power pc G5 2004 dual 1.8 memory slot repair or re soldering help .

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Level 2

209 points

power pc G5 2004 dual 1.8 memory slot repair or re soldering help .

Hi I have a problem with my motherboard with slots one & two . I ran apple asd and the test told me its got a bad slot in them it also booted to 1 gig of ram for some reason . My last motherboard did about the same thing . I have a apple dual 1.8 processor a 2004 model . Its got 4 dims slots in if it helps you understand what Im talking about . well slots one and two are bad , but it I reboot it osx will see the ram as 2 gig of it . So Im thinking its got a problem with some lose solder joints in slot 1&2 . Can I resolder those joints . I understand it got lead free solder in it thats why it not making contact very well after some time of use .I was told that lead solder is better for them . I hate to take it apart again just to repair the bad solder joint . If you know of anyone on this board that repaired the memory slot on the main motherboard let me know.

PowerMac, Mac OS X (10.5.8), G5 Dual 1.8 Powerpc 2004 2 gig mem

Posted on Sep 28, 2011 7:04 AM

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Answer 1

japamac

Level 7

24,400 points

Sep 28, 2011 7:30 AM in response to david t

If you use a heat gun (400ºF model) to heat the slot pins for several minutes, the solder will reflow.

Use a spray flux, or brush a paste flux, on the connections that you intend to flow.

That is how I fixed a dual 2.0 machine....

Alternatively, as I understand it, baking in an oven for 8 minutes or so at 400ºF(+) (I understand that 428ºF once, down cooler and back up to 428º again is best) will also work.

Here is a good tech sheet with other data:

http://www.skyworksinc.com/uploads/documents/200164B.pdf

Either way, the logic board needs to come out of the machine.

The majority of the memory related BGA are on the back........

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Answer 2

david t Author

Level 2

209 points

Sep 28, 2011 7:42 AM in response to japamac

@japamac

can the slots be resoldered with lead type of solder . I know that the solder from the lead free type is the main problem . I want it to work so I can sell it up on craigslist working the right way . I dont want to cheat anyone that buys it from me . It booted this morning , but at first it had a blue line in it . them I rebooted it and it booted up fine . But asd told me there's a problem with memory slot one and two . its a 2004 dual 1.8 with four memory slots .

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Answer 3

japamac

Level 7

24,400 points

Sep 28, 2011 8:00 AM in response to david t

Replacing the solder is a lot (emphasis on "a lot") more difficult than reflowing the solder.

If you are asking here on how to do something that you intend to sell, then I dare say that your technical skills may be inadequate for the venture.

Needless to say, solder application by hand would require a high degree of skill.

It is not the lead free solder, per se, that is the issue.

It is the lead free solder of the era and the character that allows a brittleness to develop over time. This when combined with constant expansion and contraction causes the fractures in the solder and BGA that create the connection issues.

When it comes down to a "nothing to lose" proposition, a DIY repair (or attempt) for self use using the described methods is more than adequate.

One pro company that does reflows (Golytronic) does just that, reflow. They don't replace the solder.

They also use commercial ovens, and even then, things don't always work out.......

BTW, the multi heating cycle of the solder is that which helps to give "elasticity" to the solder.....

Just so that you understand me, I dare say that I have overly simplified a fairly technical process.

I DO NOT endorse this information for commercial purposes.

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Answer 4

david t Author

Level 2

209 points

Sep 28, 2011 8:09 AM in response to japamac

what type of heating gun can you use for this ?. Im just going to reheat the memory slots in this machine . I see that they have one for this type of work . will a hair dryer get hot to the point you pointed out . to reflow the solder contections .What type of solder flux or paste will in need . Its going to be more than one pin getting heated up from the gun. I understand you'll see the solder flow . I use to work in a electronics company assembling boards and soldering them togeter . I never used a reflow oven or heat type you are telling me to use .

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Answer 5

japamac

Level 7

24,400 points

Sep 28, 2011 8:16 AM in response to david t

what type of heating gun can you use for this ?

Something like this:

http://www.amazon.com/1200-Watt-Electric-Paint-Stripper/dp/B0025ZA76A/ref=pd_cp_ hi_2

will a hair dryer get hot to the point you pointed out . to reflow the solder contections

No.

. Its going to be more than one pin getting heated up from the gun.

That's right.

You want to heat them all.

When reflowing the memory controller (which is most often the issue), there are a couple hundred pins in the BGA to reflow.

What type of solder flux or paste will in need

Like I said, spray or paste, of course, specific for non-lead solders in electronics applications.

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Answer 6

david t Author

Level 2

209 points

Sep 28, 2011 8:27 AM in response to japamac

Oh I see harbor freight in my town has this type of heat gun . I would not want to play with the bga chip on this board . Thats a Pain-in-the-as* to do . I ruined my last motherboard in my home oven this way . I flowed a man from youtube on how to re flow it in you home oven . that did'nt work out after that it never rebooted again . the power light was on all the time after that . so My replacement one from a seller from ebay is also having the same problem after I did asd for the fans .Im not keeping this machine anyway . Im going back to PC IN WINDOWS XP . I like sony vaio desktops that have a built in video capture card in the to run gigapocket . Im really tired of mac right now . its easy for you to get better hardware for windows and more of it .

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Answer 7

japamac

Level 7

24,400 points

Sep 28, 2011 8:33 AM in response to david t

Im going back to PC IN WINDOWS XP

I like Win 7 quite a bit.

Never much cared for earlier MS OS's.

Win 7 runs real sweet in 64 bit on my 975x i7.....

Then again, Snow Leopard and Lion also run real sweet on that machine. 😁

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Answer 8

david t Author

Level 2

209 points

Sep 28, 2011 8:44 AM in response to japamac

Yes I like windows 7 too . But I was running vista on my sony vaio desktop , it made it run slow . so I went back to windows xp . If I buy a new machine in the future , Im going to buy a dell or hp . I cant aford a new intell power mac at 3400.00 us dollars . I dont like the imac , I had on a older 20 in g4 model it was fine when new . but I sold it on ebay back in 2006 . I like desktops anyway . you can do much more in the way of upgrading them . But custom style of a PC is also good with a asus motherboard too . I had one of them too back in 2001 .

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