Getting Started, Documentation, Tips & Tricks

I took a risk and picked up an untested 195 MHz Octane that was failing diagnostics when powered on. Turns out someone just put the RAM in the wrong slots, and after I righted that I discovered that it's also been upgraded with a 250 MHz module. Needless to say, I think I got a pretty OK deal for what little I spent and I'm excited to finally have something that can run a more current version of IRIX.

However, I came home today to start preparing it for an IRIX installation and found that it wouldn't power on at all, no LED or fans.

So unfortunately, here comes the questions.

When plugged in I can hear a click in the unit but nothing else afterwards, and no response at all. I checked the troubleshooting chart in the owner's manual and everything seems to point to a failed power supply.

I noticed some minor rust on the exterior and there's the usual dust buildup from years of sitting in a garage/warehouse, so could it just need a good cleaning or am I going to have to invest a little more than I was hoping for in a new power supply?

They're easy to take out and take apart, I take mine apart at least once a year to blow the dust out and check for brown areas where a part might be getting too hot, so I'd say take it out, blow the dust out, take a good look at it and if nothing seems obvious put it back in and try it again.

Also, the on/off switches on the Octane are notoriously prone to failure, so you probably want to have a look at that as well. Let us know what happens...

Gave the power supply contacts a good dusting and looked around, still nothing.

vishnu wrote: Also, the on/off switches on the Octane are notoriously prone to failure, so you probably want to have a look at that as well.

Huh, maybe that might be it. I've never seen a PSU just die like that, and I was turning it on and off quite a bit when I tested it at the shop and when I got it home, not to mention the jostling around it must have had on the trip back since I hauled it all the way up from California. I'll have to check that out in a bit, thanks!

Not so much the switch IME, but the plastic button on the bezel that pushes the switch, tends to get stuck.

guardian452 wrote: Not so much the switch IME, but the plastic button on the bezel that pushes the switch, tends to get stuck.

Yeah the one on mine is totally borked, it's a struggle every time I turn it on, and I never try to turn it off with the switch anymore, I use shutdown -p -y in /etc.

f1lm wrote: When plugged in I can hear a click in the unit....

While it doesn't rule other issues with the PS, the click when power is connected is expected behavior.

If you haven't already resolved the issue, another area to check would be the the array of contacts where the system board mates to the front plane. Broken or bent system board-to-front plane contact pins might also produce a seemingly dead Octane.

Check the real-time clock chip, too -- make sure it's not loose or anything. The Power Active Bar (PAB) pin is used to power down both Octanes and O2's (both use the same RTC), and might be sensitive to powering back up if they're not working right. When I decided to upgrade my Octane's DS1687-5 RTC to a newer Maxim DS17887-5 chip, I discovered that the Octane refused to power on at first, and I had the exact same symptoms as you -- relay click from inside the PSU module when I pressed the power button, but no activity. I *think* the PSU fan spun up, though, but the lightbar didn't light up. Cycled it a couple of times, and even held the power button down for several seconds on one power up, and it just suddenly came back to life after a couple of tries. It's been working fine ever since.

I suspect that since the new RTC was completely blank, maybe the NVRAM on it needs some kind of preparation by the PROM. Not really sure. I wonder if with the age of your Octane, the RTC might be dead. If you manage to determine that, you can use any of the DS17287-5, DS17487-5, or DS17887-5 P/Ns as a valid replacement -- IRIX shouldn't know the difference (the ARCS PROM sure doesn't). The DS17*87 implies the DIP package model and the -5 is the voltage. They're plentiful on Digikey.

Also, never touch the compression connectors on the system board. The oil on your fingers will effectively destroy the pads unless you've got access to a carbon bath or such. If you suspect that is the problem, you can try to hunt down another system board or just scavenge compression connectors off of used XIO boards on eBay. The pads in questions are on both sides of the connector if you go the scavenging route, so you have to be extra careful when removing them and working with them.

Did you find a solution to this? Was it the PSU?