MP 1,1-5,1 Opened up Mac Pro 3,1 - found disturbing scene. Help please Apple gurus!

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

What is flux? Learnt how to solder with rosin wire. Never used it?

New solder tin have flux in their core, but old solder (what sticks on the solder tip or on the old solder joints) does not. That where you need flux to remove them before applying new tin. IPA will be needed to clean-up the remaining flux on the joint.

Flux (metallurgy) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[dMajor]

New solder tin have flux in their core, but old solder (what sticks on the solder tip or on the old solder joints) does not. That where you need flux to remove them before applying new tin. IPA will be needed to clean-up the remaining flux on the joint.

Flux (metallurgy) - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

Thanks mate.
Looks like I need to learn a bit more about soldering...

 

[KeesMacPro]

Apply some flux, perhaps?

@dMajor :
Dont use flux .It eats the pcb parts etc.
File the tip until you can see the real metal underneath (copper/brass).
Use a new, good tin for electronics wth rosin core.
It should flow by itself while it's coming at the right Temp,
but it is recommended/necessary to apply a little bit of the solder wire to get it going both for removing old solder and to make a new solder joint.

BTW:
After sanding it and heating up the soldering iron, apply a little bit of solder to the tip and let it cover the tip (should become a thin layer not a drop).
It's recommended to use an old cloth to wipe the tip and apply a little bit of solder just before you start soldering the parts.

 

[dMajor]

Managed to get iron into good enough condition to solder the loop back on.
Looking good. Is there any other maintenance I should do while I have the motherboard out?
I have cleaned the enclosure very thoroughly. All dust bunnies evicted.

 

[ouimetnick]

Using PROPER rosin flux is fine. Just clean it off afterwards. Using plumbing solder or flux meant for plumbing purposes is going to cause issues. I have a container of RadioShack Rosin Soldering Flux (rip) and use Kester 63/37 solder. At the IPC-A-610 class I'm taking we are using lead free solder and flux in a needle applicator bottle. If you are close by in Massachusetts, I'd take care of it for you. Through-hole components are easy to work with.

 

[KeesMacPro]

Congrats!

Is there any other maintenance I should do while I have the motherboard out?

AFAIK not.
I'd reassemble it .

 

[dMajor]

Congrats!



AFAIK not.
I'd reassemble it .

What's this long heatsink here? Worth removing and re-pasteing?

 

[KeesMacPro]

What's this long heatsink here? Worth removing and re-pasteing?

TBH I dont know for sure, but it looks like voltage regulators.
Id leave the heatsink on.

 

[dMajor]

Cool, thanks.
I have the southbridge heatsink pasted and clipped in.
Solder appears to be holding. Just to be sure, will wait until tomorrow before putting everything else back in.
I think I'm on the homestretch.
Thanks to everyone here for your advice and opinions.
Massively helpful as ever!

 

[OS6-OSX]

"I think I'm on the homestretch".
No sir you are incorrect!
You are on the last movement of Mahler's Symphony #1 in D Major!

 

[macguru9999]

Its been a long recital... but I am very interested in the denouement

 

[dMajor]

"I think I'm on the homestretch".
No sir you are incorrect!
You are on the last movement of Mahler's Symphony #1 in D Major!
View attachment 943381

Got to get in to some Mahler. Don't know his work yet.

 

[OS6-OSX]

Was going to choose Jazz since you posted the Freddie Hubbard. But that's too easy. Anyone on the gig could yell out "Impressions in D". The key can be changed just like that. OK, 1. 2. 1234.

 

[dMajor]

Was going to choose Jazz since you posted the Freddie Hubbard. But that's too easy. Anyone on the gig could yell out "Impressions in D". The key can be changed just like that. OK, 1. 2. 1234.

I'd pay good money to see a Philharmonic where 2nd Oboe could call "Eroica in C#"

 

[KeesMacPro]

I'd pay good money to see a Philharmonic where 2nd Oboe could call "Eroica in C#"

I think Coltrane's "Out of this World" is a way more sexy...

BTW: Are we getting off Topic ?

 

[ouimetnick]

That voltage regulator heat sink is held on with thermal epoxy. I don’t think it can easily be removed so I would leave it alone.

 

[tsialex]

That voltage regulator heat sink is held on with thermal epoxy. I don’t think it can easily be removed so I would leave it alone.

No it's not.

It's a silicon thermal paste with a fiber mesh. It's removable but it's not recommended since you can't replace the original thermal paste + fiber.

 

[dMajor]

Mission complete!

Is there anything I need to know before plugging it back in and switching it on?
Are there any diagnostics I'm meant to run? Hardware test perhaps?

 

[EugW]

Kudos. Good luck!

BTW, how hot does your RAM get? Does it increase your RAM noise? I put in some non-OEM RAM like yours in my MacPro1,1, and it runs quite hot and causes the fan to ramp up to a moderate degree periodically, esp. at boot time and at wake from sleep. I took it back out and just use OEM RAM now and all is quiet.

 

[dMajor]

Got impatient and tried to start.
Did not go well.


As soon as I plugged it in, it started up - DID NOT press power button.
Then just sat there, nothing coming up on screen.
Would not shutdown without being unplugged.
Now won't start up at all.
About start working through diagnostics in Service manual.
Any suggestions as to what could be going wrong.
I changed the little battery out while it while everything was disassembled. Replacement battery had been in cupboard couple of years. Maybe it's dead and that's the problem?

 

[EugW]

Got impatient and tried to start.
Did not go well.


As soon as I plugged it in, it started up - DID NOT press power button.
Then just sat there, nothing coming up on screen.
Would not shutdown without being unplugged.
Now won't start up at all.
About start working through diagnostics in Service manual.
Any suggestions as to what could be going wrong.
I changed the little battery out while it while everything was disassembled. Replacement battery had been in cupboard couple of years. Maybe it's dead and that's the problem?

I know this is a Hail Mary, but have you tried resetting the PRAM?

I don't know about that particular model, but usually Macs will boot without that battery. There will be glitches, but they still boot.

 

[Nguyen Duc Hieu]

Kudos. Good luck!

BTW, how hot does your RAM get? Does it increase your RAM noise? I put in some non-OEM RAM like yours in my MacPro1,1, and it runs quite hot and causes the fan to ramp up to a moderate degree periodically, esp. at boot time and at wake from sleep. I took it back out and just use OEM RAM now and all is quiet.

Mine runs with all 8 sticks of non-OEM RAM, some are hotter than the others (80 degree Celcius or something) but it really doesn't matter. I use Mac Fan Control to lower the fans rotation and the machine is still quiet. old B-DIMM are really cheap, just need to look around for junk part from disposed servers.

 

[EugW]

Mine runs with all 8 sticks of non-OEM RAM, some are hotter than the others (80 degree Celcius or something) but it really doesn't matter. I use Mac Fan Control to lower the fans rotation and the machine is still quiet. old B-DIMM are really cheap, just need to look around for junk part from disposed servers.

The problem I see is that the same fans that are used for the memory are also used for the CPU, these being the CPU_MEM fan and the EXHAUST fan. If you set a range of fan speeds based on on RAM temperature, that will override CPU temp based control.

OTOH, if you base fan control just on CPU temperature, then potentially the RAM can overheat, which can cause instability.

With the native automatic fan control, my understanding is that the fan speed is controlled by a combination of both CPU temperature and speed of CPU temperature rise, as well as RAM temperature and speed of RAM temperature rise. This last bit is the problematic one. Even if the non-OEM RAM isn't at high temperature, it will increase in temperature very quickly and that starts the fans running fast. This type of pre-emptive fan speed increase makes sense IMO, because if you wait too long, the RAM can overheat. The OEM RAM takes a lot longer to increase in temperature, and the automatic fan control built into the Macs factors this in for the fan speed curve.

Can the custom fan control settings be more specific and more finely controlled than what I've described above?

 

[dMajor]

So I'm getting the yellow LED light when I press this diag. button. So I have trickle down power.
Still nothing happening when I press power button. And i mean nothing, nada.
Going to 7eleven to get replacement battery. After that I guess I pull everything out again and check all my cables are plugged in properly. Not optimistic, was pretty thorough.

 

[Royksöpp]

It looks like you haven't opened it up since 2008. A computer like this should be cleaned a few times a year. That thermal paste looks ancient. Clean that up and reapply a fresh layer before you put it all back together.