[SOLVED] Bricked Motherboard - Any suggestions / troubleshooting tips?

[jimjamran]

Hello

I was recently sold a faulty motherboard - I managed to get my money back however the seller has gone quiet so I guess I can keep the faulty board?

Anyway - I'd like to give fixing it a go, always keen to learn.

Current setup for testing:

HX1200 PSU *8-pin + 24-pin)
B550 Aorus Elite Ax V2
1x noctua fan

(have access to other parts however I just want it to turn on first)

The issue:

The motherboard will not power on, I have tried:

• flashing bios (when I do this, I'll have a single fan connected and this turns on whilst flashing)
• clearing CMOS (shorting pins + removing battery)
• changing psu
• changing cables

I have noticed that when I turn the psu on - there is quick flash of light where the led's are on the motherboard. What could this suggest?

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g_F6wgQXn3s-
light flash

Have I got a fried board?

Many thanks,

Jaime

 

[Zerk2012]

Hello

I was recently sold a faulty motherboard - I managed to get my money back however the seller has gone quiet so I guess I can keep the faulty board?

Anyway - I'd like to give fixing it a go, always keen to learn.

Current setup for testing:

HX1200 PSU *8-pin + 24-pin)
B550 Aorus Elite Ax V2
1x noctua fan

(have access to other parts however I just want it to turn on first)

The issue:

The motherboard will not power on, I have tried:

• flashing bios
• clearing CMOS (shorting pins + removing battery)
• changing psu
• changing cables

I have noticed that when I turn the psu on - there is quick flash of light where the led's are on the motherboard. What could this suggest?

Have I got a fried board?

Many thanks,

Jaime

Most of the time they don't turn on without a processor.

 

[jimjamran]

Most of the time they don't turn on without a processor.

I have tested this with a processor - still nothing.

 

[ex_bubblehead]

Without detailed schematics and tech notes (which the manufacturer will definitely NOT give or sell to you), and the necessary equipment/skills to do surface mount desoldering/soldering you're not going to be able to do anything with that board except put it in the recycle bin for the next trash pickup.

 

[jimjamran]

haha fair enough man, thanks

 

[Fect123]

yeah you're gonna have to RMA it, fixing motherboards at home is expensive & complicated

 

[Stoutscientist]

You could try using like a heat gun to try to melt the solder underneath different components incase they were not soldered on properly

 

[drea.drechsler]

Hello

I was recently sold a faulty motherboard - I managed to get my money back however the seller has gone quiet so I guess I can keep the faulty board?

Anyway - I'd like to give fixing it a go, always keen to learn.

Current setup for testing:

HX1200 PSU *8-pin + 24-pin)
B550 Aorus Elite Ax V2
1x noctua fan

(have access to other parts however I just want it to turn on first)

...

At the very minimum you'll need to install a CPU, one stick of memory and a GPU (if you don't have a CPU with integrated GPU) to get a display and verify it works. That will let you get into the BIOS but you'll need some sort of HDD/SSD/NVME/USB drive to install an OS and boot to it.

 

[jimjamran]

At the very minimum you'll need to install a CPU, one stick of memory and a GPU (if you don't have a CPU with integrated GPU) to get a display and verify it works. That will let you get into the BIOS but you'll need some sort of HDD/SSD/NVME/USB drive to install an OS and boot to it.

When I first got the motherboard I did a simple set up (as you mentioned) and when shorting the power switch pins, there was no response.

 

[drea.drechsler]

When I first got the motherboard I did a simple set up (as you mentioned) and when shorting the power switch pins, there was no response.

None? no lights or fans at all?

 

[jimjamran]

None? no lights or fans at all?

Nothing at all - I even hooked it up to the case power switch after shorting the pins to double check

 

[drea.drechsler]

Nothing at all - I even hooked it up to the case power switch after shorting the pins to double check

Remove the CPU power plug...that's the 4+4 pin plug near the CPU. With just that unplugged try it again:
it will obviously fail but if it at least stays on (lights lit up) it suggests the CPU VRM... or CPU... has a fault.

 

[vov4ik_il]

flashing bios (when I do this, I'll have a single fan connected and this turns on whilst flashing)

How did you do the above?
Without RAM+CPU there is nothing you can really test. Get a POST diagnostic card to see if it is alive. Or at least hook up a buzzer.
Might be a shot KBC, improperly flashed BIOS, shot power latch, knocked off components and so on and so forth.
I would:

• Do a good visual inspection of the board, looking for knocked-off components and physical damage
• Measure resistances on all power inputs to make sure no shorts
• Force PSU power-on (to see if it is the latch logic), insert a test wire in the back of the ATX connector like you would do with a paperclip... and see if the POST card gives any clue
• Perform a BIOS flash, (get/build an image and use external flasher to backup/write/verify)

Changing KBC and troubleshooting further will be a little complicated for homebrew.