ECS K7S5A or 1.4G Athlon TBird: Which is dead? Fixed: It was the PSU!!!

[bsauerbr]

I was playing Quake3A when my PC rebooted. It showed the BIOS screen but never started detecting the IDE devices.

(1) I noticed the HDD and CDRW lights were stuck on when they usually go out a few seconds after a reset. Pushing the reset button had no effect. Holding the main power button for longer than five seconds did not turn off the PC. Uh oh!

(2) I unplugged the power cord, waited a few seconds, plugged it in and pushed the power button. This time the screen stayed blank, not even a BIOS screen. The CRT LED went green for a few secs then yellow. CPU, Vid card, and case fans all spinning.

(3) Tried a different video card, same as (2).

(4) Disconnected ATX power cable and shorted black and green wires. PSU fan comes on. Checked a couple pins with multimeter for DC voltage and they look OK. Seems like PSU is not the problem.

(5) Took mobo and PSU out of case. Assembled CPU, RAM, Vid card, PSU on foam/ESD bag and still no video signal.

(6) Same as (5) with one stick of RAM, same thing.

(7) Removed CPU and HSF. CPU looks fine, no sign of frying. Clean 'em up, reapply ASII. Reseated both sticks of RAM. Tried (5) again and still no video signal.

Pushing reset or holding power not having any effect makes me suspect the mobo. Unfortunately I don't have another CPU to try.
So is it the CPU or the mobo?

Thanks in advance,
Bob


ECS K7S5A mobo
1.4G Athlon TBird @ 133FSB
Thermaltake Volcano 6Cu HSF with ASII thermal paste
2x256M Crucial PC2100 DDR
Visiontek Xtasy 6564 GF3 Ti200
WD10G and WD60G HDDs
Liteon 32x10x40x CDRW
all in a Enlight 7230 Case with AMD Approved 300W PSU
extra intake and exhaust fans.
been running since Sep 2001
Runs mid 50's C full load.

EDIT: Reply in another post said to clear CMOS. Think that might help here?

 

[Buz2b]

That's a tough one and it certainly looks like you did some good detective work trying to get a diagnosis. A couple of things come to mind that may indeed be long shots but may be worth a try. First, yes, I'd try clearing the cmos. Be sure to do so correctly though. You MUST remove the ATX power cord from the MB before doing this. I usually disconnect ALL cableing from the board just for "overkill" sakes. 🙂 Then move the CMOS jumper to the Clear position and go have a cup of coffee or soda. Come back, replace the jumper to the Normal position, then only try to boot with minimal devices as you did before in #5 (out of the case) and with only one stick of RAM. Even if it doesn't boot, let it sit for a few minutes. Then, after turning it off (and removing the power cord), use your fingers to "feel" the critical areas of the board; around the CPU, video card, RAM, ATX connector, etc. What you are looking for are "hot spots". I mean much hotter than a very warm motherboard. This might give you a clue if it is the board or not. The key word is "might". Lacking anything out of the ordinary, you really then only have a couple of choices. See if you can find someone willing to test your CPU in their system and/or their processor in your board. A local shop might test your cpu for a small charge which could save you some bucks in the long run.
One last thing comes to mind and I hesitate to mention it; but I must. That Power Supply is only rated to run up to a 1 GHz CPU according to AMD's PSU recommendation page.. I know, I know, it's been running for a long time just fine. However, you were "living on the edge" with that and maybe it just took a while to "fall off". Might be worth it to try a better PSU if you can get one to play with. Just a thought...............

 

[russryder]

Flashing the bios is about the only thing that you didn't do. If that doesn't work.....either cpu or mobo. No way to tell without testing in a known good system.

 

[bsauerbr]

Thanks for the replies so far. I will try clearing CMOS tonight.

If I put everything back in the case and don't have the lights stuck on like (1) above, I may try reflashing BIOS.



<< . That Power Supply is only rated to run up to a 1 GHz CPU according to AMD's PSU recommendation page. >>



I have arranged with a local shop (Technology Partners in Phx) to test the CPU. Tech Partners also has an Enermax EG365P-VE 350W which is listed on AMD's website for a 1400. I've been meaning to pick up a Sound Blaster Live 5.1 from them for a while since the onboard sound sucks for gaming. Hopefully if I buy those they'll test the CPU for free.


EDIT: fixed the quote

 

[Halflin1]

Wow this is amazing!!! I had the same problem with my K7S5A/ 1.4ghz Athlon, I mean EXACTLY the same thing!! I would get power to everything: fans, hd, floppy,cd-rom, but nothing would happen for the bios to boot up.. I thought I might even have had a electrical short with a screw that attaches the mobo to the case, so I took everything out hooked it up outside the case and still the same thing.. I even reset the CMOS like Buz2b suggests above and nothing happened. I tried different video cards and still the same. The only thing I didn't do that you did was number 4. Well anyway I'm sad to report that I gave up after about a week of trying different things and went and bought an Epox- 8kHAL (a budget 8kHA+ KT266A without all the overclocking bells and whistles, $76.00 + $7.00 S/H at www.newegg.com) mobo. I still have the ECS on my shelf to send back I just need to find my receipt so I can return it so when I get it back I'll sell it on ebay.. I'm sorry this has happened to you but I'm glad someone else is having the same problem I'm having with that processor/ mobo combo. I wonder if it's something with that combo? Anyway if you are able to find a solution, please post back on this thread so I can fix mine!!

Thanks,
Half

 

[Duvie]

Well first off...Ecs boards have been very picky when it comes to power and generally imo takes quality power supplies to work flawlessly...

There was a rumored 1.4ghz and ecs problem early on due to incorrect ohm resistors on board but that was said to be taken care of by rev 3 and most of you guys are likely to have rev 4 or greater in these times....


I would try power supply swap...

then have someone test cpu....

if cpu and power supply are good then it likely the mobo...

Don't you have the speaker connected??? Are you hearing any beep tones???

 

[hoihtah]

i second/third/fourth the psu testing.

 

[bsauerbr]

<< 1. Might be worth it to try a better PSU if you can get one to play with. Just a thought...............

2. I would try power supply swap...

3. i second/third/fourth the psu testing.
>>




I guess you can't say it enough about this mobo.....get a good freakin' PSU.

I picked up the Enermax EG365P-VE 350W on the way home. It is a huge step up from the PSU that came in this case. Dual fans with speed monitor, long cables, heavy. Very nice.

After seeing the ATX power connector pinout in the Enermax manual I saw my problem right away. When I checked the orange wires with the multimeter last night they were reading 1.7V. I know, you're all saying "The orange wires are supposed to be 3.3V". Not knowing exactly what I was looking for, and seeing +5, -5, 12V signals I thought the PSU was OK. Looks like I fried the 3.3V rails in the stock PSU. That makes sense because CPU uses the 3.3V rail, right?

Did another (5) from above and what do you think happened? BIOS screen, POST, Bob doing a happy dance. I put that baby back in the case, fired her up, and that's what I'm typing on now. I'm back in business

Thx for all the replies.

 

[Buz2b]

Congrats on your findings and new PSU. That is one fine unit. I use the Enermax 350 myself and have never been sorry for spending the few extra bucks. Good luck!