[kaigan]

Hey, everyone,

I recently acquired an Onyx2 deskside (sadly missing all of its plastics and the caster tray :/) and I'm having a bit of an issue. The left-side node board is having issues according to the diagnostics console and I'm trying to remove it. However, no matter what I've tried, it refuses to come loose from the system.

Beyond the top and bottom Phillips screws and the two hex bolts for the compression connector, is there anything else that would mechanically secure the board to the midplane or the chassis? If not, I'm thinking, based upon the little bit I'm able to see and feel near the midplane, that one of the hex bolts may have broken or become stuck. They do both appear to be loose and spinning freely at the far end away from the midplane. If one or both are stuck, would anyone have any advice on how else I could loosen them to remove the node board?

Thanks!

[Irinikus]

When the hex screws are properly undone, then they pop outwards. In my experience, none of the modules in one of these machines really comes out easy. I usually put a cloth through the little black handles to help me to edge the modules out without hurting my hands.

Besides the compression connectors, these modules also have edge connectors, which can be rather stiff.

[kaigan]

When the hex screws are properly undone, then they pop outwards. In my experience, none of the modules in one of these machines really comes out easy. I usually put a cloth through the little black handles to help me to edge the modules out without hurting my hands.

The two hex screws do pop outward like they're fully loosened. I've put a fair bit of force behind the board to no avail so far. The rest have come out with a limited amount of force required. This one just doesn't seem to budge. Maybe it is just really stuck in its slots. I'll see what I can do to apply a bit more force without breaking anything.

[Irinikus]

The modules in my machine have all required a reasonable amount of force to be removed.

[kaigan]

Still no movement, sadly. I managed to get a bit of video on my phone from inside the machine while I tried locking down and loosening the hex screws. As far as I can tell, they are both unlocking completely. The compression connector is tight against the midplane board and I can't seem to get any lateral motion from the node board at all. The board will shift up and down a bit, but nothing else.

[dexter1]

Maybe something is caught between the board and the chassis at places you don't have access to. What happens if you push it back and tilt the onyx2? Anything rattling?

[kaigan]

Maybe something is caught between the board and the chassis at places you don't have access to. What happens if you push it back and tilt the onyx2? Anything rattling?

Nothing rattling that I can tell. I removed the front plate to look to the left side behind the node board and it looks clear. It's definitely odd.

[kaigan]

Through what I can only describe as a ridiculous amount of effort, I managed to remove the node board. I both kinda cheated and took the long way around. In order to get the board loose, I had to remove the inner chassis entirely.

There are six screws for the inner chassis, including three directly behind the node board. I had minimal clearance, maybe 1/4". The top screw was easy enough to remove using a small screwdriver and inserting it into an unused mounting hole in the board to get to the screw on the other side. The second one was harder, but the board was most flexible in the middle. I used a low-profile right-angle screwdriver and removed the screw. The last one was the hardest. The board didn't want to move much at all. I managed to (hopefully gently) push the board back enough to get that screw out with a combination of the low-profile driver and pliers. After that, the inner chassis, with the node board still in it, slid right out.

It turns out that the side of the inner chassis had become wedged beneath a metal plate on the back side of the board. I'm not sure how else I could have removed the board, as I wouldn't have been able to push the board in farther to separate the two pieces, nor could I get to the inner chassis to manipulate that side panel. The metal plate along the back of the node board is actually bent from where the previous owner must have tried to remove it from the system and failed. I'm hoping I didn't cause further damage to the node board itself. Given that it was throwing general errors anyway and might not be reparable (we'll see), I suppose it wouldn't be any more of a major loss. At least the midplane looks to be just fine.

Hopefully no one else has to deal with a similar issue. Not fun at all.

[dexter1]

Kudos for taking the long road, well done. These damages can only be addressed by going all the way.

I was thinking it might be a loose heatsink which fell from its glued ASIC and got caught between the board and the chassis. This happened frequently on my O200 systems and on any raster board i handled in the past. Visual Inspections are unfortunately very necessary on these critters.

At least you're left with one good node board for now, i'm curious to see your progress...

[kaigan]

At least you're left with one good node board for now, i'm curious to see your progress...

I'll be sure to post more info once I have it up and running!

Looking over the (formerly) stuck node board, the compression connector is a little concerning. There appears to be a small pinch in the foil along one part of the connector, which makes me think that it may simply be done for. That said, I've cleaned the connector with some 99.9% isopropyl alcohol very, very carefully and I'm intending to test it via diagnostics in the secondary node board slot to see if I can get it working at all.

Another issue I'm seeing now is that the fans need a good mechanism to exhaust air out through the bottom of the chassis. Otherwise, the system will shut down due to thermals. Since I don't have the caster tray, that's a definite issue. While I could perhaps put it up on some pieces of wood or the like, I decided to go for something a bit nicer. I ordered this: https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07C2M...UTF8&psc=1. I'm hoping that the dolly will provide enough clearance, and since it's adjustable, I can size it to fit the deskside chassis exactly.

The next issue is that one of my fans in the tray is dead. When I powered on the deskside for the first time after getting it home, it made a horrible grinding noise. At first, I thought something may have just been caught in a fan. Instead, it turns out that one of the fans is extremely wobbly and was grinding against its frame. I ordered a replacement for the exact model on eBay and it should arrive today.

Once I have everything here, I'll see about starting a new thread with information on the restoration.