Bent pins on socket

While cleaning off thermal paste off of the metal piece of the socket, I managed to get the paper towel on the pins and bend a few. In the process I managed to break a pin.

Salvageable or new motherboard needed?

 

You can straighten out most bent pins very gently with a credit card or similar (something plastic!)

For the broken pin, you can just cross your fingers and hope it's a null pin and not in use. Anywhere from 10-30% of the pins on many CPUs are either ground pins, unused or "reserved for future uses" so you may just get lucky.
If not it's a new motherboard. Or if you have an electronics repair shop nearby with a re-flow machine you could get a new 1151 socket installed on your existing board.

 

i tried straightening with a needle. looks straight enough but that missing pin is probably needed.

A new socket can be installed?

 

Here's a picture:

 

Only way to test is to power the system up.

 

Doesn't even get to the initial BIOS screen

 

rip motherboard

unless someone can do microscopic socket repair?

 

Socket replacement through Australia's only Clevo servicer was just over half the cost of a new P870DM mobo when I damaged the socket (broken pin) last year

Maybe you can find LGA 1151 Skylake pinout and if it's a broken ground, you may be able to bridge it to an adjacent ground with conductive paint/marker etc. Risky tho.

 

One of the pins in your picture is still bent incorrectly. It's on the right side, almost exactly half-way between the top and bottom. 3rd pin across from the centre cut-out.

The socket itself is soldered onto the motherboard (much like a BGA CPU would be). With a reflow station it can be removed and replaced in it's entirety.
You can get the socket from ebay or aliexpress for <$10.

It's not a cheap procedure though as the tool is expensive and people with the knowledge to use it are few and far between. Typically, replacing the entire motherboard ends up cheaper.

 

I think I'll try one last time to get the pins right. I looked at pinout to see what pin is missing. It said VSS. That does not inspire confidence.

 

That's perfect; it's a ground, so you can short it with any other 'VSS'. Small electric motors are a good source for the wire; cut off a bit and strip it with a knife on all sides (it's coated in transparent plastic).

 

It could definitely be worse...

 

Doesn't that depend on voltage?

And what electric motor?

 

Nah, that's fine. And any motor from a defective toothbrush, razor, fan or a hdd (spinnie) will do. You just need a small piece of very thin, conductive wire and the copper windings on these motors are just the right size.

Electric motor (laptop fan):

 

Latest attempt:

Looks like I need to disassemble the whole laptop.

 

Any different behavior now?

 

Nope. I disassembled the whole laptop but have no idea how to even begin fixing that pin. Guess I'll just toss this...

 

You still have two pins touching or near that, plus the bent back pin touching another by the looks of the photo.

Go and buy a fine points tweezer, grab then and bend then *gently*.