It wont stay on

[mmonnin]

Well some of you might know but I have been trying to build a PC in a Nintendo box. Its a challenge and I am almost there. I got it all to fit and now its time to make it work.

The thing is to make it fit I had to take the case off the PSU so its just sitting there, out in the open. And since its gounded by the case its no longer grounded with no case. The third prong connects to a wire on the inside and is screwed to the case.

I have everything installed included OS, drivers and everything else for now.

The thing is it WILL NOT stay on. After a few minutes or before it even gets into windows it shuts down.

I installed the OS and drivers at school. It would stay on there but it wont in my room. At first I had it on the floor. Then I moved it onto a surge protector and now on a desk and it still wont work. Before it was on a desk at school on a surge protector.

I no longer have access to the school since school is out and I have graduated. The lab is being worked on anyway (construction).

I dont know what else to do. I have tried some anti-static spray to see if it was getting static and shutting off cause its not grounded. I have tried to screw a piece of the case back on while its in the open but that didnt work either.

I dont know what else to do. Its on a surge protector on a new outlet that was run to my room not too long ago just for my computers.

Does anyone else have any clues that might help it stay one or what the difference is between my room and school?

[profdlp]

Sounds like a nifty project.

Are you sure your problem is related to grounding? If it worked until you brought it home, I would suspect that something happened during the moving process. Have you checked that all the components are seated properly? All fans running, etc?

Since it starts initially, then conks out, I wonder if it could be heat-related. If you're sure it's the ground, how much trouble would it be to temporarily run a grounding wire around to all the internal components which would normally be grounded through the case.


Prof

[mmonnin]

It worked at school twice, which means it didnt work here, it did there, iy didnt at home, it did there and again it wont work at home.

I have turned it all on and installed at school several times.

It shouldnt ben heat related. Its a C3 800mhz which are known to be cool. Its integrated and came with the HSF on it.

The other components are grounded thru the black wires that run everywhere. The red, yellow, and black ones you plug into each comonent. The PSU is what needs grounded.

[Red Dawn]

u could if theres space place the psu in a faradays cage, it could be em from the psu affecting it. its a shot in the dark but all i can think of at the minute.

faradays cage would just be a shell of chicken wire or summit similar around the psu.

[Clutch]

So the capacitors and all are showing from the psu correct? It's just out in the open? Weird thing is that is worked at your school twice but won't at your house. Have you switched power cords? sockets? just a shot in the dark.

[Keebler]

There's always just the possibility the PSU went bad during that time I suppose... :(

Is your room hotter than the lab was? Can you get temps during boot up? Maybe it shouldn't be overheating, but hardware doesn't always play by the rules ;)

[dodo]

Seems like it could be power related, is it possible to try it somewhere else? (like a friends house, etc) Maybe try a UPS to power it?

~dodo

[OldDog]

Everything in your machine relies on the integrity of the ground
supplied by the cord from the outlet in the wall. Just because it's
new doesn't mean it's installed properly! I recommend buying
an inexpensive tester, available at most hardware stores, the
type that plugs in to the wall and has three little lights to tell you
the status of the outlet. Test it before you start-up and presuming
that you're using a standard duplex outlet leave it in the unused
side when you start the machine so you can see if there's a
problem under load. If your ground is weak it can look good to a tester without a load but have a problem with one. If you get even a flicker of the proper light arrangement under load you
could have a problem. If tou want to check the connections on the
outlet post again and ill talk you through it if tou wish.

[mmonnin]

I am running a P2 333mhz machine and a monitor off the same surge protector. Wouldnt that go down as well? The outlet the the surge protector is on is part of a 4-way outlet. My monitor is above the surge protector, this computer and speakers in the other 2 outlets. None of those pieces of equipment has had any power problems.

[WuGgaRoO]

well, here is what happened to me... I had a surge prtector...then out of nowhere my comp started to restart out of nowhere...i then learnt that the surge protector was the problem. It has like power levels, and the comp was set on line 4...when i set it on line 1 at home...it ran for days like a charm.
in addition...this might just be a videocard error...many graphics card have SOLELY caused me crashes before and i blamed it on other parts...but it turned out just to be the graphics card. I
n addition, overheating can be a problem in a plastic box such as the nintendo's... I think you should install a 5.25 bay cooler in the front..where u used to be able to put in the cartridge. That way there are two fans in place and it doesnt take away from the look of the nintendo
The grounding does seem like an issue considering that at one point it was grounded to a nice peice of metal and now it isnt grounded to much...perhaps u should ground it to sumthing a bit bigger than what u have now

[mmonnin]

Its not in the case yet. Its all open on my desk. And I have a CD ROM in front of the case where the catridge would come out. I am going to install 2 40mm fans in the rear to take the heat away.

[dodo]

mmonnin said
Its not in the case yet. Its all open on my desk. And I have a CD ROM in front of the case where the catridge would come out. I am going to install 2 40mm fans in the rear to take the heat away.

What are you doing to prevent static electricity with it all opened up? Are the ground wires connected to each device? What is the motherboard sitting on?

~dodo

[mmonnin]

The motherboard is sitting in the case. The PSU is on the plastic thingy that came under it. I did spray it with some anti static spray.

But I dont see the difference between my room and the classroom. I mean I can use it and all at school but at home I dont even have to be in the room and it will suht off. Thats what I want to know right now.

[WuGgaRoO]

is there carpeting in ur rooms? is there carpeting at school? Your clearly using the same surge protector so that doesnt seem to be a problem. Perhaps sumthing got knowcked out of whack during te movie...try switching sum components around to see what is working and what isnt. I mean itll be a pain but it s the only way ull ever know for sure

[mmonnin]

Yeah there is carpet in my room but I tried it on the desk with the spray. And no the surge protector stayed at school. Thats not m property but the schools.

Everything is working and its in the same arrangement as school. It just shuts off at home and not at school.

[WuGgaRoO]

kinda sounds like my problem back at school...does the comp just shut off or does it shut off them turn back on

[mmonnin]

Shut off. I can make it auto reboot I think. Its a jumper setting.

[WuGgaRoO]

did u try plugging it straight into the outlet?

perhaps the antistatic coating screwed it up

try setting the comp up in the basement...or
sumplace without a carpet (its crazy but it might work)

yet again...did u mix and match parts...it seems like sumthing you should atleast try

[TheBaron]

consider moisture?

[j]

take it to a friends house, and see if it works there. if it does then you know the problem lies in the outlet at home.

[mmonnin]

I had first tried it with not surge, I just found it the other day.

I will try another room later today.

[a2jfreak]

Yo! Where's the pics?
/me wants to see this :D

[mmonnin]

I tried it in the kitchen and it didnt work there either.

I dont know what else to do. I am about to just get another PSU and put it in a case.

I _was_ going to write and article on it and havent posted any pics of it besides this one.

http://www.short-media.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=1492

[a2jfreak]

moremoremore! :)

mmonnin said
I tried it in the kitchen and it didnt work there either.

I dont know what else to do. I am about to just get another PSU and put it in a case.

I _was_ going to write and article on it and havent posted any pics of it besides this one.

http://www.short-media.com/forum/attachment.php?s=&postid=1492

[Geeky1]

Try hooking up a standard atx ps to it and see what it does...

[mmonnin]

It works fine. I have not done it in awhile but it worked fine with another that I have.

[Geeky1]

well then I think you have 2 choices- either put a faraday cage around the PSU as someone suggested and see if that helps, or get a new psu...

[j]

Your Nintendo computer look pretty cool.

Put the caseing back on the PSU and see if it works fine. If it doen't then get a new PSU. Try taking it to another house, such as a relative or friends house, and plug it in. if it works then, well it's the wiring in your house. (I doubt if that's the case, but there is that posibility). I still think that the green wire has to be hooked up when not on a isolated supply.

[mmonnin]

The PSU will NOT fit with the PSU case on. Otherwise I would not be messing with all this crap.

Well I tried 2 new outlets or at least ones with grounds in them.

[WuGgaRoO]

ive got an idea...why dont u buy one of those peltier PSU's...u know the ones that fit in the 5.25 bay....that way u have the casing AND the psu...or just buy a psu for one of those mini tower systems...its a little extra money but its better than having an exposed psu

[mmonnin]

Show me a few links of what these things look like.

[j]

dude: you don't have to mount the PSU in the box yet. What I mean is put the case back on the PSU and plug it in and see if your computer stays on. I'm not saying have the case on indefinitly. Just put it on to verify that the problem occurs when the PSU is out of the metal surrounding. If you still have the problem then you know that is doesn't matter if there is a metal case around the PSU. If the problem get fixed by doing this then you have to figure out a way to mimic the metal surrounds of the PSU while in the Nintendo.

[mmonnin]

If the problem was not having the case on, then why would it stay on at school?

[profdlp]

mmonnin said
If the problem was not having the case on, then why would it stay on at school?

At school, it is possible that they have some sort of line conditioner, especially if this was in your computer lab.

Would it be possible to use a circuit in your house where nothing else is on that particular circuit breaker? The circuit for your dryer should work IF you know how to tap off just ONE LEG of the dual 120V line. If you don't know exactly what I'm talking about, then don't try it!!!

A better solution would be to find the circuit for your bedroom (or wherever you are setting this up) and unplugging everything running off this breaker. Kill the breaker, then use a small table lamp to make sure you get them all. (Older houses, in particular, often have funky wiring - my parents house has one bedroom on the second floor on the same circuit as the kitchen & dining room). Make sure you have all electronic devices in the house unplugged (this will make you real popular with your family, but assure them it's only temporary for testing purposes; if you're a really nice guy you'll reset the time on their VCR's:D ).

The goal is to eliminate any electrical interference, which has at least a chance of getting you back in business. If it works, you'll just have to figure out a way to shield things internally.

MicroMan's idea of just using a spare PS externally for troubleshooting purposes is what I would try first.


Prof
(Call me "Sparky"):p

[j]

Think of it like this. When you have bad air to breath you get sick. Same with power supplies. If it has an unclean power source, such as line voltage (and yes it's very unclean) then the supply will act up. Grounding techniques take care of that, but since you removed a ground it's now breathing bad air. Now, with that in mind, at school you had a UPS on it or some thing that went inbetween the PSU and the wall outlet. That device cleans up the line voltage. In fact the PSU can back feed into the line. It's called a harmonic. I know it's very technical, but there is a reason there is a mettal case around the PSU. Oh, and I might be mistaken but the heatsinks on the PSU are hot. SO if you touch them you'll get a little poke. I think you should get a screw and nut and fasen the green wire to one of the PSU mounting holes. If the metal case touched it then so can the green wire. Trust me dude. In the words of that crazy guy from water boy "You can doooo It"

[WuGgaRoO]

werd to the microman...he makes sense

[mmonnin]

The circuits in our house spread across rooms and I am not totally sure which break is which. It would be hard to get a circuit by itself and I dont know how to do the 120V thing so I am not going to try that.

[profdlp]

mmonnin said
The circuits in our house spread across rooms and I am not totally sure which break is which. It would be hard to get a circuit by itself and I dont know how to do the 120V thing so I am not going to try that.


You're wise to leave the dryer circuit alone. As for a breaker, if it wouldn't be an inconvenience for you family, you could just turn off anything in the house which didn't like having the power cut to it (like TV's, and other electronic equipment), then trip the breaker. Once you find out which breaker controls the area where the computer is plugged in, just make sure everything else on that circuit is disconnected. Assuming you don't have any floating grounds, that will give you clean juice all the way back to the breaker panel.


Prof