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PSU Failure?

187 views 5 replies 3 participants last post by  Alan G 
#1 ·
I think the PSU in my HTPC is failing (see specs in Sig line). The PC is set to sleep after recording television shows or performing schedule updates. Two days ago it did not wake from sleep mode and I had to start it manually. When I powered it on it went through the cycle of testing the DVD and starting the CPU fan and then shut down. It then restarted and seemed to power up normally though I got the black resuming windows screen. Once it started up it seemed to behave normally and I could watch TV and record shows. I ran the MSFT memory test and that was OK (this PC does nothing more than run Windows Media Center and some Netflix via the Internet).

I am going to pull things apart but that's a hassle because of the small case the PC is in (getting a new case with a little more volume tomorrow). I have a spare Seasonic PSU and also a spare motherboard of the same make. I just want to know form the experts here whether this is the sign of a PSU going bad so I don't waste time looking at other stuff.

I've never gotten any BSODs with this PC and it's running Win7.

TIA
 
#2 ·
Those errors seem too vague to definitively say it's the PSU. Is the problem happening consistently now? If you turn off the machine and turn it back on, does it behave the same way? If it is happening consistently, then it's much easier to diagnose.

If you have an extra power supply, the fastest diagnosis would be to try the other unit. Don't completely disassemble your machine. Just set the other PSU next to the computer and plug in the motherboard, cpu, and boot drive power cables. That should be enough to test it. If the problem is fixed, then disassemble the machine and install the new PSU. If it doesn't fix the problem, then you're digging for the culprit.
 
#3 ·
@Depauville Kid - It just started happening two days ago after four years of working without any issues. The case is one of those small Lian Li cases that is passively cooled and everything is very tight. I pretty much have to pull out the old PSU to test with another one. I do have a spare Seasonic that I can use. I just moved the PC to my dining room table to test it with a spare monitor and it boots up fine and goes to sleep OK as well. I'll test it some more this afternoon and then connect all the HTPC stuff to see if things go wrong again. I'm tempted to set it to run 24/7 as heat is not any issue with what this unit does. It has an i3 that runs no hotter than 30C during normal operations with no case fan at all. The PSU orientation uses that unit fan to exhaust air from the unit.
 
#4 ·
Take the PSU out and jump start it using a paperclip
If it does not turn on its dead

Not sure if i understood what you meant or not but the fan itself is intake
 
#5 ·
Quote:
Originally Posted by shilka View Post

Take the PSU out and jump start it using a paperclip
If it does not turn on its dead

Not sure if i understood what you meant or not but the fan itself is intake
The PSU seems to be OK. I've run it through several shutdown/start up cycles and there seems to be no issues. I just hooked it back up to the television and works fine there as well. I'm going to let the system run 24/7 for several days and see what happens. As I noted, this draws very little power so that should not be an issue.

@Shilka - this is a very small mini-ITX case and is no longer being manufactured. It takes a normal size ATX PSU that slots in the back vertically so it is parallel to the motherboard. The intake fan of the PSU faces the motherboard so that air for the PSU comes from inside the case and the goes out the back. The bottom of the case is fully ventilated except for the spot where the SSD and HDD are installed. Cooling for this case is passive. I've monitored temperatures and it never gets above about 30C.

Anyway, I have an identical spare motherboard, PSU, and CPU that my daughter returned to me before she moved so I have plenty of good apare parts if needed.

EDIT: I posted a picture in the build notes section and you can see how little space there is to work in and how the PSU goes in. http://www.overclock.net/g/i/1519115/a/970024/lian-li-pc-q27-build-notes/ It's a very nice case and has worked well for a HTPC setup.
 
#6 ·
I think I've identified the problem. After two days the issue started again and it now looks like the UPS is going bad. I switched to another socket on the UPS and the problem is gone. Looks like I will have to replace the UPS. Anyway, I close this thread for now.
 
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