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Clues, the PSU killer

B

BluesClues

n00b
Joined
Aug 3, 2005
Messages
4
I've had a second-run ULTRA X-connect 500w(tigerdirect bought) for about two years, and the only problem was it got too dusty at one point and would shut off, until last week.

I moved the furniture around in my dorm room, PSU unplugged the whole nine. I plug it back in and when I push the power, nothing. All the wires are good, the mobo light is on...Nothing. Bit of blue smoke out the back...the PSU is toast.

I get a friends 350w, maybe I can just boot into the BIOs, no HDs or optical drives. It powers up about twice, both times refusing to POST, but its hope that nothing else was wrecked. Then, same as before, the power button stops working, I push it and the mobo light goes out this time.

Ultra advanced RMA's me a new PSU, exactly like the other one, I put it in and it works as it should for like twelve hours over two days. I did have a vantec tornado blowing out under the intake for the psu, but that wasn't anything the other PSU hadn't faced, plus the fan was running low from my fan controller anyway. So I'm gaming along, and then it shuts-off, it doesnt restart, it just dies. I pop open the case and the PSU case is extremley hot, I can still touch it. Now I can hit the power button, everything will move for a millisecond and off it goes, mobo light still on. I can only do this once per pulling the plug and having the mobo light drain off.

I have no idea whats happening or why the PSUs failed so badly or so oddly. I pulled the mobo out and reset my standoffs etc, rewired the whole case to ensure nothing like that was a problem but the last PSU still went down pretty hard. Though I can probably RMA the new PSU to Ultra...again, I dont want to do so only to burn out more PSUs.
Anyone have any ideas on more troubleshooting, or possible culprits for all of this?
 
BluesClues said:
I've had a second-run ULTRA X-connect 500w(tigerdirect bought) for about two years
Click to expand...

If it's a 500W from two years ago, it's not "second run," it's "first run." ;)

BluesClues said:
So I'm gaming along, and then it shuts-off, it doesnt restart, it just dies. I pop open the case and the PSU case is extremley hot, I can still touch it. Now I can hit the power button, everything will move for a millisecond and off it goes, mobo light still on. I can only do this once per pulling the plug and having the mobo light drain off.
Click to expand...

So if you unplug everything, and then plug it back in again, the PSU starts again? So the PSU is tripping for some reason. You say that the housing of the PSU is hot, so it could be tripping because of heat. But like you said, this PSU isn't facing anything that the first one hadn't for the first two years. Did you check to see that the fans inside the PSU are even spinning? Maybe it overheated because the fans aren't working?

BluesClues said:
Though I can probably RMA the new PSU to Ultra...again, I dont want to do so only to burn out more PSUs.
Click to expand...

If you can't figure out what's going on and end up at the point where you need to RMA it again, "lemon law it." The original X-Connect is a three year old design, discontinued well over a year ago and frequently problematic (especially those made by Youngyear.) I'd call them up and tell them that this is the second X-Connect you've had die in a week and that you want an X2 550W instead (be nice!) They'll do it.

On a side note: Look at the packing slip the replacement PSU came with. Look at the part number for the replacement PSU. Does it start with "ULT-31..." or "ULT-33..." If it starts with "ULT31..." RMA it now. Don't even bother with the troubleshooting. It's made by Youngyear, not Wintech, and if they had it laying around as an RMA replacement to send to you recently, I bet it has a D0406 date code sticker on it. Not to sound like a baker, but I typically call those X-Connects *cough* bad batch *cough*.
 
thanks for your thorough response.

The PSU is certainly browning out, now a day later when i use the paperclip method to get it to turn on both fans spin for a millisecond and then stop, so its defintley toast.
You were right, the pack slip is a ULT31...So I'll be calling them tonight and perhaps I'll pack both these PSUs in the one box and get rid of em at once. Oddly enough the sticker on the PSU is a D0306. Oh well, now to run up what I'll say to get upgraded to an X2 550w.
 
I've had a run of 3 bad X-Connect before I was given a X-2. I agree with JohnnyGURU and ask for a X2.
 
From what I understand the Ultra power supplies made by Wintech are solid. I have the 500W V-series I am very happy with mine so far, I can do extreme overclocking on this power supply and no nasty surprises. 28 amps at 12V less some other 500W supplies on the market but what it does have is solid. The fan is very quiet too.

Hard to beat Ultra for customer service either. Just make sure to register on their website to lock in that lifetime guarantee.
 
Any good ideas on what to say to get the guy to agree with me on the free upgrade to an X-2
 
Umm... you tell them, "I've had two in a row fail in an otherwise known good PC...."

That's about it. Remind him/her that it's a known "old" and "discontinued" product and that you expect something more up to date.
 
Thanks for Thanks to everyone who responded, I got ULTRA on the phone and theyre sending off a new X-2. Sweet.
 
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