Jump To: Support > KB > ThinIT > PSUProbs

Powerboard problems

Two main types of DCDC board:

Newer type comes in two versions: with and without SATA power. Older type has different layout with a larger number of black capacitors:

Failed capacitors

The older type of DCDC board has an increased failure rate because of capacitor failures. Multiple capacitors may fail per board and these can be recognised by then bulging. It is generally too time-consuming to replace them all:

Newer boards

Early versions of the newer boards can have problems depending how they are mounted. If a metal object is placed close to one pair of capacitors, this introduces enough environmental capacitance to make the DCDC boards fail to power up. To demonstrate, applying a small area of copper tape (insulated from the board) is sufficient to make the computer fail to power up:

Removing the tape will get the board working again.

In older-style cases, the newer DCDC boards are mounted close enough to the metal case for them to fail to start frequently:

By comparision, in new cases, the metal is thinner and the DCDC boards are mounted further from the case. They work here:

Fitting the older style of DCDC board will always work.