hard core technical advise needed

XWrench3

Daemon Poster
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W. MICHIGAN
so i made an error plugging in a USB 3.0 cable into my motherboard. i bent one of the pins completely over which folded in half then bent flat against the bottom of the plug. i tried to gently pry it up in an attempt to straighten it out, which i figured was a long shot, but i had to try. it broke off flush with the surface of the board. i have not taken the board out of the machine yet. because if its not possible to repair it, there is no point. i need to know a few things. 1) can a broken pin be removed and a new one soldered in? or when i heat the solder are several of them going to come loose and out of alignment, or worse? can i buy new pins? they look like they are square rather than just round wire. or would i have to find a doner board? i know that i can buy an expansion card that will provide me with a new port. but i do not mind a challenge, as long as the odds are better than 70% failure rate. this is not about saving 20-30 bucks for a new card. its about making the board right. i have fixed things all of my life. and i am pretty good at it. but i know when to ask for help, and this si one of those times.
 
Judging from what he's describing, I'd say he's talking about the USB 3 header cable that has to be plugged into the motherboard PP.
 
i am talking about the actual pins in the usb 3.0 port on the motherboard. the connector, which would be an easy $15.00 replacement is the stronger of the 2 pieces.
 
Judging from what he's describing, I'd say he's talking about the USB 3 header cable that has to be plugged into the motherboard PP.

i am talking about the actual pins in the usb 3.0 port on the motherboard. the connector, which would be an easy $15.00 replacement is the stronger of the 2 pieces.
These are two different things we're talking about here.

Are you talking about this which is a USB 3.0 motherboard header to plug front panel USB 3.0 ports into

attachment.php


Or are you talking about a USB 3.0 type A port on the back of the motherboard like this?

USB-TYPEA.jpg


It sounds like you've been talking about the header and if so you can try what's described in Joe's post link.
 
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i am talking about one of the19 pins, in the motherboard header, as in the first photo. not the port in the back of the board. i did actually pull the motherboard to look at it. it APPEARS that these are straight pins that are soldered in place. but not really knowing how motherboards are constructed, i do not know if the broken pin will just push all the way out while the solder is melted. if so, the toughest part of this repair should be finding suitable pin material. and getting the new pin soldered in straight.
 
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If putting in a new pin is doable, You could just pull a good pin out of a old bad MB or old one someone is tossing out. Would give you practice at removing it too so you know the technique for your board.
 
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that was my first thought as well. except the one old mobo that i had, i must have thrown out, as it is not in my box of old computer parts. i have a usb 2.0 header splitter that i can steal a pin out of. the wire is 0.004" larger than what is in the board now. but i think that will work. i will try inserting it into the usb 3.0 cable before i destroy the splitter though. if the 0.004" is an issue, i will file it down to fit. at least it will be the correct material for the job.
 
the pin receiver is a spring sort of thing to get good contact and .004 isn't much so it should fit in there fine
 
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