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[Tortuga2112]

ok, here's my version of the x clamp mod. I call it MS's 3redlight district because its like being in amsterdam's redlight district, when you've seen the red lights you know you just got f**ked.

*I guess I should start with saying that I take no responsibility if you fry your console or yourself while undertaking the following mod , proceed at your own risk*

the following pics were from a mod done as a preventive measure on a working box. I did a couple others and they were 3RLOD, worked like a charm.

The advantage this tutorial has is that it retains all stock hardware. The stock hardware means no washers or drilling is necessary. it eliminates the trial and error of the washers trying to get everything the right height. I also noted that some people were having trouble locating the right hardware.

PARTS LIST

tap and die set like this tap and die

any old cheap set will do as long as it has a 10/32 die to cut the  threads

10/32 nut or (preferably ) locking 10/32 nut

heat gun (optional)

erasers (also optional)or some other sort of rubber pads(I'll get to this later)


I won't go into detail on opening the box , removing x clamps etc. all that's been covered elsewhere.


1.you'll need to thread the legs of the GPU/CPU (doing this isn't hard , I'm not going to go into details on how to do it. just ask for a few tips when purchasing the kit, If you still have trouble PM me )

it'll look like this after heat sink legs threaded

threads 2



2. here's what it should look like installed under mobo

under mobo 2


3.re-assemble and test. It'll work without using the heat gun usually , but if not then you'll need to use the heat to get it going again , then screw everything back tegether and you should be ok.

4. This is where you use the heatgun option (if necessary). again , I'm not going to go into detail on doing this as there are other tutorials already. I also don't want to hear it if you think this is a bad idea, it works for me , so no amount of talking is going to convince me otherwise. So, do it if you like or not, I'm just telling you what I've done that works.  

5.This step is also a good idea as well , although it isn't absolutely necessary. put some spacers on top of the GPU chip ( I didn't use this on the cpu , but that's just me). something like this AMD foam pads

I found that using an eraser provides pretty good consistency to give firm pressure to the top of the chip while not being too hard that it won't compress and give a good contact. be carefull when doing this step, if you make the spacers too thick the heatsink won't contact the chip and you'll get overheating problems.


If you do this mod , you should also look into doing some of this other stuff as well


stock fans to 12v , or switch to talismoon fans

and do this or this

also, heatsink tape and under dvd drive


hopefully this tutorial will help some people find their way back to the land of gaming and not stuck in limbo in the 3RL district.

The reason I wrote this is because I've had a lot of help from the guys here and what I posted was just a summary of the stuff I've learned in my short time here.

 I think this is an easier method than the other x clamp mods(but that's just me ), however, I realize that not everyone will be able to (or will want to) thread the legs themselves. In that case, you'll still have the rbjtech and lawdawg tut's to follow.

[Omnix1299]

i like it man good job! seems pretty good! i just wish that tap and die set was as cheap as the bolts that i spent on Lawdawgs method lol

[superbee]

Nice job man, excellent idea threading the legs and using nylon lock nuts. For us Canadian's a cheap tap and die set can be bought at Princess Auto. I hope this work for a lot of people. Thumbs up!!

PS: I won't raze you about the heat gun either.  

[PotFarmer]

I wonder if theres any way you could just force a nut to go onto the pin.... use a vice and a big wrench perhaps  

[Tortuga2112]

QUOTE(Omnix1299 @ Aug 21 2007, 01:06 AM)

i like it man good job! seems pretty good! i just wish that tap and die set was as cheap as the bolts that i spent on Lawdawgs method lol

the tap and die set was just an example I used . you can find them for under $10 on ebay.

QUOTE(PotFarmer @ Aug 21 2007, 01:41 AM)

I wonder if theres any way you could just force a nut to go onto the pin.... use a vice and a big wrench perhaps  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/muhaha.gif)

I doubt it , and not worth the effort .just get a tap and die set , like I said they're pretty cheap.

[Tortuga2112]

here's a real cheap one for $2.99. don't think its gonna get any cheaper than this,lol. should be more than good enough for this application.

ebay tap and die set

[Navillos]

do you mean a 10-32 NF die?

This post has been edited by Navillos: Aug 29 2007, 04:57 PM

[SuDDeN]

Let me ask you a question     - How do you not totally destroy your Motherboard trying to tighten the nuts?   Do they not ride against the board and then you are grinding them against it as you tighten it down?

Just asking - cause that looks to me to be an issue with just nuts on the threaded legs like that.  

 

[Navillos]

QUOTE(SuDDeN @ Aug 29 2007, 03:17 PM)

Let me ask you a question  (IMG:style_emoticons/default/uhh.gif)   - How do you not totally destroy your Motherboard trying to tighten the nuts?   Do they not ride against the board and then you are grinding them against it as you tighten it down?

Just asking - cause that looks to me to be an issue with just nuts on the threaded legs like that.   (IMG:style_emoticons/default/blink.gif)

 (IMG:style_emoticons/default/ph34r.gif)

if that were the case then RBJTech and Lawdawg's method would crush the board as well. washers arent going to cushion it either.

[Tortuga2112]

QUOTE(Navillos @ Aug 29 2007, 05:28 PM)

do you mean a 10-32 NF die?

yes.



sudden ,

the nut isn't going to damage the mobo because they are a bit rounded where they meet the mobo. the nut tightens without grinding because both surfaces are pretty smooth. when you tighten it you don't need to apply so much force that you snap the bolt.  

The only thing I think you need to do when doing this is tighten opposite corner nuts , just to keep things perfectly flat.  I also recommend torquing them down in increments to keep it consistent , instead of cranking the first one all the way down and moving to the next.

[SuDDeN]

QUOTE

sudden ,

the nut isn't going to damage the mobo because they are a bit rounded where they meet the mobo. the nut tightens without grinding because both surfaces are pretty smooth. when you tighten it you don't need to apply so much force that you snap the bolt.

The only thing I think you need to do when doing this is tighten opposite corner nuts , just to keep things perfectly flat. I also recommend torquing them down in increments to keep it consistent , instead of cranking the first one all the way down and moving to the next.

Or maybe include just a thin Nylon Washer......    I know Navillos is saying no biggie - but with Lawdawg's and RBJTech's screws I know are smooth... hmmm  just seems risky - but if it's smooth then great!
I was just curious - I wasnt worried about Crushing the Board - just scratching the hell outta it with the nut spinning (turning) - I guess as long as it's firm and not tight - all is well!
 

[Tortuga2112]

My Webpage

if you look at the pic you'll see that the nut only comes in contact with the board right where the coper is. it doesn't touch any of the traces and that's the main concern. but yeah, if you wanted to you could put some washers or some tape if you were worried.

I just didn't think they were necessary , plus I wanted to keep it as simple a setup as possible.

[Tortuga2112]

I've had some PM's asking about how to cut the threads so I've put some pics up to clarify things.

This is the die needed to cut the thread 10-32 die

here's the nut needed (or equivalent locking nut) nut

remove the standoffs using a 6 point socket.  or pliers , if you want , but I think you'll damage them if you use pliers.

place a nut into a vise and screw the standoff  into it to hold it while cutting the thread.

nut in vise

GPU standoff

make sure to tighten it so it doesn't spin while cutting , but not so much to strip the thread.
ratchet

place die over and apply steady downward pressure while turning(doesn't need to be a lot of pressure, let the bit do the cutting)
cutting

cutting 2
cutting 3

make at least one revolution cut and then it should start cutting without the nedd for downward pressure. after a couple of turns , back the die up 3/4 of a turn to break the cutting away , then start cutting again.

if there's anything that's needs more explanation feel free to PM me or post here..

[Horcri]

I was planning on doing this myself, but I've only got a metric tap & die set. The standoffs are too big for an M5 and too small for an M6. Looks like I'll have to hunt down a 10/32" die.

[MarutiDriver]

I tried this method the other day, and the hardest part was finding the 10/32 die.

It worked inmediately after I assembled everything, no need to overheat anything. Mind you, the console was still not showing the 3LoD, but rather artifacting and freezing as soon as it was turned on, but we all know the RRoD was soon to follow.