Service Man Diary - NX2 Not Powering On

Today, I’m going to repair this device that was brought in with a symptom of not powering on.

ELATION / NX2 Integrated DMX Controller

It features a 15.6-inch Full HD multi-touch screen and four 5-pin XLR DMX output terminals. It is an integrated lighting controller on the Obsidian ONYX platform.

First, I checked if it was powered on. As claimed by the customer, the screen remained dark even when the switch is turned on.

To identify the cause, I’ll open the case and diagnose the visible components.

I started with checking the voltage.

I need to confirm whether the power from the adapter is properly reaching the motherboard.
Using a tester, I confirmed that power is being input correctly, so the power supply is not the issue.

Next, I checked the boot.
I checked to see what was and wasn’t powered on.
A simple way to diagnose issues is to see if the cooling fan is running.
If the fan is spinning, it may be a system error or a fault with the LCD monitor itself. If the fan is not spinning properly, it could indicate a power or memory issue (depending on the situation though).

It’s difficult to convey in the picture, but the cooling fan spinned briefly when the power was turned on and then stopped. This pointed to a possible error with the RAM, CPU, or motherboard.

So, I tried a familiar CMOS clear (removing the coin-cell battery) to reset the settings.

(*Since the motherboard structure differed from a typical computer, it was uncertain if it was a CMOS battery, but it likely was used in some memory function, so I predicted if I could reset settings like BIOS.)

However, this did not resolve the issue.

Next, I removed one of the RAM and tested one by one to see if it was powered on.
This process was to see if it was the RAM issue and to confirm the system would boot with the minimum configuration.
(For a typical computer, I would also remove expansion parts like the graphics card and additional SSDs/HDDs and test with just the power supply, CPU, and RAM.)

Unfortunately, this also didn’t work.

This left me with the CPU or the motherboard as potential issues.
I removed the CPU and visually inspected it, but there were no bent pins or signs of burning, and everything appeared normal.

(It’s worth noting that the installed socket is the LGA 1151. This socket has two versions: LGA 1151 and LGA 1151 v2. While they have the same number of pins, they are not compatible, which is a tricky situation for computer geeks.)

Since I was able to narrow it down to a motherboard issue, I proceeded with replacing the motherboard.

This step requires the utmost concentration... a mistake here would ruin everything.

After successfully installing the new motherboard, I applied thermal paste.
(When applying CPU thermal paste, it’s often better to place a small amount in the center and let the pressure of the heat sink spread it out.)

Now, let me reassemble everything and check the operation.

Oh...?

It successfully powered on!

So, the issue was indeed with the motherboard.
I didn’t expect my knowledge of building computers to be so useful in this repair, so I found myself enjoying the process.

After confirming that everything is functioning correctly, it’s time to return the device to the customer.

The repair is now complete.
I hope to post another article on repairs soon. See you!