REPAIR: small piece fell off Nvidia gtx970 GPU. Fixable? (with pics) - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / repair

author: Ian64
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 22, 2017, 09:18:29 am
content: Hi there long time Dave's watcher, first time forumer.I have a Gigabyte Gtx970 Windforce 3OC. Fans spin, no video output. I sent it to Gigabyte under warranty they sent it back saying a small chip (U16) was missing, my fault.The piece was located under the plastic shroud so I have no idea how it got off but anyway.I have attached 2 pics of the PCB.Assuming I can find out what is the part #, do you think it's possible to fix it?Thanks

author: Armadillo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2017, 09:28:14 am
content: Hi;Looks like the copper pads went with it.The device is small, so if you have steady hands, solder pencil and good in micro surgery with fine fly wires, you can put it back.

author: kripton2035
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2017, 09:38:50 am
content: may be it has fallen inside the computer ?

author: capt bullshot
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 22, 2017, 09:42:14 am
content: I you don't know how you could have done that, sometimes such things can happen in the factory due to bad handling of the PCBs. Still wonder how that passed the final testing, but I've seen leaky final testing, too.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 22, 2017, 11:29:42 am
content: Fixable, but person repairing it should have good experience with microsoldering. It won't be easy to restore connections where tracks are missing.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 22, 2017, 11:31:12 am
content: Quote from: capt bullshot on September 22, 2017, 09:42:14 amEasy to do when carelessly installing, removing, handling. Mechanical impact with, say, screwdriver, and part flies off together with tracks. Nobody said it was like that out of the factory.

author: Ian64
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 22, 2017, 08:49:37 pm
content: I probably impacted it in some way as the card used to work. Sounds like it's beyond my abilities with a soldering iron though.It's not inside the case anymore... when the card died I took everything out and passed the vacuum inside the case so I'm sure it went with it.Anyone knows of a way to find out what it is so I can bring it to a repair centre with a bit more likelihood that they'll want to fix it?Or, anyone knows someone in NZ that could fix it?

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 12:29:14 am
content: Had the card been manufactured properly, the chip would not have fallen off.You decide to let them off the hook... or not.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 10:44:50 am
content: Quote from: DimitriP on September 23, 2017, 12:29:14 am, it is not fallen off. It is knocked off together with tracks. By the same logic if your head is produced properly, nothing wrong will happen with it if someone hits it with a hammer.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 10:53:01 am
content: Quote from: Ian64 on September 22, 2017, 08:49:37 pmYou would need the same card (picture) to find what it was. Or take it from another dead card. Such parts have some sort of code instead of full part number, so often it's very hard to figure out what it is even if you have the part. As this GPU died while staying on PC, most likely, there is another failure which caused it, and only after that this component was knocked off. So don't expect this GPU to be fixed just by replacing this component.

author: Rerouter
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 11:12:10 am
content: Could i get a context photo of where this part is on the board, all the reference designs i can see don't appear to have this part, but i may be looking in the wrong area.The next thing would be, measure what voltages you have on what remains of the pins, is one a ground, and one a supply rail, etc?, at a guess i would say that is a load switch or a regulator,Following that you could look at what other chips it connects to, is it powering something, connected to a voltage rail, or connected to a chips I/O, to narrow down what function each pin did.

author: Rasz
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 04:58:29 pm
content: https://www.techspot.com/articles-info/885/images/Image_04S.jpgits between ram chips and Vram regs, SOT-23, might be something as simple as SN74 TTL part (3 input nand gate for example) as part of reset circuit, might even be a mirocontroller or dedicated chip

author: DimitriP
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 06:25:19 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on September 23, 2017, 10:44:50 amHeads are not produced, they develop. But that's for another thread.The card was installed, and working and from what we've heard so far, it stopped working with no "external help".I can't tell by the picture if "the tracks went with it". But even if they did, it still doesn't change my view of "things fell off during the warranty period".The rest is like DMM opinions. Everyone has one.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 06:42:19 pm
content: Quote from: DimitriP on September 23, 2017, 06:25:19 pmSay, engine in your car broke down, on the way to warranty service you "accidentally" made a one inch hole in the engine. Do you still expect it to be repaired under warranty?IMO one need to be blind to not see that not a single out of six pads is present on the PCB. Only holes in the solder resist instead.

author: technogeeky
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 06:59:52 pm
content: Quote from: Ian64 on September 22, 2017, 09:18:29 amIt's really bizarre to me that they returned the card for this reason.Did you take the heatsink off to inspect it before shipping it back? I'm sure they can detect this during the returns process. If you didn't remove the heatsink, then they have:proof that a part came offproof that you didn't remove the heatsink which covered this partThen I fail to see how they consider this your fault.As for finding that part, I looked and could find no pictures high res enough to show the part number. Even if I found it, I am skeptical that it would be easy to solder a new one on.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 07:03:52 pm
content: Quote from: technogeeky on September 23, 2017, 06:59:52 pmAnd proof that this part is on the opposite side of the PCB. FIY all GPUs are loaded with parts on both sides.

author: The Doktor
author_rank: Regular Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 07:56:33 pm
content: There is a very easy repair procedure for this. No need for parts, soldering equipment, or skill. It's a 2 step process:1- Sell old card on ebay "for parts or not working". whether you explain the failure is up to you.2- Buy good used card on ebay, same model or whatever you want. Done!Cost of repair is price of used card + fees on selling old card - selling price of old card.I'm a big proponent of repairing things, but sometimes it ain't worth it. Here you've got a missing, unknown part, a badly damaged circuit board that will make replacing said part very difficult, and some uncertainty about this missing part being the entire problem. If you do get the part and manage to install it but card still don't work, Can you really besureall 8 pins are properly connected? If not, you're not sure if there's further damage or just a bad repair. Do yourself a favor, cut your losses.Ed

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 08:12:52 pm
content: I have to agree with Doktor, ebayers are often ready to pay ridiculous amount of money for a broken piece of crap which is hard, expensive and likely impossible to economically repair.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 08:27:55 pm
content: Just to make a clue of how bad this damage is. I have pretty awesomeSMT soldering skills. Just to replace such part would take me a few minutes maximum. To repair what happened would take 30+ minutes of microsurgery with thin and tiny pieces of wire under the microscope. The worst part there is missing pad which was connected to the via under the part itself, Only via itself is left, not even tiny piece of trace left. This alone makes it PITA x3 to repair... with no right for mistake. If this via is damaged while trying to solder to it (very easy to happen), this card almost certainly can be considered as unrepairable.

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 08:33:27 pm
content: Easy fix assuming you have the IC that fell off or an equivalent and a pair of steady hands.Those chips aren't too bad to dead bug, you have plenty of copper to attach your leads to and a bunch of free space to work in.Depends whether you're willing to do the fix or not if the card is any good or "for parts or not working".I've done stuff like this, all the way from long screw damage to 3x3mm 10 pin qfp chips.

author: Monkeh
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 09:10:23 pm
content: Quote from: DimitriP on September 23, 2017, 06:25:19 pmYou can see the tool marks where the chip was smashed off the board. Nothing fell off.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 09:24:28 pm
content: Quote from: Refrigerator on September 23, 2017, 08:33:27 pmDunno if what appears to be two 0.2mm vias with 0.3mm copper diameter and one of which is under the SOT-23-6 can be called plenty of copper and free space.EDIT, it's not SOT-23-6, it's something much smaller and vias likely are smaller than I wrote. There is SOT-23 nearby on the picture and it's huge compared to missing part.QuoteI think you mean QFN. And sounds like peanuts to what we have here.Don't forget tat OP is not experienced. And without microscope this is almost guaranteed to be fail.

author: Refrigerator
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 09:32:42 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on September 23, 2017, 09:24:28 pmI've had worse damage to fix. Once you've fixed four severed data lines between GPU and VRAM with a big fat 65W iron everything becomes easy.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 09:38:51 pm
content: Quote from: Refrigerator on September 23, 2017, 09:32:42 pmDone that too. Depending on missing BGA pad size could be easier to fix than this thing. Smallest I've done is missing pads on 0.5 mm pitch BGA, I think.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 09:48:58 pm
content: One of the most annoying was thishttps://www.eevblog.com/forum/projects/nokia-8800e-arte-broken-micro-usb-fix/Solder at one place, solder melts at another nearby place because of tiny distance and conducted heat.

author: agehall
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 10:03:52 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on September 23, 2017, 07:03:52 pmFrom what I can tell - the part in question must have been covered by the heat sink. I don't really see how one would damage that chip without first removing the heatsink tbh.

author: wraper
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 10:11:54 pm
content: Quote from: agehall on September 23, 2017, 10:03:52 pmNow I see op wrote under the plastic shroud. If there is an opening to poke with a screwdriver, maybe. Anyway, this does not look like tightly populated place and is somewhere almost at the edge of PCB.

author: technogeeky
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 11:24:37 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on September 23, 2017, 07:03:52 pmNo, it's not. It's visible inthis picture, already linked above. It's clearly on the front side of the board.FYI, it's FYI, not FIY.And no, not all GPUs have parts on both sides. The cheapest GPUs (god forbid we go back to PCI or AGP) are sometimes empty on the back. I doubt anything from ATI or nVidia is this way, but no matter, it's irrelevant.

author: technogeeky
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 23, 2017, 11:26:27 pm
content: Quote from: wraper on September 23, 2017, 10:11:54 pmYeah, I do agree about this, though. A really unlucky screwdriver drop could probably pop off such a chip.

author: Armadillo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 24, 2017, 03:53:40 am
content: Oops! OP don't seems to be responding..... I think he is not interested in warp experience after all, FIY.

author: Ian64
author_rank: Newbie
timestamp: September 24, 2017, 09:13:10 pm
content: Quote from: Armadillo on September 24, 2017, 03:53:40 amStand byI tend to stay away from PC screen in the weekend, already spend way too much time in front of it.To answer a few questions:- the card was mounted in the PC. Has been working for 1 1/2 years- The missing U16 pad is on the bottom side (once card mounted) and under the fan shroud. Close to the edge.- Problem happened after I swapped out an SSD so I might have bumped it but not hard for sure. Didn't see or hear chip fall off.- for warranty purposes: I have never taken the card apart, never overclocked it- card had 1 year store warranty, 3 years manufacturer. After they re-sent it back from Gigabyte, the store tech told me "don't but Gigabyte anymore, I see it all the time"- there's no ebay here in poor old NZ. The local version (Trademe) is pretty bad. Postage overseas would be a killer. We tend to fix stuff for this reason.- if anyone got the same card, can you take a peek at the chip?I have attached some more pics with a wider angle

author: strawberry
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 25, 2017, 02:00:53 pm
content: It could be some on board serial temp. sensor, can't see other reason to place/trace this thing all over the board. U16 power pins are 2 & 5