M17x R2 Won't Power After Disassembly

I took my R2 apart to clean out the dust and reseat/repaste the GPUs and CPU following high temps (110°C).

I've gotten it put mostly back together (everything is reseated), but it won't turn back on: If the AC Adapter is connected, nothing happens; if the battery is connected, both GPU fans spin up momentarily, then nothing else happens.

I've checked the obvious stuff and can't seem to identify the reason it won't do anything; could anyone post a checklist of what I can try to fix it?

Thanks!

Edit: I started taking things out and found that the second GPU (in MXM2) was the culprit. It prevents the laptop from starting when put in MXM1 as well. How should I troubleshoot it?

 

Not much you can do. You've solved the primary issue. If your R2 won't boot from the second card (which it should as long as it is installed in the primary slot) then that is a dead giveaway the second GPU has gone kaputnik.

 

It was working when I took it apart, and didn't do anything that should've caused it to stop working. Is there anything else I can try?

 

Did you use ESD protection? If it's plugged in and your laptop won't power on, it means it has a short somewhere on the card.

 

Errr...no. I was working on it with it physically removed from the laptop case/motherboard.

Also, thoughts on why the AC Adapter doesn't seem to be working? I haven't touched anything around where it connects on the inside.

 

A couple of things...first, when you took it apart, did you remove the battery (and power cable) and hold down the power button to make sure that it had cleared the power out (for about 30 seconds)...if not then any of those "could" have caused a power surge to the second GPU. Not that any of that can be changed, but just an FYI for the future.

As far as the A/C adapter...is the blue light ring illuminated? If not, then I believe there is a fuse of some sort in the power supply that might be preventing it from working...I'll dig a bit on the forums to verify this.

If the blue light is lit, but simply not powering up then it might be something else.

Good luck to you...if it's still under warranty, then you should be in luck..call Dell and let them know that it's not powering up.

*EDIT* found this on another post..may not apply, but worth a shot: Disconnect the power cord from the R2 and then reset/recycle the PSU by disconnectiing and reconnecting the PSU from the wall/power strip outlet several (3-4) times. If the blue light doesn't come on then most likely there is a problem with the power supply.

Other folks might have some other suggestions.

 

Try the reset GreyWolf suggested. Realize, the GPU issue could be causing the PSU issue. If there is a short on the second card, that could be causing the PSU's protection circuit to trip as to guard the notebook from a power overload. Remember, just because the notebook is off doesn't mean a short in the card can't be overdrawing current at the same time. Reset your PSU and try using it again with only the first GPU card in your system.

Conversely, the PSU might have overloaded on its own and the second GPU card may have taken to brunt of the surge and been burned out. But it's more likely to be as Tsunade said: You didn't use an ESD grounding bracelet or strap and mat and a small static shock could have ruined the second card. I've seen it happen all the time, and it's happened a few times to me.

 

Thanks for the replies!

I did remove the battery and the AC from it, but I can't recall if pressed the power button after that to clear it out. I actually have anti-static wriststraps, but evidently didn't think to wear one.

I tried to reset the PSU, but the light still illuminates as expected, and the laptop still shows no signs of power (with both GPUs removed). What are the chances that something's defective with the motherboard, considering everything works normally when it's on battery?

Finally, I realize this is kind of a dumb question, but is there anything I can do to systematically ensure that the second GPU is toast before I buy a new one?

 

Will your system boot on battery power with only the first GPU (the good one) installed?

 

Yes. It'd be usable again (mostly) if I could get the AC adapter working.

Edit: Well that's curious - I put it back together and AC power works now. I also seem to have fixed my AlienFX issue (one of my speakers would turn off when set to green, or appear purple when set to white).

Anyhow, is there any way I can make absolutely certain that the second GPU is gone? I realize that plugging it in and it causing the computer not to power on is fairly conclusive evidence, but I'd like to avoid spending more money, if possible.

 

Might be the PSU has gone bad. If you have a voltmeter, then check the voltage output of the power brick.

 

I found out what the root of the issue was: The laptop will always power on when the battery is connected (no shorts, of course), but AC power will only work when the keyboard is connected (the larger of the two ribbons). It definitely seems like a glitch with something, but it's much less worrisome knowing the cause.

I noticed that there's still a bit of thermal paste left on the second GPU (and the paste I used is conductive), so I'm going to try cleaning all of that off and trying one last time before giving up and using this as an excuse to upgrade to better cards.

 

I figured you double checked the keyboard. But yea, anytime I benched my R2 with a dryice pot, I had to have the keyboard plugged in.

 

Cameron,

Unfortunately the only way to be absolutely certain is to either

1)Find someone near you who has a working card that you could put in your system to see if it works (would eliminate either the card or the motherboard as being the issue).

2)Find someone near you who would be willing to take your non working card and try it in their system.

This was how I discovered that one of my initial Clevo 6970's crossfire port was not working, but unless you know someone with the above configuration, it's hard to know 100%.

The other option is to upgrade your cards or purchase a replacement card that you can return if it does't fix your issues (since motherboard is still a possibility, although I think it's more likely the card).

Just some thoughts, I hope cleaning things up and trying again brings everything back online for you.

 

Huh, I thought it was just a quirk. I'm not sure why needing to have the keyboard plugged in would be desirable functionality...

If anything, it seems ironic to me, since you have to press a function key to even boot when you're on battery (the optimal performance reminder).

I think you're right, and it probably is the card, since it messes things up regardless of which port it's connected to.

I'm really tempted to upgrade now though, especially considering the situation. I'll start a new thread once I've tried the second card one last time.