PSA: Fixing a dead power supply at the Seattle co-op changed my whole method

Guy brought in a 2012 Dell that wouldn't even twitch. No lights, no fan, nothing. I spent an hour checking caps and diodes like always. Turned out it was a cracked solder joint on the main AC input connector. Right where the board flexes. Now I always hit those spots first with a magnifier before I start probing around. Anyone else ignore the obvious stuff for too long?

3 comments

3 Comments

bennett.noah15d agoMost Upvoted

Yeah @paigem45 I used to skip those too but now I always check them first.

simon71715d ago

Love to crack" seems a bit dramatic.

paigem4515d ago

Did you check the solder joints on the power button board too? Those little connectors love to crack and cause no power issues. I learned that the hard way after swapping a perfectly good PSU once.