The Birth of an Abit NF7 - A Factory Tour
by Kristopher Kubicki on June 11, 2004 10:12 PM EST- Posted in
- Motherboards
Database and Video Cards
Before we get to burn in, we stopped near one of the Oracle processing stations to take a look at the output. Each individual component from the capacitors to the sockets to the SMDs are tracked via a barcode scanner in this database. From here, workers can trace the exact components used in a motherboard assembly, from where the components came and where the motherboard is going. What makes this tool even more powerful is that any Abit facility in the world is capable of viewing this same output. Compared to other production facilities that we have seen in the past, this is quite a technological feat.
Click to enlarge.
Also en route to the environmental testing, we caught a glimpse of Abit's VGA assembly. The PCB and GPUs come from outside the facility, but component assembly is done here at the factory in a similar manner to the motherboards elsewhere. Unknown to many people outside of the production industry, motherboard and video card PCB typically roll off the OEM assembly line coupled together, so these two video cards below were recently attached until separated using a special scoring tool.
Click to enlarge.
Click to enlarge.
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KristopherKubicki - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
Got it, thanks.Kristopher
kalaap - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
"This is actually the second over on the production line; the first is used right after SMT."I think you meant second OVEN.
AtaStrumf - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
Right Click --> Save Target As... ---> save to disk and play from there. If its still not working you need a new player. Real One Player is preety good.roostercrows - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
can someone tell me which video players you guys use? i couldn't get my realplayer to download the videos. thanksDonB - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
"...why there are more women than men". Women have much better manual dexterity than men. Remember typing classes in high school? I remember in my class, after the first semester, the females were typing around 40-50 wpm while the males were typing around 25-35 wpm, almost without exception.CurtOien - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
"The machine technician and the traditional visual inspectors are paid about the same; usually around $100 per month with lodging."I wonder how much the executives make?
AtaStrumf - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
The problem that I see with their testing procedure is that they probably only test at default settings, which is just not good enough for an enthusiast targeted motherboard. Sure my KT7 A worked fine at 100 MHz FSB, but it didn't at 133 MHz FSB, and my latest AN7 works fine at default BIOS setting, but when you change something strange things start to happen.I understand that they're in a hurry, but they should at least test at the most stressful settings that the mobo is supposed to function properly i.e. 200 MHz FSB and not 133 or. 166 MHz. What good is a 24 h burn-in test if it's done at 133 MHz FSB, and I'm gonna be using a 200 MHz FSB.
For instance this AN7 that I have now, works perfectly if I OC my 2500+ with the default offered 3200+, but if I change the FSB manualy to 200 its totaly unstable. How strange is that?
KristopherKubicki - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
artifex: I have not heard that reason for using women over men in facilities.What other economic information were you interested in? I can add it to the article.
Kristopher
artifex - Sunday, June 13, 2004 - link
I couldn't get the n7_fail image to load (ironic), but other than that, everything was good.Is it still true that another reason why there are more women than men on the assembly line is because womens' hands are generally thought to be smaller, and more adept?
I'd like to see more of the background economic information like what you provided for this story, next time you do a plant tour, too.