The LunchBox : Article - Modding a Generic Slotket

I have a slotket that I want to use for the Tauleron mod but it's not on the list of compatible slotkets. Can I still use it? Here at The LunchBox, we have a generic slotket that hadn't seen much use so we decided to hack it up and get it working with the Tualeron mod. We added the blue jumpers just in case we wanted to change the settings since the adapter comes hard wired. The back of the slotket shows the upper jumper with pin descriptions of No Connect, pin B21, and BSEL0. The side jumper has pins of GND, BSEL1, and pin A14 on the SECC2. Turns out the original settings(JP1 1-2, JP4 1-2)were fine.

This particular adapter does accept Pentium3 CPUs which is a slight advantage but we will provide an all inclusive check list for modding Celeron-only slotkets at the end of this article. The differences being Pentium3 ready slotkets have: the AH4 to X4 bridge built-in, many of the Vtt pins powered correctly, and AM2 disconnected. So let's get started.

Step 1: Open your ZIF socket

Remove the sliding part of the ZIF socket with a small screw driver(Refer to this article for help). Use a black pen and blacken-in the two indexed corners so you don't get the pins mixed up. Mark the following pins on the ZIF socket with black: AN3, AM2, AG1, AK4, AJ3, X4 and X34(Y33 will be explained at the end). AM2 is already disconnected on Pentium3 compatible slotkets. Be careful since the pin numbers are reversed when looking down on the socket like in the picture below. If you look at the back of the slotket(Picture 2), the pins of the ZIF *now* correspond to the pin numbering in the Intel pdfs. We are going to use sticky tape to insulate these pins.

Use your judgement to figure out how big the piece of sticky tape needs to be to cover the contact for each pin. Don't worry if the tape is too long. You can trim it down with a sharp razor blade.

After you insulate all 8 pins, you can reassemble the ZIF socket.

Step 2: Building Bridges

Check the following ZIF socket pins with a voltmeter for connectivity to Vss or Vcc: AN11, AN15, AN21, AL13, AL21, AK16, AH20, AA33, AA35, U35, U37, S33, S37, G35, G37, E23. If these pins are not connected at all, we need to bridge Vcc to them(Vtt would be better, but we have to generate the Vtt 1.25v ourselves which is a mod we plan to do in the future). For our generic adapter we had to connect(refer to yellow in Picture 2) AN21, AA33, AA35, U35, U37, S33, S37, G35, G37, E23 to nearby Vcc pins. The other yellow pins in Diagram 1 were already connected since they are required for Pentium3 operation. AN15 should be left alone if you want to attempt to use this in a dual processor setup.

Check for a connection between AH4 and X4 as this re-routes the RESET signal to the old location. Pentium3 compatible slotkets already have this.

Step 3: VID pins

(Moved and expanded on, here)

Step 4: CPU Bridges

Grab your conductive paint and make the bridge from AK4 to AJ5(Check this article for optional AK4 bridges).

Finishing Step: Installation

Insert your Tualatin processor into your slotket, remove the thermal pad & adhesive from the heatsink, apply some thermal grease, and install your heatsink. Plug the slotket into your motherboard, clear the CMOS, then power-up. Are we booting?

Here's the Intel Checklist that was very helpful.

If you have a Celeron-only slotket and the computer won't boot, get your voltmeter and see if you have ~1.45v on pin Y33. If you get close to 0v, then you need to go back to Step 1 and insulate socket pin Y33. Then in Step 3, make the bridge from CPU pin Y33 to X34. X34 is internally powered by the Vtt plane. Some Celeron-only slotkets don't have 1.25v reference voltage on Y33. This can cause your modded slotket to only turn on every other power-up. Very annoying to say the least!