using glue...

TerrorFirmer

guy came into me in work yesterday, and wanted to know what sort of glue he could use to remedy this problem: He had to butcher the 20pin connector on his power supply to make space for a GTX in a small matx case, so now it's basically a load of loose wiring dangling into his mobo! So obviously not being safe or reliable, he wanted something to bond it to the board and keep it in place. obviously normal glues would be an incredibly stupid move so the only thing he could thing of was using some silicone sealent in tiny amounts, just to hold them in place, seeing as it's easy to take out again, and not messy. So...any ideas? I've never come across something like that before and while I could see it working if done extremely carefully (it wouldn't be touching circuitry or anything, just plastic and some wire cable) I wouldn't chance it myself for fear of messing up.

jasperok

some silicone is corosive so be careful with choice if using that.
i wonder if a small ammount of expanding foam would do, i am having difficulty imagining what the scenario is - is he lookng to keep the wires from the psu wedged into the 20pin mobo socket? or has he hacked tthe socket of the board?

TerrorFirmer

Yeah, wires from the psu 20pin are loose. Connection on the board is normal.

didn't think of expanding foam, but that stuff sets like a rock, would be very difficult to remove later.

L31mr0d

what??? I can't for the life of me picture why glue is the solution to this problem? Why doesn't he just pull tie the cables together, cut off any exposed wire then use some electrical tape or heatshrink and cover the ends of the wires.

Also, jasperok is right, most silicones can be corrosive. If it smells like vinegar then don't use it with electronics, its pretty much a rule of thumb.

TerrorFirmer

Well yeah, the point of the topic was that he wanted something 'like' glue but not actual glue.

I don't see insulated tape holding it on very well? It's the wires from the 20pin going into the connector on the mobo, basically he doesn't want them coming loose, or popping out in the middle of using the machine. It's not about holding the wires together, it's about keeping them stable in the 20pin connection on the board itself. So heatshrink isn't really what I would think either. Though it would make it tidier.

Maybe I haven't explained it clearly enough. The 20pin on the board is fine. It's the 20 pin connector on the psu, it's literally taken apart, and has no connector anymore - It's just a load of wires snaking into the connector on the mobo, and obviously they aren't held it by anything other then gravity.

jasperok

why not get a buggered psu

cut off 20 pin molex with plenty of wire.

solder the wires together.

job jobbed.

much safer.

i can send you the plug with wires if you want.

L31mr0d

hmm... i'd really need a picture of it to see exactly what you are talking about. If i'm getting you right he has cut up the 20pin male connector and just simply plugged the bare wire into the motherboards 20pin female connector, and the reason he can't use an actual 20pin connector is that he needs to fit in a GTX (can I assume this is an 8800GTX)

He does know this is very dangerous and could seriously damage his mobo should the wires just start coming loose. Aside from soldering on a replacement 20pin connector like jasperok said, or getting another mobo, there really is very few options here.

But, like i said, a picture would go a long way to seeing exactly what has been done and why.

Anti

Heat wrap. The answer to all lifes stupid problems

L31mr0d

Anti wrote: »

Heat wrap. The answer to all lifes stupid problems

you are getting confused like I did. He doesn't want to seal the ends of the cables he wants to somehow seal the loose cables into the female 20pin connector on the mobo. Heat wrap wouldn't do this.

TerrorFirmer

L31mr0d wrote: »

hmm... i'd really need a picture of it to see exactly what you are talking about. If i'm getting you right he has cut up the 20pin male connector and just simply plugged the bare wire into the motherboards 20pin female connector, and the reason he can't use an actual 20pin connector is that he needs to fit in a GTX (can I assume this is an 8800GTX)

He does know this is very dangerous and could seriously damage his mobo should the wires just start coming loose. Aside from soldering on a replacement 20pin connector like jasperok said, or getting another mobo, there really is very few options here.

But, like i said, a picture would go a long way to seeing exactly what has been done and why.

Yes, this is exactly it. the GTX will not fit with the 20 pin plugged in, hence why he hacked it to bits!

An answer isn't a big deal as I don't know him personally and he said he was going to chance silicone, but I was more curious then anything as I didn't know what to tell him when he asked...!

Should have told him just to get a GTS...or is the GT also shorter then the GTX?