Blast from the past!
Actually, thank you very much for following up with this. I actually just decided to not bother with the mod. I suspect my dad actually has many of the needed tools (probably soldering iron, definitely multimeter), but as I got new parts for Christmas, the computer with the board was relegated to home while the new one came to college with me. So, at this point anyway, I don't see myself attempting the mod any time soon.