Does this PSU need RMA??

T

t1melapse

New member
Hello.
I just recently built a new system for a friend using a ST60F-PS (Silverstone Strider Plus 600w Silver). When it was finished everything seemed fine, but he has told be that occasionally the system will not turn on using the chassis button, but if he flicks the switch on the PSU on then off, it works fine. It's a small inconveniece, but as it's nearly brand new it is a worry and I want to fix it for him.

So I don't want to begin the RMA process unless I'm sure the device is faulty. I wanted to see if from this information there is a definate way to figure out if the PSU is...
1. Not installed correctly
2. Recieving an unreliable current from the wall.
3. Faulty and should be RMA'd
4. Something else

The motherboard is Gigabyte GA-Z77-D3H, if that's relevant.

Thanks.
 
NeverBackDown said:
Make sure the I/O power cable from the front panel is fully connected to the motherboard.
Click to expand...

This.
I once thought I had them fully plugged in, but they needed an extra push.

It is weird that he can use the front On button after flicking the switch though.
 
If the power cable is being routed in a way that makes it tight it may have damaged the interior wires to where they will only work with a "fresh" start. Meaning instead of allowing a tiny bit of power through when the PC is off it will not recieve as good of a signal compared to a PSU that is turned off then back on. So it gets a larger amount of voltage through at one point and therefore is enough to turn it on... This is my conclusion on it(may not be right). It's kind of how a fan works. If you manually feed it voltage slowly, it will have a higher starting voltage than a fan that gets a full 5v voltage line at once to start it up(just an example).

Edit: i realized that was a terrible explanation but it's the best i got at the moment:p
 
NeverBackDown said:
If the power cable is being routed in a way that makes it tight it may have damaged the interior wires to where they will only work with a "fresh" start. Meaning instead of allowing a tiny bit of power through when the PC is off it will not recieve as good of a signal compared to a PSU that is turned off then back on. So it gets a larger amount of voltage through at one point and therefore is enough to turn it on... This is my conclusion on it(may not be right). It's kind of how a fan works. If you manually feed it voltage slowly, it will have a higher starting voltage than a fan that gets a full 5v voltage line at once to start it up(just an example).

Edit: i realized that was a terrible explanation but it's the best i got at the moment:p
Click to expand...

No, you're not right. :P
The cable could be broken, and agitating it when toggling the PSU switch re-connects the break. I doubt it though.

Make sure there isn't a short anywhere in the system. Good PSU's have protection against this which might be the reason it wont always power on. When checking remember that the case is - (ground)
 
Chris230291 said:
No, you're not right. :P
The cable could be broken, and agitating it when toggling the PSU switch re-connects the break. I doubt it though.

Make sure there isn't a short anywhere in the system. Good PSU's have protection against this which might be the reason it wont always power on. When checking remember that the case is - (ground)
Click to expand...

So what should I check exactly? Where would I find a short in the system?
 
Look for pinched cables, any copper showing on cables where you might have caught them on sharp edges etc. Something as simple as a bit of swarf on a PCB could be causing the problem. A loose screw rolling around inside the case. Theres a 1001 things to check really.

It might not even be a short, it's just a possibility.

Make sure you're mate hasn't been inside the case "playing" with anything.

If you can, try a different PSU, if the problem goes away then you know it's the PSU.

You're just gonna have to keep looking for any faults, there isn't really an instruction book you can follow when dealing with problems like this. Just trial and error.
 
Chris230291 said:
No, you're not right. :P
The cable could be broken, and agitating it when toggling the PSU switch re-connects the break. I doubt it though.

Make sure there isn't a short anywhere in the system. Good PSU's have protection against this which might be the reason it wont always power on. When checking remember that the case is - (ground)
Click to expand...

Good advice but then again you did sort of just prove my theory right if you understood what i was trying to say...
 
Hmmm the plot thickens. So apparently when he shuts down, the fans keep going and the case light stays on indefinately. Also he says sometimes when he boots it, it seems like it's on but the screen just stays on standby (orange light). I'm gonna get him to leave it @ my place so I can have a closer inspection.
 
t1melapse said:
Hmmm the plot thickens. So apparently when he shuts down, the fans keep going and the case light stays on indefinately. Also he says sometimes when he boots it, it seems like it's on but the screen just stays on standby (orange light). I'm gonna get him to leave it @ my place so I can have a closer inspection.
Click to expand...

Does he have an Asus motherboard? I've heard they used to have a function to let the fans spin for a while after shut down to further cool components.
 
Feronix said:
Does he have an Asus motherboard? I've heard they used to have a function to let the fans spin for a while after shut down to further cool components.
Click to expand...

No it's Gigabyte. He said that he left it on for over an hour waiting for the fans to stop and for it to actually turn off to no avail. I have a feeling either this PSU is faulty or this and the original problem are seperate and coincidental issues. I'm going to have it over @ my place for a bit to really get my head around this.

On a side note, we have the same GPU. Did you paint the red on your card yourself?
 
t1melapse said:
No it's Gigabyte. He said that he left it on for over an hour waiting for the fans to stop and for it to actually turn off to no avail. I have a feeling either this PSU is faulty or this and the original problem are seperate and coincidental issues. I'm going to have it over @ my place for a bit to really get my head around this.

On a side note, we have the same GPU. Did you paint the red on your card yourself?
Click to expand...

Could also be the motherboard. Are the fans and lights plugged in to the board or straight from the power supply?

Yes, I painted it myself. Must admit that it's not my best work, but it'll do :rolleyes:
 
Now you've elaborated a little it doesn't sound like a short. Sounds like something definitely want's RMA'ing. I can't imagine a silly mistake causing these symptoms.
 
Yeah i think the 1st step will be loading the latest BIOS and seeing if the issues are fixed. Then begins the trial and error.

Feronix said:
Yes, I painted it myself. Must admit that it's not my best work, but it'll do :rolleyes:
Click to expand...

Thats cool. I was just curious if it was like a special edition or something. I might do the same, it would suit my red and black theme :)
 
Well this is confusing. It seems as though the latest bios (beta) was already on the system. The computer is working fine except when you turn it off, the lights and fans stay on unless you press the power again. Then it won't turn back on unless you unplug the power cord and wait ten seconds then try again.

So I'm worried about trying to Flash the BIOS back to the old one incase the power trips off when the BIOS update is trying to power cycle. I'm really not sure if this is a BIOS thing at all.

Maybe I'll put my PSU into it and try. Is there any damage that can be done my plugging all the modular leads from a 600w PSU into a 850w PSU?
 
Last edited:
I would assume so.. unplug everything at the PSU end and just plug it in the 850w model. If it works then it should fix it and keep the system stable.. run the PSU for a day or two just to make sure everything is ok.
 
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