error: 4sns/1/40000001:vmas-0.000 on mac pro, help!

[dmc79]

hi there,
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I'm on caos for 3 days...
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To resume my history, I bough a used mac pro 3,1 (early 2008) with 500gb HD / 4x1gb RAM / Geforce 8800T on ebay and brought it to Brazil. Then, when I arrived (10/8), I upgraded it with more 2x2gb RAM and a intel 330 SSD 120gb. I splitted the SSD and intall os 10.8 and windows 7 trough bootcamp. Install all others softwares on both OS. It seems to be ok, except that when I leave it on OS X and it start to sleep, the computer shuted down by itself. Didnt happen on windows. Until friday morning (10/12) that it didnt want to boot. It turned on, chimed, show gray screen an logo and shutted down. It went safe mode and nothing... After a long time of trying, I booted on single user mode, runned fsck command and realized thas has an error on SSD. I booted from a Lion DVD and install it on original HD. Formatted the SSD partition and seems to be ok.
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On saturday morning, same history. I made a lots of tests, took SSD out, new RAMS out, rise cards, PRAM reset,.... The diagnostic leds, didnt show any problem. After a lot of tries, I boot from original HD and after I booted from all others OS.
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On sunday morning, same history....
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On monday morning (today), it was really hard to booted, after success, it shutted down again... Now, it blinks to 2 lights after shutted down on diagnostics LEDS (5 and 6). So I decided to dwonload the apple harware test from web, since I dont have the originals DVDs and holding D wasnt working. 2 times on the middle of the test, it shutted down. Then, i took off the rinse board number 2 and left only the 2x1gb original on rise 1. Perfomed an extended test and showed an error: 4sns/1/40000001:vmas-0.000. I tried to search this on web, but didnt find anything about vmas error.
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Here, we dont have a genius bar as US, that we can test the machine in front of the client... I really apreciate any though or ideas about my problem.
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Regards all!

 

[ScottishCaptain]

VMAS is the first ("A") FBDIMM riser board. It signifies a failure on the +12V rail at the voltage regulator on that board.

I'm not sure what you can do about this. You can try swapping the memory boards and see if the error migrates to the other board (you'd get a VMBS error in that case)- in which case it's your FBDIMM riser board that needs to be replaced.

If you managed to do that and the error didn't switch to the other board (so the code was still VMAS)- then your logic board or power supply is potentially defective. Someone would have to test the power supply with a multimeter according to the service manual to rule that one out, and if it's not the PSU then the logic board would need to be replaced.

-SC

 

[666sheep]

SC provided complete info about this AHT error.
Here you can find description of AHT error codes (in german, but easy to understand): http://www.tiramigoof.de/wordpress/?p=4924

 

[dmc79]

I went to an apple authorized service lab here in Brazil to here what they would say... The machine stayed ther for 4 days and every time that I call looking for new, they sayng that was running tests... Today I went to pick up back the computer and their answer is that I have to change the logic board and power supply. I dont trust on that result, because it is the easier path. After some replies on macrumors and apple forum, the suggestions are temp sensors and voltage on memory riser, or even loose cables...

The problem now, is that the machine even turns on anymore. It ligh the power button, start the video card's fan, lighted the 4 red leds on each riser and shutted down, blinked once a yellow led number 054 on logicboard bellow the diagnoctics leds. If I hitted again the power button,mdid nothing. If I wait some seconds and press and hold again, turnned on leds 5 and 6 of diagnostics on logicboard and when released, turned on, including the fans stayed for about 5 sec and turned off again.

Any suggestions? Regards.

 

[ScottishCaptain]

The issue with LED 5 and 6 being lit up is peculiar.

This is straight from Apple's service manual for the machine:

If diagnostic LED 5 and LED 6 are both solidly illuminated at power up, improperly seated power supply cables could be one cause of this behavior. Check all power supply cable connections to ensure they are properly seated.

Unfortunately you'll need to get a technician to check and reseat the cables since it is a fairly large procedure to get to them in the Mac Pro (the majority of the connections are buried behind a removable bulkhead behind your optical drives).

If you get someone to reseat the cables and the problem still persists, then either your PSU or logic board is defective, and one or both of those will have to be replaced. I'd have thought that since the machine was in the shop for 4 days that they would have checked and reseated these cables, but who knows.

-SC

 

[dmc79]

Ok, i will try to do that tomorow and after that, i will tell you the results. Thanks.

 

[dmc79]

So, I opened the mac, disconnect video card, optical drive, both memory risers, unplugged and re-plugged all 4 connectors from power supply (P1, P2, P3 and D), unplugged and re-plugged the power cable from logic board behind the front fan and behind the lower memory riser. All the times has the same scenario. I hit the power button, it lighted up, start the fan of video card (when installed) and after 2-3 sec. shut itself down, then blink once a yellow light (054) just bellow the diagnostic LEDS. Someone knows what that light means? Cause I can't find anything about it on web. If I hold the power button, it is not turn on, but after some 5 sec., turn on LEDS 5 and 6 of diagnostics LEDS and if I release the power button and press it again, it turn on, start all fans, light all LEDS on risers and shut down after 3-5 sec.

I tested if a multimeter, the plug that connect on logic board behind the front fan, and the one that connect on optical drive to test the PSU. I don't know if the results means and if it showed a bad PSU or if it confirms that the PSU is fine.

I'm post a diagram with the results, if someone wants to analyse it. regards.

 

[ScottishCaptain]

Your pinouts are all wrong.

On the optical drive, it's +12V, GND, GND, +5V. Assuming you used the left most pin as ground, then your multimeter should have read about 7V on the right-most pin (the difference between +12V and +5V)- so I think that's OK.

The logic board has more then 1 power connector- there's 4 of them behind the optical drive bay, which merge into a harness that runs down the front of the machine and connects to the logic board in 6 or 7 different places all around the machine.

Please check your PM for further details.

-SC

 

[violst]

Did you try and remove all of your ram but the minimum allowed ram config. I had a similar experience with a 2008 mac pro 3,1, I took it to an apple store thinking it was the PSU or mother board. But to my delight it was just a bad ram chip. It turned out that one of my ram chips went bad causing the mac to think a riser card was faulty and no longer allowing it to start up.

Once the ram was removed it worked like a charm again.

 

[snberk103]

Did you try and remove all of your ram but the minimum allowed ram config. I had a similar experience with a 2008 mac pro 3,1, I took it to an apple store thinking it was the PSU or mother board. But to my delight it was just a bad ram chip. It turned out that one of my ram chips went bad causing the mac to think a riser card was faulty and no longer allowing it to start up.

Once the ram was removed it worked like a charm again.

I had the identical problem as this post, with a Mac 3,1 with 8 cores. The shop initially thought it was a bad riser board, but when we swapped the RAM chips around we realized the riser board error code moved as well.

However, rereading your original post makes me think it's more than a bad RAM or riser.

If you lived closer, I'd offer to sell you my just retired Mac Pro - identical model as yours. You could take the parts you needed, and then sell the rest of it to somebody who needed the other parts.

 

[dmc79]

I had the identical problem as this post, with a Mac 3,1 with 8 cores. The shop initially thought it was a bad riser board, but when we swapped the RAM chips around we realized the riser board error code moved as well.

However, rereading your original post makes me think it's more than a bad RAM or riser.

If you lived closer, I'd offer to sell you my just retired Mac Pro - identical model as yours. You could take the parts you needed, and then sell the rest of it to somebody who needed the other parts.

Please send me email to talk about your machine - dmc79@ig.com.br

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was faulty and no longer allowing it to start up.

On your mac, when you said that, is it made the chime sound? Or turned iff before that?

Mine is turning off about 2 sec. After I hit the power button.

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I have one doubt about the PSU for my machine:

Can I install a PSU from another model (1.1, 2.1, 4.1 or 5.1) on my computer to test if works and confirm if the problem is only the PSU or logic board? If I can, i will try to get some PSU borrowed.

 

[dmc79]

Sc,

Thanks a lot about your time. My main problem is on my city (santos - brazil) has only one apple authorized service lab (very different than genius bar), and these guys are really bad. They said that I have to change the logic board and PSU. I think this is the easiest way, cause is almost like change all the computer.... And about $, their price is Us$1500. I paid Us$860 for it. I know that i can buy in US ( I am going to NY on thankgiving) a new PSU for Us$200 and a logic board for Us$400 and a new one for Us$800.

I already, took apart to test if power on: memories, risers, video card, optical drive, cables from logic board behind the risers and front upper fan, cables of PSU (P1, P2, P3 and C). All the same result as I already described.

I already have this manual and used it to do the test. What I didnt find, even on this manual, is how to test the PSU to see if it is working normaly.

 

[ScottishCaptain]

Can I install a PSU from another model (1.1, 2.1, 4.1 or 5.1) on my computer to test if works and confirm if the problem is only the PSU or logic board? If I can, i will try to get some PSU borrowed.

No.

The 1,1 and 2,1 units are different and not cross-system compatible. The 4,1 and 5.1 power supplies are a totally different form factor and have entirely different cabling, as the insides of the 4,1 and 5,1 are radically different from the 3,1 and earlier.

I already have this manual and used it to do the test. What I didnt find, even on this manual, is how to test the PSU to see if it is working normaly.

Your system is too far gone at this point.

The way you test the PSU to see if it's working normally is by running ASD/AHT and seeing what the results are. A good portion of the sensors inside the Mac Pro are dedicated to monitoring the power supply and power consumption around the logic board.

If you can't boot the system, then either the logic board or PSU is dead. It is impossible to tell which part is at fault.

If you replace the PSU, then the logic board could be broken. Maybe the broken logic board breaks your new PSU. If you replace the logic board, maybe the PSU is broken. Maybe the PSU breaks the new logic board.

The only safe way to handle this situation is to replace both the PSU and logic board together. There is no other way. Sorry.

-SC