Dell 4700 circuit breaker

[styxbound]

Anybody know anything about a little black plastic and metal can rig on a Dell 4700 and some other dell boards called a circuit breaker? Trying to find some way of replacing one but don't know just how it works.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Called a circuit breaker by who?

Photo Please.
Maybe some numbers...

[styxbound]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Some time back there was a review I read on the 4700 which mentioned this thing they called a circuit breaker; now I can't find it again nor another reference to it. Can't take a picture because I don't own a camera, first, and second, totally destroyed the thing trying to figure out how it works. From the three pieces which fell out of the little can it's probably just mechanical but can't be sure.

[Quasar]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Where on board?
How about finding a picture of your board? Maybe on ebay?

What markings on the board next to it?

Found a ebay pic for M3918 mobo. This yours?

[styxbound]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

The board is an E210882. I'll see if I can find a photo somewhere. Thanks for the comebacks, guys.

Excuse my idiocy. I just realized your photo does show the thing. It's the T-shaped black plastic near the sata ports.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

E210882 is not a model number.
It's kind of like the Aussie version of a UL number.
Many models of boards will have the same number.
.
Model number is in the string on the bar code sticker and would be something like M3918 or DH682.
.
I can't see the part well enough to tell what it is.
Dell docs don't mention a circuit breaker at all.
.

[Quasar]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Is this it? Search on ebay finds 22 hits on that number.

Far back corner in between the SATA connectors?

[styxbound]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

There are two sets of numbers by bar codes: aa c58993-206 and ds/n cn-om3918-70821-52n-01wd:c/0 cn.

There's also a small barcode tag with Dell rev.a01.

The dell service tag and express code is on the machine too, but I've had no luck with that.

[seanc]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Think I may have a dead one of these boards at work. Will check Tuesday.

[styxbound]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

That would be nothing short of fantastic!-this thing is bugging me silly.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

It's OM3918

[ratdude747]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

maybe an intruder switch... those were common finds on optilex units... dimension, not so much, but it comes to mind.

[seanc]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Optiplex tended to have switches near case openings though.
Not sure there is one on the 4700, or whatever it is I have in the office. I rebuilt it as a test unit a couple of weeks ago.

[styxbound]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

This machine doesn't have a case switch. I don't think there's any way it could have anything to do with intrusion.

[yyonline]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

The black plastic thing between the SATA ports is a crystal oscillator in a cylindrical package. The black plastic is around it merely to hold it in place against the board.

[styxbound]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Now I'm really freaked out! I'm sure the review was calling it a circuit breaker; they even commented on turning it off and on. Need to find the damn thing again. But what you say certainly seems reasonable by what I saw of the thing.

[stj]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

that's no crystal.
maybe it is a circuit-breaker.
maybe it's a thermal breaker to limit current to something.
let's face it, the surface-mount polyfuses dont work too well - they burn up sometimes.

[PCBONEZ]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Most certainly could be a crystal.
Crystals come in many different packages.

If it were a circuit breaker that means users might have to operate it and it would be in the manual.
Not only does the manual not mention a circuit breaker, the component isn't shown on the mobo drawing at all.

.

[Quasar]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

2 similar boards with the same device next to the SATA connectors. If it was a circuit breaker or a crystal, how would it relate to the SATA ports?

[styxbound]

Re: Dell 4700 circuit breaker

Guys, I don't recall the article saying it had anything to do with the sata ports. STILL can't find the damn thing.

When I took the can apart three tiny pieces fell out. Two were maybe a bit longer than 1/8" and perhaps less than 1/64 wide, flat and shiny. The third was a rectangle maybe 1/32 by 1/16. The color was different from the strips. I can say it wasn't a quartz crystal, but it may well have had a coating of some kind.

According to the article the thing was supposed to be able to swing up, though when I found it, it was already loose and my efforts to swing it up completed the job of tearing it off.