nuc5i7ryh may be dead?

[RMill29]

I have a NUC5i7ryh. And typically it has been running very hot. I opened it up and blew out the fan and fins.

Now when I try to start it, I get the green power light and the blue light when switched on, but nothing else. No video signal on HDMI or DP. I have since removed the memory and m2 storage, but I am not seeing any blinking lights to indicate the missing memory.

I also tried unplugging the cmos battery for a little bit and plugging it back in. No difference.

Does anyone have any other diagnostic to try or is it just dead at this point?

[LeonWaksman]

1. Probably your NUC is dead. However, I'll disconnect the CMOS battery and the Power Adapter for at least 15 minutes.
2. After removing the board, did you disassembled the Thermal Solution? Is the blower still working?
3. Please verify that all connectors on the board (both sides) are firmly inserted.

Leon

[RMill29]

I will try the long CMOS disconnect.

I did remove the blower for cleaning. I did not remove the rest of the thermal assembly. I did unscrew the two screws under the fan, but did not unscrew the one in the fin housing. The blower is runs when I press the power button.

When you note all connectors on the board...I do not have the wifi antenna connected or the cables for the drive. The only other connectors I note are fan and CMOS battery. Are there other connections I should check that I am missing?

[TBlue]

Try replacing the CMOS battery. My 3 years old NUC5i5 recently had a similar issue, it would briefly turn on, not post (no video signal, no beeps, nothing), turn off and repeat endlessly. Removing the battery for 15+ minutes did not help. However, trying to turn it on/off for like an hour, it actually booted once. Unplugging the unit for a while however got it into the same bad state again. I then replaced the CMOS battery with a brand new one, but the unit still wouldn't boot. After again turning it on and off countless of times for what felt like an hour, one time it actually did post again and I saw the boot screen. I quickly went into the bios, reset all settings to defaults and I haven't had a single issue since.

Based on my experience, I believe a weak/low battery can corrupt the CMOS somehow, and when that happens the NUC ends up in an endless boot loop.

EDIT: The "security jumper" made no difference for me as well.

[RMill29]

I will try the long CMOS disconnect.

I did remove the blower for cleaning. I did not remove the rest of the thermal assembly. I did unscrew the two screws under the fan, but did not unscrew the one in the fin housing. The blower is runs when I press the power button.

When you note all connectors on the board...I do not have the wifi antenna connected or the cables for the drive. The only other connectors I note are fan and CMOS battery. Are there other connections I should check that I am missing?

[LeonWaksman]

1. Fan and CMOS battery are the only connectors (except the antennas and HDD) that should be checked. Please see this tutorial (specially all images in Steps 4 and 5).
2. In adition I'll try bios recovery using Security Jumper Removed method https://www.intel.com/content/www/us/en/support/articles/000005532/mini-pcs.html . This procedure starts and ends automatically without need for user intervention. The latest bios RY0377.bio is here https://downloadcenter.intel.com/download/28558/BIOS-Update-RYBDWi35-86A-?product=87570

Leon

[RMill29]

I have checked the voltage of the CMOS battery and it is showing 3v, so the battery is not dead.

I tried the bios recovery security jumper method, and still no response at all.

Thanks to all for the suggestions, but I think I've given up hope on it. 😢 Pour one out for the little workhorse. Maybe I'll put a RaspPi in the case.

[TBlue · Accepted solution]

I also tested my CMOS battery and it showed slightly more than 3V even though it was dead. Replacing it definitely fixed it for me, however due to the CMOS corruption it'll take many turn off/on cycles. Once it does boot, immediately go into the bios and reset everything to defaults. Security jumper did not help me at all as well.

Based on your description I truly think you're running into the same issue as I did. I didn't think replacing the battery would help, either, because my battery tester showed it was "full". In fact, the brand new battery I put in there only read 0.05 V more on my test, but I suspect the bad battery will fold as soon as you attempt to put an actual load on it.

[TBlue]

I ran into this problem about 3 months ago, and ever since I replaced the battery it I haven't had a single issue.

[RMill29]

I will try a new CMOS battery. Worth a shot. Just curious, do you have an Amazon link for the battery?

[TBlue]

I strongly recommend to NOT buy button cell batteries from Amazon, especially not from 3rd party sellers. I've had very bad luck, more often than not they are batteries that have been sitting on the shelves for years. I would strongly recommend buying them from a phyiscal store with good turn-over rate, like a grocery or hardware store. They cost more there, but I always got good fresh batteries.

[TBlue]

It's just a CR2032 battery, widely available. To avoid soldering it (which is tricky as you want to be very careful to not overheat the battery) I soldered a "Arduino LilyPad Coin Cell Battery Holder CR2032 Battery Mount Module" (<= $1 on ebay) to the wires instead, this way I can just slide in the battery without having to solder directly onto the battery. If you have the expertise and proper equipment to solder it directly to the battery, go ahead, but I didn't want to risk damaging the battery (or worse causing it to explode).

[LeonWaksman]

Here you have link: ​https://www.amazon.com/Compatible-Toshiba-Lenovo-Internal-Battery/dp/B07MJ3PZGK/ref=mp_s_a_1_10?keyw...

Leon​