Straightening bent pins?

[texasnightowl]

So, I recently received my parts to do my i5-2500k build. Everything was going great until last night when I plugged a USB key into one of my front panel ports and realized it was not recognized. The other front panel port worked fine.

The front panel ports are USB 3.0 (Corsair 400R case) and is plugged into the USB 3.0 header on my motherboard (Asus P8Z68-V). After some troubleshooting, including using an adapter cable to plug the USB 3.0 ports into the USB 2.0 header (both ports worked fine), I got out the flashlight and found out the USB 3.0 header has a bent pin. Suck.

I didn't have any needle nose pliers at home but will borrow a pair today to try to straighten the pin tonight. Am I likely to have any luck with this or should I look forward to RMA'ing my board with Newegg?

Any tips or anything I should be aware of in trying to straighten the pin?

 

[BoomerD]

Bent pin for the USB connector? Should be an easy fix...and should work fine...just be careful.

 

[Spikesoldier]

i like to use tweezers.

be safe and perform the repair with the power unplugged and power drained.

 

[Deathhorse]

small flat head screwdriver might work as well.

 

[texasnightowl]

Thanks folks. It was 2a.m. which is why I probably didn't think of tweezers, but I'll try this tonight and hope it works.

Unplugged I got....but power drained?

 

[Oyeve]

Thanks folks. It was 2a.m. which is why I probably didn't think of tweezers, but I'll try this tonight and hope it works.

Unplugged I got....but power drained?

Yeah, power drain means to leave pc unpluged for around 15 mins. Just unplugging the cable isnt enough. PSUs may still be puming a little juice so leave unplugged for a few mins to be sure.

 

[texasnightowl]

ah...ok, thanks

 

[T_Yamamoto]

hope everything goes well

 

[mfenn]

The pins on mobo headers are relatively thing and widely-spaced, so small pliers or tweezers would be perfect. You can also drain the PSU by pushing the power button a few times while it is unplugged.

 

[texasnightowl]

Yeah...it's dead.

I should have left well enough alone last night when I figured out the problem rather than trying to straighten it with an unsuitable tool and then going ahead and plugging the cable back into it.

When I unplugged it tonight...hope was lost. The pin was crushed and broken off.

I can only hope newegg doesn't give me any problem with the RMA.

 

[AnonymouseUser]

For future reference, a mechanical pencil works great for straightening bent pins.

 

[BoomerD]

Yeah...it's dead.

I should have left well enough alone last night when I figured out the problem rather than trying to straighten it with an unsuitable tool and then going ahead and plugging the cable back into it.

When I unplugged it tonight...hope was lost. The pin was crushed and broken off.

I can only hope newegg doesn't give me any problem with the RMA.

I'll be VERY surprised if Newegg RMA's a board with bent pins. That generally comes under the category of abuse by the end-user.

http://www.newegg.com/HelpInfo/ReturnPolicy.aspx

# Products that are not eligible for return and will be sent back to you at your cost and expense if received by us:

* Any product not purchased from Newegg.com
* Any product without a valid, readable serial number, including but not limited to products with missing, damaged, altered, or otherwise unreadable serial number
* Any product that is returned without all original packaging and accessories, including the retail box, manuals, cables, and all other items originally included with the product
* Any product from which the UPC code has been removed from its packaging
* Any product that exhibits physical damage
* Any product for which you have submitted a mail-in rebate

 

[texasnightowl]

Yeah, I was reading over that last night. I'm going to email them and see what they say. If they say no, then I'll just use the adapter that came with the case and use them as USB2.0 ports.

 

[gsellis]

And for future readers, another tool option might be found in the 'beading' section of craft stores like Michael's, JoAnne's, etc. The beading plier section has various smooth, narrow pliers. I have a pair that are 1mm (I use it for wire wrapping). But that mechanical pencil idea sounds really good.

 

[bryanl]

Always bend slowly to prevent cracking.

 

[corkyg]

Have used the mechanical pencil with lead retracted several times. Must be done gently and slowly, but it works. I small piece of hollow brass tubing can also do the job.

 

[texasnightowl]

Well, I had emailed NewEgg about 8 hours ago with no response so called a few minutes ago. The rep on the phone set it up with no problem. And at first we set it up as a replacement but then changed it to refund so I can go ahead and order another board to get it on the way without waiting on the RMA. So, we'll see if it ends up well.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

Hope it goes well

 

[mfenn]

Well, I had emailed NewEgg about 8 hours ago with no response so called a few minutes ago. The rep on the phone set it up with no problem. And at first we set it up as a replacement but then changed it to refund so I can go ahead and order another board to get it on the way without waiting on the RMA. So, we'll see if it ends up well.

Glad they were able to help you out! Just be careful this time.

 

[texasnightowl]

Well I did get the motherboard shipped out today so they will receive it and process it for a refund so I'm crossing my fingers on that. And I also this afternoon received the new board (ordered so I wouldn't have to wait for the RMA to process to get back up) and I am back in business and both front USB ports work. So...now I just have to finish all my software installs and such.

 

[T_Yamamoto]

which will take a couple of hours