9800pro blunder

smr122 · 05-09-2007, 04:54 PM

I feel horrible about this mistake because it wasn't even my computer, but I was cleaning out my friends case because it was so dusty that you couldn't see anything. Well I went to remove a clump of dirt under the video card and my clumsy hand knocked off a piece. I believe it was an inductor but its been a while since I took a circuit class. It was a copper coil next to another one. I closed the case back up and tested it to see if the card was dead or not and it seemed fine, but when my friend plays a game and puts the card under load, it starts to bug out. She said it has "static", "white dots" and the terrain in the game starts to disapper. So is the card slowly dying? Can the coil be resoldered to the board? I know I haven't provided much information but it wasn't my computer and I don't have it with me to check all the specs. I know the card is an ATI RADEON 9800pro. And I hope you guys don't think I'm terrible with computers because Im an engineer and have built my share of them. I just had a clumsy moment.

**FreoHeaveho** · 05-10-2007, 08:44 AM

Hi smr122 Welcome to Tech Support Forum

Many of us are engineers and made silly mistakes. All components on a board are important are not there for show (electronics anyway)! That sounds like a inductor to me too and it would be important to a tuning circuit I believe. You may be lucky and rewind the copper on to the ring and be able to resolder the copper into the PCB. However, I cannot be sure. Take it to your local TV repair guy or computer repair shop and give them a 10ner and get them to fix it. NO biggy.

smr122 · 05-10-2007, 09:01 AM

sounds like a plan, thanks a lot!

05-09-2007, 04:54 PM	#1 (permalink)
smr122 Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 2 OS: winXP	9800pro blunder I feel horrible about this mistake because it wasn't even my computer, but I was cleaning out my friends case because it was so dusty that you couldn't see anything. Well I went to remove a clump of dirt under the video card and my clumsy hand knocked off a piece. I believe it was an inductor but its been a while since I took a circuit class. It was a copper coil next to another one. I closed the case back up and tested it to see if the card was dead or not and it seemed fine, but when my friend plays a game and puts the card under load, it starts to bug out. She said it has "static", "white dots" and the terrain in the game starts to disapper. So is the card slowly dying? Can the coil be resoldered to the board? I know I haven't provided much information but it wasn't my computer and I don't have it with me to check all the specs. I know the card is an ATI RADEON 9800pro. And I hope you guys don't think I'm terrible with computers because Im an engineer and have built my share of them. I just had a clumsy moment.

05-10-2007, 08:44 AM	#2 (permalink)
FreoHeaveho TSF Enthusiast Join Date: Aug 2006 Location: Australia Posts: 3,213 OS: Windows Vista Ultimate 64 SP2, Windows XP Professional SP3, Mac OSX Leopard My System	Re: 9800pro blunder Hi smr122 Welcome to Tech Support Forum Many of us are engineers and made silly mistakes. All components on a board are important are not there for show (electronics anyway)! That sounds like a inductor to me too and it would be important to a tuning circuit I believe. You may be lucky and rewind the copper on to the ring and be able to resolder the copper into the PCB. However, I cannot be sure. Take it to your local TV repair guy or computer repair shop and give them a 10ner and get them to fix it. NO biggy. __________________ PC Wizard-VGA 2009 Charts-Power Supply Info-Multi/Single Rail PSU?-Speedfan-Driver Sweeper

05-10-2007, 09:01 AM	#3 (permalink)
smr122 Registered User Join Date: May 2007 Posts: 2 OS: winXP	Re: 9800pro blunder sounds like a plan, thanks a lot!