Hardware Motherboard issue , seeking advice circiut expert

[Undwiz]

See pic to see the button in question.


Got a old workstation for cheap , the guy thought the MOBO was bad..... it would turn on then off in loop at bootup.

I found that the DIRECTKEY button is faulty and if I pull it out the PC will work for a few days a week 2 weeks ... just random then it will act up again...

The MOBO button is in PIC..... Just touching not pressing the button will make the PC reboot shut down ect....


My question is , will gutting the button or just breaking the button of be a problem ?

I have taken buttons like this apart before , has a dome clicky thin metal in it , those tend to fail .-- thats what completes/shorts a circuit when pressed in.... from what I believe ..


so my question is can I dissemble the button or just remove it with no issues ? hope I made it clear ...


main point , can I remove button in pic ? Thanks

 

[Undwiz]

What I am thinking , shave off the 4 black plastic corners off , take the top metal case off and remove the inner faulty guts , that should make it to where the button does nothing.......

just want to be sure that would make the thing act the way it would if the button is not pressed ......... be sure it's not doing some thing else when not pressed ..... if that makes sense

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Just not sure if the button being decompressed completes a circuit or shorts a circuit,,,, pretty sure gutting it is the fix ...

 

[JaapDaniels]

See pic to see the button in question.


Got a old workstation for cheap , the guy thought the MOBO was bad..... it would turn on then off in loop at bootup.

I found that the DIRECTKEY button is faulty and if I pull it out the PC will work for a few days a week 2 weeks ... just random then it will act up again...

The MOBO button is in PIC..... Just touching not pressing the button will make the PC reboot shut down ect....


My question is , will gutting the button or just breaking the button of be a problem ?

I have taken buttons like this apart before , has a dome clicky thin metal in it , those tend to fail .-- thats what completes/shorts a circuit when pressed in.... from what I believe ..


so my question is can I dissemble the button or just remove it with no issues ? hope I made it clear ...


main point , can I remove button in pic ? Thanks

that button behavior looks fine, i think it's a clear CMOS button (most mobo's have it as jumper), you can just desolder it, but it will not help you.
most likely it's or RAM failure, or overheating CPU/GPU, wich means you have to ESD-safe unmount the coolers and clean those proper and re-thermalpaste them on the CPU/GPU.
could be burned-in connector of power-supply to the mailboard (had that once after i used a bad watercooler.
could be there's a leaking capasitor (smells like rotting fish), wich means you gotta have some solder skills to desolder, rewire and replace said capasitor.

 

[Alexander1970]

Good Morning.

What I am thinking , shave off the 4 black plastic corners off , take the top metal case off and remove the inner faulty guts , that should make it to where the button does nothing.......

just want to be sure that would make the thing act the way it would if the button is not pressed ......... be sure it's not doing some thing else when not pressed ..... if that makes sense

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Just not sure if the button being decompressed completes a circuit or shorts a circuit,,,, pretty sure gutting it is the fix ...

Which Mainboard / Brand / Type please ? There are maybe "easier" Solutions via the BIOS.
The DIRECT KEY is ONLY for booting directly into the BIOS.

This feature allows your system to go to the BIOS setup program with the press of a button.

With DirectKey, you can enter the BIOS anytime without having to press the [Del] key during POST.

It also allows you to turn on or turn off your system and conveniently enter the BIOS during boot-up.

Thank you.

 

[Undwiz]

that button behavior looks fine, i think it's a clear CMOS button (most mobo's have it as jumper), you can just desolder it, but it will not help you.
most likely it's or RAM failure, or overheating CPU/GPU, wich means you have to ESD-safe unmount the coolers and clean those proper and re-thermalpaste them on the CPU/GPU.
could be burned-in connector of power-supply to the mailboard (had that once after i used a bad watercooler.
could be there's a leaking capasitor (smells like rotting fish), wich means you gotta have some solder skills to desolder, rewire and replace said capasitor.

its for sure the directkey button , I know that for sure ..... spray can air at it and the system will shut down... hardly touch it and not press it the system will shut down ... it acts up randomly and will put the system in a boot loop, pull the button out and boot loop is gone for a day a week ,, changes at random but for sure the button ... been doing PC repair for 20 years ........ just not a sure what to do here with the bad button

 

[JaapDaniels]

its for sure the directkey button , I know that for sure ..... spray can air at it and the system will shut down... hardly touch it and not press it the system will shut down ... it acts up randomly and will put the system in a boot loop, pull the button out and boot loop is gone for a day a week ,, changes at random but for sure the button ... been doing PC repair for 20 years ........ just not a sure what to do here with the bad button

remove the button, but i'm pretty sure it will just have the same fails afterwards, you can replace the button with a new one later.

 

[Undwiz]

remove the button, but i'm pretty sure it will just have the same fails afterwards, you can replace the button with a new one later. (will update this post with a link where you can buy that button in USA).

the button has a lot of play , barly push it to the side , fart on it LOL the sytem goes nuts ....

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I have taken buttons like this apart in the past , I know the insides ..... think I already know I can gut it ... was hoping for some insurance ...


Will gut it and let you guys know ....


Piad $40 for Fractal Define R4 case with 3 fans Seasonic X-Series 650W 80 Plus Gold power supply ASUS P9DWS workstation motherboard 2 x 8 GB ECC DDR3 1600 Kingston RAM INTEL XEON E3-1270v3 3.5 GHZ CPU Pioneer BD/DVD/CD Writer AMD FirePro V4900 1GB video card

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before and after pics ........ had metal panel , case has a glass side upgrade option...

 

[Foxi4]

These kinds of issues are hard to troubleshoot because there's rarely a visual indication of fault. Looking at the button won't help us here. If you're boot looping at random, I would sooner expect a bent pin/dirty socket over a button. This is also a workstation board, so mounting pressure is paramount and can make the difference between booting properly and dealing with bizarre behaviour. Mount your heatsink snug and tight - I've seen boards like this straight up refuse to boot unless the CPU is squished to such an extent that it makes the average Joe uncomfortable.

If you have a multimeter, you can trance the tracks from the button onwards to look for any suspicious "stains" on the board, but personally I don't think it's at fault at all. If you really want to get rid of it, just clip the leads, no harm in it - it's easily replaceable. if I were you though, I would strip the computer entirely, arm myself with a soft toothbrush and a big bottle of isopropyl, inspect the board very carefully for any delayering/odd marks or scratches (particularly around the CPU socket which experiences a lot of stress, as well as the PCI Express x16 slots which are load-bearing and usually house heavy cards) and, in the absence of those, I would douse the sockets generously and scrub them, then leave the board to dry. While you're at it, double-check if the CPU socket and RAM slot pins are all straight and standing for attention.

 

[Undwiz]

I know it's the button , I kinda know the in side and all of this type button , just trying to see if some one knows these more and if breaking down the inside and gutting it will prevent a circuit from completing

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These kinds of issues are hard to troubleshoot because there's rarely a visual indication of fault. Looking at the button won't help us here. If you're boot looping at random, I would sooner expect a bent pin/dirty socket over a button. This is also a workstation board, so mounting pressure is paramount and can make the difference between booting properly and dealing with bizarre behaviour. Mount your heatsink snug and tight - I've seen boards like this straight up refuse to boot unless the CPU is squished to such an extent that it makes the average Joe uncomfortable.

If you have a multimeter, you can trance the tracks from the button onwards to look for any suspicious "stains" on the board, but personally I don't think it's at fault at all. If you really want to get rid of it, just clip the leads, no harm in it - it's easily replaceable. if I were you though, I would strip the computer entirely, arm myself with a soft toothbrush and a big bottle of isopropyl, inspect the board very carefully for any delayering/odd marks or scratches (particularly around the CPU socket which experiences a lot of stress, as well as the PCI Express x16 slots which are load-bearing and usually house heavy cards) and, in the absence of those, I would douse the sockets generously and scrub them, then leave the board to dry. While you're at it, double-check if the CPU socket and RAM slot pins are all straight and standing for attention.

 

[Foxi4]

I know it's the button , I kinda know the in side and all of this type button , just trying to see if some one knows these more and if breaking down the inside and gutting it will prevent a circuit from completing

I wouldn't service the button, I'd replace it entirely or dispose of it. It's a cheap tactile switch, they cost next to nothing.

 

[Undwiz]

These kinds of issues are hard to troubleshoot because there's rarely a visual indication of fault. Looking at the button won't help us here. If you're boot looping at random, I would sooner expect a bent pin/dirty socket over a button. This is also a workstation board, so mounting pressure is paramount and can make the difference between booting properly and dealing with bizarre behaviour. Mount your heatsink snug and tight - I've seen boards like this straight up refuse to boot unless the CPU is squished to such an extent that it makes the average Joe uncomfortable.

If you have a multimeter, you can trance the tracks from the button onwards to look for any suspicious "stains" on the board, but personally I don't think it's at fault at all. If you really want to get rid of it, just clip the leads, no harm in it - it's easily replaceable. if I were you though, I would strip the computer entirely, arm myself with a soft toothbrush and a big bottle of isopropyl, inspect the board very carefully for any delayering/odd marks or scratches (particularly around the CPU socket which experiences a lot of stress, as well as the PCI Express x16 slots which are load-bearing and usually house heavy cards) and, in the absence of those, I would douse the sockets generously and scrub them, then leave the board to dry. While you're at it, double-check if the CPU socket and RAM slot pins are all straight and standing for attention.

its the button , point can air at in and sytem reboot , when it messes up rotating it brings it back out of the issue

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I wouldn't service the button, I'd replace it entirely or dispose of it. It's a cheap tactile switch, they cost next to nothing.

just want to be sure I can remove it , not replace

 

[Foxi4]

its the button , point can air at in and sytem reboot , when it messes up rotating it brings it back out of the issue

Correlation, causation and whatnot. It's worth trying if that's what you think it is, clip it off and see what happens. With that being said, you mentioned that the computer has trouble regardless when it's inactive, just lasts a while longer. I maintain that there may be another issue besides the spongy, overused button - I can only advise based on the symptoms.

If the button connects to ground when pressed, you can clip it off and the computer won't know any better. If it breaks a connection when pressed, the computer will think that it's constantly pressed - you'd want to avoid that. Most tactiles like this just connect to ground, it's a safe bet, but there's no way of knowing without a meter.

 

[Undwiz]

1st thought PSU , changed that and it was not , then reseted CPU... nope ... then flashed bios since it has that back USB thingy nope ... found the button issue by mistake playing with it .... I was getting all kinds of diffrent codes on the boot loop ... its the button ....

 

[Foxi4]

Sounds like you're dead-set on your own diagnosis, so do what you think is right. If the issue persists, investigate other possible causes I've mentioned.

 

[JaapDaniels]

Sounds like you're dead-set on your own diagnosis, so do what you think is right. If the issue persists, investigate other possible causes I've mentioned.

we mentioned, i doubt he understands what we're saying here, everything he claims about the button is just the behaviour it should trigger, it doesn't sound like its the button it's unlikely to be the button, but let him try it, it's better to have tried, just hope he's not gonna sell afterwards, cause he's sure in for warranty claims.

 

[Undwiz]

Correlation, causation and whatnot. It's worth trying if that's what you think it is, clip it off and see what happens. With that being said, you mentioned that the computer has trouble regardless when it's inactive, just last a while longer. I maintain that there may be another issue besides the spongy, overused button - I can only advise based on the symptoms.

If the button connects to ground when pressed, you can clip it off and the computer won't know any better. If it breaks a connection when pressed, the computer will think that it's constantly pressed - you'd want to avoid that. Most tactiles like this just connect to ground, it's a safe bet, but there's no way of knowing without a meter.

its random , and will shutdown like you selected shutdown , turn off normally , then goes to a boot loop .. spining the button , push hard on it , pull it out with finger nails , brings it back to life .... maybe for a day maybe for a week .. then same thing ..... could just buy another mobo --- but this one is nice .......


main question was , does the button do anything when decompressed ? pretty sure it does not ... so gutting it or removing should act the same way as if it was functional .... just dont want to take it off and mobo be dead as result

 

[Foxi4]

we mentioned, i doubt he understands what we're saying here, everything he claims about the button is just the behaviour it should trigger, it doesn't sound like its the button it's unlikely to be the button, but let him try it, it's better to have tried, just hope he's not gonna sell afterwards, cause he's sure in for warranty claims.

If Directkey was shorted, it would just take him to BIOS, right? It shouldn't cause boot looping.

 

[Undwiz]

we mentioned, i doubt he understands what we're saying here, everything he claims about the button is just the behaviour it should trigger, it doesn't sound like its the button it's unlikely to be the button, but let him try it, it's better to have tried, just hope he's not gonna sell afterwards, cause he's sure in for warranty claims.

if only I could show you what I mean , breathing on the button makes the issues happen , was just making sure removing it wont make a circuit incomplete

 

[Alexander1970]

If Directkey was shorted, it would just take him to BIOS, right? It shouldn't cause boot looping.

Already pointed in the 4th Post....

And in the BIOS there are maybe "other Possibilites",if he tell us the Mainboard Type....

 

[Undwiz]

If Directkey was shorted, it would just take him to BIOS, right? It shouldn't cause boot looping.

Also on the PC right now