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Everex Step Mega Cube

Any chance of damage is small in the current situation. However, it breaks down to the issue of a basic toolset.

If you're going to be serious about collecting vintage gear and getting it to work, you should collect some essentials. At a minimum, a DMM, logic probe and a decent soldering iron and de-soldering tools are necessary. If you're going to work on power supplies, an appropriate "dummy load" is important. My own is made from some 10W festoon-base auto lamps--by adding or removing bulbs, I can vary the load and I have a good visual indication that the PSU is working--and the bulbs are expendable.

I know that some people figure that all they need is a pocketknife, a pair of slip-joint pliers and a hammer to do anything, but I'm not one of them.
 
Well, now having determined what would be a nice toolset to have and the fact that I don't (okay I have a DMM, and a soldering iron but nothing else) here is the result of the tests:

1. PSU disconnected from everything (including MB) except for 11 SATA drives: Power on - get beeping from my SATA HDD carriers. No fans spin up (either on the everex cube or the fans on the carriers).
2. PSU disconnected from everything BUT connected to MB and 11 SATA Drives: same behavior as before. Lights briefly come on and then go off. Also no beeping from the carriers.

Can we say it is a PSU issue now and start trouble shooting the PSU or could it still be either one? Thanks.
 
How did you arrive at 11 drives? (Did you try, say 5?)

Assuming that the answer to the above is "yes", then it does look as if we've got a PSU issue. Where to go at this point is the next issue. You're not likely to find another PSU floating around from one of these. Here's what I'd recommend.

Pop the PSU open (after having disconnected it from everything, obviously) and take a peek at the innards. Are there any bulging electrolytic capacitors? If so, you may just have found your problem. Otherwise, troubleshooting gets to be a bit more complicated...
 
Chuck(G) said:
How did you arrive at 11 drives? (Did you try, say 5?)
Assuming that the answer to the above is "yes", then it does look as if we've got a PSU issue. Where to go at this point is the next issue.
Click to expand...

I connected two drive carriers to the PSU. Each drive carrier has 5 drives in it. Plus there was the single SATA drive from before: 5+5+1 = 11 I also tried just one drive carrier + 1 HDD for 6 drives with the same results.

Chuck(G) said:
You're not likely to find another PSU floating around from one of these. Here's what I'd recommend. Pop the PSU open (after having disconnected it from everything, obviously) and take a peek at the innards. Are there any bulging electrolytic capacitors? If so, you may just have found your problem. Otherwise, troubleshooting gets to be a bit more complicated...
Click to expand...

I was afraid of that. I will start by doing a search for the unit on google. You never know. Then proceed with looking for obvious problems.

Edit: It seems to me to be 99% a PSU problem. Any chance it could not be a PSU issue? Anything else I can check? Should I got at it w/ a DMM and see if the PSU is not supplying the right power before I open up the PSU Case? Thanks.
 
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Shadow Lord said:
Edit: It seems to me to be 99% a PSU problem. Any chance it could not be a PSU issue? Anything else I can check? Should I got at it w/ a DMM and see if the PSU is not supplying the right power before I open up the PSU Case? Thanks.
Click to expand...

If it's kicking out immediately, there's not enough time to get a good reading. With the power off and the unit disconnected, you can check with your lowest resistance (usually, the continuity tester setting) between all of the supply leads and ground to see if there might be any obvious short-circuit on any of the lines.

If you can find a spare ATX supply (preferably one that doesn't have the separate +12 CPU supply leads, there's always the possibility that you can rewire it to supply your system, if you can fit the board into the old PSU's enclosure.
 
Chuck(G) said:
If it's kicking out immediately, there's not enough time to get a good reading. With the power off and the unit disconnected, you can check with your lowest resistance (usually, the continuity tester setting) between all of the supply leads and ground to see if there might be any obvious short-circuit on any of the lines.

If you can find a spare ATX supply (preferably one that doesn't have the separate +12 CPU supply leads, there's always the possibility that you can rewire it to supply your system, if you can fit the board into the old PSU's enclosure.
Click to expand...

Well, I've got a line on a replacement PSU. But before I pull the trigger I want to make sure I am not missing anything else other than PSU. I can always return the PSU but that has its own hassels.
 
So, what the heck, pop the PSU open and see what it looks like. You never know, it can be something simple. Since yours comes on briefly, it might not be too bad.
 
Hmmm....

Hmmm....

Okay,

Finally got a chance to take the system apart today. Man this thing is well built and well thought out. They definitely do not build them like this anymore. Quick inspection of MB shows no real burns, capacitor issues. Nothing bulging or leaking. I also took the PS apart and again nothing stands out except it is super dirty! There is one capacitor that look like it maybe bulging a bit but thats it. Everything else looks kosher. Pics galore:

Edit: The pictures are much higher res then the board is showing. If you want closeup detail just copy the links directly!

IMG_0002.jpg


The Weird PS Connector:
IMG_0003.jpg


Back Side - Notice that there are a few resistors connected on the back is this normal?

IMG_0004.jpg


Back Side Resistor Up Close:

IMG_0007.jpg


PSU:
IMG_0009.jpg


IMG_0010.jpg


"Bulging" Capacitor:

IMG_0011.jpg


Under the PSU circuit Boards:

IMG_0013.jpg
 
The resistors on the back are probably "engineering" fixes. Jumpers and missing loads that were added after the board layout was finalized. I remeber cutting these in myself in some of the older Tandy computers I've worked on.

I just counted the power supply connectors. It has the same number of contacts as a "standard" AT power supply. I bet with a little detective work you could probably figure out what the proper configuration is and wire an adapter. I know I'd try to figure it out. Any chance of a picture of the plug that goes into the motherboard?
 
Hi! The bulging capacitor in the PS is definitely suspicious. Were it my system and the PS was acting like it is, I would try replacing it and see if it helps. It definitely looks like its bulged out and maybe leaked. A bad cap just might explain you PS problems. Just be very careful when attempting PS repairs. Safety first!

Thanks and have a nice day!

Andrew Lynch
 
I definitely plan on replacing the capacitor just to rule it out. Might be a bit before I get to it. I'll try to desolder it tonight or tomorrow and then I'll have to check the local RS for one. It has not leaked as far as I can tell but it is bulging. I also have to take a closer look at the honking capacitors under the other board. If that does not work my options will be to either make an adapter as suggested by Unknown_K or to try and find a replacement PSU.
 
kb2syd said:
The resistors on the back are probably "engineering" fixes. Jumpers and missing loads that were added after the board layout was finalized. I remeber cutting these in myself in some of the older Tandy computers I've worked on.
Click to expand...

Thanks. Good to know.
 
No surprise in that bulging capacitor. Personally, my own slant is that if I replace one, I replace them all. Since capacitors are really the only thing that ages to any degree in a power supply, replacing them all means that you've got the equivalent of a brand-new PSU when you're done. Leave it to your grandchildren to replace them again.

The connector looks like a standard Molex 12-circuit power connector.

Most PC power supplies use a standard color coding on their leads, so black=ground, red= +5, yellow = +12, etc. So if the capacitor swap (observe the polarities!) fails, you can always use a standard AT supply.
 
Chuck(G) said:
No surprise in that bulging capacitor. Personally, my own slant is that if I replace one, I replace them all. Since capacitors are really the only thing that ages to any degree in a power supply, replacing them all means that you've got the equivalent of a brand-new PSU when you're done. Leave it to your grandchildren to replace them again.
Click to expand...

Agreed. However, in this case I think I will start with the one. If the problem goes away and the system boots then we can spend the time to replace the rest. Otherwise, more trouble shooting ;)

BTW: Thanks for linkage.
 
Check to see how easy that PS fan spins, could be bad. If the bulging capacitor is the same rating as the rest it would be smart to order enough to redo the whole PS even if you just do the one.
 
Okay, finally took the PSU completely apart as you can see. The only thing that looks even remotely bad is the one bulging capacitor. It is a 450V 10uF radial. $0.65 at the local store. I'll try to pick one up one Friday or Saturday and then we'll try to test this bad boy. This is an amazing computer for its time. It has a POST indicator built in, solid steel, thumb screws through out, including the drive cages so that you only need to open/close one screw to install stuff! Even, the PSU is ahead of its time. It has what looks like a temperature sensor that would shut down the PSU if it got too hot. I mean its just sweet.

IMG_0002.jpg


IMG_0003.jpg


IMG_0006.jpg


IMG_0004.jpg


IMG_0007.jpg


IMG_0008.jpg
 
Take a good hard look at that cap. Some of the high-voltage capacitors in these old SMPSUs are non-polarized. Make sure that you get the same--an ordinary polarized electrolytic will go boom.
 
Chuck(G) said:
Take a good hard look at that cap. Some of the high-voltage capacitors in these old SMPSUs are non-polarized. Make sure that you get the same--an ordinary polarized electrolytic will go boom.
Click to expand...

Any tips on this? As far as I can tell it is polarized. The blue strip seems to indicate the negative pole. Also looking at the other caps you Can tell that the negative pole is placed in the circuit board in the area marked by a circle. If you look at the 1st picture in the PSU series you can see the strip and the circular marking on the circuit board on the the bottom most cap on the left side.
 
If the capacitor is marked with a polarizing stripe, then it's a regular polarized electrolytic.

Hint: if the one that failed is rated for 85C, you might get a bit more life by switching to one rated at 105C. It's sitting in an isolated corner of the PCB, right next to a heat sink. (Why oh why do some design engineers put electrolytics right next to heat sinks? It's terrible practice.)
 
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