Bent pins

[jimbar]

Hi All,

I have an extra cpu with the outer pins sort of bent inwards. Needless to say the chip will not fit into the socket unless I strighten them out. Problem is the pins are like little hairs. I'd like to know the easiest / best way to straighten them out. Anyone done this? Oh, and it's a 3500 venice if you want to know.

 

Thanks in advance,

-jim

[VectorTensor]

A good pair of tweesers

[THunDA]

tweezers will work..

 

Just be carefull and try not to bend them back and forth alot because that will weaken the pins..

[jimbar]

Just got back from Radar Electronics. I mentioned this issue with the guy working there and he sold me a Pin Strightener (3.95us) . It's basicly a pen with a hole in the center of the point. Just slip it over the pin in question and tweek it back. Works great!

[Fight Game]

This reminds me when I accidently bent a pin on one of my pentium 4's (socket 478).

When I used tweezers to pull it back straight, it just busted! I was pretty upset with myself for this happening, even more so since this was my only running (and fastest) pc at the time. So then I was wondering if I could use a small piece of wire to make the connection. Problem was finding a strong enough piece of wire to stay straight, while installing the cpu, while still being very tiny in diameter. Tried the inside of a cable line (which I got to work for a friends broken pin for his moniter), but this was too big. Then I stripped a piece of wire from a junk floppy, and actually got it to work. Without that pin, the computer would not turn on. It's still up and running today with this fix. I wouldn't suggest anyone to try this, as it may in turn damage the motherboard too, but hey when the going gets tough, the tough gets going! I haven't dared to try'n remove that cpu from that board though. I think they'll be together for life.

[red930]

Whenever I encounter a bent pin, a straight razor blade always comes in handy for 'repositioning' the delinquent.

[OceanSeasforMe]

Just got back from Radar Electronics. I mentioned this issue with the guy working there and he sold me a Pin Strightener (3.95us) . It's basicly a pen with a hole in the center of the point. Just slip it over the pin in question and tweek it back. Works great!

 

 

Brilliant ~!

 

I have had the nerve wracking pleasure of doing it a few times with some older processors and used a pair of tweezers.

 

If I should ever have the displeasure of attempting it again, I will remember and try to make (or use) something similar.

[StephenC]

I would use a orange stick. It is a wooden stick designed to bend components leads down on a circuit board before soldering. It is strong enough to straighten your pins but will not damage the pins surface. Should be able to pick one up a radio shack, or any electronic parts store.

[soundx98]

Whenever I encounter a bent pin, a straight razor blade always comes in handy for 'repositioning' the delinquent.

 

I'm with Ace, a razor blade has always worked best for me.

[Smoken Joe]

I use a large knife and run it along the line of the pins in each direction only bending them only a little at a time. I have managed to save many CPU's that way even ones that had more than half the bins bent and were given up on by others.

[billy1ear]

With the cost of a cpu chip in mind I would find a for real pin straightener or something small with a hole in it like a coffee stir straw maybe. I have used the hole in the end of a ball point pen before on rs232 or vga connectors but not on something as small and dense as a cpu pin layout.

[cal50]

A fine tip mechanical pencil works good. Get a good magnifying glass and a mechanical pencil and have at it.