Motherboard repair

[dafoe]

I made the mistake of buying a cheap PSU from Diablotek. Long story short, it overheated so badly that it melted inside the P4 connector and destroyed the P4 connector on my motherboard.

So I figured I would just get a new P4 connector and get a friend to solder it in place since I don't solder. But I can't find the part and don't know what it's called. When I search for P4 connector all I get are results concerning the 4 (or 8) pin 12 volt connector cable- which is useless to me. I also tried P4 socket. Which not surprisingly turned up a bunch of CPU threads

I just want to be able to buy the 4 pin connector to replace the damaged one on the motherboard. The motherboard is an ASUS m3a78. And for some reason it is hard to find. And despite not being very impressive (by today's standards) spec wise, it is going for $70-$120 on Ebay. I have ZERO interest in paying that for a replacement.

So if anybody could could point me in the right direction for buying a new P4 connector I would really appreciate it.
Thanks.

[TimA-C]

Get one from an old/broken motherboard and unsolder it? Try the local recycling plant or computer repair shop/man.

[aedipuss]

is the connector blackened or just a clear melted blob. it's hard to imagine only the connector melted from heat and not all the other plastic stuff around the psu also. not to mention the melting point of the m.b. soldier is only about 50 degrees more than the plastic.

i'd be looking for a new board that accepts the cpu and ram, but even they might have been damaged.

[redwudz]

Most of those plastic type of connectors in a PC are Molex type or brand, so that's what you would be looking for. They are usually called a ATX_12V. One reason the MB manufacturers went to extra pins is the heat. Some newer MBs can draw enough power to overheat the connectors enough to melt the sockets, so they added the four or eight pin ATX_12V sockets.

Some thing with the ATX main power socket. They were 20 pins, but they added a few redundant pins to make a 24 pin socket. If the connectors in a ATX socket are very loose, they can also overheat. A good reason not to plug and unplug them too many times and to make sure they are correctly seated.

The problem is locating the correct socket. Molex makes thousands of models. Probably still easiest to find a dead MB and salvage a socket off it. Mail ordering the socket will cost a bit as you usually need to buy them in lots of 5 or more and the shipping for small orders is expensive. If you have a medium size electronics store locally, they may stock the socket, but I wouldn't bet on that.

But my big question would be, 'Are you sure that motherboard is OK?" A power supply doesn't normally cause a connector to melt down. If the connector was loose, maybe. But if the PS shorted somewhere internally enough to melt a connector from that, it likely did major damage to the MB electronic parts also.

[jagabo]

I'm not sure if these are just the plastic shells or the entire connector:

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g51/Connectors.html

Although, on the 90 degree connectors you can see the pins.

[Noahtuck]

I'm not sure if these are just the plastic shells or the entire connector:

http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l1/g51/Connectors.html

Although, on the 90 degree connectors you can see the pins.

Maybe i am missing something, but.....

The only photo/s is see in that link are the connectors that "plug" into the mobo sockets or other equipment, not the plugs that are mounted on the MOBO.



He seem's to want the "female" plug that is mounted on the mobo.

And if it "melted", there is probably more wrong than just that.

I'd also just save the time, money and effort and get a new mobo.

[jagabo]

Look further down the page. There are 20 pin and 24 pin male and female connectors.
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g51/c381/s1017/list/p1/Connectors-20_Pin_Connectors-20...ale-Page1.html
http://www.frozencpu.com/cat/l3/g51/c379/s1013/list/p1/Connectors-24_Pin_Connectors-24...ale-Page1.html

[Noahtuck]

Now those are definitely different than the first link you posted....
From what i saw anyway's.....
But like i said, i am probably missing something....
It would not be the first time by any means!!!
LOL!!

But it say's they are "male" when from the photo's it is obvious they are "female" plugs.

Seem's like a lot of work and hassle to save an old mobo.....

Hell, I have more than a few old mobo's with that socket just laying around.... I have probably thrown even more away over the years!!
After a certain point is it really worth it ?

[aedipuss]

he might be able to cut off the male end of an extension cable and solder the wires to the motherboard.

probably easier than trying to mount a new connector on the m.b.

[jagabo]

Now those are definitely different than the first link you posted....

They are linked to further down the page on my first link. Under 20 pin and 24 pin connectors:

But it say's they are "male" when from the photo's it is obvious they are "female" plugs.

No. The maleness refers the electrical contacts, not the plastic body.

[dafoe]

Thanks for all the replies guys. I'm sorry I wasn't clear on the issue. The P4 connector on the PSU melted just enough to make it impossible to remove. I had to damage the motherboard connector in order to remove the PSU as it was melted to the part.

Before it melted I was having problems with it randomly shutting down. Eventually I realized the P4 connecter was coming "loose." It's been a while. But basically, if I moved the PC around the P4 connector would come loose and force the power to shut off.

So I don't know if it's a motherboard issue or not. It seems that way as I've been through three PSUs now. I was buying dirt cheap PSUs, so I never gave the motherboard much thought. Even though I knew it was a possibility.

Just getting feedback from people was really helpful. I will see if I can find a dead MB before I do anything. I REALLY don't wont to buy another motherboard.

[jagabo]

Cheap power supplies don't last long, can't put out half the power they claim, have poor voltage regulation, and often fry other parts of the computer when they fail.
http://www.tomshardware.com/reviews/low-cost-psu-pc-power-supply,2862.html

[Noahtuck]

But it say's they are "male" when from the photo's it is obvious they are "female" plugs.

No. The maleness refers the electrical contacts, not the plastic body.

Ahhh....

Usually MALE & FEMALE refer to the socket or plug itself, not the way it is attached to a circuit board.

[jagabo]

Usually MALE & FEMALE refer to the socket or plug itself, not the way it is attached to a circuit board.

It's not the way it's connected to the motherboard. With electronics it always refers to the shape of the electrical contacts, not the shape of the plastic shell. If you look in the connector on the motherboard you will see that there are metal pins sticking up. The cable from the power supply has metal cylinders into which those pins go to make contact. That makes the motherboard connecter male and the PSU connector female, regardless of the shape of the plastic bodies.

[turk690]

I made the mistake of buying a cheap PSU from Diablotek. Long story short, it overheated so badly that it melted inside the P4 connector and destroyed the P4 connector on my motherboard.

Although it's too bad you bought a "cheap" PSU (underpowered, overheating, etc), that is a separate problem from the P4 connector. Connectors, like for the 20 or 24-pin main power on the motherboard, will still overheat (and burn and melt) even with a 1000W super class-80 PSU if the male and female members do not very snugly fit together. If, for example in an extreme case, there was 1Ω of resistance between the ill-fitting or loose male and female parts of the connector and 10A was flowing through it, that is effectively a 100W heater. When I put connectors together, if I can I tweeze and bend the female parts just that bit closer such that it clasps the male very securely. It's also possible on some badly constructed PSUs where the wires themselves that come out of its case have oxidized (cut them and you see green) to the point that they have high resistance: that effectively makes them heating elements themselves and burn the connectors. Could this be your case?