HELP - New homebuilt wont power on

[Otter]

I'm putting together a new homebuilt - not my first but Im not an
expert.

The case is ThermalTake Xaser III with 420W power supply built in.
MB is Abit IC7 with a P4 processor.

Hooked everything up, turned on the power switch at the power supply
and a little green LED lights up on the MB where you connect the case
LED and switches on the MB. Pressed the power button and nothing. I
little red LED flashes briefly at the pressing of the power button but
nothing happens.

I disconnected everything from the power supply that wasn't necessary
-- leaving hard, CD, and floppy drives connected, CPU fan but not the
case fans -- and the same thing happens.

The only thing I can think of is the Power SW plug is incorrect. The
ThermalTake plug doesn't state which is +, but I assume it's the wire
with the small arrow pointing to it on the plastic case.

Am I missing something or does this tell anyone of a problem?

There are also a couple of wires from the power supply which don't
seem to be needed anywhere -- a connector with 2 black, 2 orange, and,
IIRC a red wire; and another which seems insignifcant (two yellow
wires connecting to a small white connector). Unfortunately there is
no manual with the power supply, nor documentation on ThermalTake's
website.

Thanks,

-Otter

 

[SteveH]

I'm putting together a new homebuilt - not my first but Im not an
expert.

The case is ThermalTake Xaser III with 420W power supply built in.
MB is Abit IC7 with a P4 processor.

Hooked everything up, turned on the power switch at the power supply
and a little green LED lights up on the MB where you connect the case
LED and switches on the MB. Pressed the power button and nothing. I
little red LED flashes briefly at the pressing of the power button but
nothing happens.

I disconnected everything from the power supply that wasn't necessary
-- leaving hard, CD, and floppy drives connected, CPU fan but not the
case fans -- and the same thing happens.

The only thing I can think of is the Power SW plug is incorrect. The
ThermalTake plug doesn't state which is +, but I assume it's the wire
with the small arrow pointing to it on the plastic case.

Am I missing something or does this tell anyone of a problem?

There are also a couple of wires from the power supply which don't
seem to be needed anywhere -- a connector with 2 black, 2 orange, and,
IIRC a red wire; and another which seems insignifcant (two yellow
wires connecting to a small white connector). Unfortunately there is
no manual with the power supply, nor documentation on ThermalTake's
website.

Thanks,

Hi,

Fisrtly, check for shorts (ie. misplaced standoffs etc.).

Have you connected the 4 pin P4 power connector as well?

The other thing to try is to disconnect the power button lead from the PWR
connector and short the jumper on the board with a small screwdriver and see
if it comes to life.

You could also try disconnecting everything except the CPU fan connector.
Obviously, it won't get you very far, but at least you will see if it is
working when the fan goes round. If it then boots, you can look toward the
devices you just disconnected or the PSU as the culprit.

HTH
SteveH

 

[BigJIm]

that little square 4 wire connector is the power for the cpu. there is a
socket on the board for it.

 

[Otter]

Fisrtly, check for shorts (ie. misplaced standoffs etc.).

Have you connected the 4 pin P4 power connector as well?
Yep

The other thing to try is to disconnect the power button lead from the PWR
connector and short the jumper on the board with a small screwdriver and see
if it comes to life.

You could also try disconnecting everything except the CPU fan connector.
Obviously, it won't get you very far, but at least you will see if it is
working when the fan goes round. If it then boots, you can look toward the
devices you just disconnected or the PSU as the culprit.

I did this last bit first and everything fired up properly. Turns out
I didn't have the floppy power cable in correctly (I know because I
did it a second time! Hard to reach and I need a new one anyway.)

So I'm pleased to say it's up and running. Surely a no brainer but I
only had two hours to try and get it at least bootable and had to time
to properly troubleshoot. I was worried the MB was dead or
something.

Thanks for the nudge in the right direction. Much appreciated.

-Otter