Pundit P2-AE2 -- Is this cable damaged?

coconut · Post by **coconut** » Wed May 31, 2006 2:12 pm

After reading some very informative threads on this forum as well as Hifriday's excellent blog, I decided to go ahead and order a Pundit P2-AE2.

The Pundit arrived today, and initial impressions were very positive. However, on opening the case, I noticed a deep indentation in the ribbon cable connecting the optical drive to the motherboard.

The case must have been rather carelessly clamped shut at the assembly stage, with the cable getting jammed in a hook that locks the two halves of the case together.

A small sliver (10mmx1mm) of the plastic shield has been shaved off, and two of the wires have been pressed flat.

I really don't know what to do now. I love the looks of this little barebone but I don't have the expertise to replace the cable myself. It would require taking the whole system apart, as you need to have access underneath the optical drive and there's very little space.

On the other hand, I'm worried as to whether the reseller (ebuyer) will accept this as a fault and offer me a swap.

What to do?? Please help!

Hifriday · Post by **Hifriday** » Wed May 31, 2006 10:56 pm

The cable in your photo should be for the audio ports; the IDE cable connecting the optical drive (and HDD) is actually the larger yellow one on the left side (with the blue plug).

Usually these cables will take quite a bit of bending/creasing and still work fine, however I am not sure what you mean by the "10mmx1mm sliver that is shaved off." Do you mean the conductive/metallic part of the wire is exposed? If so you can cover it with some electrical tape. As long as there is a continuos connection running length-wise along the wires (wires not cut through) and doesn't look like adjacent wires are spliced/shorted together, it should work fine.

Certainly the cable should not have come crimped and as a consumer you have the right to recieve your product in good condition, however IMO if it works it's probably not worth the hassle/extra cost to get it replaced.

coconut · Post by **coconut** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:48 am

Hifriday, thanks for the quick reply. I was so anxious about whether I'd be able to get my new Pundit to work properly.

You're right, the crimped cable is for the audio ports; it's not the IDE cable.

Also, the light was a bit low last night and what I thought was a sliver of plastic from the cable shield turned out to be piece of folded-up sticky tape. I imagine it was used to hold the cable folded up prior to installation, and a bit of it was accidentally left stuck to the cable at the place where the latter was then jammed between the two halves of the case.

Re-examining the cable this morning, I can't see any exposed wires. It's difficult to judge the extent of the damage, though. Looking at it with a naked eye, I can't rule out that the top two adjacent wires are not spliced/shorted together. Here's a close-up:

(Apologies for the large and not too clear photos I previously posted. It's taken me a while to figure out how to edit photos and publish them on here.)

I suppose I could give it a go and see if it works. I'm quite inclined to do just that, but the problem is I don't actually have all the other components needed to test the system (CPU, hdd, ram). My initial thought was to get the barebone first, make sure everything is ok, and then place an order for the rest. Another worry is what you said on your blog, Hifriday, about the CPU being difficult to remove once in place, due to the Asus thermal paste being more like sticky paste. So, if I assemble the system to test it, and it turns out that the cable is damaged, will I be able to remove the CPU and return the system for a refund?

Finally, supposing the cable is damaged, how easy would it be to find a replacement and swap it? I suppose I would have to remove the optical drive cage? Would I be able to do that fairly easily? Please bear in mind that I don't have much experience in working with the insides of computers. Apart from quietness, ease of assembly was the decisive factor in going for the Pundit.

Hifriday · Post by **Hifriday** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 9:21 am

From the new pics, it does look more serious and possibly the wires could be cut inside, but it doesn't seem like any of the wires are shorted/crossed. If you've never worked with electronic equipment, taken apart gadgets, or just not comfortable with tinkering then maybe it would be better for you to contact your retailer first about a replacement and see where you get with that. I believe UK practices some pretty strong consumer rights?

On the other hand if you are more adventurous and comfortable doing a little assembly/disassembly work, removing the optical drive cage shouldn't be too difficult (just take your time and slide it back slowly). If you have a multimeter and used it before you can verify if the cable is ok or not. I assume ASUS UK will provide a replacement cable or unit if it is in fact defective (or you might want to contact them first). Finally you could repair the wire yourself (with a little patience) if it comes to that.

As for the CPU, the thermal paste that came preapplied on my heatsink did stick to the CPU. Maybe others have some tips on what's the best way to remove it without yanking out the CPU with it. Having said that though, this has happened to me a handful of times with several AMD CPUs, and fortunately in all cases the worst was a few bent pins that I managed to carefully straighten without damage.

QuietOC · Post by **QuietOC** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 10:02 am

Hifriday wrote:As for the CPU, the thermal paste that came preapplied on my heatsink did stick to the CPU. Maybe others have some tips on what's the best way to remove it without yanking out the CPU with it. Having said that though, this has happened to me a handful of times with several AMD CPUs, and fortunately in all cases the worst was a few bent pins that I managed to carefully straighten without damage.

Hmm, I may have pulled the CPU out with the heatsink. I certainlty didn't bend any pins. My suggustion is warm the cpu up (run a burn-in or use a hair drier.) and twist a little before lifting. Lift straight up and if the CPU is pulled out of the ZIF socket, you can just pop it off the heatsink with a flat screwdriver.

It probably be better to just remove the pad and use some real thermal grease. You might as well maximize heat transfer. Rubbing Alchol works good for softening most TIM pads.

coconut · Post by **coconut** » Thu Jun 01, 2006 2:31 pm

Well, I'm in two minds about this. On the one hand, I can be quite careful and patient, but on the other I don't have much experience in taking gadgets apart and am a bit anxious about repairing the cable myself. (The cable is this, which I'm assuming is a standard 10-way UL style 2651 flat ribbon cable with a red line on the side. I've googled it and it turns up on a couple of sites in the UK (though typically sold in long lengths), but I haven't been able to locate any instructions on how to repair it. Does that involve taking out the damaged ribbon, separating the wires on both ends of the cable and then inserting them at the right place in the connectors?)

Unfortunately, I don't have a multimeter, so I have no way of checking if the cable is working or not. On the other hand, I don't know what could be worse than returning the system to the retailer only to be told that there is no fault and then having to pay for carriage both ways!

I think I need to investigate my options further. Maybe Trading Standards will be able to advise.

coconut · Post by **coconut** » Fri Jun 02, 2006 3:42 am

**UPDATE**: I contacted my local Trading Standards office this morning and their advice was to return the system for a refund. Under UK law, goods sold must be of satisfactory quality and free from defects, including minor ones. I like the Pundit rather a lot, so I'm hoping to buy another one of these little beauties and hopefully I'll be able to draw on your knowledge again if needed. Hifriday and QuietOC, many thanks for your help so far, and I'll post back with news of the outcome.

aidanjm2004 · Post by **aidanjm2004** » Fri Mar 16, 2007 1:55 am

coconut wrote:**UPDATE**: I contacted my local Trading Standards office this morning and their advice was to return the system for a refund. Under UK law, goods sold must be of satisfactory quality and free from defects, including minor ones. I like the Pundit rather a lot, so I'm hoping to buy another one of these little beauties and hopefully I'll be able to draw on your knowledge again if needed. Hifriday and QuietOC, many thanks for your help so far, and I'll post back with news of the outcome.

coconut, did you ever decide to get another Pundit?