was thermal paste on some of the socket pins. So-o-o, I set up on my desk on a paper pad with a high intensity light, alcohol, fine paint brush and a dental pick sharpened to a fine point.
What I forgot was a ground strap. As i was brushing the dirty pins, a spark jumped from the socket to the lamp hot enough to burn out the bulb.
Question: was that static electricity or condenser discharge?
did I DAMAGE the board?
can I safely set the mobo up with a CPU, monitor, mouse and keyboard to see if it will post? Quote from: pogo on July 12, 2018, 08:33:34 AM

note: I meant capacitor not condenser!

Condenser is merely an older word for capacitor. It is not wrong, just old-fashioned. A static spark would not be enough to destroy a bulb, I think. Maybe if it was an LED, but even then I'd be surprised. You have nothing to lose by assembling the PC and seeing if it will POST.I have heard many horror stories of static blowing chips on motherboards. Sorry...

Nasty static charges can be like 7KV, albeit at low amps.

If I were you, I'd be inclined to connect the necessary components to get it to fire up. I'd toss it in a case, throw on the CPU, RAM, and HD. Throw cable management to the wind and boot that bad boy up. If you're lucky it didn't blow anything. If not, tough luck. I'm a big fan of the grounding strap and anti-static pad setup.

Something like this.
https://www.amazon.com/Vanpower-Anti-Static-Ground-Mobile-Computer/dp/B0756T4WR9/ref=sr_1_17?ie=UTF8&qid=1531495712&sr=8-17&keywords=anti-static+pad+and+strapWhy throw it in a case to test ? ?...Be easier to breadboard it.I know... considering the circumstances... I was TRYING to encourage responsible behavior. There is nothing irresponsible about bench testing/breadboarding a system to see if it works...Toss it in the case... throw on the CPU + RAM... throw cable management to the wind... boot that bad boy up... Are we assembling a PC or having a RAP PARTY?
Did we just get off on the wrong foot?Just an internet misunderstanding . A minor disagreement regarding what steps the OP should take. You were trying to help and that's what we're all about here. Welcome to the forum Quote from: Allan on July 13, 2018, 12:05:17 PM

Just an internet misunderstanding . A minor disagreement regarding what steps the OP should take. You were trying to help and that's what we're all about here. Welcome to the forum

Thanks.

I agree with patio, it is easiest to breadboard.I chose to breadboard it. I set the board on top of the box, installed my i3 4160 and cooler, 1 stick of 8 GB ram then hooked up the Power supply, all from my working computer. hooked up the monitor to the on board video. Turned on the power switch. Referring to the manual, the power contacts from the case are pins #6 & #8 on the JFP 1 connector. I used a small screw driver to jumper the pins. I got nothing, no fans, no PSU, no post, no LED. When I re-assembled my computer, it booted & loaded windows 10 OK. I didn't install a HDD on the breadboard. Is that necessary?
Oh, and SneakNinja, I get your point. a responsible repair person would have had a grounding strap on the board before touching it, if he knew where to attach one.No you don't NEED an HDD to post. Not sure why jumping the pins didn't work. Maybe the surface of the screwdriver wasn't conductive? I'm lazy and just position the case close enough to use that power button. I don't trust myself to safely jump it.

In the link I provided, the plug goes in the ground hole on an outlet nearby. Then you clip the strap on the other clasp in the picture.

Personally, I don't do it, I typically just TOUCH a nearby plugged in PC case frequently to discharge any static as I go and then am very careful about moving around. Avoiding building a charge. It's probably not the best way, but has been effective thus far.Or - - - I fried the motherboard to well done. I don't have a jumper small enough to connect the pins. & your right, I couldn't connect the pins with a screw driver. the blade touched a couple of other pins as well as the power/ground pins. I look at it this way, I got a new CMOS battery and a lesson. I'll probably try to hook up the board one more time before I scrap it.

Solve : SPARK DURING CPU SOCKET CLEANING?

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