[phillpower2]

Test two as in;

 

Open the system and disconnect the internal power cables from all the devices including the motherboard and press the PSU BIST button again

 

If the LED indicates Pass (LED-Green) the PSU is working at this point. 

 

 

It takes a bit of following does that test info.

 

Good that you still have the original MB, there may be nothing wrong with it, something for you to do while doing the BIOS/overheating

 

If you are now unable to get into the BIOS can you do the following for us please.

 

Shut down the computer and disconnect from the mains,press the case power on button for twenty seconds or so.

 

Leave the computer to cool down for an hour or so.

 

Connect the power cord, on powering up the computer continually tap the F2 key to see if you are able to get into the BIOS, if yes, please leave at the BIOS screen for as long as possible to see if the computer powers down.

 

Good that you still have the original MB, there may be nothing wrong with it, while waiting on the above take a close look at the original board to see if there are any bad caps on it, I understand that you could be using a mobile phone so the pics may not be clear but some examples of what bad caps look like can be seen here pics are on the right of the page.

 

 

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Ok, PC now cooling, Ill edit this when I power back up

Yes, test carried out to those directions, LED did not come on

Edited by gpl98a1, 20 April 2020 - 06:48 AM.

[gpl98a1]

Ok, PC now cooling, Ill edit this when I power back up

Yes, test carried out to those directions, LED did not come on

Edited by gpl98a1, 20 April 2020 - 06:48 AM.

[phillpower2]

Odd that the PSU did not pass when not connected to any hardware, makes you wonder how it cleared the Power Good test.

 

I have also just pulled a 300w power supply out of an old Dell PC,

 

 

 

Great, that is one less thing to worry about.

 

Regarding the adaptor, make sure that if you can you purchase one that either specifically says Dell Inspiron 3650 PSU Main Power 24 Pin to 8 Pin Adaptor or the description clearly includes your Inspiron 3650 model, many look the same and are but others that look similar can have additional wires or pin outs in the 24 pin connector.

 

Also to watch out for if purchasing off ebay, make sure that the merchant is in the UK, many of them will say that they are in the UK but if you check the Business seller information, bottom left of the page you quite often find that they are in Hong Kong or Shenzen etc.

 

I`m also in the UK btw 

[gpl98a1]

Ah yes, I see what you mean about the tests, Ill recheck just to be certain.
The 1st time I tried test no1 I could swear the LED didnt turn on, I rechecked & it then did so I passed on to test no2

Thanks for the seller advice, I wondered how they got round that, it does also look different to the moddiy one you posted - sorry, when I buy something Im a little impatient! Lol

Edited by gpl98a1, 20 April 2020 - 07:55 AM.

[phillpower2]

If there is something amiss with the PSU it could be random so don`t doubt yourself.

 

We will just have to wait on the sitting in the BIOS test for now so off to make a cuppa.

 

I`m both impatient and a perfectionist.so am best left working in a corner on my own 

[gpl98a1]

Hope you got a few cuppas in, I went out for a bit there for some fresh air.

Ok, so I reconnected the power supply, used F2 to bring the bios screen up & got approx 2 mins before another screen freeze. This seems to be more regular now, getting a very short time before freezing.



On reading back Ive probably given some misinformation on the PSU test, the 2nd test I meant to refer to was this one, the LED did not turn on & go off as indicated when power is reconnected & the test button is NOT pushed.

When I disconnect the power to MB etc the LED still does not come on at all, the test says it should for 3 seconds

The PSU BIST LED

Troubleshooting with BIST

Turn off the system

Disconnect the power cord from the PSU, and wait for 15 seconds

After 15 seconds, connect the power cord back to the PSU

If the LED stays on for 3 seconds and turns off, it indicates that the PSU is working

If the LED does not turns on, it indicates a hardware failure. The failed component can be PSU, motherboard, or any other device

Steps to confirm the PSU is defective

Disconnect the power cord from the PSU

CAUTION: Ensure that you take adequate safety precautions before accessing the internal components of your system. See the disassembly instructions in your Service Manual for procedure to access the PSU and its cables.
Disconnect the internal PSU cables from the motherboard and each internal device

Connect the power cord to the PSU

If the LED stays on for 3 seconds and turns off, it indicates that the PSU is working. Continue with troubleshooting steps for other devices

Check you don't have any additional devices added to the system that exceeds the output of the PSU

Plug the motherboard back and test the BIST, if it passes carry on with the steps

Plug each device back one at a time and test the BIST after each

If one fails, swap its power cable for another plugged device and further isolate the issue

If the LED does not turns on, it indicates a PSU failure

Edited by gpl98a1, 20 April 2020 - 02:04 PM.

[phillpower2]

Thanks for the above 

 

The computer being under the least amount of load but still locking up in the BIOS does point more toward the PSU and your edit appears to confirm it. I just wish that it didn`t take having to purchase the PSU adaptor to be able to try another PSU just in case.

 

Going offline now but back in the morning, let us know how inspecting the original MB went.

[gpl98a1]

No probs, well see if anything new arises.

I looked at the MB & deffo cant see anything obvious, Ill have a second look tomorrow but I took pics with my phone & enlarged them to be sure. When it was fitted Im pretty certain the PC didnt switch on at all, its a while ago so I am a little fuzzy on that.

Cable ordered (the correct one) from middiy- Im the phone so cant do a thumbs up, but thank you again.

[phillpower2]

You are welcome, catch up when the cable arrives,hope it doesn't take too long to get to you.

 

If the original board looks undamaged it might be worth trying to test it when you remove the present PSU, we can provide you with the steps to do this when the time is appropriate.

[gpl98a1]

Lead has been shipped, when it's here i'll get back on

 

Thank you for you help so far

[phillpower2]

Sounds like a plan and you are welcome 

[gpl98a1]

Just updating Phil.

 

The Dell 24pin to 8 pin adapter able still isn't here yet after a month, they say it could take up to 2 months as there is only currently ground shipping, you can pay for air mail but it won't get here any quicker - weird one that!

[phillpower2]

Sorry to hear that you are still waiting but thanks for the update 

[gpl98a1]

Hello again Phil, Im back.

The lead came today & its all connected up, not pretty looking but its powering on.

Unfortunately though thats where it ends, the pc is still freezing

Wits end springs to mind

Edited by gpl98a1, 17 June 2020 - 01:00 PM.

[phillpower2]

Can you give us a bit more info if you will, its been a while so not sure what your set up is atm

 

Please post the list of parts that you have hooked up, let us know what the computer was being used for when it froze and how long the computer had been on when it first locked up while using the PSU adaptor.