Taking bets...

[jgreco]

Just got in touch with WiredZone where I bought the board. They have been very helpful so far and they hope to get a response from SuperMicro soon. If this board really wasn't soldered correctly, what are the odds?

Well, it's good entertainment, if nothing else.

Or, you know, maybe all that FedEx jiggery was actually the {Chinese,FBI,other-nefarious} who decided to embed some rogue components in your board.

Come clean, @Constantin you've been bad, right? They must have had a reason to backdoor your board... <crazy-conspiracy-theory />

 

[Chris Moore]

It being a replacement, it could be a mistake by a tech at a rework station.

 

[Constantin]

It being a replacement, it could be a mistake by a tech at a rework station.

This is a brand new board I ordered on March 5 from WiredZone and which was drop-shipped from SuperMicro directly to my home. @jgreco likely has it right - it was the local customization that went sideways on this board.

The replacement board (for my dead C2750D4I) also came in today. I haven't looked at it yet but I'll wager an ice cream sandwich that iXSystems burned it in to be sure it actually works. WiredZone didn't have that opportunity because it was a drop-shipment.

 

[jgreco]

It being a replacement, it could be a mistake by a tech at a rework station.

I thought the X10SDV was a new order, and that he was replacing (RMA) one of the ASRock C2750 boards.

 

[Constantin]

I thought the X10SDV was a new order, and that he was replacing (RMA) one of the ASRock C2750 boards.

Yup. The SuperMicro X10SDV-7TP4F is brand new but perhaps confusingly is intended to eventually replace the C2750D4I I currently use.

Both boards (new X10SDV-7TP4F) and the iXSystems RMA replacement board (C2750D4I) arrived today.

I have yet to open the package from iXSystems.

Seeing that I have to pull the dead board anyway, it makes sense to test fit the X10SDV-7TP4F in the Q26 case without making any connections and marking the standoff hole locations if it can fit. At the moment, it feels like SuperMicro sent me a template!

 

[Apollo]

Horray! Second package arrived. The board looks a bit shook up as the antistatic bag rubbed through at the SFP+ connector. I guess the gray foam didn't prevent the board from swishing around the inside of the retail package. The SFP+ connector still feels solid (no wiggling) yet the soldering associated with it and the SAS connectors strike me as odd.

I've done some PCB development in the past and typically, I'd solder metal elements like the cages on the SFP+ connector to the motherboard. That improves the mechanical strength and helps spread any mechanical load across a wider board area. Pins that penetrate through the PCB are soldered on the opposite side of the board. For example, with a connector mounted on the top, the pins are soldered on the bottom side of the board. Neither the SFP+ cage nor its pins, nor the pins of the SAS connectors appear to be soldered on the underside.

Here is the SFP+ Cage from the underside. The entry pokes out to the left.
View attachment 29214
And here are two SAS2 connectors from below.
View attachment 29211

It's possible (though highly unlikely?) that these connectors got somehow soldered on the other side? The vias are visible, the pins inside them too, but no solder on the underside.

Contrast the SAS2/SFP+ pin / via combinations with those of the the PCIe or RAM connectors, which all feature little circular solder tents on their pins, as expected.
View attachment 29215

Does this look right?

The SFF shield is press fitted and the pins/pad are not intended to be solderable or soldered.
This is perfectly expected and you don't have to worry about it.
The shield can be removed if needed.

 

[Constantin]

Great news, thank you!

So this is what allows them to customize the product after initial PCB assembly?

 

[Apollo]

The SFF shield is press fitted and the pins/pad are not intended to be solderable or soldered.
This is perfectly expected and you don't have to worry about it.
The shield can be removed if needed.

You can find more about it on this link:

https://www.samtec.com/partnumber/qsfpk-pf-02

 

[Constantin]

Awesome, thank you! I've never seen this before but am happy it exists.

 

[Constantin]

FWIW, the Flex ATX board is too long to fit in the case unless I reduce the height of the power supply by 1/2 cm or so.

I'll prepare the A76 for the pool transfer then...

 

[jgreco]

FWIW, the Flex ATX board is too long to fit in the case unless I reduce the height of the power supply by 1/2 cm or so.

That's what a Sawzall is for after all..

 

[Constantin]

... or perhaps an altogether new PS with a lower height? SFX power supply combined with an adapter plate, for example?

The SFX clocks in at 64mm, the current ATX power supply at 86mm. That's just over 2cm more room, more than enough.... Be quiet and others make PSUs with good efficiency and 500W of power in this form factor, even include an SFX-ATX adapter bracket in the package. Tempting!

 

[Constantin]

I can’t help myself. Bought the Corsair SF450 platinum SFX-sized PS and the Seasonic SFX-AtX adapter plate. The combination should add 2cm of motherboard space inside the case. I’ll work on preparing the box for the new motherboard in the meantime.

But first, I have to verify that the replacement C2750D4I motherboard works as intended. I’ll likely re-install it in the XL case, along with the SFP+ card. Then test boot and so on with the old 32GB SATADOM module.