NUC i7 Died, What To Do?

Support
1

In the middle of steaming a song, my 2018 Intel NUC i7 died. Won’t power on, no lights, no fan, no ROCK. :frowning:

I’m trying to decide what to do…

I can buy a new i7 NUC. The upside of that is that I could probably just drop my existing RAM and HD into it and be good to go, assuming they are not damaged. The downside is that it will cost me $500 which is the same as I paid back in 2018. It pains me to pay that much for such old tech.

Are there better choices? If I get a newer i10 NUC, would I be able to reuse the RAM and HD from my old NUC?

I’m assuming that getting an out of warranty NUC repaired is probably not worth the effort/expense. True?

Note that I have a backup of my library and my music files, so having to reformat the HD would not be a disaster, but I’d like to avoid it.

2

If you’ve got a multi meter, you could verify if it’s just the power supply that’s toast…

In regards to RAM reuse, compare NUC boards’ spec sheets to find out…

4 Likes
3

Even a 12v 3a powerbrick should fire it up…

4

I got out my multi-meter and it does appear to be the power supply. Thanks for mentioning that. I had assumed it was not the power supply based on a Google search for similar issues, but always smart to check the basics first!

I’m a novice with the multi-meter, but this is correct, right? Set it to ACV, red to inside the plug tip and black to the outer plug tip. Reading less than 1V.

5

The NUC takes 19V/3.43A. Would it be safe to test it with a 19.5V/4.62A powerbrick?

Edit: nvm… the plug does not fit

6

I went ahead and ordered a new power supply ($18) and should have it on Saturday. Hopefully that will solve the problem.

7

Yes, this should be ok.

8

Erm, don’t have a NUC, but I’d guess it says DC on the power supply, so measure in DCV mode!
Polarity does not matter, it would measure either+19V or -19V, or whatever voltage the supply supplies…

1 Like
9

The print is so tiny, I could not tell. Got a magnifying glass (it is really tiny!) and see that it is DC. Will re-test. Thank you.

10

Well bad news for me. The power supply is fine. It is the NUC itself. So back to my original questions about replacing it or upgrading it…

11

Should I get a newer NUC or replace my old one? I’m not sure which of the newer NUCs can run ROCK, if any.

If I get a newer one, can I just drop in my hard drive from the old NUC and boot ROCK or will I need to reinstall?

Lastly, is it worth trying to get a NUC from 2018 repaired? I know that Intel doesn’t do repairs, they just replace parts and they probably won’t have stock for old hardware. So who would I get to do the repair?

@support

12

Hi @Nick ,

Do you see any lights on the NUC internals or do you prefer not to open the unit? If there are any lights on the motherboard, you can try a CMOS battery reset procedure, that has sometimes brought boards back to life, long shot but worth a try if technical. Instructions and video below:

(Motherboard/CMOS shown at 5:55)

There is a list of compatible ROCK units here:

4 Likes
14

Thank you @noris. I will open it up and do the CMOS reset after work today. Also, appreciate the link you provided to supported NUC models.

1 Like
15

The CMOS reset did the trick. My Roon Rock is back up and running!

Thank you everyone for your help.

5 Likes
16

Glad to hear that the CMOS reset trick worked, @Nick!
Happy Listening! :slight_smile: :musical_note:

1 Like
17

This is the best most helpful thread I have ever seen on the Internet. Nice job Fellas!

3 Likes
18

Must say I have never had a computer fail to show any signs of life on a cmos issue but then stranger things have happened…will put this one in y things to try pigeon hole

1 Like
19

There was a single green led on the motherboard that was lit, but I could not see it until I opened the case.

20

This topic was automatically closed 36 hours after the last reply. New replies are no longer allowed.