Question Where do I start with diagnosis and repair?

garett444

Prominent
May 18, 2019
14
0
510
A Small amount of water spilled in my case. At first nothing happened. I shut down normally and dabbed up the water. No more than a few drops that I could see reached the electronics. I dabbed it up and used compressed air. Start up attempt 1: Nothing, so I cycled the Off/Reset button on the power supply. Attempt 2: Machine starts, no signal to monitor. Reset again. Attempt 3: Dead. I plug in a USB speaker and it has power. But the machine is unresponsive. Where do I start with diagnosis and repair?

Board: GIGABYTE 78LMT USB3 AM3+ mATX
CPU: FX-6300 3.5Ghz w/ Hyper 212 Evo
GPU: XFX AMD R9 280
RAM: 8GB DDR3
.5TB WD Blue Hard Drive
PSU: EVGA 600W
 
Last edited:

clutchc

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Apparently you didn't get all the water soaked up, huh? You might want to strip down the build and breadboard the motherboard on an insulated surface with just the CPU & Cooler, 1 stick of RAM in whichever slot is recommended for using a single stick (if that is required), PSU, monitor plugged into the integrated video port, and maybe add your keyboard. Start the system by momentarily shorting the two pins that the case's power button would connect to. If you don't get any display, it would appear the board is either dead or needs time to dry out.

Where exactly did the water land when spilled?
 

garett444

Prominent
May 18, 2019
14
0
510
Apparently you didn't get all the water soaked up, huh? You might want to strip down the build and breadboard the motherboard on an insulated surface with just the CPU & Cooler, 1 stick of RAM in whichever slot is recommended for using a single stick (if that is required), PSU, monitor plugged into the integrated video port, and maybe add your keyboard. Start the system by momentarily shorting the two pins that the case's power button would connect to. If you don't get any display, it would appear the board is either dead or needs time to dry out.

Where exactly did the water land when spilled?
Hey thanks for looking out! Most of the water that got in the case was in the vicinity of the graphics card. In hindsight, I should have ket the machine air dry overnight and this probably wouldn't have happened. There was some water that got to the board on both sides of the graphics card. Assuming something is dead, is it most likely to be the board? My priority is to get back up asap, and I was ready to start upgrading piece by piece anyway.

I'm going to proceed as you have recommended and will report back! For a while, I have wanted to ask a knowledgable person what order I should upgrade my components. Is this board (if it is not dead or likely dead) worth building on? What is the weakest part of my build? Thanks for your help!
 

clutchc

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I have the power supply out. Should the fan go when I plug it in?
If the 24-pin connector is securely plugged into the board's header, the power supply should power up yes. It needs the permissive from the board to start.
But as for the PSU's fan, that depends on whether or not the fan control is the type that only comes on when the PSU reaches a certain temp. What's happening when you have everything I mentioned above connected up and you momentarily short those two pins?
 
I agree with the other response regarding breadboarding to see if you can get life out of it.
Make sure when breadboarding that you plug all the PSU power cables in just as you would if it was in your PC (24pin, 8/4pin, GPU power), and then short the power button front panel connector with a screwdriver or something metal.
I would assume you should get some motherboard light to turn on, or a fan as you should still have your CPU cooler installed.

If nothing works out, starting a new build is probably a better option than upgrading, especially if you're not totally sure whats damaged.
 

garett444

Prominent
May 18, 2019
14
0
510
So, I picked up a new power supply (evga 600W). Both power supplies behave the same when I follow your instructions as closely as I know how. I have the GPU and the Hard Drive out. I have the 24 pin connected, and a usb speaker to see if I get any power through. The machine does nothing when I short the two pwr pins or when I hook up the wires and use the power switch. The light on the usb speaker lights when it should, whether I plug it in the back or, with the usb3 cable connected, the front. No fans anywhere. I know this is all inconclusive, and I have no experience with this as it is a brand new hobby.
 

garett444

Prominent
May 18, 2019
14
0
510
I agree with the other response regarding breadboarding to see if you can get life out of it.
Make sure when breadboarding that you plug all the PSU power cables in just as you would if it was in your PC (24pin, 8/4pin, GPU power), and then short the power button front panel connector with a screwdriver or something metal.
I would assume you should get some motherboard light to turn on, or a fan as you should still have your CPU cooler installed.

If nothing works out, starting a new build is probably a better option than upgrading, especially if you're not totally sure whats damaged.
So, to start getting me headed in the right direction, Can I (should I) get a new, upgraded board that is compatible with my GPU and CPU? Or, should I anticipate that with a new better board (compatible with this case) I will have to also upgrade those as well?

So, skipping the diagnostics, suggestions for what to buy to get back to life?
 

clutchc

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If you followed the above breadboard procedure with the new PSU w/o success, it would appear (at least from here) that the board is dead. Rather than replace it, now would be a good time to begin a total upgrade to a new more modern platform.
Here are some bundle combos you can check out depending on your budget and prefernce. Don't forget, you'll need new DDR4 RAM too.