Gateway "Extreme Back-order"

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

That's the phrase a Gateway person used to my client when explaining why
the warranty replacement PC power supply, already 3 weeks late, might
not be showing up for 10 more weeks: extreme back-order. This is our second
failure of this model, and the replacement being unavailable makes me think
this may be a wide-spread problem. Is anyone else seeing this:

The PC is a Gateway E4000 in the small desk-top case, and the power supply
is a Newton "NPS-160DB B". The power supply itself is probably OK but the
fan failed. Since the power supply fan in these PCs is the only way to get
heat outside the box, the PC soon overheats. I've had one power supply
replaced, have one on 'extreme back-order', and at least 3 more with noisy
fans that are probably going to go soon.

It's easy enough to just replace the power supply fan (warning: opening a
power supply is dangerous), but Gateway won't even discuss it, and I can't
find anyone who sells the right fan. (A regular 90mm 12VDC fan, but it has
a 2-pin connector, not the usual 3-pin.) Nor do I feel like buying parts
for what should be a warranty repair. I had one spare PC, so nobody is
screaming yet, but with another failure (or 2, or 20) it's going to get
ugly. Any advice?

 

[Bruce]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

Can't help with a Newton, but 2 wire fans are available by mail order,
and a 3 wire fan will work fine, just don't use the odd color speed
sensor wire. Under warranty this should be Gateway's problem and not
yours, but if they drop the ball it's your decision if and how you
should step up for the client.

ljb wrote:

> That's the phrase a Gateway person used to my client when explaining why
> the warranty replacement PC power supply, already 3 weeks late, might
> not be showing up for 10 more weeks: extreme back-order. This is our second
> failure of this model, and the replacement being unavailable makes me think
> this may be a wide-spread problem. Is anyone else seeing this:
>
> The PC is a Gateway E4000 in the small desk-top case, and the power supply
> is a Newton "NPS-160DB B". The power supply itself is probably OK but the
> fan failed. Since the power supply fan in these PCs is the only way to get
> heat outside the box, the PC soon overheats. I've had one power supply
> replaced, have one on 'extreme back-order', and at least 3 more with noisy
> fans that are probably going to go soon.
>
> It's easy enough to just replace the power supply fan (warning: opening a
> power supply is dangerous), but Gateway won't even discuss it, and I can't
> find anyone who sells the right fan. (A regular 90mm 12VDC fan, but it has
> a 2-pin connector, not the usual 3-pin.) Nor do I feel like buying parts
> for what should be a warranty repair. I had one spare PC, so nobody is
> screaming yet, but with another failure (or 2, or 20) it's going to get
> ugly. Any advice?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

Thanks; the 3-wire fan connector won't physically fit on the power supply
board connector, unless maybe if I break off the tab that keeps you from
reverse-plugging it. Or, I could cut the wires and splice in the new fan to
the old connector. I would much rather buy fans with the correct connector
(2 pin, 1/10" pitch, polarized) but I can't find any. Do you have a source?

bg2g@xvirginiaX.edu wrote:
> Can't help with a Newton, but 2 wire fans are available by mail order,
> and a 3 wire fan will work fine, just don't use the odd color speed
> sensor wire. Under warranty this should be Gateway's problem and not
> yours, but if they drop the ball it's your decision if and how you
> should step up for the client.
>
> ljb wrote:
>
>> That's the phrase a Gateway person used to my client when explaining why
>> the warranty replacement PC power supply, already 3 weeks late, might
>> not be showing up for 10 more weeks: extreme back-order. This is our second
>> failure of this model, and the replacement being unavailable makes me think
>> this may be a wide-spread problem. Is anyone else seeing this:
>>
>> The PC is a Gateway E4000 in the small desk-top case, and the power supply
>> is a Newton "NPS-160DB B". The power supply itself is probably OK but the
>> fan failed. Since the power supply fan in these PCs is the only way to get
>> heat outside the box, the PC soon overheats. I've had one power supply
>> replaced, have one on 'extreme back-order', and at least 3 more with noisy
>> fans that are probably going to go soon.
>>
>> It's easy enough to just replace the power supply fan (warning: opening a
>> power supply is dangerous), but Gateway won't even discuss it, and I can't
>> find anyone who sells the right fan. (A regular 90mm 12VDC fan, but it has
>> a 2-pin connector, not the usual 3-pin.) Nor do I feel like buying parts
>> for what should be a warranty repair. I had one spare PC, so nobody is
>> screaming yet, but with another failure (or 2, or 20) it's going to get
>> ugly. Any advice?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

On Thu, 10 Mar 2005 02:48:59 GMT, ljb <ljb220@mindspring.com.nospammm>
wrote:

>Thanks; the 3-wire fan connector won't physically fit on the power supply
>board connector, unless maybe if I break off the tab that keeps you from
>reverse-plugging it. Or, I could cut the wires and splice in the new fan to
>the old connector. I would much rather buy fans with the correct connector
>(2 pin, 1/10" pitch, polarized) but I can't find any. Do you have a source?

http://www.directron.com/index.html is a good place that carries just
about any kind of part for a computer.

 

[Bruce]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

A quick google suggests that you have the 2510 connector (2.51 mm = 0.1
in. This is commonly available on 80mm fans intended as power supply
replacements. If you need 90mm that will take more hunting.

ljb wrote:

> Thanks; the 3-wire fan connector won't physically fit on the power supply
> board connector, unless maybe if I break off the tab that keeps you from
> reverse-plugging it. Or, I could cut the wires and splice in the new fan to
> the old connector. I would much rather buy fans with the correct connector
> (2 pin, 1/10" pitch, polarized) but I can't find any. Do you have a source?
>
> bg2g@xvirginiaX.edu wrote:
>
>>Can't help with a Newton, but 2 wire fans are available by mail order,
>>and a 3 wire fan will work fine, just don't use the odd color speed
>>sensor wire. Under warranty this should be Gateway's problem and not
>>yours, but if they drop the ball it's your decision if and how you
>>should step up for the client.
>>
>>ljb wrote:
>>
>>
>>>That's the phrase a Gateway person used to my client when explaining why
>>>the warranty replacement PC power supply, already 3 weeks late, might
>>>not be showing up for 10 more weeks: extreme back-order. This is our second
>>>failure of this model, and the replacement being unavailable makes me think
>>>this may be a wide-spread problem. Is anyone else seeing this:
>>>
>>>The PC is a Gateway E4000 in the small desk-top case, and the power supply
>>>is a Newton "NPS-160DB B". The power supply itself is probably OK but the
>>>fan failed. Since the power supply fan in these PCs is the only way to get
>>>heat outside the box, the PC soon overheats. I've had one power supply
>>>replaced, have one on 'extreme back-order', and at least 3 more with noisy
>>>fans that are probably going to go soon.
>>>
>>>It's easy enough to just replace the power supply fan (warning: opening a
>>>power supply is dangerous), but Gateway won't even discuss it, and I can't
>>>find anyone who sells the right fan. (A regular 90mm 12VDC fan, but it has
>>>a 2-pin connector, not the usual 3-pin.) Nor do I feel like buying parts
>>>for what should be a warranty repair. I had one spare PC, so nobody is
>>>screaming yet, but with another failure (or 2, or 20) it's going to get
>>>ugly. Any advice?

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

Thanks for all the leads... I will definitely try them to find replacement
power supply fans. I spoke to Gateway business tech support today and they
again told me NO, they could not give me an estimated date for the warranty
parts, and NO, they will not consider replacing the fan instead of the
whole power supply.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

It's so ridiculous that Gateway is allowed to operate this way. The
government should not permit this to happen. I have the same problem
finding this power supply too.
Good luck

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

Found this site just today and saw this question. I have 3 of these
Power supplys on back order, with my rep calling me yesterday tell me
the Date is May 15. They have built a new assembly line to handle just
these power supplys because of demand. She did tell me that is the
latest, May 15, but expect to be shipping mid April. Im a Corporate
customer so she is pushing those dates with that in mind, I dont know
about the rest so dates could be different. Thought you wall might
want to know.

Hope all works out.

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

For the fan us a 9.2cm with the LP4male to female pass through
connectors ( Startech will Do. part # FANBOX92) just connect the fan
to an open connector on the wires coming out of the power supply. Do
not worry about connecting it to the board on the power supply, all
you are looking for is power to the fan to cool the power supply
board, if your fan is bad just pull it and your supply should test
good ( you may need a power supply tester for this ) All I am saying
is this is how I did it, and if Gateway actually stocked this part I
would not tell you the work around

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

At least I'm not alone. The fan on my power supply (exact same one)
failed yesterday.

The power supply was almost too hot to even touch.

I used gateway's support "chat" and the person seemed knowledgable.
He told me to replace with a StarTech 145-Watt Micro ATX Power
Supply.

I told him that it didn't look like mine, and he said that's okay.

I read the specs for it on startech's website, and it lacks the 4-pin
connector to the motherboard (not to mention it's not 160 watts).

I talked to chat today and was given a URL to a different site which
only showed a 400 watt supply that didn't even look like it would
fit.

He then gave me the right URL and it showed "out of stock".

He actually asked me "Why don't you order a new system?"

I asked if he would buy a new car if his battery went dead.

Let this be a lesson to everyone - NEVER buy hardware from a vendor
that insists on using non-standard proprietary parts.

(I knew that all along - this is a company-purchased PC, and one that
I never would have purchased myself).

So far, Gateway's support chat is 0 for 3 based on my experience.
Pitiful.

 

[shooter]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

On 17 May 2005 13:32:27 -0400, zap644@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid
(dwright) wrote:

>At least I'm not alone. The fan on my power supply (exact same one)
>failed yesterday.

If the PS is not damaged, then why not just replace the fan? You can
get "Generic" fans that should fit the PS most anywhere.

Regards,

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

> Shooterwrote:
On 17 May 2005 13:32:27 -0400, zap644@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid
> (dwright) wrote:
>
> At least I'm not alone. The fan on my power supply (exact same
one)
> failed yesterday.
>
If the PS is not damaged, then why not just replace the fan? You can
get "Generic" fans that should fit the PS most anywhere.

Regards,[/quote]

That's what I'm attempting to do right now.

I got a "3-wire fan" cannabalized from somewhere and now I just got to
figure out which wire is the "speed sensor wire" mentioned by Bruce
(2nd post).

Trial and error should work, although I suspect the red and the black
are the ones I need to use and the yellow isn't required.

It would be nice if I had a soldering iron and some heat shrink
tubing, but I'll make do one way or another.

 

[shooter]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

On 17 May 2005 19:32:50 -0400, zap644@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid
(dwright) wrote:

>Trial and error should work, although I suspect the red and the black
>are the ones I need to use and the yellow isn't required.

Red & Black are the ones you need.

Regards

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

Open up the power supply and snip the wires from the dead fan as close as
possible to the fan itself. Then solder the wires from the replacement fan to
the wire leads, matching colors of the wires. Plastic shrink tubing is nice,
but electrical tape will do.

I did the same to a non-standard power supply in a P4 Compaq Presario system
recently, and secured the electrical tape with the plastic ties used to make
cables neater.

It's really hard to figure which systems have standard or non-standard power
supplies without opening them up before you buy. But computer stores won't ever
let you look under the hood to see what you are really getting. (Likewise, a
computer with 256MB might be delivered with 2x128MB or a single 256MB DIMM. If
the former, you end up with useless 128MB DIMMs when it is necessary to upgrade.
Again, they won't let you look under the hood.)... Ben Myers

On 17 May 2005 19:32:50 -0400, zap644@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid (dwright)
wrote:

>> Shooterwrote:
>On 17 May 2005 13:32:27 -0400, zap644@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid
>> (dwright) wrote:
>>
>> At least I'm not alone. The fan on my power supply (exact same
>one)
>> failed yesterday.
>>
>If the PS is not damaged, then why not just replace the fan? You can
>get "Generic" fans that should fit the PS most anywhere.
>
>Regards,[/quote]
>
>That's what I'm attempting to do right now.
>
>I got a "3-wire fan" cannabalized from somewhere and now I just got to
>figure out which wire is the "speed sensor wire" mentioned by Bruce
>(2nd post).
>
>Trial and error should work, although I suspect the red and the black
>are the ones I need to use and the yellow isn't required.
>
>It would be nice if I had a soldering iron and some heat shrink
>tubing, but I'll make do one way or another.
>

 

[Guest]

Archived from groups: alt.sys.pc-clone.gateway2000 (More info?)

Also check that none of the capacitors (caps) are leaking. Another
effect of heat issues that will kill your PSU.

One way to check out what is under the hood before you buy is to check
out parts dealers since most of them offer photo's of their wares to help in
ordering the right parts for your machine. I get most of my PSUs from
Power-On www.power-on.com. Haven't had a problem with any replacement parts
I've gotten from them yet.

KC

<ben_myers_spam_me_not @ charter.net (Ben Myers)> wrote in message
news:428ab31e.5368778@nntp.charter.net...
> Open up the power supply and snip the wires from the dead fan as close as
> possible to the fan itself. Then solder the wires from the replacement
fan to
> the wire leads, matching colors of the wires. Plastic shrink tubing is
nice,
> but electrical tape will do.
>
> I did the same to a non-standard power supply in a P4 Compaq Presario
system
> recently, and secured the electrical tape with the plastic ties used to
make
> cables neater.
>
> It's really hard to figure which systems have standard or non-standard
power
> supplies without opening them up before you buy. But computer stores
won't ever
> let you look under the hood to see what you are really getting.
(Likewise, a
> computer with 256MB might be delivered with 2x128MB or a single 256MB
DIMM. If
> the former, you end up with useless 128MB DIMMs when it is necessary to
upgrade.
> Again, they won't let you look under the hood.)... Ben Myers
>
> On 17 May 2005 19:32:50 -0400, zap644@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid
(dwright)
> wrote:
>
> >> Shooterwrote:
> >On 17 May 2005 13:32:27 -0400, zap644@yahoo-dot-com.no-spam.invalid
> >> (dwright) wrote:
> >>
> >> At least I'm not alone. The fan on my power supply (exact same
> >one)
> >> failed yesterday.
> >>
> >If the PS is not damaged, then why not just replace the fan? You can
> >get "Generic" fans that should fit the PS most anywhere.
> >
> >Regards,[/quote]
> >
> >That's what I'm attempting to do right now.
> >
> >I got a "3-wire fan" cannabalized from somewhere and now I just got to
> >figure out which wire is the "speed sensor wire" mentioned by Bruce
> >(2nd post).
> >
> >Trial and error should work, although I suspect the red and the black
> >are the ones I need to use and the yellow isn't required.
> >
> >It would be nice if I had a soldering iron and some heat shrink
> >tubing, but I'll make do one way or another.
> >
>