MP 1,1-5,1 MacPro 5.1 chime loop and black Screen.

[Siski125]

Hi all!!

Ok just arrived home and my mac pro was on a boot chime loop with fans on (but not at full speed but mid speed) but screen stays black. I have turned it off by pressing power for a few seconds then rebooted but I still get a boot chime loop/fan speed and black screen but did check fast for any red glow trough the mac front screen but at first glance I didn't see any red colour. So what can this be??? Please help!!! THANKS!!!

Update; This morning I opened the cover to do a visual inspection and no led lit on main board and cpu tray YAY, so I just pushed the vid card and power cables just to make sure that they are well seated (yeah I know should take the vid card out etc… but was going to work this morning so didn’t have time to do this) restarted and I just got a white screen (with very faint lines) but no apple logo on screen and no chime loop, so shut it off restarted and get no screen and chime loop. I tried pram reset I can’t do this because of the loop thing and didn’t have time to do a safe boot either. So any suggestions on what to do next? THANKS!!!

 

[tsialex]

First step is to check EFI_DONE LED. Download the Apple Technician Guide (around page 29~33) to learn how to use the DIAG button.

If you bricked your Mac Pro, when EFI_DONE LED is not fully lit when you press the DIAG button, you have three options:

1. Buy a replacement backplane on eBay and replace the backplane yourself, cheapest option if you can't solder SMD. Remember that you need a 2009 backplane if you have an early-2009 Mac Pro. If you have a mid-2010 or mid-2012 you can use either 2010 or 2012 backplanes. Don't mix early-2009 backplanes with mid-2010/mid-2012 CPU trays, or vice-versa - either scenario is a SMC firmware version mismatch and all your fans will run at maximum RPM, full time and without any software control.
2. Buy a Mac Pro MATT card and use it as a replacement SPI flash, this is not recommended since all MATT cards are clones and won't work for iCloud/iMessage/FaceTime. A replacement backplane is usually cheaper.
3. Desolder, reprogram and solder back the SPI flash, chip U8700 on the backplane. It's not possible to read or write to the SPI flash memory while it's soldered on the MP5,1 backplane. A cheap SPI flash programmer like ch341a will work for read/write the BootROM after the SPI flash memory is desoldered from the backplane. Start reading here, read all my posts on the subject from there. I strongly recommend that you replace your original SPI flash memory with a brand new one, don't solder it back to the backplane, it will fail soon since SPI flash memories have limited lifetime (manufacture rated for just 100.000 erase/write cycles) when used as NVRAM for a Mac Pro. Again, most hard bricks are caused by the failure of the SPI flash, it's a US$ 2 component easily available, MXIC MX25L3206E, just replace it! Btw, yes, you can use a MXIC MX25L3206E as a modern replacement for the two older models SST25VF032B and MXIC MX25L3205D used on early-2009 and mid-2010 respectively, Apple did it for mid-2012 Mac Pros.
   
   Mojave has the generic MP51.fd firmware image inside the full installer, this is not the complete BootROM and it's enough for boot your Mac Pro again but not for iCloud/iMessage/FaceTime login.
   
   

   Install\ macOS\ Mojave/Install\ macOS\ Mojave.app/Contents/Resources/Firmware/MP51.fd

The whole SPI flash replacement procedure is:

• desolder the U8700 flash memory from the backplane PCB,
• use an external SPI flash programmer and it's own app (or flashrom, if it's on the supported list of programmers) to dump the contents of the SPI flash memory removed from the MacPro backplane,
• program MP51.fd to the replacement SPI flash memory (Macronix MX25L3205A/MX25L3205D/MX25L3206E, SST 25VF032B),
• verify if the flashing process was done correctly,
• solder back the SPI flash memory,
• while the backplane is outside the case, take a picture of the MLB label near the AirPort Extreme connector, also take a picture of the ESN label, the one on the case near the GPU outputs,
• reinstall the backplane in the Mac Pro case,
• test if the Mac Pro is now capable of POST and it's booting macOS with the replacement flash memory,
• if the Mac Pro is now booting macOS, ask a firmware engineer to do a BootROM reconstruction service based on the corrupt dump, the case ESN and the backplane MLB labels to get your Mac Pro fully working again.

 

[Siski125]

Hi and thanks for the reply! How can I brick my Mac??? I never mod it and it’s not a 4.1 turned 5.1. It was working well before I left home and when I came back 4 hours later it was in a chime loop. I don’t understand what happened to get this way. Right now I’m on Yosemite and don’t plan on going further than high Sierra because of the cost involved. Yeah I can do surface soldering but would be better à backplane change (if it’s the case) instead of doing all what you said. Omg so many things to do just to check the leds!!! I thought that the leds would turn on the moment you press power to tell you if there was a problem. Jesus what a job to do!! I thought maybe a pram reset would do the trick but nope. Ok thanks I’ll try to take the time to do all of this but man so many things to do here hehehe.

 

[tsialex]

Hi and thanks for the reply! How can I brick my Mac??? I never mod it and it’s not a 4.1 turned 5.1. It was working well before I left home and when I came back 4 hours later it was in a chime loop. I don’t understand what happened to get this way. Right now I’m on Yosemite and don’t plan on going further than high Sierra because of the cost involved. Yeah I can do surface soldering but would be better à backplane change (if it’s the case) instead of doing all what you said. Omg so many things to do just to check the leds!!! I thought that the leds would turn on the moment you press power to tell you if there was a problem. Jesus what a job to do!! I thought maybe a pram reset would do the trick but nope. Ok thanks I’ll try to take the time to do all of this but man so many things to do here hehehe.

Just press the DIAG_BUTTON, if it's off or blinking, you have a brick. No need to use the minimal config.

NVRAM volume is inside the BootROM image that is stored in the SPI flash memory.

The SPI flash memory is manufacture rated to 100.000 cycles of erase/re-write when the wear is spread and not concentrated on some sectors like the NVRAM volume. If you open the data sheet you will see that the MTBF is a lot lower when the wear is not spread. Apple didn't implemented wear spread for MacPro5,1 NVRAM, Apple started to do that for the first time for the late-2013 Mac Pro.

All SPI flash memories will fail overtime when used as a NVRAM.

 

[Siski125]

Witch led will do what you said when you press the diag button?

 

[tsialex]

Witch led will do what you said when you press the diag button?

Please re-read message #2, see the picture, it's EFI_DONE.

 

[startergo]

Do you have another GPU for testing?

 

[Siski125]

Do you have another GPU for testing?

Nope. I know that I can just plug it in slot 2 and if it doesn’t work need new gpu OR backplane.

 

[tsialex]

Mac Pros work without GPU and you can use screen sharing and RemoteDesktop normally.

EFI_DONE LED should be fully lit even without the GPU.

 

[Siski125]

Please re-read message #2, see the picture, it's EFI_DONE.

Ok doesn’t light up just the 5v ps.

 

[Siski125]

Ok doesn’t light up just the 5v ps.

So I have a bricked Mac, right??

 

[tsialex]

So I have a bricked Mac, right??

Most probable. If you have access to another early-2009 to mid-2012 Mac Pro, test your CPU tray just to be sure.

 

[Siski125]

Most probable. If you have access to another early-2009 to mid-2012 Mac Pro, test your CPU tray just to be sure.

Nope don’t have another Mac Pro. But if it’s the cpu tray why don’t I see any leds lit up?

 

[tsialex]

Nope don’t have another Mac Pro. But if it’s the cpu tray why don’t I see any leds lit up?

It's a very complex system, for example, if the CPU tray SMC microcontroller is dead, no error LED will function on the CPU tray.

Anyway, see if you can test more components of your Mac Pro with a friend's working one, buying parts to eliminate can become extremely costly.

Good luck.

 

[Siski125]

If you bricked your Mac Pro, when EFI_DONE LED is fully lit when you press the DIAG button

Hmmm I thought you said if it didn’t lite up or flashes it was bricked in this quote you said the led is fully lit that it was bricked.

 

[tsialex]

My bad, should be:

If you bricked your Mac Pro, when EFI_DONE LED is not fully lit when you press the DIAG button…

 

[Siski125]

My bad, should be:

If you bricked your Mac Pro, when EFI_DONE LED is not fully lit when you press the DIAG button…

Ok darn so what to do now???? I don’t have another Mac to test with don’t have any spare parts either so….. omg what a brain storm for me now!!! Thanks for your help!

 

[tsialex]

Ok darn so what to do now???? I don’t have another Mac to test with don’t have any spare parts either so….. omg what a brain storm for me now!!! Thanks for your help!

How about starting to read some threads about bricks?

Use the search for EFI_DONE on the Mac Pro forum, it’s a topic revisited every week here, no need to rewrite it again.

My first post already answered about the 3 options you have.

 

[Siski125]

How about starting to read some threads about bricks?

Use the search for EFI_DONE on the Mac Pro forum, it’s a topic revisited every week here, no need to rewrite it again.

My first post already answered about the 3 options you have.

Well I know that for now I would go with #1 BUT I would go with #3 too because I have a quick air soldering station but the programming part well…. the way I see it you have to type it then save it on the chip right?

 

[tsialex]

Well I know that for now I would go with #1 BUT I would go with #3 too because I have a quick air soldering station but the programming part well…. the way I see it you have to type it then save it on the chip right?

Look, this is an issue that I fully researched, did all the RI and documented back in 2018. The SPI flash replacement procedure is all there, even the mistakes I did are in the posts step by step.

If you have a hot air station you can get it booting (but not working with iCloud/Messages/FaceTime) just with a brand new MXIC MX25L3206E programmed with MP51.fd by a ch341a - this will cost you around $15 + shipping for the SPI flash memory and the SPI flash memory programmer.

Just read my posts from September/October 2018 on my BootROM thread and you will get the backplane booting macOS again, then you can ask me/another engineer for a reconstruction of your own Mac Pro BootROM to get iCloud/Messages/FaceTime working again, since the image Apple make available for firmware upgrades, MP51.fd, is incomplete and barely enough for your Mac Pro to boot again.

 

[Siski125]

Look, this is an issue that I fully researched, did all the RI and documented back in 2018. The SPI flash replacement procedure is all there, even the mistakes I did are in the posts step by step.

If you have a hot air station you can get it booting (but not working with iCloud/Messages/FaceTime) just with a brand new MXIC MX25L3206E programmed with MP51.fd by a ch341a - this will cost you around $15 + shipping for the SPI flash memory and the SPI flash memory programmer.

Just read my posts from September/October 2018 on my BootROM thread and you will get the backplane booting macOS again, then you can ask me/another engineer for a reconstruction of your own Mac Pro BootROM to get iCloud/Messages/FaceTime working again, since the image Apple make available for firmware upgrades, MP51.fd, is incomplete and barely enough for your Mac Pro to boot again.

Gee just too much for me for the bootrom. I thought you just copy the old chip and put it on the new chip I don’t understand why you loose iCloud/ messages and FaceTime. Yep will stick with #1 even though it’s gonna be more expensive than #3.

 

[tsialex]

I thought you just copy the old chip and put it on the new chip I don’t understand why you loose iCloud/ messages and FaceTime.

MP5,1: BootROM thread | 144.0.0.0.0

This is a work in progress These identifiers are used by Apple to fully identify and validate your Mac, without them you can't login with iCloud/iMessage/FaceTime. Identifier:Definition: SSNSystem Serial Number HWCHardware Code SONSystem/Sales Order Number LBSN/MLB SNMain Logic Board Serial...

forums.macrumors.com

Macs are not 90's BIOS PCs

 

[Siski125]

It's a very complex system, for example, if the CPU tray SMC microcontroller is dead, no error LED will function on the CPU tray.

Anyway, see if you can test more components of your Mac Pro with a friend's working one, buying parts to eliminate can become extremely costly.

Good luck.

Gee where I live I might be the only one with a Mac Pro tower so I’m on my own with this. But if you tell me that since my EFI_DONE isn’t working and I have a bricked Mac is it obvious that I need a backplane.

 

[tsialex]

Gee where I live I might be the only one with a Mac Pro tower so I’m on my own with this. But if you tell me that since my EFI_DONE isn’t working and I have a bricked Mac is it obvious that I need a backplane.

Certain failure modes of the CPU trays make the EFI_DONE test unreliable, that's why you eliminate the possibility of a defective CPU tray before starting to buy anything.

 

[Siski125]

Certain failure modes of the CPU trays make the EFI_DONE test unreliable, that's why you eliminate the possibility of a defective CPU tray before starting to buy anything.

Ok then how can I check my cpu tray? Can I just remove it an press the diag button and see if the EFI_DONE lites up? Can you help me with how to test and find the defective part (if we can). Now the vid card seems to work because my monitor did lite up a few times so I can eliminate this, I think. If I follow the service manual and take everything out and put one thing at a time and move to the the next thing until I find the culprit would it be the most obvious way to do it or is there a better faster way to do this? Btw THANKS for your help in this nightmare of mine I just hope to come back to normal soon.