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ATX power supply question

I am working on an older HP Pavilion Model 6830. The first complaint is that it would not turn on. I pressed the on switch several times and it fired up. Now it will not shut down. Even pulling out the line cord doesn't reset it. Plug the cord back in and it is still on. The p/s is an ATX-105.

There is nothing else attached. No keyboard, no monitor. I am just going by the sound of the fan and front panel LED.

The power on switch goes to the mobo through a connector. Unplugging this connector and testing the switch it tests good for continuity. It is a momentary contact switch which tells me that there is latch someplace. Is this latch somewhere on the mobo or is it in the p/s itself?

Advice please.

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie Bress
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Hold down the switch for five seconds or so....

jak

Reply to
jakdedert

Check the bios- there's often a setting to configure the power switch mode, and whether the PC switches back on automatically after a power failure, or unplugging the mains lead in your case.

If you still have no luck, trying clearing the CMOS. There's usually a jumper on the motherboard to achieve this. I've known a corrupted CMOS to cause some very strange symptoms.

It is quite common for ATX motherboards to require the power switch to be held in for several seconds to power down, as jakdedert suggests.

Dave

Reply to
Dave D

That feature requires ( I believe) that the OS is running. I never get that far And unplugging the .power line for an extended period should reset a normal system.

But I will try it anyway just because I have been wrong before.

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie Bress

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No, it's a BIOS-level feature. You can set it so that the PC turns on when the line is connected as noted above so that if, for example, you're running a web server for your business, you don't have to turn it back on if there's a power failure. My system allows you to "return to previous state" when the power is re-applied, i.e. if it was off when the power died, it stays off, and vice versa.

Reply to
Dave

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I tried holding the power switch down but still no shut down. And then I took an old p/s that is not a mini and won't fit the box and plugged it into the mobo and one drive to draw some power. This supply also came on when the power cord was plugged in and it too could not be shut down with the power button. Unless someone has a better idea I am almost convinced that it is a mobo problem.

Charlie

Reply to
Charlie Bress

I've seen this problem a few times caused by bad electrolytic capacitors in the power supply. Often the PSU is just replaced though, unless it's a high end one it probably isn't really worth fixing unless you just want the challenge.

Reply to
James Sweet

It certainly sounds like a motherboard problem, did you try my suggestions like clearing the CMOS?

Have you tried removing all but essential hardware, and have you tested the memory?

Have a close look at the electrolytic capacitors on the motherboard and check they aren't domed and/or leaking. Apart from that, there's not much you can do but replace the motherboard.

Dave

Reply to
Dave D

It's probably not the power supply. The power it turned on and off by the motherboard. The front power switch just tells the motherboard to send the power on signal to the power supply. Check the motherboard for bad caps near the CPU:

formatting link

If you don't see any of those, try removing the CMOS battery (a flat "watch" battery on the motherboard) and leaving it unplugged over night. Check that the CMOS battery reads at least 3v. A bad CMOS battery can cause problems. Andy Cuffe

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Reply to
Andy Cuffe

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