PC prob - motherboard glued to case! Unglue help!

[mikeymike]

I'm asking this on amiga.org because Amiga owners are a lot more adventurous IMO with regard to hardware hacking

I'm transplanting the contents of a PC to a new case because the old one is damaged. However, as well as using the normal system of screwing the board to the case using normal screws and those screw adapters (what are they really called?), it looks like that glue has been applied between the screw adapter and the underside of the board. There seems to be a white residue of the glue around the screwhole as well, but it is very slight.

The most obvious solution IMO is a bit of careful and gentle screwdriver wedging work, but there are some points on the board where this becomes very difficult. I'm wondering if there's some sort of debonding chemical that won't melt the board. The only one I know of is acetone but I believe that melts PCB.

Help!

[tone007]

I wouldn't mess with chemicals.  Dremel/drill/pliers.  Just make sure any metal dust gets blown away before powering up again.

..though I've yet to meet any glue that would be tough enough to resist a good crank with a screwdriver.

[pyrre]

Paint thinner.... And q-tips....
Depending on what glue has been used...

EDIT:
Or you could try Acetone, it should work....

[Kronos]

Well, since you don't plan to use that case again, I'll advive to drill out the risers from the outside of the case. Once you got case and board seperated working on those risers&glue might become easier.

[pan1k]

Maybe a blow dryer to heat the glue?!

[motrucker]

Can you get a bit of the glue off to perform a solvent test? That way you can see what actually dissolves the glue, without hurting the motherboard.
Start with the least volatile solvent (water) and work your way up.
BTW - what brand computer is this?

[AmigaPete]

There seems to be a white residue of the glue around the screwhole as well, but it is very slight.

Are you sure it isn't screw cement (Lock-Tite)? It is more likely that this is the case so just  try unscrewing the screws and the  bonds should break. Companies (and some individuals who build computers) use this kind of stuff to ensure that warranties are not voided by people poking around inside their computers or so that people don't try the old motherboard swap and then complain that it doesn't work and demand a new one.

I would not recommend any kind of solvent because if it dissolves the glue then it will, most likely, also dissolve the motherboard.

Pete

[coldfish]

White resedue?
Could be someone has done the old supa-glue as thread lock trick, in which case a bit of gentle manipulation should break the bond between PCB and riser (assuming the risers are metal?).

Does the thread "crack" loose when you loosen screws or is it tight all the way out. If it cracks then loosens its probably lock-tite (like AmigaPete said) or supa-glue, if the thread is grabby it could be anything from liquid nails to

[mikeymike]

BTW - what brand computer is this?

"E-SYSTEMS".  Apparently sold by PC-World.

This morning I tried to loosen one by sticking a screw in it, then holding the screwdriver while using a pair of pliers to loosen the standoff/threaded spacer from the other side.  I don't think I made it budge.

I've taken some pictures that I hope are helpful:

The screw holes that look silver'y on the inside are the ones causing the problems.  Only two.

[mikeymike]

Problem solved, a bit of luck really.  I did a bit more work as I described this morning, when one of the standoffs/threaded spacers became unattached from the board (not sure why).  I then took the case apart so I could approach the final standoff/threaded spacer from the top of the case, noted that there wasn't any circuit pathways nearby, and wedged a wide screwdriver between the board base plate and the board, and it came apart with a tiny bit of effort.