English Amiga Board - View Single Post - AmigaOne XE 800MHz Processor connection problem.

watsonfmly · 24 August 2014, 03:45

Good day.

I recently purchased an AmigaOne XE computer.

The seller told me about a problem with the board. It seems to be a known problem, but here is some info:

He said that to get it to boot to U-Boot, I would have to hold the processor at the corners above the connection to the motherboard:

Before I booted it, I did some work.

1. The CPU cooling fan was connected with twisty ties

It was just dangling there (very loose).
I put some thermal paste between the CPU and the heatsink. I also put some plastic bolts / nuts to hold it on properly.

2. The CPU card was missing one of the nuts to hold it to the motherboard.
I added a new nut to replace the old one.

I thought "Yee Ha! The CPU card was loose, and that is why he had to hold it!".

No such luck.

So, here are my symptoms:
I have to hold the CPU at the upper arrow to get it to boot to U-boot. Once I see text on the screen, I can let go.

During my testing, I found out that every now and then, it would boot properly without me holding it.

And my questions:
1. Is there a way to fix this easily? I read about baking the CPU card, but I am really afraid to do that. I wouldn't want all of my circuits to fall off of the board in the oven.

2. The upper arrow has a little hole. Below the hole (on the motherboard), it appears that there are no tracers or anything on either side. Would it be possible to drill a small hole in the motherboard and put another plastic bolt / nut to hold the CPU card at that location?

3. Is there another way I can tighten the CPU card on that side?

Thanks for your help!

24 August 2014, 03:45	#1
watsonfmly Registered User Join Date: Jun 2014 Location: West Virginia Posts: 59	AmigaOne XE 800MHz Processor connection problem. Good day. I recently purchased an AmigaOne XE computer. The seller told me about a problem with the board. It seems to be a known problem, but here is some info: He said that to get it to boot to U-Boot, I would have to hold the processor at the corners above the connection to the motherboard: Before I booted it, I did some work. 1. The CPU cooling fan was connected with twisty ties It was just dangling there (very loose). I put some thermal paste between the CPU and the heatsink. I also put some plastic bolts / nuts to hold it on properly. 2. The CPU card was missing one of the nuts to hold it to the motherboard. I added a new nut to replace the old one. I thought "Yee Ha! The CPU card was loose, and that is why he had to hold it!". No such luck. So, here are my symptoms: I have to hold the CPU at the upper arrow to get it to boot to U-boot. Once I see text on the screen, I can let go. During my testing, I found out that every now and then, it would boot properly without me holding it. And my questions: 1. Is there a way to fix this easily? I read about baking the CPU card, but I am really afraid to do that. I wouldn't want all of my circuits to fall off of the board in the oven. 2. The upper arrow has a little hole. Below the hole (on the motherboard), it appears that there are no tracers or anything on either side. Would it be possible to drill a small hole in the motherboard and put another plastic bolt / nut to hold the CPU card at that location? 3. Is there another way I can tighten the CPU card on that side? Thanks for your help!