lab:unclenuc

Working NUCs
Various SO-DIMM RAM sticks for the different devices
- A-Tech 8GB DDR3/DDR3L 1600MHz SODIMM 1.35V PRC3L-12800 2Rx8
- DDR4-2400 1.2V SO-DIMM
- DDR4-2666 1.2V SO-DIMM (10i7)
Various 19V power supplies (link)
- 5.5mm x 2.5mm x 15mm barrel connector
- 65W (19V * 3.42A) is the most common for older NUCs (example generic power supply)
- 90W, 120W for 10i7 and similar
- 230W power supply for some NUCs has a different for factor
- NUC9 series have discrete video adapters and have an integrated power supply
- Power powerful NUCs need higher wattage power supply
19V power supply with connector to plug into “internal power supply” 2 pin connector
- A NUC “internal” power supply is hard to come by
- Or make an adapter from the barrel connector to the molex connection
  - Velleman CD017-1 DC Jack to Screw Terminal, 2.5 mm x 5.5 mm
  - 5557-02R Molex receptacle
Spare CR2032 batteries with molex connector to replace CMOS battery (these last 5-7 years)
Various SSDs
- mSATA
- 2.5" SSD
- M.2 SATA
- M.2 NVMe
Wired USB keyboard and mouse (optionally use a wireless USB mouse)
USB to Ethernet adapter for NUCs with no LAN
Wireless cards
- Intel Dell Wireless-N 7260 Mini PCI-E WiFi Bluetooth card 300Mbps 7260 HMW Y74H6
Display cables and adapters
USB sticks
- Windows 10 installation USB stick
- Ubuntu 20.10 desktop installation USB stick
- BIOS recovery USB stick (many NUCs share the same .bio file)
Cleaning supplies
- Vacuum
- Canned air or blower
- ColorCoral Dust Cleaning Gel
- Electronics Contact Cleaner
- Plastics clean and shine
- Screws
  - NUC screws to replace missing screws (notebook screw kit works fine)
    - M2x3 ???? for M2 SSDs
    - M2.5 * 3 for mSATA SSDs (M2.5 * 4 works)
    - M2.5 * 5 for motherboard
    - M3 * 5 for 2.5“ SSD and HDD
  - magnetic screw cup
  - magnetic small Philipps screwdriver (I use this kit)
  - Multi-meter
    - Check CMOS 3V battery residual voltage (new 3.3 volt; drops down to 2.8-2.7V it is considered dead; 10% than nominal voltage should be replaced)
    - Check power on board

Initial Clean
Inventory the device against vs Expected Specifications
Initial Test
Update firmware
Use provided power adapter or compatible bench power adapter
Upgrade RAM as needed (my minimum is 4GB for Windows 10, preferred 8GB)
Install wireless card and/or antennas as needed
Reset or reload OS
Performance test
If power adapter was provided, be sure it is tested
If no power adapter was provided, add a power adapter
Post-test reset or reload OS
Final clean
Write up status card

Initial Clean
Inventory vs Expected Specs
Remove RAM and storage that arrived with unit and install pre-tested RAM and storage
Use provided power adapter or compatible bench power adapter
Initial Test
Update firmware
Upgrade RAM as needed (I generally recommend 8GB)
Install wireless card and/or antennas as needed
Install M2 mSATA 32GB minimum, 64GB or more recommended
Reset or reload OS
Performance test
If power adapter was provided, be sure it is tested
If no power adapter was provided, add a power adapter
Post-test reset or reload OS
Final clean
Write up status card

Initial Clean
CPU Fan and Cooling System Clean
Inventory vs Expected Specs
Remove RAM and storage that arrived with unit and install pre-tested RAM and storage
Remove Wifi card, if any
Use provided power adapter or compatible bench power adapter
Reset BIOS settings (F2, F9)
CMOS battery failure message, CMOS battery low message, or loss of date/time means the CMOS battery has failed
- Replace the battery - https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000006787/intel-nuc.html
- Example of replacement batteries I use: CR2032 batteries with molex connector
Reset BIOS to defaults
Update firmware / Update BIOS (F7)
Initial Test
Hardware diagnostics tests
Re-test with original RAM, if any
Re-test with original storage, if any
Re-test with original wifi-card, if any
Reset or reload OS
Performance test (hardware diagnostics/performance, winsat score, other benchmark)
Test if original issues are still occuring
If power adapter was provided, be sure it is tested
If no power adapter was provided, add a power adapter
Post-test reset or reload OS
Final clean
Write up status card

Initial Clean
Inventory vs Expected Specs
After cleaning, the RAM, storage and any wifi card ¹⁾ should be removed. Install a known working compatible RAM SO-DIMM (testing a RAM SODIM: https://www.memtest86.com/downloads/memtest86-usb.zip)
Connect video, wired keyboard, and compatible lab bench power supply
Power the device on
Review Intel NUC boot troubleshooting documentation
- No Boot Troubleshooting Wizard
- Full troubleshooting instructions
No power light, processer fan not turning, USB ports have power
No power at all
Power light blinking patterns of 3
Power light blinking pattern of 1
Power light rapid blinking then powers off
Power light steady on, no video, CPU fan turning
Power light steady on, no video, CPU fan not turning

Table of Contents

UncleNUC Lab

Repair, Renew and Repurpose

Lab Projects