[redsniper]

...because there is no freakin' way I am going to buy a brand new mobo just because of a tiny sliver of plastic smaller than a flea!
So, I just got back from a week of fishing in Canada (which we'll discuss in another thread) and found that all the replacement computer parts I ordered had arrived (mobo, cpu, psu, gpu). Yay. So I unpacked all the new parts and removed the old broken stuff from my comp. I installed the new power supply, no problem. I put the DIMMs in  the new mobo, no problem. Next, I lifted up the lever on the ZIF socket and dropped (actually gently placed) the CPU in. Then I closed the lever.
It turns out there's a little tiny plastic tab that just barely pokes out from the side of the socket and holds the lever down. It also turns out the lever can slide back and forth slightly so as to go around this tab. And it just so happens that when I pushed the lever back down it was slid over in such a way that it broke of this teeny, tiny, almost unnoticable tab and now the lever won't stay down completely which I'm sure is extremely bad since the CPU kind of needs to stay in the mobo. Now then, I'm trying to think of ways to rectify this matter. This little thing is only 1mm x 2mm so I think glueing it back on is out of the question and I don't think taping the lever down is a good idea either since I think the extreme temperatures that close to the cpu would melt tape or glue.
I refuse to believe that I have to buy a new motherboard just because this little greeble broke off. One of you must know some kind of hackish way around this and I'd like to hear all the ideas and suggestions I can. So, once again HLP, I ask for your advice.

[redmenace]

talk to the company you bought it from.

[pyro-manic]

Ouch. That isn't good. You could try using a temperature-resistant putty-type glue to stick the lever down (Araldite or some such). But then you wouldn't be able to open it again without a chisel.

Is the lever sprung? Because all it does is clamp the cpu pins into the socket. The heatsink and fan should attach to the zif as well (usually requiring a fair bit of force to attach, by the springy clip that goes through it), and that should hold the actual cpu in quite nicely...

Or you could send the mobo back to the place you bought it, and say that it was like that when you got it, or claim on the guarantee (should be 12 months) saying that it broke when you used it.

[redsniper]

What do you mean "sprung"? It can go up and down all the way with the cpu in place. It just pops up slightly if I'm not pressing down on it.

[pyro-manic]

It isn't then. You'd get away with it as-is, I think, with the heatsink in place as well. But contact the supplier first.

[redsniper]

and tell them... what? That I wasn't paying attention and broke my mobo and that they should give me a new one? It is technically my fault so I don't think they'll go for it.

[Taristin]

That it was broken when you received it

[Nico]

You did not just break your ZIF socket.
Happy?

[redsniper]

that trick for making smileys huge by changing the font size isn't working so just imagine this taking up your whole monitor:
EDIT:

[Taristin]

haha! lvlshot is broke!

[Taristin]

Originally posted by redsniper
that trick for making smileys huge by changing the font size isn't working so just imagine this taking up your whole monitor:

[Hippo]

Woo! lvlshotted smilie!


Actually, once you have the heat sink or facimilie for a liquid cooled unit in place, it should hold fine... It does take several dozen pounds of pressure to get some of them on... (I was kneeling on my fiends trying to get the heat sink to lock onto his new athlon64... Most of my weight too...)...


Or, super-glue the lever in place... When you need to open it again, just chip the glue with a razor blade...

[redsniper]

I've decided that I'm just going to clamp the heatsink on and let that hold it in. If it's anywhere near as tight as my old heatsink it should be more than enough force to hold it in.

[Nuke]

usually the heatsinks that are around theese days are suck honking big chunk of machined aluminum that covers the cpu and the entire zif. cut youself a smal spacer out of some thermally resistant non conductive material (im thinking heavy rubber) to place between the heatsink and the zif lever, and strap on the heatsink to hold it down. leaving the zif loose might short out the cpu or the mobo, or both.

[Hippo]

Duct tape!

[Bobboau]

just get a sodering iron and burn the lever into place. that's what I'd do.

[Kosh]

Originally posted by redsniper
I've decided that I'm just going to clamp the heatsink on and let that hold it in. If it's anywhere near as tight as my old heatsink it should be more than enough force to hold it in.

They are pretty tight. Especially if it's a P4. Those things make the boards bow.............

just get a sodering iron and burn the lever into place. that's what I'd do.

That is pretty permenant. But what if he needs to get it out?

[Bobboau]

when was the last time you needed to remove your processor that didn't involve also removeing the mobo?

[Martinus]

[color=66ff00]Yegads! No ofence Bob but melting a mobo is not the way to go. It broke in normal use, he has a right to a replacement.

Lots of those ZIF sockets are badly designed, one major problem is that the tabs used to seat the metal retainers on the heatsinks are quite prone to breaking.
[/color]

[Kosh]

It broke in normal use, he has a right to a replacement.

No, unless user errors are covered by the warrenty (which I highly doubt).