# Escient Fireball flashing red light solved.



## stefuel

Service manuals and schematics for these are not available. It makes trouble shooting difficult at best. I have a Fireball that developed the flashing red power light. After a extensive search on the internet (and I think I read every one), the problem or more to the point the solutions listed ranged from replacing a loose IDE cable inside the unit, disconnect everything and try a re-boot and a factory re-initialization. BLA-BLA-BLA. I can tell you that after spending 2-1/2 days straight of scoping out the whole thing that non of the previously mentioned solutions really solves the problem and it's a board level repair. I have repaired this one and it's back to a under 30 second re-boot.

I would not be surprized if all the dead Fireballs suffer the same defect.

As I have so much time invested in this, I haven't decided if I will fork over the information free to whoever needs it or turn it into a service for a fee.

For right now I'm just happy to report that they are repairable


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## Rick13160

I am having the same (or similar) problems with mine. It flashes red and makes a clicking sound every few minutes. Does this sound like what yours was doing?


I didn't know this was such a widespread problem, but I haven't really spent any time troubeshooting it yet either. If you would tell me what needs to be done, I may be able to handle it myself...


I would really appreciate any help you can give me.


Thanks!

Rick


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## stefuel




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *Rick13160* /forum/post/20453385
> 
> 
> I am having the same (or similar) problems with mine. It flashes red and makes a clicking sound every few minutes. Does this sound like what yours was doing?
> 
> 
> I didn't know this was such a widespread problem, but I haven't really spent any time troubeshooting it yet either. If you would tell me what needs to be done, I may be able to handle it myself...
> 
> 
> I would really appreciate any help you can give me.
> 
> 
> Thanks!
> 
> Rick



Did I PM you enough clues to find it on your own???


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## tfida

I have the same problem with my SE80. I downloaded the software updates and burned a disc but it doesn't seem to boot off the CD. The CD lights on boot but???? I get fireball screen stating "starting up, please wait..." then I get a screen stating it is connecting to server for software update then it reboots. I have disconnected everything and reconnected. re-seated IDE cable. Even replaced the CDROM drive with identicle from Sony. Both drives are set to master. I can feel the HD spinning. @#%$#$ I'm going nuts! Any help is appreciated and I am more than willing to contribute, monetarily, for the research.

Help!! and Thank you.


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## to513

can you give me some help on this too? I have tried a million things, and can't repair it.


thanks!!


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## stefuel

You have PM


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## cve

I'm experiencing the same issue with my DVDM-100. Could it be the same fix?


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## wgeurden

Tried the IDE thing, reboot,... could not see anything else obvious. Can you send me what you did to fix the blinking red light ?


Many thanks,


Wim


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## cbstv

i too am having the same symptoms from my escient e2-160. can you explain the fix? any help would be appreciated. thank you.


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## Kev4374

Count me in as having the same issue with my SE-80. I would greatly appreciate some help with this fix that some of you have done. Please PM me.

Thanks in advance for all your help.

Kevin


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## video321

PM sent.


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## detsekson

My problem is worse only in that less than a year ago the unit was sent back to Escient and supposedly repaired. However, I noticed that the boot time has been slow, the Fireball freezes regularly, and now I have a blinking red light and am unable to restart the Fireball. Any help would be greatly appreciated.


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## stefuel

All later model fireballs use the same power supply. The power supply is a weak point in the system. You can be fooled by the supply and think it's OK checking it with a meter for voltage output. The processor on the main board will not boot up with dirty power even with the 3.3, 5 and 12 volts DC present at the output. With that said, the power supply is the first place I tell people to look. Look at all the capacitors on the power supply. The tops should all be perfectly flat and there should be no signs of electrolyte leaking from the top or bottom of the capacitors.


Fireballs without hard drives and cd-roms.


Most of the time with these the problem is the power supply however I have found bad surface mount capacitors on the main board.


Fireballs with hard drives and cd-roms.


Anything can be the cause with them. If the hard drive it toast you're screwed. You just can't pop a new one in and expect it to work. The operating system is partially on the HDD and Escient won't release it to the public. It has to go to Escient to be fixed. If the problem is the power supply or the cd-rom, it can be fixed. If it's the main board or the HDD it's a waste of time.


So the first question is, is there any signs of life other than the blinking red LED? If you connect the Fireballs audio and video output to a display and try to re-boot by unplugging the escients power and plugging it back in, do you get the "Fireball is starting" screen?


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## video321




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *stefuel* /forum/post/20903925
> 
> 
> So the first question is, is there any signs of life other than the blinking red LED? If you connect the Fireballs audio and video output to a display and try to re-boot by unplugging the escients power and plugging it back in, do you get the "Fireball is starting" screen?



No.


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## stefuel

Quote:

Originally Posted by *video321* 
No.
It truly can be anything. I see that you are from NJ. Did you loose power durring the storm and discover that the Escient wouldn't re-boot when the power came back?


Do the drives spin up when you plug it in?


In any event, I suggest you start at the power supply. Pull and visually inspect the supply for bulging or leaking capacitors especially on the low voltage side. I'm not sure of your skill level but while it's out I would go ahead and re-cap the supply. Do not substitute the 105 degree caps with off the shelf 85 degree ones and where size permits, raise the caps voltage.

If you are not comfortable doing it your self, perhaps a local TV repair shop could help? Last resort, you could send the supply to me and I can test it in a working Fireball.


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## cbstv

i might just send my e2-160 out to Panurgy in NJ for repair. has anyone dealt with this repair center?


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## rel1224

any luck getting your fireball running? i have two with this issue


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## detsekson

Opened the box to discover electolyte leakage on the power supply, then sent the unit to Panurgy. Spoke to them on the phone about the power supply and they double checked with a tech who said there was no leakage on the power supply. Rather, they say the main board has failed (again in less than a year???) and sent me an estimate for $328.00 to repair with a 90 day warranty. This doesn't sound quite right to me, however I will probably bite the bullet and let them reapir the unit.


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## stefuel




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *detsekson* /forum/post/21099610
> 
> 
> Opened the box to discover electolyte leakage on the power supply, then sent the unit to Panurgy. Spoke to them on the phone about the power supply and they double checked with a tech who said there was no leakage on the power supply. Rather, they say the main board has failed (again in less than a year???) and sent me an estimate for $328.00 to repair with a 90 day warranty. This doesn't sound quite right to me, however I will probably bite the bullet and let them reapir the unit.



I don't wish to bust your bubble but "$328.00" to fix a problematic one when you can e-bay a working one for half that.


Anyway, you say you saw electrolyte on the power supply and they claim not??? Was it close to the connector that feeds power to the main board???


Will you please ask for a detailed description of the repair on your invoice.

It sounds kinda fishy to me.


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## jkbs

Can the power supply for an mx752 be replaced with one from a dvdm100?


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## stefuel




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *jkbs* /forum/post/21111605
> 
> 
> Can the power supply for an mx752 be replaced with one from a dvdm100?



As far as I know the Fireball series had two different power supplies and they look physically different with the earlier ones being different. Also, as far as I know all the later models used the same supply. Pop the covers off both and do a visual inspection. If they "look" the same it will work. They may have different part numbers but you will notice that they have different manufacturers names on them. They all look for the same 3.3, 5 and 12 volts. If the connector between the supply and the main board are the same you will be good to go.


Note: I have not had a MX series in front of me so it will be up to you to make sure they match up. If you have a known good power supply you have a 25% chance for success. If that doesn't do it, you still have the hard drive, cd-rom and main board to look at. You will not be able to do the hard drive your self and probably not the main board. You can try another cd-rom of the same type.


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## jkbs

Unfortunately they look ver different after opening both up. My mx752 will not power up at all. Two of the components on the power supply card look like they have leaked some type of fluid, or else were installed very sloppily.


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## stefuel




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *jkbs* /forum/post/21142737
> 
> 
> Unfortunately they look ver different after opening both up. My mx752 will not power up at all. Two of the components on the power supply card look like they have leaked some type of fluid, or else were installed very sloppily.



Can you pull the power supply out and post a picture of it?


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## aghory

I will post some pics of my board. I might guess there are leaking caps, except one mark is at a dioda and on the blue ceramic? capacitor.


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## stefuel

Don't worry about that. I don't know why they do that but it looks like the same glue that is holding the giant capacitor in place under the heat sink on the other end.

Most of the damaged capacitors I have found are under the heat sink closest to the main board connector.. It is very hard to visually inspect them without taking it apart and a visual inspection alone might not be enough.


There is a way to use a old PC ATX power supply to power up a Fireball but you have to modify it slightly to work. If you notice, a 20 pin ATX power supply mother board connector is identical to the Escient main board connector right down to the wire colors. To use the ATX supply as a tester, you must first snip off ALL the unused wires to make it match the escient connector. Then you have to short the green wire you snipped off to any black wire on the ATX power supply. This will force the power supply to power up full time when it's plugged in and the supply switch is turned on.

Bench test the ATX to be sure you do in fact have all the correct voltages required for the Escient to work (3.3, 5.0 and 12.0 vdc) They will read a bit high on the bench with no load in it but that's OK. If all is well, plug it into the Escient but before you attempt to power it up, run a temp ground wire from the case of the power supply to the chassis of the Escient and let-er rip.

If the Fireball completes it's boot up, you need to repair or replace the original supply. Have at it.


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## Dahwoo

With iPod docks widely available for pretty cheap. Isn't that better than dealing with Escient? I've never been a fan of escient. Too clunky the UI was miserable. I haven't dealt with one in years but I never was even half way happy with how it operated, and I work with all this stuff all the time.


ReQuest had a much better line of product and can also be had pretty cheaply via ebay and such.


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## stefuel

Well this is for those who already have the stuff, it's broken and they'd like to try and fix it. I got involved with Escient when I was up-grading my theater. As I was moving from SD to blu-ray and Sony's 400 disc BD changers I got the idea to pick up a couple of 777ES changers to house my large sd dvd collection. The interface from the older Sony's sucks so I thought I'd try a Fireball to help out. It may not be the best but it kicks the crap out of Sony's gui.


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## stefuel




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *jkbs* /forum/post/21142737
> 
> 
> Unfortunately they look ver different after opening both up. My mx752 will not power up at all. Two of the components on the power supply card look like they have leaked some type of fluid, or else were installed very sloppily.



I just re-read this and noticed that you said it "will not power up at all".

If you don't even get a flashing red LED it could be the glass fuse on the power supply. It is on the edge of the power supply near the 120 volt power in connector and is marked "F1"


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## squeegybug

Thanks a bunch for your tips stefuel.


Saved my MX-531 and DVDM-100 by changing out the bad P/S caps.


BTW both use the same power supply, except on MX the power leads are reversed, and the main board connector is hardwired to the P/S board.


In case I decide to re-cap the whole board -- any good method to get the big heat sink out of the way... (I just bent the small one up). Unsolder?


Also if you might know -- ever tried to clone an Escient HDD?


Steve


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## stefuel




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *squeegybug* /forum/post/21197468
> 
> 
> Thanks a bunch for your tips stefuel.
> 
> 
> Saved my MX-531 and DVDM-100 by changing out the bad P/S caps.
> 
> 
> BTW both use the same power supply, except on MX the power leads are reversed, and the main board connector is hardwired to the P/S board.
> 
> 
> In case I decide to re-cap the whole board -- any good method to get the big heat sink out of the way... (I just bent the small one up). Unsolder?
> 
> 
> Also if you might know -- ever tried to clone an Escient HDD?
> 
> 
> Steve



To remove the heat sink, you have to de-solder the sink and the components that are attached to it as a unit. You can't get at the screws that hold the components to it. That said, most of the bad capacitors I have found ARE under that heat sink. You should really re-cap the whole board

Do's and do not's


Do replace all the caps with the same value uF and test them before you install them with a meter. A ESR meter is the best to use.


Do not replace the 105 degree caps with the usual 85 degree caps found at the shack or the like. They will not last.


Where size permits, bump up the caps voltage. I don't have the brand in front of me but you can bump the voltage of every cap on that board with ones that fit if you are willing to search around. Higher voltage caps are usually taller or fatter. The ones under the sink are tightly packed and almost as tall as the sink so be carefull ordering replacements.


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## crankybob

PM sent.


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## crankybob

PM sent to stefuel.


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## ft08b0

Hi all,


I have a MX-111 with the Blinking Red Light of Death also. I sent it back to Escient 3 times. The "said", they replaced the PS, mobo and firmware and charged me each time! Anyway, I think I've tracked the issue down to a leaky cap. It's the big blue cap under the heat sink. 220microfarad, 400V. Anyone know where i can buy one? I even tried Allied, no luck.


Any help would be appreciated!!

Thanks


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## asq19




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *ft08b0* /forum/post/0
> 
> 
> Hi all,
> 
> 
> I have a MX-111 with the Blinking Red Light of Death also. I sent it back to Escient 3 times. The "said", they replaced the PS, mobo and firmware and charged me each time! Anyway, I think I've tracked the issue down to a leaky cap. It's the big blue cap under the heat sink. 2200microfarad, 400V. Anyone know where i can buy one? I even tried Allied, no luck.
> 
> 
> Any help would be appreciated!!
> 
> Thanks



Mouser or digi key maybe (both online).


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## ft08b0

Well, I just replaced the capacitor, no luck. Red light is still flashing. I wish there was a device replacement other than the Kaleidoscope!


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## jkbs

I sent my mx752 to Panurgy. The fix lasted less than six months. I ended up going with Sonos for music, Dune for movies, and an NAS for storage. Using the Sonos App and thr Mymovies App on iPad, the user experience is much better than Escient.


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## ft08b0

I broke down and sent it Panurgyoem. Getting robbed, just for a power supply,, this is number 3!


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## Nokomis

Neighbor has a SE-80 with a blinking red light. Since I am the goto guy around here for devices, he asked me to help out. What is a PM? Is this a flash rom?

Thanks,


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## stefuel

"What is a PM?" I dunno.

What's a "goto"?


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## Mizzer-d




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *stefuel* /forum/post/0
> 
> 
> "What is a PM?"



Private Message?


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## BJBBJB

I know this thread is a few months old but it is right on point so hopefully people are still reading it. I have had an Escient DVDM100 running my Sony changer for quite a while and it has worked fine.

However, it has developed a problem where it won't turn on at times, and a reboot won't bring it up UNTIL I pull the ethernet cable. Then it boots up fine!


Support has told me this was a "known issue" but the only fix is to reset the unit to factory (and of course lose all my custom organizing) and that will fix the problem. Or send it in to repair to the now 3rd party repair center. Supposedly they can SOMETIMES repair this issue without having to reset the unit. Of course they will not give me any estimate at all on how much this would cost.


For now I can just run it without internet or network connectivity but that can be inconvenient however at least it works!


Any insight as to exactly what technically causes this and what they can do to fix it that I can't? Clearly if it was hardware related a reset would not fix it? And the DVDM100 does not use a hard drive. Hmmmm.


Thanks for any help!

BJBBJB


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## stefuel

In your case, I would absolutely look closely at the power supply as the source of the problem.

If it is the power supply it will get gradually worse.


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## BJBBJB




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *stefuel*  /t/1333683/escient-fireball-flashing-red-light-solved/30#post_22297111
> 
> 
> In your case, I would absolutely look closely at the power supply as the source of the problem.
> 
> If it is the power supply it will get gradually worse.



Thanks for that! Just seems somewhat bizarre that it works fine if the ethernet cable is unplugged. Does it use less power or something?


And then Escient tells me that if I reset the unit it would fix it. And this guys seemed to know what he was talking about, not guessing? Doesn't track with a power supply but it sure looks like you have fixed your issues very successfully.


O well, guess I live with it or send it in and cross my fingers......


Thanks again, this thread is a great service to those of us nursing along our DVDM100's and fireballs!


BJBBJB


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## Rachel M

I have an escient DVDM-300 that won't turn on and has a flashing red light. Would you by chance let me know what fixed yours? Thanks for any help!


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## stefuel

Been working on other projects for over a month. I would suggest skimming through the whole thread for suggestions. Some Fireballs have issues other than the power supply. 75% of those that I've worked on needed power supply service.


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## fourwheelerdodo

I am having same problem.


PLease Help?


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## thedo

Hi, I have a DVDM-300 that has the same blinking LED, I have replaced every capacitor in the power supply board, but the problem is still there.

Blinking LED, no video display. I think the mainboard is the problem.

I am very comfortable with my soldering skill, which capacitors on the main motherboard do you think I should replace?

Thanks for your advise.


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## stefuel

The only Fireballs that I've had no luck with is the ones with bad hard drives. They have the firmware that controls them on the HDD. The Co. that is providing service for Escient will not release the boot disk or service manuals for them. So you are at their mercy. It's a shame because hard drives are so cheap now but you need that "golden disk" to make it work.

As far as main board work goes, I have only found one bad cap on one board. It is all SMT (surface mount technology) so without manuals is pretty much a shot in the dark.


That said, I have not had a DVDM300 in front of me. If you give up on it, don't throw it away. I would like to disect it to see how far I can trace the fault.


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## hyebrother

I have the same problem with dvdm-300. red light blinking, when you press the power button, the dvdrom starts to spin, but nothing happens after that unit wont boot up. anyone have any ideas???


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## hyebrother

i see a lot of you say it might be a power supply problem, is it something that is easily available to replace it.. I can take the unit apart and replace it if i can get parts.. any ideas on where to get them?


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## Tylerdg8

I have the flashing red light on my Fireball unit. It just started and the system is running internally, however, it seem to remain in the initializing stage. I see there is a fuse but wasn't sure if that was the issue. PLEASE HELP? Thanks.


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## gedeon25

hi all !


I have 2 Escient E2 one is 40gb, other is 300 gb


the 40gb have the red blinking button. I swap power supply > no luck

red light still blink and fireball logo on screen...


I swap hard drive with the 300 Gb that works on my other E2 fireball > no luck

red light still blink and fireball logo on screen..




any bios reset possible? I have the golden disc from Escient, but he don't want to boot on this EZ...


So, problem is onto the motherboard.


@Stefuel : Can you please telle me which smd capacitor was faulty on your board??? perhap's we have the same faulty here.


thanks for you help.


rgds,


Claude


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## lovebohn

I'm having problems connecting to the Escient server to update my new music. Is anyone else having the same problem?


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## stefuel




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *gedeon25*  /t/1333683/escient-fireball-flashing-red-light-solved/30#post_22669738
> 
> 
> hi all !
> 
> I have 2 Escient E2 one is 40gb, other is 300 gb
> 
> the 40gb have the red blinking button. I swap power supply > no luck
> 
> red light still blink and fireball logo on screen...
> 
> I swap hard drive with the 300 Gb that works on my other E2 fireball > no luck
> 
> red light still blink and fireball logo on screen..
> 
> any bios reset possible? I have the golden disc from Escient, but he don't want to boot on this EZ...
> 
> 
> So, problem is onto the motherboard.
> 
> @Stefuel : Can you please telle me which smd capacitor was faulty on your board??? perhap's we have the same faulty here.
> 
> thanks for you help.
> 
> rgds,
> 
> Claude



Try swapping the cd-rom I don't remember which smd capacitor I changed but I don't think it was related to the flashing red light.


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## gedeon25

I already try so swap CD ROM reader... not work...


Escient support give me some instruction to try flashing bios again, I will try and let you know.


Regards,


Claude.


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## philadam

Didn't realize I had a problem until I stumbled upon this thread. Went and looked at my SE-D1 and sure enough there was a blinking red power light. tried to power on unit, but it wouldn't. I am game for a solution or should I just trash it?


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## stefuel

A SE-D1 has nothing inside but a circuit board and power supply. Check the power supply. Somewhere in this thread is instructions on how to use a old ATX PC power supply to test it. Please read the whole thread. All the information I know is there.


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## Daniel Church

It seems strange that after swapping out a new 12V fan for the original noise-maker, the unit refuses to boot from the dread blinking-red-light. There is a slight sound from the CD transport as the unit tries to boot. Removed new fan, replaced old fan, disconnect transport. No joy.


Is there such a thing as coincidence?


The tiny new fan is higher amperage. Did that fry something?


Any illumination?


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## Doug Smith

I was an Escient dealer. We had many units fail with the blinking red light. Escient supplied following instructions, and if the fix worked they would send a replacement CABLE which fixed the problem. Led me to believe a bad fit and that wiping the contacts temporarily fixed it. I currently have a couple bad ones, but have not been able to determine what was different about the replacement cables they used to send.

- Remove POWER from unit

- Remove three screws holding cover of unit

- Remove cover of unit.

- With rear of unit towards you, look on the left side for the P/S circuit board.

- Locate a thin 10-pin connector running front to back on the P/S board

- Unplug connector and plug back in

- Replace cover and screws

- Reconnect cables and power

- See if unit boots within a few minutes.


Doug Smith, Architectural Electronics, Houston


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## fargozombie

Same problem here with Escient DVDM-300. I focused on the two problem areas that seem to be the most popular in the forum thread, power supply and IDE cable.


First, I opened up the 'boat anchor' and checked the power supply, no visual signs of component degradation or failure.


Second, I powered the unit with the case off and measured the 5V and 12V power supply output to the hard-drive at the connector and found both to be nominal. Next, I measured the 3.3V, 5V and 12V power supply output at the connector to the main controller/mother board and found these to be nominal as well.


Third, I checked the parallel ATA (PATA) cable by performing a pin-to-pin continuity check on all 40 connector pins between the controller/mother board IDE ribbon-cable connector and the master (HDD) IDE ribbon-cable connector, no problems were found. I did not check the continuity at the slave (CD drive) connector because the unit is configured to boot from the hard-drive.


Finally, I powered the unit with the case off and checked to determine if the hard-drive was spinning. I can hear and feel the hard drive running but nonetheless the media manager continues to flash the stand-by LED.


I can't really do much more without a schematic...So I sent an Email to the folks at Escient to see what they have to offer in the way of service/repair advice.


The only other test I think I will try is to remove the hard-drive and connect to a computer to see if I can read from it.


Stay tuned...


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## stefuel

It takes more than the correct voltage to work. It has to be clean power. Take the power supply off and look under the heat sink on the low voltage end of the supply. Look at the tops of the large capacitors for bulging or electrolite leaking from the top or bottom of those caps.

Read the whole thread here and look for the post on how to use a old ATX power supply to test the fireball.


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## stefuel

Please read the whole thread before posting. Most of the replies here are people asking the same question over and over again. Everything that I know has been posted here.

I have worked on a number of Fireballs. Eighty percent of them were resolved with service to the power supplies. The rest I could not fix because the schematics and recovery discs are locked down.


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## gedeon25

I fixed mine


Will explain you lately how, but now it's time for new year party.


@Stefuel : did you récrive my mail?


GeD


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## fargozombie

gedeon25...I did measured the power supply with an O'scope verifying voltage and waveform.


I did receive a response from Escient Support and I was provided a link to the firmware to to perform a manual firmware update.


Has anyone attempted a manual firmware update on a DVDM-300 using the CD drive?

if so, what was your experience/outcome with this?


Probably won't try this until after NYs


Cheers,


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## gedeon25

So,


How I fixed my E2.


First of all, I open the case, disconnect the 10 wires link (10 cm) between power supply and motherboard. I put a big external ATX power supply from my home PC.

I swap the IDE cable with a brand new I have at home, but the one I putted is only for test (one plug is not on the good position, have a look on regular IDE ribbon and you will see what I mean)


I'm lucky and I have in stock a golden disc from Escient to set up new hard disc drive so I putted on my E2 a new HDD (750 Gb IDE)


Escient explained that when you want to do a manual firmware update, you have to disconnect your LAN.


ok, all ready, let's go.


After 5 minutes, update disc didn't boot... (bad news)


So I decided to reboot the machine with LAN connected !!!


>>> after 2 or 3 minutes of LAN activity, screen told me : update in progress, please wait (downloading) GOOOOOOOOOD ! downloading of the firmware took 10 minutes or more.


flash succesfull, reboot the machine with golden disc inside and 5 minutes later, a working E2, like new.


After that, I reconnect original IDE ribbon and reboot >>>>> ok


I reconnect original power supply and start again >>>>>> ok


So, my experience is that sometimes, electric problems on your AC power may hang your motherboard, and as Escient did not put a BIOS RESET switch, you have to force the system with a new firmware update (that will reset your bios conf)


Of course, if we need a perfect power supply, you have to check your capacitance on P/S as Stefuel said !


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## uchujin2

Hi All! Please help a non-techie! My E2-300 is acting up and I'm not sure where to start. I have read the entire thread and what's happening with mine doesn't sound like all the others. When I power it up, I get the Fireball startup screen.....then it says it is performing backup functions but the progress bar never moves and then it clicks over to the Software Update function. It says "Connecting to server. Please wait...." It never connects or downloads, but after several minutes clicks off and automatically restarts. The results are the same whether or not my LAN is connected through the ethernet port.


----------



## chappatti

@gedeon


I am jealous of you !!!! And I am itching to get my Escient turned on!! And I hope you can help me.....


1. I can see video output on my screen but it says "Startup Problem" "Unable to find software..........."

2. So I presume, rebooting the machine with an external ATX may work.


BUT:


A. I do not full get how to connect the external ATX . I read the post from earlier, but the wiring as explained I am kinda unsure of. Can this be explained more detailed? A picture, perhaps?


B. I DESPERATELY need a copy of the Golden CD. Can you please PM me? I can pay for you to ship me a copy............


Please, please reply !!!!!!!!!!!! Aaarrgghh.......


----------



## gedeon25

CHAPPATTI :


you need to connect the external ATX power supply plug to the Escient motherboard (the plug is on the right side of the motherboard when you look front of the unit.


Do you hear the HDD spin or not?


your problem can be on 2 levels


1) your hard disk had a soft problem (power supply cuts during HDD writing)

> in this case you juste need to rewrite boot sector > in this case you do not lose your music


2) your HDD is dead, and you need a new one

> in tris case you must do a full install and format, and you will lose all your datas.


What's your machine? E2 ?


regards,


GeD


----------



## gedeon25




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *uchujin2*  /t/1333683/escient-fireball-flashing-red-light-solved/60#post_23400319
> 
> 
> Hi All! Please help a non-techie! My E2-300 is acting up and I'm not sure where to start. I have read the entire thread and what's happening with mine doesn't sound like all the others. When I power it up, I get the Fireball startup screen.....then it says it is performing backup functions but the progress bar never moves and then it clicks over to the Software Update function. It says "Connecting to server. Please wait...." It never connects or downloads, but after several minutes clicks off and automatically restarts. The results are the same whether or not my LAN is connected through the ethernet port.



same reply as chappatti. you lose part of the boot program and your unit tries do connect to Escient Server to upgrade. Unfortunnatly, Escient Servers are now down.


you need a golden disc.


----------



## chappatti




> Quote:
> Originally Posted by *gedeon25*  /t/1333683/escient-fireball-flashing-red-light-solved/60#post_23882575
> 
> 
> CHAPPATTI :
> 
> 
> you need to connect the external ATX power supply plug to the Escient motherboard (the plug is on the right side of the motherboard when you look front of the unit.
> 
> 
> Do you hear the HDD spin or not?
> 
> 
> your problem can be on 2 levels
> 
> 
> 1) your hard disk had a soft problem (power supply cuts during HDD writing)
> 
> > in this case you juste need to rewrite boot sector > in this case you do not lose your music
> 
> 
> 2) your HDD is dead, and you need a new one
> 
> > in tris case you must do a full install and format, and you will lose all your datas.
> 
> 
> What's your machine? E2 ?
> 
> 
> regards,
> 
> 
> GeD



Thanks so much for replying..


Yes, it is a E2.


1. The hard drive spins and is very quiet, no clicks or stuff. So I assume it is OK. But it could still have failed.

2. Since I get a video display (with error about unable to boot --no software etc), it looks it all problems are in HDD

3. I can reformat - I am willing to give up the data to get this fixed !!


I have another question !! While I was trying to get the E2 up, I also bought a used DVDM-100 (DVD manager). Yeah, I am nuts like that !!!!!!


From the previous owner, this has a password protection, but I cannot get the password. He does not remember the password. The password is preventing me from accessing the regular setup menu - it is in guest access mode. Is there anyway to factory rest any Escient without password or anything?? These things are annoying !!!!!


----------



## asq19

Not sure if this bypasses the password or not, but hit setup then 8020. This normally takes you into a deeper setup menu.


----------



## thedo

Try these for password to get into setup menu : 3473, 96843468, or 8675309


----------



## chappatti

I already got these passwords from Escient support....... some VERY good soul replied to my email !!!










And I can say they work !!


Thanks anyways for putting these out here for other folk ..........



PS: pm sent


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## hyebrother

I have a DVDM-300 and its doing the same thing. red light flashing and no one is home..nothing pops up on screen.


Anyone have a detailed way to test the unit with an external atx power supply? as I understand this is a power supply issue. or where to get a new power supply for it?


thanks


----------



## rdeckard2019

Not sure anyone's looking here anymore, but I have an Escient Fireball E-120 that was in use for a while then replaced by a Squeezebox setup.
It was working fine up until it was taken out of my system.
I am trying to get rid of some excess gear and figured I'd try to unload this thing on the 'bay, so I took it out of storage and fired it up.
So far, all I get is a flashing blue (not red) LED by the power button and the CD tray ejects after a minute. I get no front panel display or video. Tried composite and VGA. Have left it for 10-15 minutes at a time with no luck in any scenario.

I read this entire thread and tried the following:

- Reseated all connections/cables.
- Removed HDD tray and inspected power supply (no swollen or leaky caps I can see - everything looks very clean).
- Tried booting with and without Ethernet connected. When connected, it does grab an IP and can be pinged, but I am not able to pull anything up in a browser.

I saw someone mentioned that their fan wasn't running. Mine isn't either. Haven't tested the actual fan yet. I know some mobo's won't boot if a system fan is faulty, but that's literally the last thing I can think of trying, aside from digging out another ATX supply or recapping, which is probably a waste at this point.

Escient is now out of business and all links to their site bring up a bankruptcy notice...

Any other suggestions? Can I perform a factory reset without being able to boot? Is the tray ejecting on startup because it's looking for a system disc?
If so, does anyone have an ISO of the OS they could share?

Thanks for reading!


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## lovemyescients7

*hi everyone,im new and not very electronically savvy*

i got hooked on escient products a couple years ago when i found one at goodwill for under 10 bucks.it was an se-80 but i didnt get it going till about 6 mos ago ,ive never heard or seen these before that so when i fired it up i was so phyced that it had a ton of my favorites on the unit.i used to be able to burn cd's for my car on all 4 of my units just a few months ago but when i try now it rejects them saying that it was not a royalty paid media.ive tried buying 3or4 spindles of all types of cd-r,dvd-r s etc from different makers sony,memorex,maxwell and phillips im really confused!and to make things worse,the e-120 that most of my favorites were on all of a sudden started saying checking the library but even after being left on overnight never got past 80%.i got a new power source on ebay ,changed it out no problems except for now the front blue light will not even go on.so first i changed the fuse,still no light.so i put the old power supply /fuse back in the unit still not even a light,but i could see the green light on behind the cd/door.anyway im still kinda in summer mode as i am 65 years old retired with some work disabilities and on a very tight budjet.i eventually just want to get all my music together as i ruined all my cd's and i have a ton of cassettes from the old days.its funny though that i can make a data mix cd that fits triple the amount of music,plays in my home deck but wont play in my 02, 6 cd changer in my car.anyway i'll probably be driving you guys nuts,but ill try my best not to. i slowly accumilated 2-e120,1 works--2-e40,one works,1 se-80 works,and 1 dvdm-300 that works after putting in a new cd assembly from my parts e-40.


----------



## lovemyescients7

*resolved recording*

finally found some very good recording discs/cd's memorex music--cool colors
next very important issue to me is to try and transfer an awful lot of my favorite music burned to hardrive in an e-120 that all of a sudden would just go into "checking library"mode where it would only reach 80% completed period,so i could never access my music since .i bought a new powerboard ,didnt work at all (maybe different even though looked identical).so when i put the old board back in i got nothing at all ,wouldnt even power up.so i got an identical hardrive hoping to be able to recover and clone my music on it,if the hardrive is the problem.anyone with any helpful info please advise--thank you


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## BJBBJB

*PC import to fireball no longer works*

Just figured I'd give a shot at posting in case anyone is still following this thread that is still nursing along some fireballs.


Longtime fireball and DVDM user. My E-120 still play fine but now when I try to copy an MP3 to the "import" folder on the fireball from a PC, the copy freezes and won't complete. I got one or two tracks to copy but no matter how I tried, the next one or two froze mid-copy.


I already tried using teracopy in compatibility mode....that resolved a skipping issue introduced with Windows 7. However I have not installed any updates or made any major PC changes. And yet, I can see the folders over the network.I just can't copy anything to the import folder either windows windows file explorer or teracopy.


Importing from a CD was still working last time I tried that. However these days, a lot of my music starts life as an MP3 not a CD so I would really like to use the import function.


Any ideas?
Thanks,

BJBBJB


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## MDThompson356

rdeckard2019 said:


> Not sure anyone's looking here anymore, but I have an Escient Fireball E-120 that was in use for a while then replaced by a Squeezebox setup.
> It was working fine up until it was taken out of my system.
> I am trying to get rid of some excess gear and figured I'd try to unload this thing on the 'bay, so I took it out of storage and fired it up.
> So far, all I get is a flashing blue (not red) LED by the power button and the CD tray ejects after a minute. I get no front panel display or video. Tried composite and VGA. Have left it for 10-15 minutes at a time with no luck in any scenario.
> 
> I read this entire thread and tried the following:
> 
> - Reseated all connections/cables.
> - Removed HDD tray and inspected power supply (no swollen or leaky caps I can see - everything looks very clean).
> - Tried booting with and without Ethernet connected. When connected, it does grab an IP and can be pinged, but I am not able to pull anything up in a browser.
> 
> I saw someone mentioned that their fan wasn't running. Mine isn't either. Haven't tested the actual fan yet. I know some mobo's won't boot if a system fan is faulty, but that's literally the last thing I can think of trying, aside from digging out another ATX supply or recapping, which is probably a waste at this point.
> 
> Escient is now out of business and all links to their site bring up a bankruptcy notice...
> 
> Any other suggestions? Can I perform a factory reset without being able to boot? Is the tray ejecting on startup because it's looking for a system disc?
> If so, does anyone have an ISO of the OS they could share?
> 
> Thanks for reading!


I read your message from this past July about your Escient Fireball E-120 blinking blue light issue and I am wondering if you were able to resolve it. I, too, have the same issue with my E-120 and haven't been able to fix it. If you were successful in fixing it, I would appreciate your input as to how you did it. If not, what music manager system would you recommend to replace the Escient? Is it possible to remove the Escient hard drive and download all of the music onto another device?

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions.


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## MDThompson356

I read your message from this past July about your Escient Fireball E-120 blinking blue light issue and I am wondering if you were able to resolve it. I, too, have the same issue with my E-120 and haven't been able to fix it. If you were successful in fixing it, I would appreciate your input as to how you did it. If not, what music manager system would you recommend to replace the Escient? Is it possible to remove the Escient hard drive and download all of the music onto another device?

Thanks for taking the time to respond to my questions.


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## handymandic

I'm hoping someone still looks at this from time to time. Recently bought two Escient's on eBay, DVDM 100 and AVX 552 both had the blinking red light, they were cheap so I'm gambling.... I've read through the posts here, had the power supplies rebuilt, they are identical in both, both supplies work in the DVDM but the AVX still red light blinking, if I leave the unit plugged in for a while the hdd gets warm, not hot just warm, have tried separately unplugging the disc drive and the hdd to isolate the problem but with no success....

any suggestion's ???


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## Little Nellie

*Golden disc*



gedeon25 said:


> 
> I'm lucky and I have in stock a golden disc from Escient to set up new hard disc drive so I putted on my E2 a new HDD (750 Gb IDE)


By any chance I can get a copy of this disc? my drive is making noise and would like to replace it before it is totally dead. thanks


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## ajfager

*Golden Disc?*

Does anyone have a Golden Disc or a working DVDM-552 they would like to sell?


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## stefuel

ajfager said:


> Does anyone have a Golden Disc or a working DVDM-552 they would like to sell?


WOW. I can't believe this thread is still going
Somewhere around here I have a copy of the "Golden Disc". I haven't seen it for a couple of years though. Next time I trip over it, I'll see if I can put it in a zip file so It can be sent to whom ever needs it. I bailed on Escient years ago, about the same time they shut down their server. I moved on to network attached storage and Dune Media players with a yaDis front end SLICK.


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## Phil Lanassa

I've got a McIntosh MS300 with the red blinking lamp, same as the Escient Fireball MX-750 but with the 300GB HD instead. Replaced the caps on the P/S recently. Evidently I didn't catch them early enough even though it remained unplugged since July 2014 and largely unused from 2009 till the PS was recapped. The Red Power LED is dimmer than those on my other McIntosh gear, I can't remember if it was brighter when new, it's been too long ago.

Voltages on the recapped PS check good. Grounds all check good. Optical and Hard Drives cycle and boot upon power up and using the power button hold 'til reset. No video or home screen output on any video outs, just the flashing red LED. I've checked all the internal and external cables, the IDE connections/cables/connections, voltages and grounds. Everything else looks good. 

I'm thinking with the correct Golden CD, I might be able to get it to boot from the disc, as to not have to format or replace the drive then reinstall all my media again. I'm hoping the boot software is simply corrupted due to poor power supply regulation or voltages, maybe even from being disconnected and powered off too long. Once I get the unit going again, I plan to put in a 750MB or 1TB drive, ATA or SSD, depending on how stable the system is. I'd like to clone my existing files to the new larger HD to save a ton of time reinstalling and adding what presently amounts to over 1000 CD's, plus my other FLAC files.

I've tried booting the unit with the ethernet cable unplugged as well as plugged in;.. resetting the unit multiple times, power off sitting overnight, then letting it run for 24 hours. No luck. The fan doesn't come on either, neither do the Green or Yellow Ethernet lamps when any Ethernet cable is connected to my network router, or modem. The Red Digital (optical cable jack) glows on power up. I tested both main Voltage regulators on the motherboard U-44 and U-45. Both voltages read spot on, dead in the middle of the specs given and stable.

Not sure what else I can do without the proper Golden CD.I believe I have exhausted all the written material posted on the Escient and McIntosh units. I want to try doing cold boot with the Golden CD installed, boot from the optical drive first which works fine. I can access the little eject button easily by removing the Optical drive and sliding it back, then close it with a disc installed , power down then reboot. Of course some tied and true instructions with the Golden CD would be very helpful. As I understand it there are multiple levels of restoration and repair software on the Golden Disc.

I'm assuming the Golden CD is the same for all the escient E2-300 and Escient MX750 servers. If not let me know which Gold CD to look for. Any and all helpful suggestions will be very greatly appreciated.

I didn't join the AVS forums only for this issue, I've been meaning to join up for a while now, but just never got around to it till today. If I can help anyone else having Escient Fireball / McIntosh MS series music server issues, please feel free to contact me anytime.


----------



## smoothtlk

We have replaced many Fireballs over the years...sounds like it's time.
There are better solutions that are more flexible and less expensive.


----------



## Phil Lanassa

smoothtlk said:


> We have replaced many Fireballs over the years...sounds like it's time.
> There are better solutions that are more flexible and less expensive.


Though an option for many it isn't for me. This unit was a gift, from my mom right before she passed. I plan to keep it going as long as humanly possible. 

I don't stream music, satellite radio, internet radio, or subscribe to music services such as Apple or Tidal. CD's and Vinyl are my primary formats, some downloading of flac. files, which the MS300 is great for. I don't care about Gracenote support. I can look up and enter album cover and track listings myself. I also listen to SACD and DVD/A's mostly in 2 channel, but there are several multi channel titles that I like that sound good.

Any new hardware that I can't physically load/play CD's on, for rip, burn or copying directly from the unit itself is a waste on me. The MS300 uses network in rudimentary fashion compared to new stuff, and I have no need for newer network connected audio devices. The MS300 matches all my other gear, is basic enough and easy to use, which is enough for me.


----------



## Gamera28

stefuel said:


> Service manuals and schematics for these are not available. It makes trouble shooting difficult at best. I have a Fireball that developed the flashing red power light. After a extensive search on the internet (and I think I read every one), the problem or more to the point the solutions listed ranged from replacing a loose IDE cable inside the unit, disconnect everything and try a re-boot and a factory re-initialization. BLA-BLA-BLA. I can tell you that after spending 2-1/2 days straight of scoping out the whole thing that non of the previously mentioned solutions really solves the problem and it's a board level repair. I have repaired this one and it's back to a under 30 second re-boot.
> 
> I would not be surprized if all the dead Fireballs suffer the same defect.
> 
> As I have so much time invested in this, I haven't decided if I will fork over the information free to whoever needs it or turn it into a service for a fee.
> 
> For right now I'm just happy to report that they are repairable


Hi can you send me resolution please


----------



## Hktran

Phil Lanassa said:


> I've got a McIntosh MS300 with the red blinking lamp, same as the Escient Fireball MX-750 but with the 300GB HD instead. Replaced the caps on the P/S recently. Evidently I didn't catch them early enough even though it remained unplugged since July 2014 and largely unused from 2009 till the PS was recapped. The Red Power LED is dimmer than those on my other McIntosh gear, I can't remember if it was brighter when new, it's been too long ago.
> 
> Voltages on the recapped PS check good. Grounds all check good. Optical and Hard Drives cycle and boot upon power up and using the power button hold 'til reset. No video or home screen output on any video outs, just the flashing red LED. I've checked all the internal and external cables, the IDE connections/cables/connections, voltages and grounds. Everything else looks good.
> 
> I'm thinking with the correct Golden CD, I might be able to get it to boot from the disc, as to not have to format or replace the drive then reinstall all my media again. I'm hoping the boot software is simply corrupted due to poor power supply regulation or voltages, maybe even from being disconnected and powered off too long. Once I get the unit going again, I plan to put in a 750MB or 1TB drive, ATA or SSD, depending on how stable the system is. I'd like to clone my existing files to the new larger HD to save a ton of time reinstalling and adding what presently amounts to over 1000 CD's, plus my other FLAC files.
> 
> I've tried booting the unit with the ethernet cable unplugged as well as plugged in;.. resetting the unit multiple times, power off sitting overnight, then letting it run for 24 hours. No luck. The fan doesn't come on either, neither do the Green or Yellow Ethernet lamps when any Ethernet cable is connected to my network router, or modem. The Red Digital (optical cable jack) glows on power up. I tested both main Voltage regulators on the motherboard U-44 and U-45. Both voltages read spot on, dead in the middle of the specs given and stable.
> 
> Not sure what else I can do without the proper Golden CD.I believe I have exhausted all the written material posted on the Escient and McIntosh units. I want to try doing cold boot with the Golden CD installed, boot from the optical drive first which works fine. I can access the little eject button easily by removing the Optical drive and sliding it back, then close it with a disc installed , power down then reboot. Of course some tied and true instructions with the Golden CD would be very helpful. As I understand it there are multiple levels of restoration and repair software on the Golden Disc.
> 
> I'm assuming the Golden CD is the same for all the escient E2-300 and Escient MX750 servers. If not let me know which Gold CD to look for. Any and all helpful suggestions will be very greatly appreciated.
> 
> I didn't join the AVS forums only for this issue, I've been meaning to join up for a while now, but just never got around to it till today. If I can help anyone else having Escient Fireball / McIntosh MS series music server issues, please feel free to contact me anytime.


Hi, have you been able to fix the boot up problem with your MS300? Do you still need the Golden CD? I have it.
Henry


----------



## PattersonBrewing

Hktran said:


> Hi, have you been able to fix the boot up problem with your MS300? Do you still need the Golden CD? I have it.
> Henry


Any chance getting a copy of the Golden CD?


----------



## Hktran

stefuel said:


> Service manuals and schematics for these are not available. It makes trouble shooting difficult at best. I have a Fireball that developed the flashing red power light. After a extensive search on the internet (and I think I read every one), the problem or more to the point the solutions listed ranged from replacing a loose IDE cable inside the unit, disconnect everything and try a re-boot and a factory re-initialization. BLA-BLA-BLA. I can tell you that after spending 2-1/2 days straight of scoping out the whole thing that non of the previously mentioned solutions really solves the problem and it's a board level repair. I have repaired this one and it's back to a under 30 second re-boot.
> 
> I would not be surprized if all the dead Fireballs suffer the same defect.
> 
> As I have so much time invested in this, I haven't decided if I will fork over the information free to whoever needs it or turn it into a service for a fee.
> 
> For right now I'm just happy to report that they are repairable


Hi, I am not sure if you are still active on this Escient website but I guess I just give this a shot. I have an Escient E2-300 that is currently not operative. The red LED on the front panel keeps flashing and I cannot turn the unit on. I bought a working Power supply board but it did not solve the problem. I also tried different IDE cables with no luck. I strongly believe the motherboard is bad. Can you show me which component(s) on the motherboard are the culprit? I really appreciate it. 
Henry


----------



## Hktran

PattersonBrewing said:


> Any chance getting a copy of the Golden CD?


I do have a copy of the golden CD.


----------



## Rinro01

ajfager said:


> *Golden Disc?*
> 
> Does anyone have a Golden Disc or a working DVDM-552 they would like to sell?


Hi,

Were you ever able to get an ISO of a golden disc or a zip?
Thanks


----------



## erdimeter

stefuel said:


> As far as I know the Fireball series had two different power supplies and they look physically different with the earlier ones being different. Also, as far as I know all the later models used the same supply. Pop the covers off both and do a visual inspection. If they "look" the same it will work. They may have different part numbers but you will notice that they have different manufacturers names on them. They all look for the same 3.3, 5 and 12 volts. If the connector between the supply and the main board are the same you will be good to go.
> 
> 
> Note: I have not had a MX series in front of me so it will be up to you to make sure they match up. If you have a known good power supply you have a 25% chance for success. If that doesn't do it, you still have the hard drive, cd-rom and main board to look at. You will not be able to do the hard drive your self and probably not the main board. You can try another cd-rom of the same type.


I am so sorry to bother you but i can't find the smps controller IC of my faulty escient device. its reference is IC 1 and its beginning is TOP because the rest cannot be read because it exploded.Can someone help me for IC 1 name


----------



## ms95212

Hktran said:


> I do have a copy of the golden CD.


 I also would like a copy of this disk or a zip file of its contents. i have replaced the power supply and hard drive via Panurgy, but would like this level of access to the MS-300. Thank you.


----------



## Hktran

Here is the link for the Golden Disc of MS300 or Escient E2 music server








ISO for E2.zip


Compressed (zipped) Folder



1drv.ms





If you need the Golden disc for a different Escient model, let me know.


----------



## ms95212

Thank you. I am not clear on how to use this set of files. Do I copy them to a CD-ROM and put that in the tray of the MS300? Any help would be appreciated.


----------

