That was definitely one of the coolest experiments I’ve ever done!

Just before Christmas 2024, a VRAM block on my GTX 780 in my old PC (Core i5-650 / 8 GB RAM) gave out. You could see it in the typical screen artifacts, and GPU-Z also showed a broken reading. (Image 2)

I ran MATS on the card and managed to identify the defective memory (unfortunately no photo). During my research, I discovered that Nvidia uses six memory banks of 512 MB each. I also came across the tool Old NVIDIA artifacts, which is designed for Kepler GPUs. With it, I was able to modify the BIOS to disable the defective memory bank.

After flashing with NV-Flash, I ran MATS again, and the test completed successfully (Image 3). On the desktop, no artifacts were visible anymore, and GPU-Z was back to normal, except the card now shows 2.5 GB instead of 3 GB of VRAM (Image 4).

Since support for the 470 driver is ending, the card no longer initializes properly without boot parameters, and it was heavily damaged anyway, I replaced it with a used RX 570 with 4 GB VRAM for 40 €. The GTX 780 is now peacefully sleeping in its box, and maybe one day it will be awakened again (Image 1).

#GPURepair #GTX780 #TechExperiment #HardwareModding #VRAMFix #OldNvidiaArtifacts #KeplerGPU #PCMasterRace #RetroGaming #RX570 #NerdLife #PCEnthusiast

Since the #powersupply for my #IBM #ThinkPad 755C doesn't work reliably and uses a very strange connector, I unsoldered the socket from the internal board. It came on a handy mini #PCB, which I reengineered in @kicad for a barrel jack. It also has connections for a 20V USB-C PD trigger board that I had lying around.
The boards were manufactured by @aislerhq and fit perfectly. Only the barrel jack was a bit tight since I had to smallen the holes a bit to place it on the board.
Now I just have to decide which to solder back into the #laptop. Will have to try which fits better inside the hole.
#KiCad #Aisler #diyelectronics #hardwaremodding #hardwarehacking #ThinkPad755C #retrocomputing #usbcpd #righttorepair

Using DuPont connectors in the ZIF socket made it wear out a bit. The first three positions don't grip as tightly as they should. So I modified my component tester. Now it has a three pin DuPont socket at the top. I like how it looks.
I should've done it from the beginning.
#soldering #hardwaremodding #electronics #componenttester #testequipment #hardwarehacking

Update to the #SteamDSOled
Custom fabed backplate arrived.
#SteamDeck #StreamDeckModding #HardwareModding
https://squawk.social/@avis_jay/111658623699171506

First prototype Steam Deck OLED add on. A bit clunky. Need to get a shorter usb-c to HDMI cable. But still it's amazing how colorful, bright and sharp the 2nd Screen is.
#SteamDeck #HardwareModding #SteamDeckAddon