P5K Premium Voltmods [Archive] - Overclockers Forums

Dawgdoc

12-26-07, 04:07 PM

Ok so I got my mouser.com order in today, and will be voltmodding my P5K premium tonight before a dice run.

I have numerous threads (pretty much with ALL of the same exact pics) about the P5K dlx voltmods, and have been told the P5K premium voltmods are the same. The boards appear to be the same chips in the same position.

I have a question regarding Vcore mod. I see the picture for the mod. It seems easy and straightforward, but I cannot find any pics of where to measure Vcore. There is 1 pic but it circles a WHOLE SLEW of mosfets and resistors and say to measure "here". ????? Measure where/here LOL???

1. Can I just measure Vcore via CPU-Z or BIOS, or will that not read accurately?

2. With the board on, can I ground the black probe of the multimeter, and take the red probe and just start measure circuit legs and other things to find the measure point? Can I short circuit or fry something by just checking voltages around the board?

3. Mini grabbers. I purchased a bunch of these from mouser.com as well. It seems obvious what to do with them if I am using them in place of soldering for a voltmod, but not so obvious if I want to use them in place of soldering a measure point. There is a place on the butt end of the grabber to thread a wire into....but then what do I do with the end of that wire? Wrap it around the red probe tip of my multimeter? Something else?

Thanks in advance :)

EDIT: Here is a link to the P5K dlx voltmods: http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/showthread.php?t=145142

thideras

12-26-07, 04:15 PM

YES, thank you so much for that link!!!! :D:D:D

My board better hide >.>

Dawgdoc

12-26-07, 04:29 PM

YES, thank you so much for that link!!!! :D:D:D

My board better hide >.>

LOL you are most welcome Thideras. You have helped me out plenty over my time here so glad to be able to give some info back to you that helps.

<Ahem> any help for me regarding the question at hand though?:rolleyes:

thideras

12-26-07, 04:36 PM

LOL you are most welcome Thideras. You have helped me out plenty over my time here so glad to be able to give some info back to you that helps.

<Ahem> any help for me regarding the question at hand though?:rolleyes:Hehe, my bad. :beer:

Which picture are you referring to...not sure I see it.

1) Well, you CAN, but no guarantees that it will be accurate, I'd say use a DMM
2) Yup, that should work. Just don't touch any traces/legs nearby ;)
3) Regarding the clips: I have a DMM that has "changeable" ends. Not sure how those work, can you provide a link?

Ninja edit:

http://www.xtremesystems.org/forums/attachment.php?attachmentid=59741&stc=1&d=1180378634

That one? :eh?:

I honestly have no idea. Maybe just touch it to the outside? That wouldn't make sense though....:shrug:

Double ninja edit: There are coils under those, you can see them sticking out ;) Put it on that! :D

Dawgdoc

12-26-07, 04:41 PM

thideras

12-26-07, 05:02 PM

Yea thats the pic in question.

No clue what that circle means LOL..... Measure where???

So just for my own peace of mind...it IS ok to ground black and just start touching things with red until I get something that looks like it should be Vcore? Then change Vcore via the VR mod and if it seems to coincide then.....Im good?

Ninja edit #1 for me :P

What coils? What is a "coil"? :(Sorry, should have explained that better. There are "coils" under those "black cubes". You can see the edge of them. ;)

And yes, as far as I know, you will not hurt anything by grounding black and touch the correct contact points. Don't just randomly pick one :beer:

Dawgdoc

12-26-07, 06:01 PM

So ANY of the coils under ANY of the black tubes shown should be ok to monitor Vcore?

Thats what I get from that pic.

Sigh....maybe Ill tinker later and just go with BIOS/CPU-Z readings for the evening.....we shall see :)

Dawgdoc

12-26-07, 10:31 PM

Hmmm.....

Just finished.

Havnt hooked the board up yet, but will do so within the next....5 mins?

Im scared :(

I think I fried my Vcore SMD/resistor. The point for the attachment for the Vcore mod that is.......

It visually looks 'ok', but I had some REAL issues attaching to that SOB. It just WOULDNT stick. I dont have any flux, and didnt think I would need any.

Im buying some dang flux TOMORROW LOL......

I finally got it, but no lie I think I spent 45 mins on that one resistor. 1-2 secs on, 10-15 secs off, etc.......stop...take a breath.....look at resistor......reeeeeeelax...........try again....1-2 sec on, 10-15 secs off......lather/rinse repeat.

Im scared LOL....I cant see how that thing isnt friend beyond any repair, but we shall see....

I did the Vcpu mod, the Vpll mod, and the Vdimm mod. I am going to measure PLL and DIMM with the DMM, and just use CPU-Z/bios for the Vcore...

I looked for those "coils" and cant see a thing. At this point I dont think it matters...and Im the type in frustration to pull my folder apart and start on that one bc i want to bench with increased volts tonight!!!!!

BTW, those lil mini grabbers are DA SCHNIZZLE!!!!!!! Im using about 5 of em for various things anywhere where there is a leg to grab on to instead of soldering. Im ordering about 50 of them tomorrow :)

Off I go!!!! Wish me luck!!!!

Dawgdoc

12-27-07, 12:37 AM

Ok well...mixed reviews here.

1. Nothing is damaged (WHEW!)

2. Vcore voltmod not working. I think I got it attached well in the end, and since everything else seems to be fine with the general running of the computer, Im not sure if this mod is borked and not accurate for the P5K premium, or if something is wrong with my soldering, or I did indeed damage something....

3. Vpll measure point is not accurate. My DMM reads 1.6V even when I set 2.2V in BIOS. However, it does indeed move/change when I change my resistance, so not sure what that means.

3. Vdimm measure point not working at all. Reading -0.001V. Cant tell if Vdimm mod is working or not since I really dont have any other way to measure Vdimm....Everest I think can, but my license is on the computer that I tore apart :)

If you try these mods Thideras lemme know how they work for you. Its looking more and more like Im gonna be using my P5K vanilla to OC, or perhaps purchase an Abit IP35 Pro. Im not looking forward to more mobo voltmodding after tonite, and Im gonna need to do all of them on the vanilla if I expect to get anything out of it.... :(

Dawgdoc

12-27-07, 01:04 AM

Update:

Vdimm confirmed working 100% perfectly. I was using the wrong read point. Devil-Ice made a follow up post in that thread with the updated Vdimm measure point.

I cannot find the proper read point for Vpll. I can change it, and it the measurement moves with the turns of the trimmer, but it is different than BIOS readings, and it does not change with changes in BIOS, so.....something aint 100% right there.

Vcore still dead dead dead.......Trying Asus PCprobe to get some readings but Im not sure whats up with that mod at the moment.

El<(')>Maxi

12-27-07, 05:11 AM

Can I short circuit or fry something by just checking voltages around the board?

Yes, alot of guys have killed stuff doing that. You have to be very sure you only touch one point at a time on the board. If you touch two metal points simultaneously, look out. On the grabbers I'd get the kind with a bananna plug on the other end (for monitoring), then you just plug it into the meter.

I'll post the vcore read points for you tomorrow, there's a bunch of them ;)

Dawgdoc

12-27-07, 09:00 AM

Yes, alot of guys have killed stuff doing that. You have to be very sure you only touch one point at a time on the board. If you touch two metal points simultaneously, look out. On the grabbers I'd get the kind with a bananna plug on the other end (for monitoring), then you just plug it into the meter.

I'll post the vcore read points for you tomorrow, there's a bunch of them ;)

TY!

Any idea on confirming the Vcore mod point as well? I cant seem to get that one to work and its the most impt one it seems :)

Any idea on Vpll measure?

I followed that thread from XS and cant seem to meet with any success.

Thx again :)

3oh6

12-27-07, 11:28 AM

Any idea on confirming the Vcore mod point as well? I cant seem to get that one to work and its the most impt one it seems :)
i don't have a P5K Premium, but a P5K3-Dlx and it has the same layout as the P5Ks in the XS thread you linked. that is where i found the mods for all but the vDIMM on my P5K3. for some reason though, i thought the Premium had a different IC from the ADP3198 found on the P5K/P5K3 boards...i could easily be 100% wrong though. either way, here is as close a photo as you can get without a microscope of the vCORE mod for the ADP3198 IC...

http://www.3oh6.com/forum_posted/0711/macro-1.jpg

if you have this IC and the capacitor/resistor layout is the same, this location should do the trick for you as well. if memory serves me correct, i used a 50K VR. if your capacitor/resistor layout around the IC is different, you are looking for the resistor that is connected with the fourth lead down from the top left corner of the ADP3198 IC. HTH

Dawgdoc

12-27-07, 11:51 AM

El<(')>Maxi

12-27-07, 11:59 AM

Woops, my board is in a case right now so I can't take any shots of vcore read for you doc. However we can still do this. Check this pic, the read points are on the tails of the FETS located underneath this sink.

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v31/canny/P5K-1.jpg

The other option is to read from the output side of the cap legs sticking thru the back of the board, that way you don't need to remove the sink covering the FETS if you don't want.

3oh6

12-27-07, 12:13 PM

30h6

Ill check my board tonight. It looked the same as the picture you posted, but Ill verify the IC number.

Also.......WOW THAT IS SOME NICE AND CLEAN SOLDERING WORK!!!!!

Extremely impressive. EXTREMELY......

TY!
thanks but i have to admit...soldering is technically what i do to pay the bills so if my soldering is bad, i am in trouble at work. that vCORE mod was just a quick job with my crappy irons at home, i can make it look a whole lot better :D

BTW, water soluable flux is the key to great solder joints, especially with what we are doing by adding a wire to the mix. it will make your life a whole lot easier and all it takes is a drop.

Dawgdoc

12-27-07, 12:37 PM

TY Mark and 30h6.

Would this be an acceptable flux?

http://www.radioshack.com/product/index.jsp?productId=2049774&cp=&sr=1&origkw=flux&kw=flux&parentPage=search

I spoke to Pederrrs at OCTEAMDENMARK who has done the mod, and posted a CPU-Z screenie on hwbot at 1.9Vcore.

He says the Vcore mod shown by SF3D should work fine, so it must be my soldering technique that is off. Ill give it another go tonight with some flux.

Ill tinker around with the board and that FET HS and see what I can figure out....

Thanks again guys!

3oh6

12-27-07, 01:15 PM

yup, a paste works just as good. it just really lets the solder flow which will lead to not only a good conducting joint, but a pretty one as well ;)

as for your soldering, i mean, if it is soldered it is soldered...there shouldn't be a problem there. the only other thing i can think of is your ground spot. where are you soldering the ground for your VR too? it might not be a good ground?

Dawgdoc

12-27-07, 01:21 PM

Ground is one of these areas.

I may have soldered poorly though. I had ALOT of trouble on this solder point. It also may have come loose since it is pushed under all of the socket insulation. I dabbed a big wad of glue from a gun on top after I felt I had a good solder, but Ill check again tonight.
EDIT: I had trouble with the resistor soldering...NOT the ground. The ground was simple and easy to solder.

EDIT #2: Just a thought....what IF my wire touched more than 1 of those ground points? Would that matter if I soldered it across 2 of those grounds instead of just 1?

If the mobo is working perfectly fine otherwise, what are the chances that I damaged that resistor while soldering? Ie. overheated it or something? I would think very slim chance since everything is working like a champ its just that the Vcore mod isnt working.

Thanks for the help! 30h6 you are an awesome addition to OCF :) Thx again for your advice!

3oh6

12-27-07, 01:39 PM

thanks, just helping when i actually can.

yeah your ground should be good and soldering over more than one point is fine, just a better ground if anything.

the possibility of your insulation damaging the joint is quite possible too. that is why i choose the 'flat' angle for my wire in my vCORE mod. i was worried about insulation causing issues as well. but with a shot of hot glue covering your joint, you should be golden.

if the MB is working fine, it is hard to say if there was any damage to that resistor. i can solder like a fiend but my electrical engineering degree is far from complete...or even started :). someone else might be able to chime in with the effects of that resistor being bad/loose/etc...

once you have a look at the joint and all looks well, it would be time to cover the basics.

the VR is good? you can clip on the multimeter and the resistance lowers/raises accordingly as you adjust it?

the ground is in fact good? un-likely and i'm not even sure those grounds could be bad but if everything else is working. you can get perfect continuity between it and say another ground on a different mounting tab? or between it and the ground on a fan header?

i can't really think of anything else but just step back and think in simple terms. just make sure your not overlooking anything. this sounds like one of those 'ahhh man, i am an idiot' things. i have had waaaay too many of those myself not to rule them out ;)

Dawgdoc

12-27-07, 01:50 PM

3oh6 TYVM.

Im at work now, but will 2ble/triple check everything when I get home later this evening. I still have plenty of DI left over, so if I can get Vcore working I should be good to go for 1 more bench session tonight.

I have been conversing with Pederrs of OCTEAMDENMARK who has a hwbot CPU-Z shot of 1.9V with Vcore. He says that the screenie of the Vcore mod from SF3Ds XS thread is accurate and its how he modded his P5K premium so..... Guess I need to back to step 1 and redo everything a bit more carefully.

http://www.octeamdenmark.com/forums/showthread.php?t=1029

Dawgdoc

12-28-07, 09:50 PM

Ok, tried for over an hour to get a good pic of the area I soldered.

All I have to say is......FLUX IS KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I had some dang flux the other night lol.

The picture sucks sorry :( I hope it is of at least decent enough quality to show something....

Dawgdoc

12-28-07, 09:51 PM

Bah....Grr....

I need a new freakn camera I think...

Sorry for the horrific quality.

All I can say is....cant tell from the pic but im not touching anything else in the area and its by best solder attempt on anything yet.

Hope it works LOL

Dawgdoc

12-28-07, 10:05 PM

Also, which one of these pins on the underside of the mobo would be the Vcore measure?

The big fat ones which are under the R68 black boxes, or the skinnier slightly longer ones under the capacitors with the red writing on them?

3oh6

12-28-07, 10:41 PM

All I have to say is......FLUX IS KING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I wish I had some dang flux the other night lol.
haha, its funny how easy a job can be with the right tools. spread the word, when soldering, use flux ;)

i am assuming you used the paste? good to hear it went a little better than the other night, here's to hoping it is working. looks good from what i can tell in the photo.

Dawgdoc

12-28-07, 10:45 PM

3oh6 TY! You can actually see something on that POS picture? Hehhee...TY for all of your advice. You have improved my soldering technique, and just from your picture shown me that if you are careful, and with experience what a good clean soldered joint should look like and what I should strive to achieve when I pick up the iron. Yes, I used that radioshack flux paste and the wire stuck to the resistor like there was a magnet between the 2 :)

Regarding the Vcore measure Maxi......Ive done some research and it appears that I will be measuring off of the fat shorter pins on the back of the mobo. They are the pins for the R68 inductors, which are responsible for PWN voltage (aka Vcore).

Correct so far?

If so, does it matter which of the 3 inductors I measure from, or does it matter which leg on the inductor I choose?

Or....will any of those 6 pins off of any of the 3 R68 inductors in that area give me the correct Vcore?

Thanks again guys!

Dawgdoc

12-29-07, 12:31 AM

Hmmmm....this cant be good :eek:

Took the Vpll mod off the board since it wasnt working 100% properly. Everything on that mod was done with mini-grabbers so a clean removal.

Vcore mod I feel was good.

Vcore measure point was done here, at this leg on one of the R68 inductors.

61532

Hooked everything up to the mobo, dry pot to start, hit the power button.......no POST. Hmm. I power it down. Check cables, IDE cable perhaps a little bit loose? Reseat it.

Power up.......no POST.....and **BOOM** like a gunshot and a spark with it!!! **BOOM** again same thing with the spark!!!! I quickly pull the plug.

Looks like I blew 2 caps around the socket area. The Vcore measure point had some insulation melted to it although not charred. I used hot glue to cover that mod but I thought it dried thoroughly beforehand. Not sure if it was just the glue or that area heated up and was a problem.

All of the caps around the socket and the MOSFET heatsink in the same line as the 8-pin power connecter around the socket were EXTREMELY hot to the touch, and the paper towel layer of my insulation got stuck to all of the caps around the socket as well.

1- Mobo dead for good now I assume? Can I just replace those caps ya think or is that just not happening? hehe

2- Gonna test (tomorrow at this point im dang tired) but what other components do you think are screwed? Anything? CPU? GPU?

Pics speak for themselves actually I prob didnt need to say a word...

61533
61534[/ATTACH
[ATTACH]61535
61536

thideras

12-29-07, 12:39 AM

Well...there's your problem!!!

http://www.ocforums.com/attachment.php?attachmentid=61535&d=1198909045

But...in all seriousness, sorry to hear that happened :(

I'd say replace the caps, but who knows what else is damaged or caused the issue in the first place?? :shrug:

MadMan007

12-29-07, 12:45 AM

I only read half this thread and probably can't add anything better than 3oh6 since he is literally a pro solderer. But in my experience ROHS solders suck at being added to existing joints, even with flux. so do yourself a favor and get some high-grade fine diameter resin-core Kester or other good brand solder and save that for circuitry stuff, and use inexpensive solder for regular old wiring. It works waay better than some ROHS crap I tried to use once.

Dawgdoc

12-29-07, 12:50 AM

Forgot to add, The Vcore measure point was off. Before the *BOOM* I glanced at the DMM, and it was reading 1.06.

When I took this rig apart to RE-vmod it, Im quite sure it was at 1.7V

I had my VR maxed out at 50K ohm, but that shouldnt have brought the Vcore THAT low...should it?

Any idea how I can find out the type of caps I need to put back there? Its kinda tough to see what they are now.:eek::eek:

Ill try to fix the board if it has a chance, but Im writing that sucker off.

Hmm...Maybe Ill go throw my Q6600 in my folder so I know for sure if that is toast or not...

In fact Im gonna go do it now. Tired but dont want to wait till tomorrow to know :P

Dawgdoc

12-29-07, 01:22 AM

Q6600 is alive and well.

Havnt tested anything else that was in that computer, but since it was all socket components that went kerplewee and my CPU is still good, Im optimistic that the rest of the system is still ok.

Looks like Im due for a new mobo though.....

3oh6

12-29-07, 11:50 AM

wow, that is terrible to hear/see. i am sorry for your loss. from the sounds of it, with everything getting extremely hot in such a short period of time, it sounds like something either shorted or the VR was set to 0 resistance sending too much voltage through the circuit. but you said it was set to max 50K so that couldn't have been the cause.

either way, one would think the caps should be replaceable to get you back up and running on that board...it would be worth a try, yes? no?

if you do decide to scrap the board, fire me a PM.

Dawgdoc

12-29-07, 11:54 AM

Im going to attempt to repair it and see how it goes.

It sucks yes, but its only a mobo. Yea its $200 ****ed down the drain but.......what ya gonna do ya know?

The VR was DEFINITELY set to 50K (max resistance) so Im 99.9% certain it wasnt an overvoltage issue, although Im not really sure what occured...

I just need to figure out what caps I need to get to replace them :)

Funny thing is........so I can bench this weekend Im gonna tear apart my folder and Vmod my P5K vanilla and see how that goes!

The problem is......THAT mobo is going to need some SERIOUS mods to get it to be dice-able. Vcore/Vpll/Vdimm/Vmch, and perhaps others. The BIOS voltage options on that board are quite limited :(

At least there are some VERY detailed VM guides for that board, and my soldering skills have improved dramatically over the past few weeks :P

3oh6

12-29-07, 12:25 PM

i hear you. it is only a MB but it still certainly sucks. tearing into the back-up rigs...we've all been there before, best of luck ;)

Dawgdoc

12-29-07, 01:33 PM

i hear you. it is only a MB but it still certainly sucks. tearing into the back-up rigs...we've all been there before, best of luck ;)

Yea it definitely DOES suck no doubt....Im not saying that, but Im chalking it up to a learning experience. Ive made bigger than $200 mistakes in my life before so......I can SOMEWHAT live with this one LOL.

Glad to hear Im not the only one who has delved into the realm of *POP* *SHAZAM* issues and had to dig up backups hehe.

Im going to make some FINE detail soldering to the best of my abilities. Gonna mod exclusively tonight. Im not even planning on benching until tomorrow. Bought an extra 12 lbs of dice to accomodate sublimation losses until I actually use it tomorrow (HOPEFULLY!).

Thanks for the input. If anyone has any other advice about the repair-ability of this mobo, or what may or may not have caused it Im all ears and open to any advice/suggestions.

Thanks!

Dawgdoc

12-29-07, 08:58 PM

Well, after some research, it appears that there is SOME hope (perhaps even more than SOME.....perhaps even optimistic) that this mobo can be salvaged.

Been reading up on cap replacement and reviving dead mobos, and it seems that our own local mod SuperNade has a fair to large amount of experience in this area!

Time will tell....hopefully I can report back in some time interval that this board is actually alive again :)

3oh6

12-29-07, 09:21 PM

oh yeah, if just the caps were damaged it is a simple 5 minute fix to replace two caps. you just need the equivalent or better part to replace them with. should be easy enough. through hole soldering is even easier than surface mount so your set ;)

heck, if you can find out what the specs on the blown caps are, i might be able to find a couple from my stash. just let me know.

Super Nade

12-29-07, 11:06 PM

Hang on man, I'm looking at your posts to see what went wrong before advising a recap.My initial guess is, there was a short on the main 12V line itself, that created a huge spike or ground bounce (virtual switch). Proof is the blown up 16V supply cap. There is more to this because the blue cap usually is across the USB and ethernet ports.

The blue ones look like Capsun or Samwah (unconfirmed), which are not very good. The board can probably be fixed if the FET's did not explode. The fact that your CPU is o.k is encouraging. If you wish, I can take a look at it or if you want to do it yourself give me some time to read through and find out what happened. :)

Dawgdoc

12-29-07, 11:45 PM

If its not something that requires intense skill or knowledge, Id like to attempt to fix myself for the learning experience.

Someone told me on another forum (XS) that it looks like I placed my Vcore read point on the wrong leg of the inductor?? I dunno. Certainly possible but Im over my head.

Fets look fine as far as I can tell, but Ill take another look right now.

TY SN!!!

Dawgdoc

12-29-07, 11:55 PM

PS More pics available if you need em.

No rush on this either Super Nade.

TY again!

Dawgdoc

12-30-07, 01:30 AM

Well, on a side note and upswing.......

Finished performing Vmods on my P5K vanilla a short while ago and hooked everything up and booted.

All 4 mods and their read points (Vcore/Vpll/Vdimm/Vmch) ALL working PERFECTLY :)

That is quite a nice silver lining that I am at least up and benching again!!!!!

OFF TO THE RACES WITH THE Q6600!!!!!!! I just hope the Vanilla doesnt suck :P

El<(')>Maxi

12-30-07, 01:38 AM

Hmmmm....this cant be good :eek:

Wow, nice cap explosions there doc ;)

I'd say you had a direct short on the inductor leg but it's odd that you say the mod "was off". How did you determine which leg to solder the vcore read point to? The correct method is by probing the board while it's running until you find a leg or legs with similar reading to the BIOS set vcore. Also you should not monitor vcore off inductors...use the caps as they fall 'last in line' in the PWM circut and will provide a more accurate reading.

The board may be repairable but even if successful, I'd be a little leery of it for serious OC action. Also be warned...a few Vanilla's have blow caps running quads, they just can't handle the current draw on four cores @ high clocks.

Dawgdoc

12-30-07, 02:15 AM

Wow, nice cap explosions there doc ;)

I'd say you had a direct short on the inductor leg but it's odd that you say the mod "was off". How did you determine which leg to solder the vcore read point to? The correct method is by probing the board while it's running until you find a leg or legs with similar reading to the BIOS set vcore. Also you should not monitor vcore off inductors...use the caps as they fall 'last in line' in the PWM circut and will provide a more accurate reading.

The board may be repairable but even if successful, I'd be a little leery of it for serious OC action. Also be warned...a few Vanilla's have blow caps running quads, they just can't handle the current draw on four cores @ high clocks.

Good info Maxi TYVM.

Yea the cap explosions were......interesting......kinda scary in fact. Adrenaline was definitely pumping!!!

If I can get the P5K premium board up and running again its gonna be my gaming board most likely. Mild OC with a good GPU is plenty good for gaming I find. I didnt notice much of a difference between high OC and mild/mod for my gaming purposes so.....we shall see :)

I fold on this P5K vanilla with my X3220 at 3.5Ghz 24/7 for months now. Hopefully it will hold together for maxing out some benches but once again....we shall see :)

What do you recommend for a replacement main benching mobo?

Im thinkn of an Abit IP35 Pro since they are common well known good benchers, or perhaps a Maximus Formula since they are such good BIOS voltages and likely wont need any Vmodding at all I would think.

OR......some other board perhaps?