[SOLVED] Power5 Supply Problem

business_kid · 09-09-2022, 01:55 PM

I am 99% sure I have a power supply problem on my new box, although I can't diagnose it.My box has the following specs:

Code:

AMD Ryzen PC Builder
Step 1) Cases: Bitfenix Nova Windowed Midi-Tower - black
Step 2) CPU: AMD Ryzen 5 5600 3.5 GHz
Step 3) Cpu Cooling: Be quiet! Pure Rock CPU Air Cooler - €+40 €40.00
Step 4) Motherboards: MSI MAG B550M Bazooka €+80 €80.00
Step 5) Memory (RAM): 16GB (2x8GB) Corsair Vengeance RGB 3600MHz + €95 €95.00
Step 6) Hard Drive 1 (HDD): Not Wanted €-40 -€40.00
2nd Hard Disk Optional: Not Wanted
Step 7) Solid State Drive 2.5" (SSD): 480GB M.2 Solid State Drive €+80 €80.00
M.2 Solid State Drive (SSD): Not Wanted
Step 8) Optical Drive (CD/DVD): Not Wanted
Step 9) Graphics Card (GPU): AMD Radeon RX 6600 XT 8GB €+370 €370.00
Step 10) Power Supply (PSU): 600W Kolink 80+ Certified + €10 €10.00
Step 11) Wi-Fi Card: Not Wanted
Step 12) Keyboard & Mouse: Not Wanted
Step 13) OS: Windows 10 Pro 64 Bit activated - No Media €30 €30.00
Step 14) Monitor: Not Wanted

The box is on for much, but not all of the day. The last few days it's been cutting out. I don't think it's mains brown-outs. Beside the pc is a printer which does a real song and dance about powering up, and it stays on. But the pc behaves like it's had a brown-out.

There's a window in the case, and I can see the fan spinning, and those childish leds on the ram sockets monotonously doing their technicolour thing. I have observed:

A brownout where the fan hasn't stopped spinning when it reboots. The ram leds keep displaying, but the PC reboots as if it's been switched off. However, I don't have to restart it.
The fan stops, the technicolour ram leds continue, and the pc reboots. However, I don't have to restart it.
The whole shooting match stops, but it immediately restarts on the power button.

The power button is a momentary switch - it's not an on-off thing. In faults 1 & 2 above, I don't have to restart. Now I don't know the typical power supply design at that point, but I presume there's some relay & capacitor thing. Relays typically pull in at around 2/3 of rated voltage and drop out at around 1/3 of rated voltage. But it seems like in cases 1 & 2 that the relay holds in.

Do I have enough in those symptoms to return the power supply under warranty?

michaelk · 09-09-2022, 02:39 PM

Is the printer laser or inkjet?

If it is a laser, does the problem seem to happen when the printer is warming up or printing?

Is the computer connected to a UPS or a surge protector? If so is the printer plugged into the same device?

mrmazda · 09-10-2022, 03:12 AM

How can anyone get a new PSU worth anything for €10? I know nothing about the Kolink brand, but at that price I have to think PSU defect quite likely, and suitable symptoms for RMA if it actually has a warranty at that price.

business_kid · 09-10-2022, 07:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by mrmazda

How can anyone get a new PSU worth anything for €10?

I didn't. It's a builder PC. They price their cheapest options, and offer half a dozen of each item; the €10 is the difference between the cheapest and that one. It actually cost significantly more, but I'm not bothered looking it up.

@michaelk: Laserjet. The 'song and dance' isn't a problem. The printer is fine. I just remarked that it takes long time with various phases to boot up. So if the power had died to that, I'd have noticed. No surge protectors. I'm in a the suburbs of a city.

@ALL: Problem solved - it turned to a hard fault today - PC Power supply blown. I've seen large semiconductors do that before, but they don't usually last that long Some capacitors were even sold as "self healing" but they were always weaker. So they might blow s/c, take out semiconductors, then 'heal'.I could be left wondering "why did that blow?" because the (blown) capacitor had healed. Usually in SCR snubber circuits.

business_kid · 09-12-2022, 02:45 PM

Further to my "Not powering up - totally dead" diagnosis, everything has turned on it's head.

The day after I made that post, I heard a sound a bit like snake foreplay nearby. I traced it to arcing. I had my PC plugged into a powerline adapter, which has a non-standard "Ireland & UK" type plug moulded into it. The adapter had a poor socket; The non-standard plug wasn't helping.

Short story - the powerline adapter is out, I'm plugged into another socket. Everything works fine.

Mottoes: Good fixers get more difficult problems, & the cobbler's children are worst shod.