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RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

I have a RNDU2000 (ReadyNAS Ultra 2).

 

When I got it (got it from a friend for free) -

1: When I plugged it in, it started itself up, and then it did nothing, it just are there, blue light, fans on max speed and nothing.

Going into boot menu with reset button or using recovery USB with backup button don't work.

 

2: I then checked the CMOS battery on motherboard. It was flat. So I replaced it with a new CR2032

After that, it doesn't autostart when plugging in, so it seems Im going forward.

 

3: Replaced the RAM with a new stick. Nothing there either.

 

4: Connected a TTL cable as following:

GND TX RX (NC)

on the serial connector on the back.

(the serial pinout is GND RX TX +3.3v, but RX and TX needs to be swapped)

 

Totally dead on the serial output.

 

5: On the motherboard, there is a VGA header. I connected a VGA cable, and connected it to a screen. The screen does detect the VGA connection and says VGA connected, but then shortly, the screen goes down in powersave mode, meaning theres no picture output of the VGA.

 

 

Any other troubleshooting tips? I guess there is a beep code or blink code somewhere that I can use to find out whats wrong, but guess I need to connect a beeper or lamp somewhere on the motherboard?

 

 

NOTE: Theres no important data on the NAS - I just want to get it up'n'running and working, so it doesnt' matter if the drives get wiped in the process. They are already wiped.

Model: RNDU2000|ReadyNAS Ultra 2 Chassis only
Message 1 of 11
StephenB
Guru

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

Does RAIDar detect it? https://kb.netgear.com/20684/ReadyNAS-Downloads

 

Try it first with no disks in the NAS.

Message 2 of 11

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

Nope. The network interface doesn't even come up (the lights on the LAN port doesnt come on) so of course RAIDar can't detect it.

Have tried the previous troubleshooting steps (reset, recovery, RAM, TTL-RS232, VGA) with both disks and no disks inside.
Message 3 of 11
StephenB
Guru

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

Does the boot menu seem to work now?  

 

The NIC of course should be lit.  Though it's likely something you've already tried, swapping the LAN cable and using a different switch port is one thing to do.

 

Was the NAS working on your friend's network when you got it, or was it out of service?

Message 4 of 11

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

Nope boot menu doesn't work.

 

No I think it was dead on friends network too. But the thing is that even if its "dead", it do still start up (power button comes on) and fans goes on full speed, so I think the problem is somewhat recoverable.

Message 5 of 11
StephenB
Guru

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

If the NIC has failed, then it's not repairable.

Message 6 of 11

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

NIC hasnt failed, it hasn't been initalized yet because it cant use USB recovery, no boot menu, no output on serial/3v3-rs232.

it gets stuck in a very early stage of boot, where its not even possible to turn it off with button, not doublepress and not 10sec hold either.

Its just solid on + fan on full speed.

A normal computer would have given beep codes at this point. Since I know its a atom with Amibios, it must be possible to solder a LED or speaker/beeper somewhere on mobo and get the codes and be able to diagnose whats happening.
Message 7 of 11
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

The power will come on via the button and the fans will spin up full blast even if there is bad RAM, a bad CPU, or many other faults.  That you see no serial or VGA port activity is a sign of probable hardware failure.  You can try replacing or just re-seating the RAM, since that's about the only replacement part you can do, but it's a stab in the dark.

Message 8 of 11

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

Thats why im asking if there is any beeper or LED or similiar signal on the motherboard, where I can solder a beeper or LED, and get the "beep codes" from AMIBIOS.

 

That would be extremely helpful to see whatever problem it is, and continue forwards.

Message 9 of 11

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

Anyone which have more in-depth information about the hardware?

 

I know that J11 is VGA out, J10 is just a copy of the power button.

J3 is BIOS reset.

and J9 is propably an extra 2-port USB header.

 

But then there is J1 (2-pin), J2 (2-pin) and J7 (8-pin with key at 7)

 

Anyone that know what those headers are for? They might be useful for debugging.

 

Also near the processor I found a inductor (L27 - marking: 1R0) that looks a little bit sad - but it do have continuity. Since an inductor is just a coil of wire, I guess that if it have continuity, its good. But as a last resort I could replace it. (just mentioning it if you guys know its a common problem)

Message 10 of 11
Sandshark
Sensei

Re: RNDU2000 - Seems to be completely "dead" - whats wrong with it

Netgear has never made schematics available for any of the ReadyNAS series and I have not tried to reverse engineer anything since most of the critical parts aren't available in small quantities and often require special equipment to solder.

Message 11 of 11
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