Question Is this MB dead and gone?

[ImWolf]

ASUS M2N32-SLI DELUXE
Earthwatts EA-380 PSU
3 HDD
1 Optical Drive
Soundblaster Live
Unknown PCI Video with VGA, HDMI, and DVI output.

After sitting idle for a couple months, this old machine didn't fire up. The front panel power button is a bit flaky (sticking at times), so I suspected power button or PSU problem. My intention was to hopefully get it running one last time to salvage any needed files, and delete any personal info off the HDD's without having to buy extra accessories to do this.

First I disconnected the power button plug and used a screw driver to connect the PWR_SWITCH pins on the MB. No joy. No fans starting, no beeps, nada.

Then I pulled the 24 pin plug off the MB and did the "paper clip" jumper between pins 15 & 16. The PSU fan came on. (very quiet PSU, so not much noise).

Next I pulled all the power supplies from the four drives, but left the 2 expansion cards attached. Then I used a multi-meter and checked the voltage at all the DC terminals on the 24 pin plug. All read well within tolerance. I also pulled the 4 pin 12V plug and checked it.... exactly 12V.

So at this point I think I've ruled out the power button or the PSU as being a problem. But I'm no expert. Did I miss something, or is this MB a goner?

Thanks,
Wolf

 

[Lutfij]

Happy New Year!

ASUS M2N32-SLI DELUXE
First off, that motherboard doesn't have any built in/onboard GPU chip, how are you getting display output off that platform without a discrete GPU?
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Unknown PCI Video with VGA, HDMI, and DVI output.
Might want to pass on a few pictures of the GPU in case you're unable to identify the GPU using it's stickers/labelling. Host your images on a site like Imgur or their ilk and then pass on the link for us to see.

Earthwatts EA-380 PSU
How old is the PSU? Must be 14 years old by my calc's.

Then I pulled the 24 pin plug off the MB and did the "paper clip" jumper between pins 15 & 16. The PSU fan came on. (very quiet PSU, so not much noise).
The paperclip test is flawed, it doesn't tell you how much power the PSU can effectively output to the entire system and you're also told to induce a load with something like a dead HDD or a fan(so a minimal load can fire up the PSU).

Might want to inspect the entire motherboard for any blown/bulging capacitors.

Moved thread from Motherboards section to Systems section.

 

[ImWolf]

ASUS M2N32-SLI DELUXE
First off, that motherboard doesn't have any built in/onboard GPU chip, how are you getting display output off that platform without a discrete GPU?

I took the machine out to my shop to use compressed air and do some initial clean-up. At the moment there is no monitor or keyboard attached.

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Unknown PCI Video with VGA, HDMI, and DVI output.

There is no "GPU". It's an ATI Radion Video card plugged into the primary PCIEX 16 slot.

HD4670 1G DDR3 PCI-E HDMI/DVI/VGA
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PN 288-DE101-440BD SKU# 11138-37

I don't see how this matters though. The machine shows no sign of life at all so I doubt it's even completing POST. At this point I'd be happy to hear some error beeps.

Earthwatts EA-380 PSU
How old is the PSU? Must be 14 years old by my calc's.

Not a bad guess. I didn't build it and acquired it 2nd hand about that long ago.

The paperclip test is flawed.

The flawed test let me know that the PSU still has some life. I would expect it to at least fire up the fans if only for a split second.

Might want to inspect the entire motherboard for any blown/bulging capacitors.

I did this immediately after I cleaned it up. I didn't find any obvious problems of any kind with the caps, connections, loose heat sink over the CPU... etc.

Someone else suggested the problem might be as simple as the CR2032 being dead. This is the only Asus system I've dealt with, but on other systems I've owned when that watch battery dies I simply lost all the BIOS settings and had to go though them after replacing the battery. Is it not the same with Asus boards?

Also, I forgot to mention the MB has an "SB_PWR Led" on the board, and when the PSU switch is turned on it flashes a green light approximately twice per second. The user manual only describes this Led as being either in an ON or OFF state. I found other Asus MB "blink rate" troubleshooting articles online, but they describe 3 different blink rates that don't come close to matching what this board is doing.

 

[ImWolf]

Since I didn't have anything else pressing, I yanked one of the HDD's and the Graphics card which allowed me to replace the CR2032 battery. Didn't make a difference. Old battery tested at 2.92V while new one was at 3.3V.

After replacing this battery I again tried shorting the Power Switch jumper pins on the Front Panel pin-out.... no joy.

Along the way I noticed something I should have made note of already, there is nothing connected to the 4 pins for "chassis mounted warning speaker". This cheapo nightmare knuckle buster case didn't even include a speaker. Who ever designed this case was obviously a 1st degree white belt idiot who surely never had to actually install components in his monstrosity! I've already run out of foul language just dealing with what should be the most simple diagnostic procedures.

Anyway, I did take some poor quality photo's as well.....