Question No m2 screw hole motherboard

[DeeMee3Ye]

My mobo has 3 screw holes for the nano ssd. The third hole, the one i need to screw down the ssd is there, but its like its not drilled. Screw cant go in, its like its sealed, or as i said, like it hasnt been even drilled, wtf?

 

[rgd1101]

ok.

 

[punkncat]

Can you post any details so we can attempt to help?

Model of the motherboard? Model of M.2 drive?

In general M.2 SSD come in various lengths where 2280 is most common in most places, but there are shorter ones.

 

[DeeMee3Ye]

Mobo is asus z170k, ssd length is the longest for that type, meanjng it goes into the last screw hole ( there are 3) the first 2 holes are normal, but the third is not drilled, there is the screw hole entrance but no hole. I removed the mobo and checked brhind it. I can push a needle through the first 2 holes, but not through the 3rd

 

[punkncat]

It would seem as either you could get a 2260 M.2, or you could "engineer" a way to get that drive to stay in place.

 

[DeeMee3Ye]

Whatever I do it disconnects at least once a week. Tried many "engineering" things but none worked, its a really tight spot between the gpu and cpu. I was just hoping someone here had a similar problem and a solution maybe

 

[SkyNetRising]

Mobo is asus z170k, ssd length is the longest for that type, meanjng it goes into the last screw hole ( there are 3) the first 2 holes are normal, but the third is not drilled, there is the screw hole entrance but no hole.

Can you show a photo?
(upload to imgur.com and post link)

From your description - sounds like screw has been broken off.

Anyway - you can install M.2 pcie adapter in a free PCIE slot on motherboard.
And put NVME drive in there.

 

[DeeMee3Ye]

Im at work atm I will try to take a pic when I get home, but Im 100% sure it wasnt broken off. Didnt think about the adapter, not a bad idea

 

[Moonstick2]

Have you had this from new? If not, likely the previous owner broke the standoff inside it. If you have, then maybe a manufacturing fault that you unfortunately never discovered until now when you first got an NVMe. Either way, a PCIe adapter is your best bet. You don't really want to try drilling and tapping it.

 

[Misgar]

Screw cant go in, its like its sealed, or as i said, like it hasnt been even drilled

Untapped (blind) holes are not uncommon in the manufacturing process and yours was missed by inadequate Quality Assurance inspections.

If this was my board, I'd apply a small amount of "neutral cure" Silicone sealant (not bathroom sealant which contains Acetone) to hold the M.2 board in situ. Possibly Dow 737 as suggested here.
https://www.reddit.com/r/AskElectronics/comments/vp5obc/silicone_sealant_safe_on_pcb/

A couple of pea-sized blobs on the corners should be enough, with a heavy weight placed on top whilst the sealant cures. If you need to replace the M.2 drive, it should be easy enough to tug gently and lift the end up, if you haven't smothered it with too much goo.

A range of potting compounds and glues are manufactured for use with printed circuit board electronics, but could end up costing more than a cheap M.2 PCIe adapter board.
https://www.xjysilicone.com/application-of-silicone-materials-for-electronics.html

This would be far too much compound.
http://electronicadhesive.com/

 

[SkyNetRising]

If this was my board, I'd apply a small amount of "neutral cure" Silicone sealant

Or just use a piece of double sided foam tape.