DVD Drives Knackered

charlo_b

Hi all...

I'm currently building a new pc, and was installing 2 Samsung DVD drives into the case, I plugged in the power and the IDE Cables and turned her on to make sure the drive doors opened correctly in my coolermaster centurian case. You know the one with the stealthy doors...

After a few seconds I noticed some smoke in the case and immediatly turned her off, I removed both drives they were quite hot on the base.

Anyways, I plugged them both into another PC which I know to be working and both are being detected by the Bios and windows but the Drive trays wont open.

Problem with the power I thought, so I got out the multimeter and checked the voltage coming from my PSU : 5V & 12V DC and going into the correct pins as marked on the Drives.

A friend said that I may have connected the IDE Ribbon Cable incorrectly but it is one of those with a pin blocked up so that I couldn't have done that.

Basically I'm asking if anyone knows what could have gone wrong. As I don't want to make the same mistake when I replace the drives.

MB: ASUS A8N-SLI Deluxe M/B
Drives: Samsung SH-W162C
PSU: Aerocool 450W Turbine

And if your thinking I could have got drives from a faulty batch I connected in a drive from a machine I don't use anymore but know to be working and it got the same result...ie knackered!

pauln

From the smoke you decribed I'd say it has to be a power supply issue. I don't think the IDE cable could handle enough power to make anything smoke.
You say it multimetered fine, did you check the ground connections also incase they're not 0V.

Is the PSU one that has different supply voltages on different leads? e.g. for SATA and fans.

As a long shot, maybe the screws you used wheren't the right ones and reached in far enough to short out something inside? Never had it happen but who knows.

charlo_b

thanks for the reply, I didn't check the grounds will have to check that out.

pauln wrote:

Is the PSU one that has different supply voltages on different leads? e.g. for SATA and fans.

I dont really understand what your asking...different connection on the PSU supply different voltages?? I checked all the 4 PIN connections and each of the metered @ 5V & 12V in the correct pins. If that doesn't answer your question this is the PSU: Aerocool Turbine

Edit: Oh I checked the screws that I used and they were the same length as any others used in other machines.

charlo_b

As an update to this situation....

I opened up one of the drives and a chip on the circuit board has been blown to bits.....well it has been cracked and a bit chipped of it!

Asked one of my Electronic mates and he seems to think that 5V is transfered on the IDE cable.

And that by looking at what has happened either the M/B IDE Connector is faulty or the IDE Cable is faulty.

Would this sound right to you guys

Steffano2002

IDE cable carry 5V?

charlo_b

I thought this was strange myself ....anyone know if this is accurate?

pauln

No idea about the IDE cable but 5V sounds a little high, but maybe.

What I ment about the PSU giving out different supplys is that SATA drive supplies use 3V instead of the 5V I think, and fan supplys are variable with temperature.
But since it meters right then everythings probably ok on the PSU end.

Looks like the motherboard is your only option left, might replace the IDE cable while your at it too, to be on the safe side.

charlo_b

OK .... I metered the grounds on the PSU cable and they all give 0V so I can't see it being a problem with the PSU.....only thing that sticks in the back of my head is that the DVD Drive was really hot directly under the point where the power connects???

On another note I metered the IDE Sockets on the M/B and if you call the top pins 1-20 and lower pins 21-40 I get voltages of ~3.3V on pin combinations (1,21) (6,26) (7,27) (8,28) (9,29) hope that makes sense.

Can anyone out there tell me does this sound right, or even point me in the direction of an IDE Pin Layout because as strange as it may seem I can't find one anywhere?

Steffano2002

charlo_b wrote:

Can anyone out there tell me does this sound right, or even point me in the direction of an IDE Pin Layout because as strange as it may seem I can't find one anywhere?

Looked for that for about 30 minutes for you today: came up with nothing...

pauln

charlo_b wrote:

Looked for that for about 30 minutes for you today: came up with nothing...

IDE won't return much because technically there known as PATA (Parallel ATA) cables. The pin layput is here and a table on this page confirms that they can have a 5V power consumption.

Steffano2002 wrote:

On another note I metered the IDE Sockets on the M/B and if you call the top pins 1-20 and lower pins 21-40 I get voltages of ~3.3V on pin combinations (1,21) (6,26) (7,27) (8,28) (9,29) hope that makes sense.

You didn't read 5V when metering because it was "Idle" I'd guess.

TouchingVirus

Plugging in the power cable alone on a non-knackered drive allows you to open/close the tray. Do that, if the thing gets knackered it's your PSU...

It you pop in the IDE cable and then it craps out, its either your IDE cable or motherboard...


to limit losses, perhaps change the IDE cable now before testing the new drive, if you plug in the power and its 100% then the IDE and its 100% then its the cable and hard cheese for teh gummy mouse...

however, if with the new cable you get smoke then its the MB pulling too much power up the IDE cable i'd say and in that case RMA the thing

charlo_b

Will try that tonight TouchingVirus ....just have to rob an ould cd drive from work now

Richard Dower

I'm selling my Plextor DVD-ROM if you need a replacement:

http://www.boards.ie/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=2054883892

charlo_b

Well I plugged in the power .... tray opened (PSU fine).

Took an IDE Ribbon cable known to be working plugged it in for a second tray wont open, plugged it out tray opened.

Therefore my good people .... M/B is knackered as well as my 2 DVD drives.

Looks like I gotta get me a bigger box to RMA these back.

Thanks for all the help folks.

charlo

Steffano2002

Ouch... Hard luck charlo_b...