Hard to find, easy to break, and even easier to lose. Yes, I’m talking about those little solder-in anchors, typically used to hold down a chipset, GPU, or any BGA related heat sink.
If the heat sink gets too hot, they may work their way out and fly off. It’s pretty easy to reattach them, but sometimes they are damaged or more likely, lost. I’ve seen people use paperclips and even staples, hell, I’ve done it myself a few times in the past. Not anymore. My secret?
Safety pins. Yep. Plain ole’ safety pins. Get the small ones. Chop it in half, flux it up, and solder away. Works like a charm and the size is a better fit than most alternatives. Besides, you ever notice the original anchors suffer from the old ‘Square peg in a round hole’ syndrome?
