Problem with new 4P rig

[plext0r]

I finally assembled my SuperMicro GL board, 4 6282 extra spicy CPUs and some RAM in a Blackhawk Ultra case with a Corsair AX 1200 P/S. The motherboard and P/S are new. The RAM is known-good.

When I enable the P/S master switch, the DP3 LED does not illuminate as mentioned in various forums and the manual. If I hit the case power switch, the P/S clicks but nothing spins up. If I hit the power switch a time or two more, the DP3 LED finally lights up but then it starts blinking.

I've read through SuperMicro's troubleshooting steps for No Power and I figure I'll have some time to debug it tonight, but it means taking everything back out of the case, possibly going down to a single CPU/RAM combo and starting there.

Are there any other suggestions not mentioned in the troubleshooting guide? If I enable the P/S master switch and DP3 does not illuminate, is that a P/S or M/B issue?

As stated above, the P/S is new and I've never tried it in another rig. Could it be DOA? Or should I suspect the M/B? I might be able to scrounge up a Seasonic 750W P/S just to verify the M/B is good (I'd have to remove it from a working Windoze PC). Any other suggestions would be highly appreciated.

 

[402blownstroker]

Definitely seems like a PSU issue. Have you tried things with a single CPU and stick of RAM? I would try that first.

 

[plext0r]

Definitely seems like a PSU issue. Have you tried things with a single CPU and stick of RAM? I would try that first.

I've not tried that yet. I was incorrectly assuming everything would fire right up. Looks like I'll need to pull everything out of the case since I used Musky-mod CM 212+ HSF and I don't think I can remove them while the motherboard is mounted in the case.

I assume a single CPU setup will work with just the 24-pin ATX and a single EPS connection so I can test with a known-good Seasonic P/S. Does that sound ok?

The Corsair P/S came with 2 EPS cables. In order to get a third EPS connection from the Corsair, I modified a Seasonic EPS cable to match the pinout of the Corsair (swapped all hots with grounds on one side of the cable and labelled it appropriately).

I do not have any PCIe - EPS adapter cables yet. I was looking for a dual PCIe to EPS adapter but could only find single. I believe full-blown EPS requires more amperage than a single PCIe can handle, but I know others are using the single adapter.

 

[tear]

If I hit the power switch a time or two more, the DP3 LED finally lights up but then it starts blinking.

This actually suggests you're looking at DP1 (BMC) LED (which, nb, starts blinking by
itself about 15s after connecting the power), not DP3 (power) LED [?]

Is this a new board? Does the shipped BIOS support 6200 series? What is the label
on the flash chip?

Do you have 6100 series chip to try?

 

[plext0r]

This actually suggests you're looking at DP1 (BMC) LED (which, nb, starts blinking by itself about 15s after connecting the power), not DP3 (power) LED [?]

Is this a new board? Does the shipped BIOS support 6200 series? What is the label
on the flash chip?

Do you have 6100 series chip to try?

This is a new board. Got it from WiredZone, drop shipped from SuperMicro. I saw the BIOS version last night but didn't write it down. Will have to get back to you on that.

You are probably right about DP1 vs DP3.

I don't have any other known-good CPUs. I got these CPUs from an eBay vendor a few weeks ago and this is the first time I'm trying them. Too many unknowns.

 

[Qinsp]

Different Mobo:

I found one of the cables on my modular PS (SATA cable) was doing that. I switched cables, and all was well.

 

[plext0r]

This actually suggests you're looking at DP1 (BMC) LED (which, nb, starts blinking by
itself about 15s after connecting the power), not DP3 (power) LED [?]

Is this a new board? Does the shipped BIOS support 6200 series? What is the label
on the flash chip?

Do you have 6100 series chip to try?

DP1 was blinking. DP3 is not lighting up. BIOS Chip says 2.917.

I pulled the rig from my case and attached the same P/S (24 pin + 2 EPS). I disconnected everything except the CPU fans. Still have four CPUs installed. After letting the BMC boot and DP1 is blinking, I hit the power button and the power supply clicks but nothing spins up.

I'm going to try another P/S with 24-pin and single EPS to see if I can get any further.

 

[Quisarious]

try booting via ipmi...

 

[tear]

FWIW, 2.917 (Sep 17, 2012) is the 3.0 release which supports 6200s (as well as 6300s -- ed.)

 

[plext0r]

You guys might never believe what the problem is. The brand new Corsair AX 1200 EPS connections appear to be wired in reverse. Thank goodness the P/S detected a problem and wouldn't turn the system on.

I attached a known-good Seasonic X-650 with the 24-pin and two 8-pin EPS. The system powered right up and I got some nice screenshots.

I then performed the green pin trick on the Corsair (while it was sitting on a bench) and it powered right up. I plugged it back into the 4P rig and it failed again. Then I disconnected the EPS connections and powered up the SuperMicro board with just the 24-pin ATX cable and it worked! I tested the voltage on the EPS connections and got -12V where I should have gotten +12V! The hot pins are supposed to be the four closest to the retention clip but they were wired for negative and hot was on the backside of the connector!

I just got this P/S two weeks ago, so I'm unsure if I should RMA with the vendor or with Corsair directly. I'm just happy the board did not get fried.

 

[DooKey]

You guys might never believe what the problem is. The brand new Corsair AX 1200 EPS connections appear to be wired in reverse. Thank goodness the P/S detected a problem and wouldn't turn the system on.

I attached a known-good Seasonic X-650 with the 24-pin and two 8-pin EPS. The system powered right up and I got some nice screenshots.

I then performed the green pin trick on the Corsair (while it was sitting on a bench) and it powered right up. I plugged it back into the 4P rig and it failed again. Then I disconnected the EPS connections and powered up the SuperMicro board with just the 24-pin ATX cable and it worked! I tested the voltage on the EPS connections and got -12V where I should have gotten +12V! The hot pins are supposed to be the four closest to the retention clip but they were wired for negative and hot was on the backside of the connector!

I just got this P/S two weeks ago, so I'm unsure if I should RMA with the vendor or with Corsair directly. I'm just happy the board did not get fried.

Glad you figured it out. If I was you I would contact the Corsair person here on the forums, Redbeard, and tell him what happened and I would be willing to bet he'll send you a new cable.

 

[Qinsp]

You guys might never believe what the problem is. ....

Yup, believable. I had the $$$$ EVGA SR-2 PSU do that (POS anyhow), and Newegg would not RMA it because I had cut the UPC code off the box for the rebate.

And a really sweet Mushkin PSU had that problem Monday. Luckily it was just one of the modular cables, and not the main harness. That one sat on the shelf too long (spare) so I could not return it.

Last month a "bargain" 700w PSU grenaded within minutes of applying about 500w to it (measured with KillaWatt).

I would say with little doubt, the poorest QC in the computer industry today is powersupplies.
Always have a working spare as a toolkit.

Then again, I have 2 computers that have run 24/7/365 from the mid 1990's. Never turned off. Finally one of them has a noisy fan. We are talking 16+ years. I'm lucky if a newer one lasts 5.