Locating VCC (vCORE) Read Point

[fineupgrades]

BE EXTRA CAREFUL.....as measuring these things require that the system is ALIVE & you get the measurements at the pinouts at the back of the mobo...

hehehe.. kuyaw ang pasmado ug kamot ani, labina sa sige ug tan-aw ni ozawa, kuyaw lain pin ang ma tuslok sa tester..

[ethzneuron]

it works like this:the voltage regulator module (VRM) receives a voltage identification (VID) signal from a CPU to supply the CPU with a core voltage corresponding to the VID signal, the VRM comprising: a core voltage generator which generates the core voltage; and a voltage regulation control unit which determines a percent voltage regulation of the core voltage based on a spec signal from the CPU to control the core voltage generator to generate the core voltage having the percent voltage regulation corresponding to the spec signal. the voltage regulation control unit comprises: a programmable register which outputs a percent voltage regulation compensation signal to compensate the core voltage, based on the spec signal; and a PWM signal generator which outputs a PWM signal to control the core voltage generator to generate the core voltage having the percent voltage regulation corresponding to the spec signal, based on the percent voltage regulation compensation signal from the programmable register.

OT: i know i can understand this.. but this really looks like a tongue twister...

in short, its a feedback.

[simoko]

OT: i know i can understand this.. but this really looks like a tongue twister...

in short, its a feedback.

i think your'e right about the concise term...feedback...hehehehe...kaning dili ta ECE/ComE oi...lisud gyud sa saktong termino....BS N&D man gud ko...in short: kusinero

[eirawn]

1. Can I take the reading from the inductors (chokes) or the capacitors?
You can measure the Vout of the regulators by positioning the probe pin 2 of the inductor with respect to ground. Pin 1 of inductor usually is connected to the regulator and has high frequency sawtooth like waveforms making your readings invalid.

2. If so, do these components have charges (positive/negative) that might damage the unit if I probe into the wrong charge?
Using voltmeter does not harm the components even power is applied. If ever you measure a negative voltage, it only indicates the direction.
With your motherboard powered, the only thing that will damage is when you set your multimeter into an ohmmeter. It will act as a second voltage source.

3. Where would you suggest other reading points if these two are not an option?
Filter capacitors (solid caps) are usually coupled near the voltage regulators (you can measure there). By design rules it should be positioned nearest to the regulator to prevent stray capacitance and minimize the ESR.
Voltage can be directly measured in the capacitor's positive side with respect to ground.

[poldopunk]

imong answer the second question; negative ang mugawas sa reading?

this is the recommended read point for the UD3R, this is the one i always use pero i wanted to learn if ok ra ba manuslok sa inductor or capacitor...it sounds like ok so i'll try this on my cheap mobo for learning purposes.

Spoiler! 

[spookey]

it is not advisable to measure sa chokes bro. better take the reading sa capacitor na pinakaduol sa proc. you'll get a better reading there. or much better if you use an oscillscope para makita nimo ang ang frequency and voltage peak nimo. ang purpose anang choke og capacitor is to smoothen the current going sa proc. faet ani ni polds na pukaw man ako college days when i use to make amplifiers, alarms, power supplies and fm transmitter. hehehe...

[poldopunk]

mao lagi bai, nagmahay ko nganong gipanghagbong nako akong electronics sauna bai.

anyway, nag request na ko sa editor-in-chief sa hardwaresecrets to include locating VCORE, NB, CPU PLL, DIMM, CPU and NB GTL Ref readings for a tutorial and they gladly accepted the challenge. hehehe

[eirawn]

it is not advisable to measure sa chokes bro. better take the reading sa capacitor na pinakaduol sa proc. you'll get a better reading there. or much better if you use an oscillscope para makita nimo ang ang frequency and voltage peak nimo. ang purpose anang choke og capacitor is to smoothen the current going sa proc. faet ani ni polds na pukaw man ako college days when i use to make amplifiers, alarms, power supplies and fm transmitter. hehehe...

agree. just put your readings on the solid caps for a quick reading. I haven't tried the ones with EPU, DRMOS, or such coz there's a controller that will bypass these power phases.

gud luck nd balitai mi sa results.