Safe way to remove extra (2) PCI slots on RB/435?

[wispwest]

Since the RB/433GL’s are having issues with throughput, and I don’t have time to wait for a firmware fix, I thought about going back to the 433AH’s, but I like the GB ports because I can push 130Mbps on my PtP links. I see the RB/435 is a good candidate for this, BUT is has an extra 2 nonsense PCI slots on the back, making it impossible to put in a case.

I remember seeing somewhere online there was even a company that de-soldered the PCI slots so you could use it. I know I could use a huge outdoor case, but these ones I"m replacing are inside cases in a outdoor cabinet. Those huge white outdoor cases just wouldn’t fit.

Anyone have any luck removing those extra (2) slots? What a pain! Who uses (5) mini-PCI cards anyways!

[Dobby]

Deleted because not related.

[wispwest]

@Dobby

Hello wispwest,

I see the RB/435 is a good candidate for this, BUT is has an extra 2 nonsense PCI slots on the back, making it impossible to put in a case.

before you are not really knowing, why MikroTik was doing or assembling this two extra mini pci slots, you should not start bashing on them!

And please don´t forget for a so small company like MikroTik it is very difficult to find out and match all user wishes and needs. What for you is important, can for the rest of the world being absolutely crap.

Perhaps, once more again, perhaps there are users out there and they are using their MikroTik devices in combination with other cards then as WLAN and WIFI! And MikroTik was at one point the opinion to give their
customers more options and so the two extra mini PCI slots where finding their way in side of the product line. Ok
I consider that this is not very clear and also don´t comes very closer to the customers, if then this add on cards are not finding their way in the production line or the driver support will be stopped, by what ever kind of declaration or internal company politics this is not interesting me and you perhaps also. There fore this comes out that some devices should not be done like we wish it or love or we all are able to understand it in the right way.

I´ll give you an very small try out, related to this example:

MikroTik RB435G = 5 x mini PCI slots - Device
Slot 1 WLAN Card - b/g wireless
Slot 2 WLAN Card - n wireless
Slot 3 Home plug AV Card from Meconet - uplink to a smaller AP (400 till 1500 meters)
Slot 4 Cavium or Soekris vpn card - Speeding up the vpn with hardware support massively
Slot 5 Lannic-100A - Speeding up the deep packet inspection massively

All the ports are now sorted and full filled, all five I mean and what was wrong now?

What a pain! Who uses (5) mini-PCI cards anyways!

How have the need to do.

That the RB433GL series has perhaps some problems, is the one thing, but what the hell the RB435G is connected to this problem?

At this time it should be perhaps also the best to sort all the devices with GB LAN Ports, because 10 and 100 MBit/s are also available at them too.

Wow “Dobby” you should really start reading my posts more thoroughly before you go bashing what I say. Here’s a few points

• There is a VERY small percentage of people that will actually use ALL FIVE mini-PCI ports. Especially in the way you described.
• There is a VERY LARGE percentage of us out there that use Mikrotik for our Point-to-Point connections
• I would gladly use the RB/433GL boards to get the GB ports, but they have throughput issues.
• You are STUCK with buying the RB/435G board if you want GB ports and a board that works (I’ve deployed 5 of the 435G’s and they work great).
• Another company already is selling a version that has the 2 back PCI ports removed! Now tell me where the demand is…http://www.balticnetworks.com/mikrotik-routerboard-433g-complete-with-desktop-enclosure-and-power-supply.html

[Dobby]

Deleted because not related.

[wispwest]

Doddy,

Removing the 2 PCI slots on the back is being done already by Baltic Networks, as shown in the link. As mentioned in my post, it is only a “inconvenience” have them on there. "I’m sure the board works fine with them, its just a pain to try and fit it in “most” of the indoor cases. Even the popular outdoor model ODE-MTK you can only screw in the bottom screws, the top ones won’t fit because the 2 bulky PCI slots prop the board high off the back plate.