[kaigan]

I've been doing a bit more work on the system, and it looks like the midplane does have an issue. One of the many-pin connectors for the display generator is missing a couple of pins, and a few are bent. :(

I'm assuming that SGI used a proprietary connector for those boards, and I'm also assuming that connectors aren't readily available. Perhaps I can try to solder some replacement pins onto the connector. Given the narrow spacing, that might be a bit tricky, though.

[kaigan]

So, that topside connector on the midplane was quite badly damaged. Multiple pins were missing and a good number were bent. I managed to fully remove the connector from the board and the pins from the connector, and I'm going to replace them all. I'd love to just replace the connector itself, but the only people selling them appear to sell only to businesses and require minimum orders of 100 pieces. All of the pads on the midplane look just fine, though, so I should be able to solder the new pins onto the old connector without much trouble.

[kaigan]

[...]I should be able to solder the new pins onto the old connector without much trouble.

Yeah, that didn't work out as planned. Fortunately, I did find someone selling a suitable replacement press-fit connector on eBay. Once it arrives, I can just drop it in and I should be all set.