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How-to: Pencil mod your HD 3870!

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KurosakiIchigo

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thoughtdisorder said:
Excellent! Take your time, be very methodical, and if you get stuck, STOP and post a question or two. We'll be here for you man! (And if Random is sleeping I'll wake his ass up!) -He's my son....:)
Click to expand...

thanks :D

Stay Tuned :rockout:
 
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KurosakiIchigo said:
thanks :D

Stay Tuned :rockout:
Click to expand...

Btw, there are several excellent resources here for you: Dr. Spankenstein, Danishdevil, Sneekypeet, Randommurderer, Coldstorm, just to name a few....We're all here. If it can be done, someone on this site knows how to do it..........:pimp:

And I am staying tuned! In case you haven't noticed, there's usually THOUSANDS of "guests" viewing. What we do is important. If you have success, take pics and post in this thread for others! Thanks! :rockout:
 
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nothing to do... another point for the trimmer mod ? (100kohm)
 
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Are you needing another solder point for the VCore mod? There are a few that are on the trace that leads from the FB pin.



I've marked the other potential points for soldering. The issue you could be running into is the pot itsself may not be set to a point where the resistance is changing. You have to take readings at the legs of the pot that you will be using. Measure then to get as close to 100k (probably closer to 90k) as possible then turn the screw counterclockwise until the values start to drop.
 
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Dr. Spankenstein said:
Are you needing another solder point for the VCore mod? There are a few that are on the trace that leads from the FB pin.



I've marked the other potential points for soldering. The issue you could be running into is the pot itsself may not be set to a point where the resistance is changing. You have to take readings at the legs of the pot that you will be using. Measure then to get as close to 100k (probably closer to 90k) as possible then turn the screw counterclockwise until the values start to drop.
Click to expand...

i've set the pot at 96kohm , but when i boot the card i measure the vcore but even the ram are set to 0...
 
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I'm sorry. I don't understand.
 
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Very good.

When the resistor broke off, it may have taken the pad and some of the trace with it.
That can easily be solved with a blod of solder!

I'll hold my other opinions until we see the photo...
 
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Dr. Spankenstein said:
Very good.

When the resistor broke off, it may have taken the pad and some of the trace with it.
That can easily be solved with a blod of solder!

I'll hold my other opinions until we see the photo...
Click to expand...

my thoughts exactly.
 
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Sorry for my english again , but soon as i can i'll post a photo!
 
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I'm from Italy :)
I've done some photos , but aren't sharp as i expected...
First
Second
 
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Deleted member 24505

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That wire is going to add to the overall resistance.

Heres mine as an example-


Can you try thinner wire and fit the trimmer to the card?

good first try though.
 
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so , what i have to do ?
 
Last edited:
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First, does the card boot?

I see alot of scorching on the PCB. Hopefully you haven't melted through some of the traces.

The mod looks like it should be working.

Please specify what is wrong.
 
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Dr. Spankenstein said:
First, does the card boot?

I see alot of scorching on the PCB. Hopefully you haven't melted through some of the traces.

The mod looks like it should be working.

Please specify what is wrong.
Click to expand...

the card doesn't boot... that is the problem!
 
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Well, if your solder points are solid and they are not bridging any connections then I don't know where else to go.

Last resort would be to solder directly to the leg of the IC marked in my photo above.

You might want to find a smaller tip for your soldering iron AND practice on something other than a $200 card next time. :eek:
 
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Dr. Spankenstein said:
Well, if your solder points are solid and they are not bridging any connections then I don't know where else to go.

Last resort would be to solder directly to the leg of the IC marked in my photo above.

You might want to find a smaller tip for your soldering iron AND practice on something other than a $200 card next time. :eek:
Click to expand...

damn resistor :banghead:
 
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KurosakiIchigo said:
so , what i have to do ?
Click to expand...

it looks to me like you have bridged some points that shouldn't be bridged.
also, it's not clear from the pictures which pins on the pot you soldered to.
 
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Random Murderer said:
it looks to me like you have bridged some points that shouldn't be bridged.
also, it's not clear from the pictures which pins on the pot you soldered to.
Click to expand...

to get everything clear: I broke the R1222 resistor and i'm trying to recover this videoboard with the trimmer mod (hard mod). Now i've sold the pot between ground and a point in the picture posted few pages back. I hope i can do a more detailed picture in those days...
 
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Take the mod off now,clean up were it was with a desoldering pump to remove any solder that may be bridging other connections.You may be able to repair were the R1222 resistor was.You need to use thinner wire.How big is the tip on your soldering iron.
 
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KurosakiIchigo said:
to get everything clear: I broke the R1222 resistor and i'm trying to recover this videoboard with the trimmer mod (hard mod). Now i've sold the pot between ground and a point in the picture posted few pages back. I hope i can do a more detailed picture in those days...
Click to expand...

right, i understood that.
the pot itself has three pins on it. which pins did you use?
 
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Trimmer set to 96 Kohm (measured with the tester)
 
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Crabe?

Using CRABE Radeon BIOS editor to up the VCore, does it give the same results as this pencil mod?

I found the article that uses CRABE here

any pros and cons using just a bios mod to up the VCore?

Thanks, Mark - OC noob
 
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