Power supply seems to be dead...Want to make sure.

[BernardP]

My computer won't start. See my system in my sig below. Nothing happens when I press the Power button: the fan doesn't spin, HD doesn't spin. Utter silence...

But there is current in the system. The main power light on the front of the case blinks slowly, and when I plug the DVI output at the rear into my monitor, the "No DVI Input Connected" message on the monitor disappears.

This problem has been brewing for some time. When it happened previously, the computer wouldn't start while the power light was blinking. At some point, after 15 to 45 minutes, the power light would stop blinking and then the computer would start. But now, it has been blinking for 24 hours and pressing the Power button does nothing.

I know I should have taken care of this before I am dead in the water...

I can't be certain it's the P/S. The P/S is connected to the motherboard through the big main plug, but the Power switch is also connected to a separate connector on the motherboard. I can't be sure it's not a problem with the ON/Off circuitry on the mobo.

It would certainly help if I could understand what the blinking Power light means. Not a word about this in the manuals (mobo and case/PS).

Is there a way I can be certain that getting a new power supply would solve this, sort of trying one?

 

[SparkyJJO]

Unplug the PSU from everything. Take a paperclip and on the 24 pin mobo connector short the green wire with any of the black ones, see if it kicks on.

Odds are though, being a smartpower 2.0, the caps have popped in it so the PSU is probably dead. If you are any good with a soldering iron you can fix that, if not you could RMA it if it is still under warranty (but you'd probably get another one that would do the same thing later on).

If you just don't want to mess with it and are going to throw it away and get a new one PM me, I may be interested in saving it from the trash can.

 

[BernardP]

Nice tip SparkyJJO.

I am going to try it tonight.

I was also under the impression that it could be a capacitor problem. As the problem develops, the caps take more and more time to charge, until one day, they don't charge at all. Does this make sense?

If I have to get a new PSU, I will chose something more durable. It will cost me too much to ship this for replacement, and I won't have a computer at home while I wait.

 

[Thump553]

What you describe is exactly what happened to one of my computers recently. The good news it was the power supply and I had an unused one sitting around. The bad news is the replacement P/S is an Antec SmartPower 2 and I keep reading bad things about them, so I may be going through this again in the future.

 

[SparkyJJO]

Originally posted by: BernardP
Nice tip SparkyJJO.

I am going to try it tonight.

I was also under the impression that it could be a capacitor problem. As the problem develops, the caps take more and more time to charge, until one day, they don't charge at all. Does this make sense?

If I have to get a new PSU, I will chose something more durable. It will cost me too much to ship this for replacement, and I won't have a computer at home while I wait.

That can be one way they go bad, the ESR goes up (equivalent series resistance) which cuses it to take longer to charge until like you said they basically become open circuit and quit altogether. Another way they can fail is as they vent they loose capacitance, or the louder way is they short out and go bang! with a nice stinky smell

Like I said, if you decide to ditch the PSU, PM me first, don't toss it in the garbage.

Thump553, you could take the preventative maintenance route and recap it before you have problems (if you are up to doing that). These older model antecs aren't bad units aside from the caps so once those are switched out they can last quite a while.

 

[BernardP]

OK, so I used the wire trick to test the PSU, after taking it completely out of the case. The thing started, but I am not sure of how much power it delivers. It is able to spin a PSU fan and the rear case fan I connected. I have the impression that the case fan was running slower than normal, because it was quieter than usual.

I then put everything back in the case and it still doesn't spin. Maybe the full system load is too much for what little power the PSU can still deliver?

I am in luck, as there is a guy at work who has a spare CoolerMaster 350 Watts PSU that has all the necessary wiring to be used in my system. I am going to try it tonight, so I should know if I have a simple dead PSU problem or worse.

SparkyJJO, I will tell you if/when my PSU becomes available.

 

[jmmtn4aj]

Same thing happened to me awhile ago on a 430W TruePower II. Blinking lights, would start after awhile at first, wouldn't start at all later on, etc..

 

[BernardP]

Just a quick additional question. My friends PSU has a 20-pin ATX connector, but there is a 24-PIN connector on my mobo...

This looks like it will fit without an adapter, but I would like to know how the pins line up. Which 4 pins have to be left empty on the mobo?

I have searched for this, but only find queries about fitting a newer 24-pin connector on a 20-pin mobo by detaching a 4-pin section.

EDIT: Would it be OK to simply make sure that the hole on the 24-pin mobo ATX connector that receives the green wire plug from the 24-pin PSU cable also receives the green wire plug from the 20-pin PSU cable? ( last sentence not written by Mark Twain :roll: )

 

[SparkyJJO]

You can plug it in without a problem, it'll only fit in the right spots. Don't worry about the last 4 pins, it isn't a big deal. I'm running a cruncher that is overclocked off a 20pin PSU on a 24pin mobo. Works fine.

 

[BernardP]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
You can plug it in without a problem, it'll only fit in the right spots. Don't worry about the last 4 pins, it isn't a big deal. I'm running a cruncher that is overclocked off a 20pin PSU on a 24pin mobo. Works fine.

Thanks, could you please look at the previous message I edited while you were replying.

Do you mean that the 4 additional pins don't have the same shape as the other 20, so that the 20 pin connector can only fit one way?

 

[SparkyJJO]

The reason why it won't fit in the others is the holes in the plug are not all square but some have angles in them. And yes, if you line up the green wires then you are good to go.

*edit* you can see what I mean here
http://www.dvdwriter.com.au/ca...er_supply_20-24pin.jpg

some of the pins are square, some have angled corners.

 

[BernardP]

Thanks again!

It couldn't be any clearer

 

[SparkyJJO]

glad to help

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: SparkyJJO
Unplug the PSU from everything. Take a paperclip and on the 24 pin mobo connector short the green wire with any of the black ones, see if it kicks on.

That's the first time I've heard of that trick. You can do that without killing yourself ? (sorry, I'm no electrical engineer)

 

[heymrdj]

The green wires in the mobo pin is just signal. Minute voltages who's only job is to kick the bigger relays in the PSU to go. Look at it in the form of a nuclear bomb. Dynamite explodes, causing the urnanium core to be compressed, causing the big boom you see miles away. But it's that little charge of dynamite that starts the process. Same here. A little voltage line (green) is switched on, closing the relay that's connected to the big voltage that runs the PSU.

 

[AmberClad]

Originally posted by: heymrdj
The green wires in the mobo pin is just signal. Minute voltages who's only job is to kick the bigger relays in the PSU to go. Look at it in the form of a nuclear bomb. Dynamite explodes, causing the urnanium core to be compressed, causing the big boom you see miles away. But it's that little charge of dynamite that starts the process. Same here. A little voltage line (green) is switched on, closing the relay that's connected to the big voltage that runs the PSU.

Thanks for info :thumbsup:.

 

[BernardP]

The test works. Use a bit of insulated wire if you prefer. When I did the test, my dead PSU still had enough juice to spin a couple of fans, but was hopelessly inert when plugged into everything.

IN OTHER NEWS...

My friends spare PSU works perfectly in my system. So count one more ex-user of the Antec Dead Power 2.0.

I am starting another thread asking for a few suggestions for a replacement.

SparkyJJO, I am pm'ing you about my now-available dead PSU.

 

[biostud]

Originally posted by: AmberClad

Originally posted by: heymrdj
The green wires in the mobo pin is just signal. Minute voltages who's only job is to kick the bigger relays in the PSU to go. Look at it in the form of a nuclear bomb. Dynamite explodes, causing the urnanium core to be compressed, causing the big boom you see miles away. But it's that little charge of dynamite that starts the process. Same here. A little voltage line (green) is switched on, closing the relay that's connected to the big voltage that runs the PSU.

Thanks for info :thumbsup:.

my water kit even came with a short wire to turn on the PSU, to test if the system is tight, you hook up all your devices.