Accidently Plugged 3-pin fan connector into pins 2-3-4 instead of 1-2-3 of 4-pin socket. System won't turn on.

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luckystrikejp

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May 17, 2013
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Hi everyone,

Opening and closing the side of my case I had inadvertently pulled the side fan's 3-pin connector a bit loose previously. Noticing that the side fan LED was on but it was not spinning, I thought this had happened again and reopened my case and "fixed it", not realizing I inadvertently plugged the 3-pin fan connector into pins 2-3-4 of the 4-pin socket.

My system will not turn on. There is no response. I put my ear near the PSU and turned it on but hear nothing.

This is my first build, I just built it a week or so ago and it had been working great up until now.

My Question is: Have I killed my PSU? My Motherboard? Both? More? What is the possibility that I've caused damage to the CPU/GPU?

I would be very grateful for any advice.
Chris

Case: Corsair 500r
PSU: GIGABYTE GreenMax Plus 650W GZ-EMS65A-C1
Motherboard: GIGABYTE GA-Z77-HD3

CPU: i5-3570k
GPU: Asus GTX 670
HDD: Samsung 840 120gb SSD
Optical: Lite-on bluray combo
OS: Win7 ultimate
 
Solution
endeavour37a
Yes do what 6beers said, it sounds like a good place to start anyway, please keep us filled in. What MB do you have?

You can try this also. Pull the 24pin power connecter off the MB, make sure the PSU is unplugged! Take a paperclip and connect the GREEN and any BLACK wire together on the connecter, plug the PSU back in and turn it on. the PSU should power up if it is OK.
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orthokid

orthokid

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Dec 23, 2012
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It sounds like you damaged you motherboard. If you plugged it into wrong pins you probably jammed it, putting pressure on the motherboard, which is never good. The good thing is that the only thing you could have damaged that is expensive is the motherboard.
 
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luckystrikejp

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May 17, 2013
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Thanks for the reply! I'm pretty sure you're using "jamming" to refer to some electronic situation but if you meant it as in applying strong physical pressure, the pins went in very nicely. ><



This brings me great relief!

I'm sorry for being so dense but:
Is there some kind of testing I can do to confirm that it's the motherboard before buying a new one? Is there no chance it's the PSU? True, I'd never put my ear to it before having this issue, but wouldn't there be some sort of sound from the PSU if it's working correctly? (i.e., fan spinning up)

Thank you so much!
Chris
 
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endeavour37a

endeavour37a

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Feb 25, 2013
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Pop the cover off the PSU, their may be a fuse in it that is blown, just guessing ...

OR, post something at the MB site about what you have did in the trouble shooting section. Here is the pin out: 1 GND, 2 +12V, 3 RPM feedback, 4 PWM control. Pin 2 is the +12V, that went through the fan back to pin 3 RPM Feedback, you may have messed that up.

I can't see how that would kill a MB or PSU though, you could not have been the first person in the world to do that.
 
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luckystrikejp

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May 17, 2013
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Thank you Endeavor37a and ur6beersaway!

I may or may not have heard a "pop" sound. But I'm unsure if I really heard it or just imagined it. Would this point to a particular scenario?

Although it doesn't help my situation now, I found several cases on Google of the side fan on the Corsair Carbide 500R case needing to be RMA'd because the LED was coming on but it wasn't spinning. It's a shame because it's a great case and the other three default fans are ghost quiet.

I'm think I'm going to try ur6beersaway's suggestion after looking into it a bit more. Is there anything I should know beforehand? Is there potential to damage other components? I'm very new to this.

Thanks guy!
Chris
 
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endeavour37a

endeavour37a

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Feb 25, 2013
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Yes do what 6beers said, it sounds like a good place to start anyway, please keep us filled in. What MB do you have?

You can try this also. Pull the 24pin power connecter off the MB, make sure the PSU is unplugged! Take a paperclip and connect the GREEN and any BLACK wire together on the connecter, plug the PSU back in and turn it on. the PSU should power up if it is OK.
 
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Solution
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luckystrikejp

Honorable
May 17, 2013
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10,510

GIGABYTE Z77 HD3. PSU is GreenMax Plus 650w 80+ Bronze GZ-EMS65A-C1.



Thanks! On your advice, I tried this after watching a tutorial on Youtube. I'm fairly certain I did it correctly (left two 12cm fans connected). There was no response at all. Silence.

Let's hope with a new one it will come back on!
 
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luckystrikejp

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May 17, 2013
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Thank you all so much for your wonderful advice! It was very reassuring and educational, I think I might have given up and taken it into the shop without your help!

CONCLUSION:
Disconnecting and Testing the PSU, it was unresponsive.
Purchasing and installing a new PSU (Antec 25 EARTHWATTS 650W 80+ Bronze), the system booted up normally without any problems.
 
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