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770064
Yet another E510 with blinking amber light
This appears to be a common problem. In my case, my E510 began to refuse to boot after about 14 months of minimal use (typically only a few hours per week), protected the entire time by a UPS with power conditioning. Unlike most of the other posts on this issue that I've read, my E510 with blinking amber light can periodically be coaxed to boot. (Note: There are NO diagnostic lights visible. And once it IS running, the button is steady green -- as though everything is just fine.) Whether it boots or I get the blinking amber light is starting to feel like a voodoo thing. I plug and unplug, plug and unplug, drain the remaining current by holding in the power button, walk away for 15-30 minutes, spin around, hug the dog, and OCCASIONALLY I'll get the steady green power light. Most recently, after running through one of the Dell troubleshooting Web pages, I discovered that if I disconnect every external cable, drain the remaining current, and then wait 5-10 minutes, it will usually allow me to boot. While booting, I can reconnect the cables and everything works fine. (Well, not everything. The DVD drive seems to have a miserable time spinning up to speed. Eventually, it works, though.) Other things I've tried: (1) Replaced the internal battery. (That worked for one boot.) (2) Plugged the system into different outlets. (Initially, it was plugged into a power strip that was connected to the UPS. After reading that somehow that might affect the power getting to the system, I plugged it directly into the UPS. That worked for one or two boots, too. All that remains plugged into the power strip is the monitor and speakers. (Side note: Since when did using a power strip or UPS become a no-no?) Since the system CAN be tricked into booting, is there any reason to think that my power supply has problems? I really hate the idea of tossing money at this without knowing for sure that the problem will be corrected. Frankly, for a $1,000 computer (I added a bunch of upgrades when it was ordered), I'm really dismayed that it's having hardware problems this early on. Either my luck is bad or this is a badly cobbled together system. Given the number of people that have the same problem, is their any chance that Dell will step up and take responsibility for the repairs? Steve
Message Edited by zapt on 01-23-2008 09:08 AM
Message Edited by zapt on 01-23-2008 09:08 AM
john88888
5 Posts
0
February 25th, 2010 05:00
Yes. My E510 is still humming.
redalert168
13 Posts
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February 25th, 2010 15:00
Still running fine after replacing the PSU...
onipar
44 Posts
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February 26th, 2010 09:00
Can anyone please post a couple links to newegg or best buy with the PSU that works for replacement with the E510? I appreciate it.
Will this one work?
http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16817171046
willietech
5 Posts
0
February 26th, 2010 09:00
Its the RF-500WPS2 From Best Buy , good fit, lots of power , very quiet, and has a great cable management system that allows you to use only the cables you need !
Been working for a month and solved my problem completely... ( took longer to fix than expected, ordered the "clone power supply from the internet, installed it and it acted the same way as my defective origional Dell PS !! )
Hank
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/olspage.jsp?_dyncharset=ISO-8859-1&_dynSessConf=7592426467091063934&id=pcat17071&type=page&st=rf-500w&sc=Global&cp=1&nrp=15&sp=&qp=&list=n&iht=y&usc=All+Categories&ks=960
ozzy187ozzy
3 Posts
0
February 26th, 2010 12:00
Update!
Yesterday I ordered the Rocketfish 500W power supply on BestBuy.com. I went to pick it up at my local Best Buy today and ended up with the wrong one. I noticed when I got out to my car that he had given me the wrong power supply.
Its a... Corsair TX750W. Will this model work with my Dell E510? I really dont want to open it until I know it will work with my setup.
Thanks again!
Oh and the Rocketfish 550W is in the store for $79 now. I couldnt find the 500W anywhere in my local Best Buy.
onipar
44 Posts
0
February 26th, 2010 12:00
"Oh and the Rocketfish 550W is in the store for $79 now. I couldnt find the 500W anywhere in my local Best Buy."
Yeah, same problem here. I'm afraid to get the 550W because I don't know if it will work the same as the 500w....
onipar
44 Posts
0
February 26th, 2010 12:00
Thanks for the suggestion. SO this model fits in the case perfectly, no modding needed?
I don't suppose you'd know whether or not the 550 watt model (RF-550WPS) is the same shape and has all the same connections as the model you purchased? I believe it's 550 watt instead of 500, but I don't know if there are any other differences that would cause a problem...
john88888
5 Posts
0
February 26th, 2010 13:00
Have you guys tried Micro Center (www.microcenter.com) yet? They stock all kinds of computer parts with fairly reasonable price.
Good Luck!
john88888
5 Posts
0
February 26th, 2010 13:00
Have you guys tried Micro Center (www.microscenter.com) yet? They stock all kinds of computer parts with fairly reasonable price.
Good Luck!
ozzy187ozzy
3 Posts
0
February 27th, 2010 14:00
I just installed the Rocketfish 500W, works great, easy fix!! Thanks again for the help!!
onipar
44 Posts
0
March 3rd, 2010 17:00
I ended up going with a 500 watt "Cooler Master" I found on Newegg for $30. (I was told in a different thread that pretty much any ATX PSU with a 24 pin or 20 + 4 pin connector would work since the E510 has an open back for the PSU.)
Anyway, the Cooler Master fit perfect and has officially solved the dreaded flashing amber light problem.
fisheerman
1 Message
0
March 14th, 2010 08:00
After two agonizing months of having the "flashing amber light of death" and trying every trick that I have read about I ended up breaking down and buying a new power supply. I bought this one from best buy and it worked like a charm. Easy to install and no more amber light.
http://www.bestbuy.com/site/Dynex%26%23174%3B+-+400-Watt+ATX+CPU+Power+Supply/8311052.p?id=1174091945952&skuId=8311052&st=power supply
My power supply that was in my e510 was the type rev: A00 as others have eluded to as the possible culprit.
fish
tojcharlie
1 Message
0
September 28th, 2010 21:00
Going through this with mine, first flashing light then faded out to nothing. This has happened once before and prior it was the graphics card that burnt. Looking in the box the power supply on mine has A04 while 2 other places on the pc box and had appears to be A00. At the time of the blinking light it was working just fine then just went black, no burnt smell like last time.It seems I have been quite fortunate seeing how far back people began have issues. I receved my system one month prior to the Dell switching OS to Vista in all their systems if that tells you how long I have had this system.
volvamus
1 Message
0
November 12th, 2010 13:00
Another blinking amber on a E510. Removed power supply, no obviously bad capacitors. Checked all voltages (jumpered 15/16 to turn on) - the pinouts do not agree with the ATX v2.2 spec I found online, but the colors are consistent: orange +3.3; red +5; white +12, blue -12; purple +5; gray +5. The +12 was +11.8, but within spec. Put power supply back in computer - blinking amber. Checking voltages while under load - sometimes ok, sometimes not ...?
Finally got the computer to successfully boot, run, shutdown, reboot (i.e. "fixed"?) by tying off the wire bundle from the power supply to the motherboard near the connector, pulling it slightly toward the power supply. This implies either a bad connection in the connector (either male or female), or a defect (crack?) in the motherboard - that putting some stress on the board "fixes". Time will tell.
ohbothered
6 Posts
0
November 18th, 2010 19:00
Hi guys! After owning my E510 for a long while, I'm suddenly having this annoying problem. I've read through this thread, and tried all of the various ways suggested to get it to boot again, but, alas, haven't had the luck that a few of you have had....
I guess my question now is this: Since this is such a common problem with this series of machines, has Dell actually stepped up and offered a recall on any of the stock parts for this E510? Meaning, should I know about a program offered where I send in any of the 3-4 parts that may be defective and receive a working replacement from Dell? Again, I realize my particular machine is a couple of years old, but, hey, a recall is a recall... and, if Dell is not offering a recall/replacement program, are they replacing, in any way, ANY of the possible causes to this blinking amber light/not-booting problem? I am, unfortunately, out of my warranty period (if that need be said).
If interested, these are the things i've tried to get my machine to boot again (in no particular order, and keep in mind, I tried all of the following over a series of weeks, so the specific details may be a bit hazy):
* replace motherboard battery
* re-seat all cables
* replace PSU with known, working PSU
* Boot with zero/minimal USB peripherals plugged in
* Boot with only necessary cables plugged in, internally
* Jumper #17 and #16 (or 15/16? Green and Black...) connectors on PSU to Mobo cable
* Boot with various "battery in, battery out," "PSU power cable plugged-in/unplugged," "pressing front power button," "plugging in main power cable/unplugging main power cable" combinations
* Check front panel connections
* Boot without front panel plugged in
... and a couple of others i can't quite remember at the moment.
any info about any recall or replacement program would be very appreciated! thanks gang!
erik
PS: oh, also, if they haven't issued a recall for this machine, where do I sign to help get one started? :)