[geeks] Tyan Tempest Motherboard Headache

[Mark Benson]

Hi,

Well today answered the question... with an 'ah crap' moment.

The answer is that the DIMM3 RAM socket (yes, one of the ones that had 
the RAM in!!) is burned out at one end. I don't know if I did it running 
it on the bench or the seller sold me a dud. Given the cheap price I 
suspect the latter. I've been sat next to this the entire time it'd been 
powered on, there's no WAY I'd have missed that happening, surely?

I'm gonna try to get my money back, but I'm not sure if he'll budge as 
it's outside the stated 14 day 'warranty' period.

Here's a pic:
https://www.dropbox.com/s/2kax1d2gm1bte0h/IMG_20180111_195509.jpg?dl=0

Kinda disappointing. Although it's kinda astonishing it works single CPU 
in this state. I'm guessing it'd be a bad idea to keep running it if 
it's that damaged?

*Sighs*

The good news is I worked out how to make the Dell fans work on standard 
PWM fan circuits, they were wired up with the pins in the wrong order, 5 
mins with a pointy spudger and rearranging the wires in the plugs later 
and they work just fine on a standard motherboard header. Holy bejebus 
that rear fan's a monster at full peg, too!

For comedy effect I'm gonna rig the Dell box with a Micro ATX board I 
have kicking about tyhat has a PWM fan circuit for the time being so I 
can test how quiet it is fully assembled.

Thanks for the help, as ever. You guys rarely let me down (that's 
usually my part!!) :D

-- 

Mark