Seasonic 1000W Platinum fault?

[the54thvoid]

Hi guys,

I'd appreciate some feedback. I have the titled PSU and recently my PC has been misfiring on start up. The board lights (power and reset) are on but when i press the psu on (case or mobo buttons) the thing wont start.
If i switch the PSU off, it briefly flicks into life before obviously shutting off again. It seems to fix it if I unplug power cord and let the system sit. Then it does switch back on. It's intermittant but has happened a few times this past week.

When running it works without a hitch but to me it seems like it's 'thinking' it's already on when it's off, i.e mobo lights on standby power state. Should I start physically switching the unit off as a good health tip?

Any ideas?

Cheers.

 

[95Viper]

I'd start by running some disk checks and memory checks.

Then, if you have a spare psu, try it.

Also, if you are OCing any thing... try it with the OC off.

Edit:

You can then move on to dis-connecting any usb devices, cd/dvd drives, and other devices you find unnecessary, then testing.
Maybe, try checking the drive connections and power connections to be sure they are securely connected. Even go, as far as, trying some other drive cables.
Test the psu with a multi-meter to see if it falls in specs.(as far as output).
Make sure that you have the 5 volt power on signal voltage at the power switch or that the supply is generating it and it is within tolerances.

Quote from How PC Power Supplies Work

**Today you turn on the power with a little push button, and you turn off the machine with a menu option. These capabilities were added to standard power supplies several years ago. The operating system can send a signal to the power supply to tell it to turn off. The push button sends a 5-volt signal to the power supply to tell it when to turn on. The power supply also has a circuit that supplies 5 volts, called VSB for "standby voltage" even when it is officially "off", so that the button will work.

 

[the54thvoid]

It's def PSU.

It requires the power cord removed before restarting again. Discharging incorrectly?

 

[RCoon]

If it's under warranty, then why not just ask Sea Sonic?

 

[the54thvoid]

I can't live without PC for the length of a return under warranty. It's my buddy.

 

[Bo$$]

I can't live without PC for the length of a return under warranty. It's my buddy.

Well you'll have to live with the issue and wait it out another time....

Buy a spare and sell it on later

 

[HammerON]

I would a buy a spare PSU if you could...
I am interested to hear how your RMA experience with Seasonic goes. I once RMA'd an Enermax 1050. The fan died and I could have replaced the fan myself however I did not want to void my warranty (sticker over one of the screws). My experience with Enermax was good with a quick replacement (w/ in 7 days), however I did have an extra PSU. End of story, I sold the Enermax and bought the current psu I have been using for over two years (Corsair AX1200).

 

[seasonic rep]

Hi guys,

I'd appreciate some feedback. I have the titled PSU and recently my PC has been misfiring on start up. The board lights (power and reset) are on but when i press the psu on (case or mobo buttons) the thing wont start.
If i switch the PSU off, it briefly flicks into life before obviously shutting off again. It seems to fix it if I unplug power cord and let the system sit. Then it does switch back on. It's intermittant but has happened a few times this past week.

When running it works without a hitch but to me it seems like it's 'thinking' it's already on when it's off, i.e mobo lights on standby power state. Should I start physically switching the unit off as a good health tip?

Any ideas?

Cheers.

Hi the54thvoid,

Have you tried the PSU with another MB?

If you are not able to go without a PSU, please let me know your location and we will see what we can do for you.

 

[Aquinus]

Have you tried running everything at stock? That sounds strangely similar to when my RAM becomes unstable and it can't boot when I'm overclocking. If it were the PSU, I would imagine that it wouldn't even start up at all. I would rule out everything else first.

 

[RCoon]

Spontaneous thought popped into my head. Unplug those mobo headers for pwr switch and HDD LED etc. All of them. Then try turning the PC on by shorting the pins with a screwdriver (How i used to start my file server back when it was first created)

 

[EarthDog]

Swap PSUs is what I would do. That will tell you right there if it is the PSU really. Since you have a single Titan, any quality 500W unit will happily power it up (and run it truth be told).

I have that unit and it is one of the best, but even the best craps out after some point.

 

[the54thvoid]

Thanks guys. I'll contact Seasonic directly, nice quick response from them!

The fundamental issue is in the same pattern of fault.
1) switch off via windows, pc still has power to mobo as PSU not directly switched off. How it has run for past year or so.
2) switch on via case or mobo power button, won't come on.
3) pull out power cord - fans spin, lights on for a flash then dead.
4) replace cord after a few seconds or so, switch on and it works.

To me it makes sense to think the PSU thinks it is still on, which might explain the weird and brief 'powering on' when i pull the power cord out. Once the power is totally removed, it loses all residual current and can then restart as normal.
Still I'll contact Seasonic after work.

 

[McSteel]

I've actually ssen similar issues on SS-***XP series PSUs, and it seems there's a protections/housekeeping IC fault at work here. Seasonic used Silicon Touch Tech's PS232F, paired up with a National Electronics LM393 dual voltage comparator. The SS-1000XP is internally configured as a quad-rail PSU, though the OCP is set quite high, at over 40A. It appears that a fault develops in some rare cases (or rather PSUs), where OCP trips and stays in effect until the PSU is fully power-cycled. This is because the protections IC is powered from the 5VSB, meaning it stays in it's active protection state. Why this happens, I cannot rightly say, as I haven't had the pleasure of low-level troubleshooting a Platinum 1000...

This condition never develops mid-usage. It does not damage the PSU nor the components it powers. It's simply an inconvenience, and if you can live with it, you won't face any consequences other than having to power off your PSU/PC when you finish using it.

Perhaps you could be one of the rare people who could actually have some use for Intel's deep sleep (C7) state with Haswell? It could be a usable replacement for standard shutdown state...

Otherwise, RMA time. Maybe you could request an Advance RMA? I've seen some vendors be willing to send a new unit even before you send out your faulty one, for the cost of you paying the shipping fee. Ask Seasonic, they might make an even more generous offer.

 

[the54thvoid]

I've actually ssen similar issues on SS-***XP series PSUs, and it seems there's a protections/housekeeping IC fault at work here. Seasonic used Silicon Touch Tech's PS232F, paired up with a National Electronics LM393 dual voltage comparator. The SS-1000XP is internally configured as a quad-rail PSU, though the OCP is set quite high, at over 40A. It appears that a fault develops in some rare cases (or rather PSUs), where OCP trips and stays in effect until the PSU is fully power-cycled. This is because the protections IC is powered from the 5VSB, meaning it stays in it's active protection state. Why this happens, I cannot rightly say, as I haven't had the pleasure of low-level troubleshooting a Platinum 1000...

This condition never develops mid-usage. It does not damage the PSU nor the components it powers. It's simply an inconvenience, and if you can live with it, you won't face any consequences other than having to power off your PSU/PC when you finish using it.

Perhaps you could be one of the rare people who could actually have some use for Intel's deep sleep (C7) state with Haswell? It could be a usable replacement for standard shutdown state...

Otherwise, RMA time. Maybe you could request an Advance RMA? I've seen some vendors be willing to send a new unit even before you send out your faulty one, for the cost of you paying the shipping fee. Ask Seasonic, they might make an even more generous offer.

If i could give you triple thanks I would

That pretty much sounds exactly like the fault that would present the symptoms I'm getting. It's been okay so far today though but I'll keep an eye on it.

Also, huge Kudos to the Seasonic rep for getting a pm to me so damn quick. It's like they're spying on any thread that mentions their name

 

[seasonic rep]

If i could give you triple thanks I would

That pretty much sounds exactly like the fault that would present the symptoms I'm getting. It's been okay so far today though but I'll keep an eye on it.

Also, huge Kudos to the Seasonic rep for getting a pm to me so damn quick. It's like they're spying on any thread that mentions their name

No, please don't worry, we are not spying...!
A person who frequents this forum gave me the heads up. I would love to spend more time on the forums to help our customers such as yourself but my other responsibilities do not allow me the extra time for forums.... Sorry...

If you are in the US, please contact SeasonicUSA, in EU, please contact support@seasoniceu.com and elsewhere please contact seasonic.com

 

[stinger608]

Hi the54thvoid,

Have you tried the PSU with another MB?

If you are not able to go without a PSU, please let me know your location and we will see what we can do for you.

customer service at its finest!!!!!!

I have only had to RMA one Seasonic power supply and it was a perfect customer experience!
Awesome product and awesome customer service!!!!

 

[the54thvoid]

Thought I'd update.

After discussions with Seasonic I deposited the funds required to purchase a new unit into the Seasonic Paypal account sometime around christmas. This was on the understanding that come January, once the holidays were over, they'd ship out as new unit to replace my current one and I could return the faulty unit for RMA. Well, after back and forth discussions it's now pretty obvious they have none in stock and really don't give a shit about me. The unit's were out of stock but i was told they were getting new ones in at the beginning of last week, so i should have it by Friday (last week).

Proof of payment..

I got back in touch to say - hey how's the delivery going? Guy didn't reply at first because he was at CES. He got back to me this Monday to say where he'd been and he'd get onto the guys at the service centre. Not heard back from him.

I'm pretty pissed because I have paid them for a new unit to replace mine as an RMA stop gap. They have my cash - I have a very dodgy PSU and customer service that's getting tiresome. Always friendly but whats the point in being friendly if they don't do 'anything'?

As for the PSU, if i turn off my PC (or put it to sleep) it wont switch back on by any means even if i unplug the lead, switch it off at wall and press the power button to discharge any current and leave it overnight. I need to now switch on the power, press the 'power' button (case or on board mobo) and nothing will happen. I then switch off the PSU at the PSU switch, pull out the power lead, switch PSU back on (i don't even need to now press the 'On' button) and as I slowly wiggle the lead back in, i hear crackling from the lead connectors and the unit comes to life - but i need to wiggle it carefully as it stops and starts. Once it's running it's 100% stable.

I have to f*cking hotwire my own PC to start it.

I should probably send a link of this post to the guy at Seasonic so he knows how pissed I am. And maybe see how bad it can be for PR.

 

[RCoon]

Thought I'd update.

After discussions with Seasonic I deposited the funds required to purchase a new unit into the Seasonic Paypal account sometime around christmas. This was on the understanding that come January, once the holidays were over, they'd ship out as new unit to replace my current one and I could return the faulty unit for RMA. Well, after back and forth discussions it's now pretty obvious they have none in stock and really don't give a shit about me. The unit's were out of stock but i was told they were getting new ones in at the beginning of last week, so i should have it by Friday (last week).

Proof of payment..

I got back in touch to say - hey how's the delivery going? Guy didn't reply at first because he was at CES. He got back to me this Monday to say where he'd been and he'd get onto the guys at the service centre. Not heard back from him.

I'm pretty pissed because I have paid them for a new unit to replace mine as an RMA stop gap. They have my cash - I have a very dodgy PSU and customer service that's getting tiresome. Always friendly but whats the point in being friendly if they don't do 'anything'?

As for the PSU, if i turn off my PC (or put it to sleep) it wont switch back on by any means even if i unplug the lead, switch it off at wall and press the power button to discharge any current and leave it overnight. I need to now switch on the power, press the 'power' button (case or on board mobo) and nothing will happen. I then switch off the PSU at the PSU switch, pull out the power lead, switch PSU back on (i don't even need to now press the 'On' button) and as I slowly wiggle the lead back in, i hear crackling from the lead connectors and the unit comes to life - but i need to wiggle it carefully as it stops and starts.

I have to f*cking hotwire my own PC to start it.

I should probably send a link of this post to the guy at Seasonic so he knows how pissed I am. And maybe see how bad it can be for PR.

This is why I hate RMA'ing anything. Literally warranty on computer parts is worthless, especially if they genuinely expect you to be without a PC for up to a month or more. Honestly I don't give a shit if RAM has a lifetime warranty - If it takes a month to replace it, that warranty is basically pointless, because I'm going to buy a new set of RAM to make it through the month.

It's the same in this situation. Your PSU is broke, has wonderful warranty, and yet it's taking so long, you've essentially had to pay for a new PSU. The funniest part is you're not even going to get your new PSU for ages!

At this point, the best thing you can do is demand the refund for the new PSU, ask for a refund from the old PSU, and take your business elsewhere. Complaints mean nothing, moving the money elsewhere does.

I expected more from Sea Sonic honestly, but I am aware how awful RMA services are in the UK compared to every other country.

 

[ne6togadno]

dont turn off pc. set all parts but cpu to go sleep after X min ideal.
join tpu wcg team and help em with crunching. they have only cpu work units lately.

 

[the54thvoid]

This is why I hate RMA'ing anything. Literally warranty on computer parts is worthless, especially if they genuinely expect you to be without a PC for up to a month or more. Honestly I don't give a shit if RAM has a lifetime warranty - If it takes a month to replace it, that warranty is basically pointless, because I'm going to buy a new set of RAM to make it through the month.

It's the same in this situation. Your PSU is broke, has wonderful warranty, and yet it's taking so long, you've essentially had to pay for a new PSU. The funniest part is you're not even going to get your new PSU for ages!

At this point, the best thing you can do is demand the refund for the new PSU, ask for a refund from the old PSU, and take your business elsewhere. Complaints mean nothing, moving the money elsewhere does.

I expected more from Sea Sonic honestly, but I am aware how awful RMA services are in the UK compared to every other country.

I must add, as I've made Seasonic aware of my post, the 250 euros was to be a guarantee of trust that I would send back the RMA unit. On receipt of the faulty unit, they'd refund my 250 euros. The fault is with the disappointing:

if you send fees, we'll ship out replacement,
I send fees,
week later - oops we're out of stock, It'll be in next week
next week comes and goes... i e-mail.
oh, i've been away, I'll contact folk....
still nothing.....

It's so easy to make sure stuff is there before asking a customer to part with cash.

dont turn off pc. set all parts but cpu to go sleep after X min ideal.
join tpu wcg team and help em with crunching. they have only cpu work units lately.

I'd leave it on as it runs at less than a lightbulb in idle but it's under water and i'd rather preserve pump life.

 

[RCoon]

I must add, as I've made Seasonic aware of my post, the 250 euros was to be a guarantee of trust that I would send back the RMA unit. On receipt of the faulty unit, they'd refund my 250 euros. The fault is with the disappointing:

if you send fees, we'll ship out replacement,
I send fees,
week later - oops we're out of stock, It'll be in next week
next week comes and goes... i e-mail.
oh, i've been away, I'll contact folk....
still nothing.....

It's so easy to make sure stuff is there before asking a customer to part with cash.



I'd leave it on as it runs at less than a lightbulb in idle but it's under water and i'd rather preserve pump life.

250 euros is no small change. For a company to take that much money and essentially offer you nothing for 2 weeks is not acceptable customer service. Was their RMA dept. at CES? Was their shipping dept. at CES? I don't think their entire company all dropped their tools and marched to CES and turned off the lights. It's a bad excuse, and I'd fully expect them to send you a replacement with first class delivery immediately, even if they have to send you a better model of PSU. THAT would be proper customer service.

 

[Aquinus]

250 euros is no small change. For a company to take that much money and essentially offer you nothing for 2 weeks is not acceptable customer service. Was their RMA dept. at CES? Was their shipping dept. at CES? I don't think their entire company all dropped their tools and marched to CES and turned off the lights. It's a bad excuse, and I'd fully expect them to send you a replacement with first class delivery immediately, even if they have to send you a better model of PSU. THAT would be proper customer service.

That should be standard anyways. For example, every time I do an RMA with Western Digital, it always comes back to me with 2 day shipping. Apple will do overnight shipping. Good customer service (at least here in the US) would be getting your hardware back in 5-7 business days and doing an advance RMA with WD will have a new drive on your doorstep in 2 days. Although there may be complications that take more time when you start dealing with international sales.

On a side note, are you certain that the outlet you're using is grounded? I have some "grounded" outlets in my house that aren't actually grounded to anything. Computers sometimes can get fussy if they're not grounded.

 

[RCoon]

That should be standard anyways. For example, every time I do an RMA with Western Digital, it always comes back to me with 2 day shipping. Apple will do overnight shipping. Good customer service (at least here in the US) would be getting your hardware back in 5-7 business days and doing an advance RMA with WD will have a new drive on your doorstep in 2 days. Although there may be complications that take more time when you start dealing with international sales.

On a side note, are you certain that the outlet you're using is grounded? I have some "grounded" outlets in my house that aren't actually grounded to anything. Computers sometimes can get fussy if they're not grounded.

Yep, RMA I did for the old 8350 was back to me within 6 days, I just paid the postage to send it off. Hell, even after breaking my reference 780 (totally my fault), Gigabyte then sent me the OC edition with their custom cooler on. Sea Sonic are supposed to be the Rolls Royce of PSU's, but they're letting themselves down with this service.

 

[the54thvoid]

That should be standard anyways. For example, every time I do an RMA with Western Digital, it always comes back to me with 2 day shipping. Apple will do overnight shipping. Good customer service (at least here in the US) would be getting your hardware back in 5-7 business days and doing an advance RMA with WD will have a new drive on your doorstep in 2 days. Although there may be complications that take more time when you start dealing with international sales.

On a side note, are you certain that the outlet you're using is grounded? I have some "grounded" outlets in my house that aren't actually grounded to anything. Computers sometimes can get fussy if they're not grounded.

The PC hasn't moved position in years, all connection are the same. Worth a shot playing with the sockets though. What makes me sure it's PSU is that it's been getting worse. Initially it was rare, then more common and now a few months on, every start needs 'hotwired'

 

[ne6togadno]

I'd leave it on as it runs at less than a lightbulb in idle but it's under water and i'd rather preserve pump life.

well it is trade off. 60GBP pump vs 250GBP psu or unknow time w/o pc till rma is solved.