MB896 won't power up. I'm lost. Need advice.

**mdk1000** · 02-08-2007, 09:27 PM

I'm new here so take it easy on me!

I'm having problems with this iBase MB896 mobo. Can't seem to get it to do anything. I'm 'benching' it right now before I build it into a custom case but so far it's a paperweight.

It powers up fine (KB/mouse blinks, ethernet LED's light up) but no beep, no VGA output signal, no POST. HD light comes on and stays on. It doesn't flicker/blink or anything else.

Everything I've plugged into it is brand new (RAM, CPU, power supply, etc). Checked, double-checked and triple-checked all the settings, jumpers, connections, cables, etc.. Re-seated the RAM and CPU. No luck and no change in power-on conditions.

Could I be missing something here?

Do 'standard' ATX power supplies work with these mobos? I've tried 3 of them ranging from 150 to 375 watt. All are known good ones with the 4-pin 12v power plug. The user's manual (typical of others I've seen in the past) has no troubleshooting info. I've been playing with computers for nearly 30 years (really!) and have built dozens "from scratch" so I'm no newbie here but frankly I'm baffled.

Could it be a bad board? Could I be overlooking something? This board cost me plenty. I don't see what I'd call an over-abundance of user-related experiences with this particular board in the forums. I suppose that could be either a good thing (they're very reliable), or they're not very popular (widespread?). Any help would be greatly appreciated.

**bbalazs** · 02-09-2007, 04:38 AM

I am not familiar with this mobo, so I just can give you general ideas...

1. You said, voltages are OK. What is the power? (amperes) does it fit the range?
1.5

Are the parts of the mobo producing heat? (I mean standard heat)
1.75 Is there any part that is too hot, according to your opinion?
2. Remove EVERYTHING but processor (and RAM, if neccessary). Does it have an onboard video? If not, try different video cards...
3. Discharge the CMOS. Remove Battery, wait for some hours.
4. When you have possibility to have a multimeter, try to measure the address and data pins of the BIOS ROM (or EEPROM) during boot. (high speed oscilloscope is better)

If these do not help

The symptomes could show a:
1. BIOS ROM/Flash EEPROM problem
2. General mobo problem - eg. around producing special voltage
3. Processor problem.