Snap 4000 MB question

[dustbunny690]

I recently received a used Quantum Snap 4000 & have been fighting with it for a couple of days now. At first, the System LED wouldn't come on at all. Now its on, but the drive light hasn't been anything other than dim. I've read the FAQ's, tried to reset but the drive light won't do anything. Assist won't find it, but finds my 2000 fine. Right now it's sitting with the drives unplugged, connected to the router; system lit solid, link lit solid, occasional net light activity, & drive light dim. I checked the battery, tried different RAM, still can't reset or access. Has anyone seen this before? I think its a ver. -003, not sure. If it is dead, does anyone have or know where to get another MB? Any suggestions welcome. Thanks!

[blue68f100]

Phoenix32 is the most qualified to answer this.

But the 4000 has a history of bad/weak power supplies.

[dustbunny690]

Pretty sure its not the power supply. It's got the original Quantum drives in it, but right now they're unplugged. I'm just trying to get to where i can set it up before I start upgrading the drives & PSU.

[Phoenix32]

I would suspect a bad power supply (not just weak, but real weak, gone bad), as David already said.

Next would be the mainboard.


If it is the power supply, well, good luck. They are very hard to come by and expensive if you do find one. The only other option would be a MOD power supply, which is better in the end anywise.

If it is the mainboard. Ouch. A whole 4000 will cost you less on eBay than to replace the Mainboard.


Northwest Tech sells a "replacement" power supply (not an OEM, and has a different on/off operation) and mainboards for the 4000. I do not know current prices, so check it yourself, but last I checked, the power supply was $129 and the mainboard was $225 (I could be wrong).

Or, check my post of about a week ago in this message thread (I have both a MOD power supply and a full 4000 with a MOD power supply I am parting with);

http://forums.procooling.com/vbb/sho...t=14191&page=2

[dustbunny690]

What should I look for when testing the power supply? I know the plugs aren't the same as a normal ATX unit, but I'm handy with a multimeter. If all else fails, what would you accept for the complete 4000? I think I already asked you about the MOD power supply. For that matter, would you be willing to tell me how you wired the MOD unit? I've got spare ATX PSUs all over the place.

[dustbunny690]

OK, just had a chance to put a meter to it. With or without the drives plugged in, I'm seeing 16v on the yellow leads, 6.8v on the red leads. Does that seem high? I don't have an inductive ammeter & don't want to splice the wires yet to check the current draw.

[blue68f100]

Need to test under load. Install the HD's and then test.

[Phoenix32]

Originally Posted by blue68f100

Need to test under load. Install the HD's and then test.

Correct...

[dustbunny690]

That's what I got with and without the drives plugged in.

[Phoenix32]

Originally Posted by dustbunny690

If all else fails, what would you accept for the complete 4000? I think I already asked you about the MOD power supply.

The 4000 would be variable depending in what, if any, drives were installed. I have a set of tested Quantum 30 GB drives and a set of tested Seagate 120 GB drives that could be installed. It has OS 4.0.860 installed and comes with a CDR Backup of the various SNAP OS and utilities. It has 128 MB of memory (I found that 128 MB was more efficient than 256 MB unless you were using a lot of JVM applications), but 256 MB can be installed. And, it already has a MOD power supply installed. It all has been tested top to bottom and runs like a swiss watch.

I have not put it on eBay yet because I have been a bit busy, plus a friend of mine has his 4000 up on eBay ($300) and I did not want to cause competition for him. But, if someone here does not grab it from me soon, it will go on eBay. As configured, no drives, 128 MB, 4.0.860 OS + CDR, and MOD power supply, I would have to say around $200 (I might negotiate a little if someone is serious). Yes, you can get them for $100 to $125, but by the time you upgrade the memory, maybe replace fans, a MOD power supply for larger drives, and upgrade the OS, you will have that much at least invested. AND, you are taking the eBay risk and don't really know what you are getting (as you already found out).

The MOD power supplies, I get $75 for them (I only have 1 left). I charge that much for them because it takes me 6 to 8 hours to make one, and then several hours to test it out with larger drives to make sure all is well. It seems simple, but it is time consuming to do it right and to cut out and drill the mounting plate to mount in the 4000. Not to mention, other replacements are $129 and up. All in all, I wasn't doing these for the money (hell no), I was doing them to help people out, but the power supply itself and my time is worth something also.

Originally Posted by dustbunny690

For that matter, would you be willing to tell me how you wired the MOD unit? I've got spare ATX PSUs all over the place.

At one point, I did make up a step by step document on doing these. However, given that if a person screws up, they can fry their 4000, not to mention themselves, I have been leary about giving it out. I have to be concerned with anyone getting hurt or ruining their equipment (not to mention the legalities since I am a technician).

It is not that hard of a mod, but there are a few issues to consider. Heat is a big one. More power means more heat, and keep in mind the 4000 only has a CPU fan and one fan at the rear of the chassis. Next is the power controller. Just because you could put in and maybe cool a power supply with 15 amps on the 12v rail does NOT mean the power controller can handle that much power. Then there is the little matter of mounting the power supply into the chassis. Does it match the screw mounts of the OEM power supply (I doubt it seriously)? And if not, how you going to mount it? If you figure out how to mount it, will it clear the drive tray and chassis? All of these considerations (and few more), and you haven't even heated up the soldering iron yet. Then there is the power supply itself. An ATX is an ATX (or AT) right? Wrong. You can run into all kind of little variations. Little things like temp monitors for smart fans that if disconnected, the power supply stops working, for one example. Each power supply can have it's own little differences you have to be aware of.

I have helped a few other people make their own, but it was not uncommon for them to have mounting problems and/or problems getting it working sometimes. As I said, it is not that hard of mod. But it is time consuming, and in general, a pain in the arse. Due to all of the above, and more important, my genuine concern for people and their equipment, I will not give the instructions out to anyone who cannot convince me they are qualified to do the mod. I hope that answers your question.

[Phoenix32]

Originally Posted by dustbunny690

OK, just had a chance to put a meter to it. With or without the drives plugged in, I'm seeing 16v on the yellow leads, 6.8v on the red leads. Does that seem high? I don't have an inductive ammeter & don't want to splice the wires yet to check the current draw.

Yes, that is high. I always look for +- 5%.

[dustbunny690]

Is it possible (or recommended) to wire a power supply in temporarily for testing? I need to find out if the PSU or MB is bad. If this thing is toast, I am definitely serious about another 4000 unit.

[Phoenix32]

Yes, you can hook a power supply up to test with.

Contact me in e-mail at phoenix32x@hotmail.com about the 4000 and we can see if we can work something out (probably not appropriate to use the forum for that). That is also my MSN Messenger (Live Messenger) address if you (someone) wants to contact me for some more direct conversation.

[dustbunny690]

Well, I think it's toast. I wired in a temp AT power Supply and now the System light is solid, Link light is solid, intermittent Net light, & no drive light. I still can't reset, & assist can't find it. I also tried plugging in an empty FAT32 drive to see if it would do anything, but nothing. Anybody need an empty chassis or drive brackets?

[Phoenix32]

Naaa, Don't give up yet...

Re-seat the Memory and the CPU...

Hook your AT power to the +5 and +12 going into the power controller board, connect up at least one drive, and then fire it up. Make sure you have both 5v and 12v being supplied to the power controller board and remember, the hard drive won't format instantly, it takes a little time. And, the 4000 takes a couple minutes to power all the way up anywise...

BUT, do the memory and CPU. You would be suprised how many of these units will fire right up after reseating the CPU (or memory).


Can I assume you (or Sifter) did not want that 4000 since I have heard nothing in e-mail? No big deal, I just want to know if I need to prepare and add for eBay and get it listed or not.

[dustbunny690]

I did email you. However, the first thing I did after browsing the forum was reseat the cpu & memory. No joy. I let it sit for an hour or 2 with a blank drive but no drive activity. I don't know what else to try. I even checked the battery & swapped with a known good one. All I'm getting is a solid system & link lights. Nothing else.

[Phoenix32]

It's a long shot, but do you have another stick of RAM and/or CPU you can try?

Otherwise, it is sounding like a dead unit... It sounds as if it is not even accessing/booting the flashram.

David, thoughts?


Hmmm, I just checked my junk mail folder even and no e-mail. Try again...

phoenix32x@hotmail.com

or send me a PM with your e-mail address...

[dustbunny690]

Done. I did try a couple of good AMD cpus just to see; another stick of 128MB low-density ram; different power supply; nada. Doorstop?

[Phoenix32]

Sadly, I think so. I would not know for sure without getting it in front of me, but it is probably not worth the shipping back and forth.