How the devil do you remove push pins?!

Probably a very stupid question, but i just tried with a pair of pliers and thought I broke my m/b...i put a big scratch along some of the etchings :(

Any tips on getting them out? I\'m trying to replace the NB fan...and I hope the mobo isn\'t broken.

Thanks

I usually use flat headed tweezer. It\'s better than a pair of pliers in my opinion. First put some layers of tissue over the pin so that you will less likely damage your mobo pcb when you made mistake. Then carefully pinch those plastic hooks that are holding the pin in place. Those pins are usually under a tension so will come out by themselves if you do it right. It\'s easy when you get the hang of it.

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Originally Posted by notsobig

I usually use flat headed tweezer. It's better than a pair of pliers in my opinion. First put some layers of tissue over the pin so that you will less likely damage your mobo pcb when you made mistake. Then carefully pinch those plastic hooks that are holding the pin in place. Those pins are usually under a tension so will come out by themselves if you do it right. It's easy when you get the hang of it.

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Thank you for that...it was driving me crazy. On an almost unrelated note, do you have to reapply thermal paste everytime you remove the cooler from the CPU?obviously I have to do that to remove the mobo.

If you've just recently applied those paste then maybe you can re-use them. Just make sure they are evenly applied though.

I always manage nails or a needle nose, you really have to push them in on one side and squeeze them on the other to avoid wearing out the tiny latches on the side that goes through the main board...because its plastic it wears and then pops out more easily.

the 3Dfx s3 had copper push pins:)

You know, this is why I picked up one of these toolkits.

Stupidly cheap site, though you will end up waiting a week or two for delivery, got a nice tool for grabbing the pins like tweezers but they come in slightly at the ends.

Needle-nose pliers are the best way to remove them, though I admit I did have a devil of a time sorting the NB hs on my NF2-S v2 :(

Spare pushpins make ideal umbrellas for ants.