Faulty (maybe dead) PSU, EVGA wants paperclip test. How do I do it w/o cable or jumper?

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some guy named dave

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Apr 29, 2013
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Hello,


I recently RMA'd my EVGA SuperNOVA 1050 gs. I got the replacement, it worked for several days, and then one morning my computer refused to turn on. I could see the light on my motherboard on, but hitting the power didn't do anything.

So I took my old PSU since I didn't ship it back yet, put it in the machine, and then it powered up. This leads me to believe that the new PSU is even more faulty, if not dead. EVGA asked me to do a paper clip test but I'm not sure how to do it properly.

Can I just put the paper clip directly in to the PSU, or do I need to take out and plug in the ATX power cable and put the pins in there? If I can, what pin slots do I need to insert the paperclip in to? They are not labeled and not color coded. Needless to say, I can't see the wires as they're inside the PSU.


For the record, I RMA'd the original due to random power failures.


Thanks in advance.

PS. Stayed up late trying to figure this out, so I apologize for any confusion cause by my lack of sleep :p
 
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brispuss

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Dec 27, 2014
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To test the PSU, a bare metal paperclip or short length of wire or similar metal conductor is required to electrically short out two adjacent ferrules within the main 20/24 pin motherboard connector from the PSU.

Switch off the PSU.

Remove all PSU wires and connectors from the motherboard. Leave the PSU plugged into the wall socket or UPS, and leave the power supply cables still connected to the PSU.

Connect the paperclip or wire or other metallic conductor across ferrules 16 and 17 of the 20/24 pin ATX main connector. Referring to the image below, the two ferrules are labelled as PS_ON (shown as green color) and COM (shown as black color) right next to PS_ON.

ATX 20/24 pin connector diagram

Switch on the PSU.

Then with reference to the diagram and using a digital multimeter, measure the voltages across any two ferrules of the ATX 20/24 pin connector. NOTE: that the negative (black) probe from the digital multimeter should be connected to ANY of the ferrules labelled as "COM". The positive (red) probe from the digital multimeter should be connected to any other ferrule that is NOT labelled as "COM".

Take note of the voltage readings. The readings should match that of the diagram.
 
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Chayan4400

Chayan4400

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Apr 12, 2015
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To sum it up:


    ■ Unplug everything connected to the PSU on the PC side.
    ■ Make sure ECO mode is off by checking the switch on the modular side of the PSU. Just to be sure, repeat the test with ECO mode on and off, as Seasonic and Super Flower have a history of mislabeling that switch on the GS and G2 series.
    ■ Leave the PSU plugged into the mains, but turn off the power by flipping the switch at the back of the PSU to the off position.
    ■ Insert the two ends of a bent paperclip into the two pins indicated by the red box in the diagram below:

    yphlemq.png


    ■ Turn on the PSU by flipping the switch at the back.
    ■ If the PSU fan starts spinning, the test is a success and the PSU has started up. If it stays still, there is something wrong.


Do note though, that this merely shows that the PSU turns on. It could very well still be faulty.
 
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some guy named dave

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Apr 29, 2013
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Nevermind, I figured it out. I tested it and the fan turns on, both in and out of ECO mode. I have no idea why my PC doesn't boot up with this replacement whereas my old, apparently failing. PSU does power up.


I will be returning this and letting EVGA know. Thanks for the assist.
 
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