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Octane resurrection: checklist - Printable Version

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Octane resurrection: checklist - nazavode - 06-11-2020

Hi everyone, new user here. I've recently decided to attempt to boot a couple of 1997 Octanes left in not-so-ideal storage conditions for the last 10 years. They look really bad, cosmetically and probably functionally as well. I'm trying to come up with some sort of checklist of things I should do before even attempting at attaching the power cord again:

  1. Lucent PSUs: one out of two shows cap leakage marks on the outer shell. Already sent in both to be reconditioned and thoroughly checked by a professional. Fingers crossed.
  2. Complete disassembly and cleaning. Thinking about cleaning all the boards with isopropanol too.
  3. Thermals: do I need to replace all thermal compounds? At a first inspection, removing heat sinks looks fairly straightforward but I suspect this step could be an overshoot and a possible source of unwanted damages.
  4. Reassembly and smoke tests via serial port.
Do you folks have some remarks/suggestions? Thanks!

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - kaigan - 06-11-2020

Honestly, that's a pretty darn good checklist. IPA cleaning is a good plan and I've thoroughly scrubbed both of my Octanes' boards with it.

The only SGI board I've replaced any thermal paste on is a Fuel V10, due to needing to remove the existing heatsink to get it to fit into an O350. While it may not be strictly necessary, it is a good idea. Anything that would still be present on these systems after this long is likely well overdue for a refresh.

Be sure to take your time with disassembly and apply minimal force. Pretty much all of the standard precautions for modern systems apply here, as well as an extra dose of caution due to the rarity of these parts and difficulty of repairs.

Beyond that, I hope all goes well with the refurbishment of these systems. If you encounter any specific issues, there are tons of people around here who can chime in with good advice. Smile

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - weblacky - 06-12-2020

Yo,
Please make sure you read the Octane hardware manual for proper board removal procedures. Don't touch the compression connections at all, don't blow compressed air on them at all, don't put cleaning solutions on them...don't do anything on them.

But if you've successfully engaged a company to help you with the power supply, could you please try to get any info you can from the professional service you are using on the power supply evaluation and repair. What they saw, anything about what they tested (or how) and a list of components they ended-up replacing (part numbers).

We don't have any info on how to "bench-start" an Octane PSU, so I assume they may ask that (I've never seen it documented). If you gave them the Octane to place it in to start-up the Power supply then that's the mute point.

Any info you can get out of them would be welcome. I've not heard of a service repairing one of these before. The Octane PSU is one of the more accessible PSUs internally, though. Easy to get apart and easy to access PCB boards. Very dense component layout and some stabilizer in bad places. But not the worst SGI power supply by far.

Please keep us posted!

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - nazavode - 06-12-2020

Regarding the PSU repair process:

(06-12-2020, 02:38 AM)weblacky Wrote:  But if you've successfully engaged a company to help you with the power supply, could you please try to get any info you can from the professional service you are using on the power supply evaluation and repair.  What they saw, anything about what they tested (or how) and a list of components they ended-up replacing (part numbers).

Sure, I will ask for pictures and details. The professional I'm relying on is a friend of mine that happens to own a small company repairing PSUs and electronic equipment, up to now I still have no confirmation that the repair/overhaul would even be possible at all and the triage process alone is likely to take quite a long time, but I'm going to post any update here.

Thank you folks for the suggestions!

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - Irinikus - 06-12-2020

By the way, in the past I've successfully used a lens cleaning brush to remove dirt from compression connectors.

When I originally received my Octane2 it had some dirt in it's compression connectors on the motherboard side, which I removed in this way! (It's been operating perfectly for years since then!)

[Image: N8DsAiT.jpg]

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - hamei - 06-12-2020

(06-11-2020, 04:47 PM)kaigan Wrote:  The only SGI board I've replaced any thermal paste on is a Fuel V10, due to needing to remove the existing heatsink to get it to fit into an O350.

Pardonnez-moi ? I didn't remember doing that so just popped the lid ... nope. V12 slid right in. Heat sink misses the baseboard on the bottom by ... half inch, maybe ? And there's plenty room for a dcd on top. Muy no problemo.

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - Lady Serena Kitty - 06-12-2020

I replaced the thermal pad on my Indy (from 1994). The thermal pad I found was the original from 1993 (when the CPU/CPU board were made), it had dried out and turned into a thermal insulator. Thermal compounds generally don't last moar than 10 years, and should be replaced at the 8 or 9 year mark. If you don't know when the thermal compound was last replaced, go ahead and replace it. I used Arctic MX-4 on both my Indy and Raspberry Pi 4 B, the thermal conductivity of this stuff is ameowzing.

Note: raspi4b got the Arctic MX-4 because I got an ICE Tower for it, as it was throttling with a passive aluminum heatsink.

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - Jacques - 06-12-2020

Some situations will require a thermal pad of certain thickness rather than paste, the O2 R10K / R12k CPU is an example. The heatsink base is very rough and using just some paste will leave a gap between the heat spreader and heatsink. The Octane is very similar, though I recall the Octane heatsinks are flat(ter) on the bottom.

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - kaigan - 06-12-2020

(06-12-2020, 04:42 PM)hamei Wrote:  Pardonnez-moi ? I didn't remember doing that so just popped the lid ... nope. V12 slid right in. Heat sink misses the baseboard on the bottom by ... half inch, maybe ? And there's plenty room for a dcd on top. Muy no problemo.

はい、そうです。The heatsink on the V10 is *way* too big to fit into the system along with the 4-CPU node board I have. (http://siliconimage.irixnet.org/index.php/User-Albums/Kaigan/Miscellaneous/20200612_153555) There are several archived Nekochan posts about people having to cut the original heatsinks in order to get them to fit. I don't really like destructive mods on vintage systems, though, so I just replaced the existing heatsink with a smaller one and additional cooling. Problème résolu.

RE: Octane resurrection: checklist - hamei - 06-13-2020

(06-12-2020, 07:43 PM)kaigan Wrote:  はい、そうです。The heatsink on the V10 is *way* too big to fit into the system along with the 4-CPU node board ...

Ah, the 4-node model. Seems to me with a graphics card in the enclosure, 4p is too much heat. I think the 1ghz boards are even worse ? recondas stuck another fan in there, which seemed like a good idea. V10/12 gets hot.

Did the rackmount Tez ever come with 4 in one brick ? I didn't think so.

In fact, aren't you missing a fan in the top, right rear corner ? Without the graphics card those boxes have two squirrel-cage fans, in fact. Uh-oh ?

That's why I went with a two-brick 2p-each setup .... in reality, you almost never can use more than 2p on a workstation anyhow. 4 looks cool on the cpu meter but mostly just burns electricity ... plus with 2 bricks you get to run numalinks Smile

I did want to wind up with 4 bricks, 4p and 4 V12's but with prices what they are now ... :(

JoaquinSanchez Wrote:The heatsink base is very rough and using just some paste will leave a gap between the heat spreader and heatsink.

About five minutes' work with a piece of 400 grit laid on top of a piece of glass will fix that. Follow up with 600 if you're anal ....