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    Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

    Background

    I have my first custom build of computer running fine for almost 3 years before it finally unable to boot up properly recently. I have my computer installed with Intel Celeron 430 (1.80GHZ), 75W processor with fan; 1GB Kingston Module DDR2 667MHZ ram; ATI RADEON graphic card and 450W/500W Power Logic PSU. All the fans are working (graphic card, cooler and PSU) when I turn the computer casing power button ON. The power LED won't turn ON and seems to have been shorted. I have plugged in the motherboard buzzer or speaker, graphic card, LCD monitor and VGA cable into place but whenever I turn it on I have no signal from my motherboard and no POST beeps as well....only DARK SCREEN!

    Motherboard

    This is an ECS G31T-M7 REV:7.0 motherboard made by Elitegroup. It will not POST. Specifications link:

    http://www.ecsusa.com/ECSWebsite/Pro...uID=16&LanID=9

    Service Manual at:



    Symptoms

    - HSF fan never ending spinning
    - No LED light on case F/PANEL
    - No beeps
    - No displays
    - No POST

    Tests Done So Far

    Here is what I have tested so far and found. All resulted in no beeps and no POST:

    - all tests done below with the motherboard "breadboard" (that is out of the case sitting on a cardboard box)
    - reseated the existing 3V battery (measures 3.16V DC on multimeter)
    - cleared CMOS battery by removing it for a day and tried moving the clear CMOS jumper
    - all voltages on PSU are within tolerances
    - check the standard voltages on the motherboard with a multimeter
    - check the capacitors voltages are within tolerances with a multimeter
    - desoldered the NICHICON HM(M) 1000uF 6.3V capacitor suspected to become shorted and overfilled because the voltage converted from 5V > 1.5V
    - keyboard (num, caps, and scroll lock) all light up initially and then go out (after that, it seems that the keyboard does not work)
    - tried one DIMM in slot 1 and then slot 2 and get no beep
    - tried removing all DDR memory and still get no beeps
    - turn the board on and off by shorting the power SW-PINS (southbridge is partially working)

    Questions

    What can I do or anything to try to make this board work again ? And what should be the best repalcement capacitors for NICHICON HM(M) 1000uF 6.3V ?
    Any suggestions for this motherboard recap as I have 10 NICHICON HM(M) 1000uF 6.3V ? sitting in this motherboard while the rests are Teapo capacitors ?
    PLEASE HELP!!!
    Attached Files
    Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 02-09-2015, 04:33 AM.
    "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."
    -Napoleon Hill

    "The chip that functions abnormally will be desoldered, as they say."
    -Charles Stross

    "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"
    -The Mad Hatter


    #2
    Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

    I think your capacitors are fine. A Nichicon HM that new is unlikely to have a problem. I don't know exactly what you mean by "suspected to become shorted and overfilled because the voltage converted from 5V > 1.5V" Do you mean that a voltage regulator which should have been giving 1.5V failed and outputted 5V? If so, the cap will survive that, being rated for 6.3V maximum, but whatever it was powering would not have.
    I love putting bad caps and flat batteries in fire and watching them explode!!

    No wonder it doesn't work! You installed the jumper wires backwards

    Main PC: Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz, Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H-MVP, 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600, 240GB Intel 335 Series SSD, 750GB WD HDD, Sony Optiarc DVD RW, Palit nVidia GTX660 Ti, CoolerMaster N200 Case, Delta DPS-600MB 600W PSU, Hauppauge TV Tuner, Windows 7 Home Premium

    Office PC: HP ProLiant ML150 G3, 2x Xeon E5335 2GHz, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 120GB Intel 530 SSD, 2x 250GB HDD, 2x 450GB 15K SAS HDD in RAID 1, 1x 2TB HDD, nVidia 8400GS, Delta DPS-650BB 650W PSU, Windows 7 Pro

    Comment


      #3
      Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

      Originally posted by c_hegge View Post
      I don't know exactly what you mean by "suspected to become shorted and overfilled because the voltage converted from 5V > 1.5V"
      I'm actually using a digital multimeter to check the voltages for the capacitors around the memory slots which also connected to one of the MOSFET chips or voltage regulators and it has a 1.5V on one of the capacitors which is also a Nichicon capacitors. What I did to check the voltage of the capacitors was I removed every single piece of the hardwares and powered the motherboard up with only the PSU and battery. It seems it would never make sense that when I tested across for almost all the Nichicon capacitors would be reading 1.5V for each of the capacitors I tested by just poking my meter on the leads. I really don't know what I'm checking is correct or wrong so I just assume it should be a capacitor problem since the voltage is not up to tolerance that it should have which is 5V. When desoldered from the motherboard the suspected Nichicon capacitor did not fully charge up when I charged it with only normal 9V battery. One of the reason I suspected this Nichicon capacitor is because some of this capacitor don't even show any sign of failure or pop up when some of the manufacturer claimed it will still can cause trouble if we don't remove this plagued capacitor.

      (http://news.cnet.com/PCs-plagued-by-...3-5942647.html).


      Anyway does this show that the capacitor that is unable to be fully charged will has some leakages ? Please tell me what else should I check to actually narrow down the situation for this motherboard or anything that can prevent it from booting up properly? And I must say to you sorry that I don't have the exact picture showing the test I've done to show it on my post.
      Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 02-09-2015, 06:07 AM.
      "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."
      -Napoleon Hill

      "The chip that functions abnormally will be desoldered, as they say."
      -Charles Stross

      "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"
      -The Mad Hatter

      Comment


        #4
        Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

        Originally posted by c_hegge View Post
        I don't know exactly what you mean by "suspected to become shorted and overfilled because the voltage converted from 5V > 1.5V"
        The article he linked holds claim that the bad HMs and HNs were overfilled. But I think there is a common misconception afloat on the internet at large that the announcement came from Nichicon. It didn't (same goes for the "SAR disinfectant announcement" - well, that did stem from Nichicon, but there's no mention of HM or HN there, and Rubycon gave rise to a similar announcement around the same time). I think it came from someone at Dell who thought they observed "overfilling" because the capacitors were "overflowing" with electrolyte (and - interestingly enough - Dell observed this in January of 2004 in accordance to some sealed documents from the A.I.T. lawsuit, and knowing this would affect at least 11.8 million computers, chose not to say anything about it...). Very observant, Dell... and that article makes of note that Nichicon's US representatives refused to comment and that Nichicon was not answering emails about the matter. Dell does claim that they audited Nichicon's plant but I don't believe them. They were caught using deceptive language (see the link below - not bothering to make the distinction of which series Nichicon use and by way of email, alerting employees not to speak in a fully truthful manner).

        Another misconception is that Nichicon pulled the bad capacitors in 2004. It was Dell who suspended the use of capacitors (and maybe Intel and HP - can't find the link at the moment but I remember reading a page where Intel claimed that they were inspecting and changing certain components on their motherboard like capacitors on 875 series boards), not Nichicon. That is why, at least judging from this thread, it's safe to say that even 2006 and 2007 HMs aren't safe (as well as this post). Threads like these makes me wonder if Foxconn was hit with a huge rash of fakes (fakes wouldn't surprise me at all - look at this thread). It would make sense as I noticed the Nichicon HNs and HMs of the time have poorer font than the modern ones, IE the stenciling on the bad HNs is quite awful (look at the second image on this page). That might not be it either, though, as HNs don't seem to hesitate to blow as of 2005 at least even with good stenciling.

        Not trying to hijack the thread or scare anyone. I'm sure HMs and HNs, at least those sourced from Nichicon or an authorized distributor, are at least better than KZGs and KZJs. I may be entirely wrong and Nichicon might have taken care of business (I noticed modern HNs and HZs are rated from -25C to +105C according to the datasheet, whereas the original datasheets only rated them from -40C to +105C, suggesting that maybe the electrolyte was reformulated).

        The HMs are 1.5V capacitors now that they have been on the VRM output for so long. As for the fact that they won't charge with a 9V battery, I believe momaka's method is to do that, remove the battery, then short the leads against some sort of metal. No sparks means they've gone leaky. I also highly recommend you replace the small Teapos as they have great notoriety for failing without any signs and may even be your issue.
        Last edited by Wester547; 02-09-2015, 11:02 AM.

        Comment


          #5
          Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

          Originally posted by LENOVO-A880 View Post
          - check the standard voltages on the motherboard with a multimeter
          Which voltages did you check? And what were they?
          You need to check CPU V_core, CPU Vtt, RAM Vdd (should be 1.8V), Ram Vtt (usually about 1/2 of RAM Vdd), Northbridge Vcc, and Southbridge Vcc.
          Let me know if you need help locating those.

          Originally posted by LENOVO-A880 View Post
          - keyboard (num, caps, and scroll lock) all light up initially and then go out (after that, it seems that the keyboard does not work)
          Does the Num Lock light work if you repeatedly push the Num Lock key? And does it lock into an either OFF or ON state after a while? If yes, that usually indicates a hard crash (i.e. BIOS didn't finish loading or never even started).

          Originally posted by LENOVO-A880 View Post
          Any suggestions for this motherboard recap as I have 10 NICHICON HM(M) 1000uF 6.3V ? sitting in this motherboard while the rests are Teapo capacitors ?
          You can try new Nichicon HM, HN, or HZ caps (available on badcaps.net). Other choices would be Rubycon MBZ and MCZ. 820uF 2.5V polymers would work on spots that have less than 2V on them. Probably even Rubycon ZL, ZLG, and ZLJ would work, even though they don't have as low of an ESR as HM.

          As for the Teapo - most appear to be on the 5VSB or USB V lines from what I can tell, or other non-important rails. The only troublesome Teapos are the one in the lower right corner of the board in your picture (by the RAM slots), and the one by the "SYS_FAN" connector, which may be for the high side of the CPU Vtt MOSFET to the left of it.

          Originally posted by LENOVO-A880 View Post
          When desoldered from the motherboard the suspected Nichicon capacitor did not fully charge up when I charged it with only normal 9V battery.
          That's because you are using a 9V battery on a 6.3V cap. You must NOT go over the rated voltage of the cap at any time. Try it with a 5V adapter. And the more important part is to see if the cap can make a tiny spark if you short it against a metal surface - a crude indication that the cap is more or less healthy.

          Now other things I can think of:
          What kind of CPU heatsink did you use? Does the board "flex" under the CPU socket when the heatsink is on? Try putting the CPU heatsink on the CPU without locking it on the board (and with thermal compound, of course).

          Also, I can't help but notice that your board has only 4 caps on the CPU V_core - that's very skimpy on ECS's part. I doubt this is the problem, since you likely would have gotten multiple crashes before the board died. But if you want to try it for an exercise, get two more 2.5V 820uF polymer caps and add them to the empty spots next to the CPU. Nichicon LF, R5, R7, E5, and E7 series should be okay (among others). Other choices are United Chemicon PSC and PSA, and Fujitsu (now also owned by Nichicon) FPCAP RE series. I think the Fujitsu's are available on badcaps.net store too.
          Just avoid eBay at all costs. Too many counterfeit caps there.
          Last edited by momaka; 02-10-2015, 07:39 PM.

          Comment


            #6
            Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

            Originally posted by momaka View Post
            Which voltages did you check? And what were they?
            You need to check CPU V_core, CPU Vtt, RAM Vdd (should be 1.8V), Ram Vtt (usually about 1/2 of RAM Vdd), Northbridge Vcc, and Southbridge Vcc.
            Let me know if you need help locating those.
            Agree. With my recent fun with motherboard troubleshooting I would say start with voltages and power good signals.

            Is the PSU sending the power good signal, for a start? If not, it will make the board stay in reset state and do nothing.

            Get a schematic of the board if you can. If you can't, get a pinout of the SuperIO chip and find the control signals...
            "Tantalum for the brave, Solid Aluminium for the wise, Wet Electrolytic for the adventurous"
            -David VanHorn

            Comment


              #7
              Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

              Originally posted by momaka View Post
              Which voltages did you check? And what were they?
              You need to check CPU V_core, CPU Vtt, RAM Vdd (should be 1.8V), Ram Vtt (usually about 1/2 of RAM Vdd), Northbridge Vcc, and Southbridge Vcc.
              Let me know if you need help locating those.
              Thanks first of all and yes I do think I will need some references on the working voltages for those CPU V _core, CPU Vtt, RAM Vdd, RAM Vtt, Northbrige VCC and also Southbridge VCC . I was having a lot of troubles locating and spent quite a while checking those MOSFETS (VRM IN and OUT) by the way I think I found the problem. Unfortunately there was a shorted FET on the ECS motherboard from the reading on my multimeter. At the moment, I need to replace the shorted voltage regulator then only I will be proceeding to further testing the motherboard using schematic if possible. I think that is what I have managed to work on to save this motherboard.
              Field Effect Transistor

              Originally posted by momaka View Post
              Does the Num Lock light work if you repeatedly push the Num Lock key? And does it lock into an either OFF or ON state after a while? If yes, that usually indicates a hard crash (i.e. BIOS didn't finish loading or never even started)
              I don't think the Num Lock is in anyway working as it should be but the mouse is OK. The Num Lock button I think is no stucked or defective. Both the mouse and keyboard are PS2 ports.

              Originally posted by momaka View Post
              As for the Teapo - most appear to be on the 5VSB or USB V lines from what I can tell, or other non-important rails. The only troublesome Teapos are the one in the lower right corner of the board in your picture (by the RAM slots), and the one by the "SYS_FAN" connector, which .
              Do you know if there are any replacement capacitors for this Teapo 16V 100 uF capacitor? I just have hard time finding it all around the sites like RS-Components, Element14 and Mouser but still fail to get one which is suitable. The ESR for this Teapo capacitor is almost no where to be found. Would you please help me!!!
              Attached Files
              Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 02-12-2015, 05:11 AM.
              "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."
              -Napoleon Hill

              "The chip that functions abnormally will be desoldered, as they say."
              -Charles Stross

              "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"
              -The Mad Hatter

              Comment


                #8
                Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                Originally posted by Agent24 View Post
                Agree. With my recent fun with motherboard troubleshooting I would say start with voltages and power good signals.

                Is the PSU sending the power good signal, for a start? If not, it will make the board stay in reset state and do nothing.

                Get a schematic of the board if you can. If you can't, get a pinout of the SuperIO chip and find the control signals...
                Thanks again for your reply Agent24. However I have managed to download the ECS G31T-M7 REV 1.0 schematic but don't really understand about the control signals from the SIO chip which you have mentioned from the post above. Do you have any suggestions on how to trace or locate the control signal pins? I have attached here the SIO pinouts which will be helpful to check for PWR OK voltages and its signal from the power supply.
                Attached Files
                Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 02-22-2015, 11:03 PM.
                "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."
                -Napoleon Hill

                "The chip that functions abnormally will be desoldered, as they say."
                -Charles Stross

                "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"
                -The Mad Hatter

                Comment


                  #9
                  Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                  About the Teapo, if the datasheet doesn't state the ESR, then that means it is a General purpose cap (NOT a low ESR cap). YOu can replace it either with another GP cap or bette,r an entry level low ESR cap (Nichicon PW or HE, Panny FC, or NCC LXZ)
                  I love putting bad caps and flat batteries in fire and watching them explode!!

                  No wonder it doesn't work! You installed the jumper wires backwards

                  Main PC: Core i7 3770K 3.5GHz, Gigabyte GA-Z77M-D3H-MVP, 8GB Kingston HyperX DDR3 1600, 240GB Intel 335 Series SSD, 750GB WD HDD, Sony Optiarc DVD RW, Palit nVidia GTX660 Ti, CoolerMaster N200 Case, Delta DPS-600MB 600W PSU, Hauppauge TV Tuner, Windows 7 Home Premium

                  Office PC: HP ProLiant ML150 G3, 2x Xeon E5335 2GHz, 4GB DDR2 RAM, 120GB Intel 530 SSD, 2x 250GB HDD, 2x 450GB 15K SAS HDD in RAID 1, 1x 2TB HDD, nVidia 8400GS, Delta DPS-650BB 650W PSU, Windows 7 Pro

                  Comment


                    #10
                    Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                    Originally posted by LENOVO-A880 View Post
                    Thanks again for your reply Agent24. However I have managed to download the ECS G31T-M7 REV 1.0 schematic but don't really understand about the control signals from the SIO chip which you have mentioned from the post above. Do you have any suggestions on how to trace or locate the control signal pins? I have attached here the SIO pinouts which will be helpful to check for PWR OK voltages and its signal from the power supply.
                    I will try to help but can you upload the whole schematic file or give the link of where you found it? It's hard to read the file you have uploaded.

                    Did you check Power_OK signal from the PSU at the main ATX power connector?
                    Last edited by Agent24; 02-23-2015, 03:02 AM.
                    "Tantalum for the brave, Solid Aluminium for the wise, Wet Electrolytic for the adventurous"
                    -David VanHorn

                    Comment


                      #11
                      Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                      Originally posted by Agent24 View Post
                      I will try to help but can you upload the whole schematic file or give the link of where you found it? It's hard to read the file you have uploaded.
                      Thanks for the reply. I'm really sorry about the hard to read schematic file which I got it from an unknown website. Tried power up with only a PSU but without the CPU & its 12V. Still couldn't get any POST or beeps.

                      Originally posted by Agent24 View Post
                      Did you check Power_OK signal from the PSU at the main ATX power connector?
                      I couldn't check whether the PSU will be able to deliver 5V Power_OK signal at main ATX power connector if some of the capacitors on the motherboard are not intact yet. I have removed one of the Nichicon 1000uF and Teapo 100uF from the motherboard. I have heard that countless cases where faulty capacitors have caused inductors to overheat, and other bad stuffs to arise. Those 2 capacitors can be found from the attachment below this post here...

                      Attached here is the link to the SIO chip specification. I'm still learning through page 9, 10, 11 & 24 but not totally understand. Besides that I will like to ask for another help about the Nichicon PW series capacitor which C_hegge stated from this post...

                      Originally posted by c_hegge View Post
                      About the Teapo....YOu can replace it either with another GP cap or bette,r an entry level low ESR cap (Nichicon PW or HE, Panny FC, or NCC LXZ)
                      Will this Nichicon PW Part No: UPW1C101MED1TD can replace the Teapo 16V 100uF from the motherboard. The Nichicon PW series link can be found here (http://my.element14.com/nichicon/upw...tor/dp/2370577). BTW thanks again to you C_hegge for the valuable information about this capacitor replacement which you have spent your time to provide them to me.

                      Thank you.
                      Attached Files
                      Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 02-24-2015, 12:22 AM.
                      "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."
                      -Napoleon Hill

                      "The chip that functions abnormally will be desoldered, as they say."
                      -Charles Stross

                      "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"
                      -The Mad Hatter

                      Comment


                        #12
                        Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                        Originally posted by LENOVO-A880 View Post
                        I couldn't check whether the PSU will be able to deliver 5V Power_OK signal at main ATX power connector if some of the capacitors on the motherboard are not intact yet. I have removed one of the Nichicon 1000uF and Teapo 100uF from the motherboard. I have heard that countless cases where faulty capacitors have caused inductors to overheat, and other bad stuffs to arise. Those 2 capacitors can be found from the attachment below this post here...
                        I might have been confusing you. All ATX PSU have a PWR_GOOD signal which outputs a high level (should be between 3v and 5v) when the PSU is running and its self-monitoring circuitry determines the voltages are OK. This signal is output on the GREY wire.

                        This signal will be generated by the PSU regardless of the state of any attached hardware, or even if there is no hardware attached and you are turning the PSU on by pulling PS_ON (Green wire) low.

                        Sometimes the PSU can fail in such a way that all the output voltages are OK, but the PWR_GOOD signal is not generated. If the PWR_GOOD signal is not generated, the motherboard will assume the PSU has wrong voltages and the motherboard will not come out of reset.

                        You did not mention in your previous posts if you had changed the PSU or not. You did say the voltages were OK but you did not mention the PWR_GOOD signal. If you cannot try a different PSU, then at least check the PWR_GOOD signal is present.
                        "Tantalum for the brave, Solid Aluminium for the wise, Wet Electrolytic for the adventurous"
                        -David VanHorn

                        Comment


                          #13
                          Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                          Originally posted by Agent24 View Post
                          ........All ATX PSU have a PWR_GOOD signal which outputs a high level (should be between 3v and 5v) when the PSU is running and its self-monitoring circuitry determines the voltages are OK. This signal is output on the GREY wire.

                          You did not mention in your previous posts if you had changed the PSU or not.......then at least check the PWR_GOOD signal is present.
                          .....sorry here for not giving the PSU a full check on those serious PWR_GOOD logic voltage and also for all the rest of the rails. At this point I made a recheck again using my DMM. Hopefully this time I can really isolate any problems related to the PSU before I further up the test on the motherboard for suspected logic short. Again here I would like to say thanks a lot Agent24 for replying my previous post and I feel a bit upset for all of these retarded posts and still no solution has been found. I will keep trying to repair this ECS motherboard but before that this is what I have tested on the PSU without attaching the 24-pin connector to the motherboard:

                          20-pins connector:

                          +5V RED WIRES(PIC-A)
                          PIN 4, 6, 19, 20 - 5.23V

                          +5VSB PURPLE WIRE(PIC-B)
                          PIN 9 - 5.13V

                          +12V YELLOW WIRE(PIC-C)
                          PIN 10 - 12.05V

                          +3.3V ORNG WIRE(PIC-D)
                          PIN 1, 2, 11 - 3.3V

                          POWER_OK GREY WIRE(PIC-E)
                          PIN 8 - 5.23V

                          Additional 4-pins connector:

                          +12V YELLOW WIRE(PIC-F)
                          PIN 10 ABOVE - 12.05V

                          +3.3V ORNG WIRE(PIC-F)
                          PIN 10 ABOVE - 3.3V

                          +5V RED WIRE(PIC-F)
                          PIN 20 ABOVE - 5.23V

                          GND BLACK WIRES(ALL)
                          PIN 3, 5, 7, 15, 16, 17 - COM

                          BTW I think the voltages which I checked here are still within +5% tolerances if not mistaken. If all of these voltages are still within the normal working PSU specifications, should I change to another PSU for further testing the motherboard or what kind of test should be performed next? Any suggestions please?
                          Attached Files
                          Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 03-02-2015, 01:01 PM.
                          "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."
                          -Napoleon Hill

                          "The chip that functions abnormally will be desoldered, as they say."
                          -Charles Stross

                          "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"
                          -The Mad Hatter

                          Comment


                            #14
                            Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                            Something else to try is to "load" the supply with 12v and 6v car bulbs to see
                            if the 12v and 6v voltages hold up
                            Please upload pictures using attachment function when ask for help on the repair
                            http://www.badcaps.net/forum/showthread.php?t=39740

                            Comment


                              #15
                              Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                              Originally posted by selldoor View Post
                              Something else to try is to "load" the supply with 12v and 6v car bulbs to see
                              if the 12v and 6v voltages hold up
                              seriously I have never tried that before but do you have any photos or perhaps some links from another sites to safely perform this type of PSU test that you mentioned to test with a 12V and 6V bulbs. Another thing is will this test show any kind of signs that a PSU is bad like current will be drawn to those car bulbs, ending up to be dimmer than normal? It sounds sensible to me if they do. Anyway thanks for giving me such important information regarding any other possible solutions to my problem here.
                              Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 03-02-2015, 01:23 PM.
                              "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."
                              -Napoleon Hill

                              "The chip that functions abnormally will be desoldered, as they say."
                              -Charles Stross

                              "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"
                              -The Mad Hatter

                              Comment


                                #16
                                Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                                It sounds like your PSU is OK - with no load anyway. All the voltages look fine.
                                To confirm you could try reconnecting the PSU to the computer, powering up and reading all voltages again. If the PSU is the problem, you may notice some significant difference in voltage.

                                If you have another PSU, or another PC to try this PSU in, that will also help to narrow it down between PSU or motherboard...
                                "Tantalum for the brave, Solid Aluminium for the wise, Wet Electrolytic for the adventurous"
                                -David VanHorn

                                Comment


                                  #17
                                  Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                                  Hi Agent24,

                                  I put back those Teapo 100uF 16V and Nichicon 1000uF 6.3V to the ECS motherboard. I tested it with a (12V based) computer basically with CPU, heatsink, and the PSU which I had previously tested it without loads on it. Those 5V and 3V rails fluctuate a bit but 12V is almost stable. Are these results here acceptable?

                                  20-pins connector:

                                  +3.3V ORNG WIRE(T1)
                                  PIN 1, 2, 11 - 3.23V

                                  +5V RED WIRES(T2)
                                  PIN 4, 6, 19, 20 - 5.24V

                                  +12V YELLOW WIRE(T3)
                                  PIN 10 - 11.89V

                                  +5VSB PURPLE WIRE(T4)
                                  PIN 9 - 5.10V

                                  -12V BLUE WIRE(T5)
                                  PIN 12 -(-11.91V)

                                  POWER_OK GREY WIRE(T8)
                                  PIN 8 - 5.23V

                                  4-pins connector on 12V:

                                  PIN 1 / PIN 3 - 11.84V(T9)

                                  PS_ON logic signal

                                  GREEN WIRE (PSU SWITCH ON)
                                  PIN 14 - 0.05V(T6)

                                  GREEN WIRE (PSU SWITCH OFF)
                                  PIN 14 - 3.92V(T7)

                                  ..however those symptoms from my first post are still remaining unchanged till now. BTW others like the CPU and Northbridge chip, both were running quite warm when powered up. Now it appears the board "flex" under the CPU socket when the heatsink is on. Anyway likely if the PSU is good I will have a few questions to begin here...

                                  Question:
                                  1. Would it be likely a CPU unable to communicate with rest of board due to broken traces, bad chipset, or power issues?
                                  2. Could this be a possible bad BIOS chip, or bad communication with BIOS chip to the point where no meaningful code is executing on power on?
                                  3. Could a bad Northbridge chipset be the culprit here? Can a burned component like voltage regulator or PWM chip will likely be the one?
                                  4. Would like to know how to test a bad motherboard and also replacing components like FET if it turns up to be the problem..

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                                  Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 03-06-2015, 12:13 PM.
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                                    #18
                                    Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                                    Originally posted by LENOVO-A880 View Post
                                    [*]Could a bad Northbridge chipset be the culprit here?
                                    More likely a bad socket pin on socket 775 than a bad northbridge.

                                    Did you inspect the socket?
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                                      #19
                                      Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                                      Your voltages are all within tolerances but the 12v line seems a little low. It could indicate the PSU has issues.

                                      I would really advise you try another, known working PSU before you delve into trying to troubleshoot a motherboard problem that may not exist.

                                      At the very least, have you looked inside the PSU to check there are no bad capacitors? If there are any, the PSU is suspect and you must try another one.
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                                        #20
                                        Re: Own Custom Build Computer With ECS Motherboard-No POST

                                        Hi Agent24,

                                        Thanks for your analyzed on the 12V line which indicated the PSU will actually fail without any signs. I didn't know that a PSU could destroy a mobo, and assumed that they would all have built in over-current protection as a basic feature. The PSU fan was a bit noisy before this and I disregarded it as being in danger of failing. First couple photos are some brown crusty stuff on the bottom of the 2 primary-side capacitors on the board. Is that electrolyte or just adhesive to hold the capacitors in place before soldering (PIC-A)? The leg of one of the heatsink for those transistors show signs of this brown crud as well (PIC-B). If it was a leaking capacitor, I'll replace them with new one....

                                        Those scorch marks on PSU metal case show some components catastrophically failed, but only the discolored on the PCB (PIC-D) will tell if something else might be overheated (PIC-C).

                                        Questions
                                        1. How can I check if my motherboard or the system wasn't sufficiently damaged before I replace a new PSU to test on it?
                                        2. How can I check if the Processor and RAM can still be reused on the system as they can be easily toasted by PSU fault?
                                        3. Do you recommend any advise to reapply the thermal compound on the Processor and SouthBridge chipset heatsink with better thermal paste?
                                        4. Normally what will be the watts of soldering iron that can be used to replace the capacitors on the PSU circuit board?

                                        *UPDATE: Here I have found some information about the brown crusty stuff on the PSU circuit board. This stuff is probably glue (like RTV), used to secure the large components like transistors heatsink and capacitor with high capacity from snapping their tiny little legs during soldering and assembly. As it ages, it can become conductive enough to short components and kill them. Notice there is some corrosion on the leg of the heatsink (PIC-B). The dried out glue can absorb moisture from the air & begin to corrode components like capacitors; heatsink. Here is a forum post that talks about it: (http://www.electronicspoint.com/awfu...ds-t61364.html)
                                        Attached Files
                                        Last edited by LENOVO-A880; 03-11-2015, 12:50 PM.
                                        "If you cannot do great things, do small things in a great way."
                                        -Napoleon Hill

                                        "The chip that functions abnormally will be desoldered, as they say."
                                        -Charles Stross

                                        "Why is it you're always too small or too tall?"
                                        -The Mad Hatter

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