Breadboarding

As those who have been following my posts in the Homebuilt System forums, I have been a proponent of breadboarding for a long time because it lets me test components before I install them in a case. I am in a better position than most to do this because I am generally running 2 or 3 systems off a 4 port KVM switch. I always reserve one set of cables for testing (I am real popular with friends with computer problems).

The following picture is an old 680i system I am trying to get running with a Q6600. (Yes I know all about the problems of 680i motherboards with quad core CPU's.)

As you can see from the connected drives, I basically have a caseless system. The cables in back go to my KVM switch. This is more elaborate than necessary. All you really need is a system speaker to hear the BIOS beeps and a way to turn the computer on. The simplest way is to use a small screwdriver on the appropriate pins. In this case, I do not have a problem. The eVGA 680i motherboard has built in power and reset switches and a built in beeper.

Then for testing, I build the PC in stages. I start off with only the CPU and HSF installed, boot, and listen for the long single, "no memory" beeps - also make it easier to check that the HSF is properly installed. Then I add memory, boot, and listen for the one long and two or three short "no video card beeps". Then add the video card and monitor and I should hear the short beep and see the boot messages on the screen. And then, like this example, I usually add the keyboard, mouse, and connect the drives to install the OS. And I know that when I install parts in the case, they work.

I included the old Dysan floppy disk box to show what I normally use. I salvaged case wiring from an old case and replaced the switches with a couple of Rat Shack push button switches. I had problems mounting the original switches in the box. And when I tried to glue them in, I got superglue in the switches. I also have a system speaker in the box. About the only thing out of the ordinary I did was to separate the Power LED leads so I could use them with any motherboard.

I am working in Saudi Arabia right now and my house is known as "The Elephant Graveyard of Computers". And in addition to helping friends, I salvage parts from old computers and build "giveaway" systems.

Yup, same thing here. Saves much more time in the long run. I even install OS on this kind of set up (has dedicated 15" CRT for this use). Only thing I don't do is OCing it, as temps change when inside the case.

is that wood you use under the motherboard?

I also do a lot of bread boarding. My setup is very much similar to yours other than, I like shadow, also use a crt to read my bios and check to make sure I can get ram timings and various voltages to manufacture specs. I also prop my motherboard up a little bit so its not directly on the wood - I really don't need to do this though.

I will admit your breadboard setup in general is much nicer than mine. Thanks for the pictures and tips. This type of setup makes it so much easier to quickly swap parts when I'm working on a machine that is having hardware problems.

Using only my psychic mind powers I have been able to discern that the OP doesnt own a cat

Using only my psychic mind powers I have been able to discern that the OP doesnt own a cat like mine

I "lost" a perfectly good quaddro gfx card and a stick of ram about 5 months ago while I was testing hard drives

I dont blame Spider the cat .
But it was her fault . Honest .

by boot.. do you mean plug in the power supply and flip the switch to turn it on(turning on the MoBo light)? I don't hear any beeps if that is booting..

(sorry, mega newb)

if u test the switch with screwdriver..touch both pins ..and it still doesn't start..is that an indication that the mobo is out...my system turned on one day..( have my post "psu won't start"} was reading some solutions and came across yours..

I'm having a similar problem but I don't know what to do. I don't have my comp breaded haha, but I do know that everything worked yesterday. I took my gaming computer and put it in a new case. Everything was working perfectly when I took it apart, but now it just fails. I turn on the power, everything starts for a moment (LEDs and fans), then it all stops working, spinning, etc. I've been told it may be a short, but other than that, I'm pretty much out of ideas. My next plan is to do the breadboarding idea, but I was hoping it wouldn't have to come to that. Like I said though, I didn't swap out any components. I simply put everything in a new case and hooked it back up. When I found out it was failing to boot, I started unhooking everything one by one. At this point, there are only a few components hooked up - 1) MoBo screwed to case, 2) PSU to MoBo, and 3) Case power button to MoBo. Are there any ideas you guys might have where I could have gone wrong? Thanks for all/any help in advance.

To rule out a few things -

I've tried hooking up the power button to reverse +/- ports.
I've tried hooking the old case power button back up to the MoBo to see if it was the new case's power button circuit was shorted.
I've tried unhooking nearly every fan and even the processor and RAM, also to no avail.

I believe it's a problem with the PSU or MoBo, but I can't understand why since it was all working just fine in my old case yesterday. Once again, thanks for any help or questioning you guys may give me.

Hi, may I ask how do I turn the computer on outside of the case? Do i still need to put in cable from the case? I dont have any switch like you do, or anything like that.

sheira, you can turn it on by (carefully, carefully ) by using a screwdriver to momentarily short the two terminals that the power switch connects to.

N890, the aluminum would work, by I'd be very careful. The holes for the standoffs will be hard to place. Another idea would be to find an old case with a removeable motherboard tray and use that.

Nothing wrong with running a caseless computer either permanently, or semipermanently - as long as your cat is trained to stay off the tabletops.

Sorry, but what exactly do you mean by hard to place?

Late getting back to this thread. Had an unusually grim work schedule the past two weeks.

"Sorry, but what exactly do you mean by hard to place?"

If you are going to use aluminum, the holes in the aluminum have to exactly match the motherboard.

Wood is fine. I've used and old wooden cutting board, a nylon cutting board, and my Oblivion hint book. The main requirement is an insulating surface thick enough so the video card bracket hanging off the edge does not touch the tabletop.

Well techonically wood could but its so low that for your purposes there's pretty much no way it ever would.

I have the MSI 790FX MoBo & the AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb CPU. I powered everything up when I had everything together before I read you post & all LED lights were lit up per the User Guide, but the GPU (SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP), on the card itself LED light show up red below failure.
Then I read your post & remove everything but the CPU, HSF & MoBo from the case to do your test, but not the CPU & HSF. When I boot I am receiving 3 long beeps & not 1 long beep. Does this mean something got those 3 long beeps?
I do not have the cables for the monitor, the key board or a drive to down the the O.S, I should have everything by Friday.
My set up is;

CPU-
AMD Phenom II X4 945 Deneb 3.0GHz 4 x 512KB L2 Cache 6MB L3 Cache Socket AM3 125W Quad-Core Processor

RAM-
G.SKILL 4GB (2 x 2GB) 240-Pin DDR3 SDRAM DDR3 1333 (PC3 10666) Dual Channel Kit Desktop Memory Model F3-10666CL7D-4GBPI

PSU-
COOLER MASTER RS-700-AMBA-D3 700W ATX12V V2.3 SLI Certified CrossFire Ready 80 PLUS Certified Modular Active PFC Power Supply

Case-
COOLER MASTER HAF 922 RC-922M-KKN1-GP

GPU-
SAPPHIRE Vapor-X Radeon HD 4870 1GB 256-bit GDDR5 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready CrossFire Supported Video Card

HD-
Western Digital Caviar Blue WD3200AAJS 320GB 7200 RPM 8MB Cache SATA 3.0Gb/s 3.5" Internal Hard Drive

Another super newbie here. Do you touch the pins on the power connector once and remove the screwdriver OR you keep the screwdriver on shorting out the pins while the PC is running? I'm not sure that if i stop touching the pins, the computer would turn off - like on a bulb and its lightswitch. Sorry for the stupid question

I would be very interested to learn how to make this. Any step by step procedure and what materials would i need?

You can do that, if you do, running MAINBOARD for SEVERAL Weeks on Bread board table to Start Burn In. If You Light IT Up & then Move Mess to case, probably IT Won't Every Start Again. Just How Sensitive This Stuff IS.

Swtch stuff Is from OLD Days & NO Ordinary switch works, just snap on or snap off, not continuous. Old Stuff Won't even Snap Off & if you unplug Main, Never
Start Up Again. THATS WAY IT WAS. PS NoBody told AnyOne then, So $10,000 waste was Simple.

SignedHYSICIAN THOMAS STEWART von DRASHEK M.D.

Push Button Switches Are easy enought to get or use oLD Case front end. Installing O/S is minimal, installing every partition IS Better. Give it some time BEFORE Lousy DSL Provider Software Hangs , Get Updates, Go Slow. NO Complex software till its Well seated. AS Newnwess means everything needs bit 'o running before starting hacking. If You already are familar with Mainboard, Risk IS Much LESS.

$10,000 replacement free system, Broke Free system, yet maybe only halfie thou lost, due to one switch.

drashek

Try using Foam that came with mainboard, underneath main & between wood board. due to metals being present in wood, its poor choice for anythingelectric. when mount in casem use plastic case was wrapped in to insulate between case & mainboard.

drashek

Hi-TreeFrog. Have You ever Noticed breadBoard OFTEN Seems wet. Ahso, that small nut or item can get caught between main & Case. thats reasoning. yet before move main, run it for hours if not days, its lot more likely to restart. Also once drivers are in, just leave it be untill some burn in has occurred.-=7=- IS BETTER.

Ps Lil' 'Ole Drashek quiting Business of commentos', on 31Dec2009. started When 1996 Welfare reform Act made getting homeBound back into active life. Mike Magee Was& Is very Helpful/ About only editor whom had any feeling outside most immediate. Credit good line up of writers whom can almost edit themselves for more advanced humane viewpoint.

Recieved My first Ok good to go year ago locally, I have arthritis. Second came about June'9 & was about to leave, yet informed best to stick entire year out, as evaluation takes place in Kansas & locally & perhaps Hollywood, where started with commentos in 1999 & this funded mandate.