(Solved) WTB Dell R510 Extended Ear (left power button)

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ViciousXUSMC

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Nov 27, 2016
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My server came with a R720XD EE and it wont power on.
Based on this: https://www.reddit.com/r/homelab/comments/7l4v7v
Looks like I need to find an actual R510 EE to get this working.

I cant find one on ebay or something and hate to buy another entire server just for this part. So hope one of you has one hiding in the good ol' junk pile :)

Also if anybody knows a way to manually power on the server to verify its just a control issue that would be great.
 
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ViciousXUSMC

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Nov 27, 2016
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I have an IDRAC on it but when I bought it they didnt reset the password to factory. So I cant access the IPMI controls, I even swapped the IDRAC to a new one, but it appears the configuration for it stays with the server not the add-on module.

The way to reset that is from boot going into the IDRAC configuration, and the only way I can boot is from the IDRAC so stuck in a loop lol.
 
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tinfoil3d

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May 11, 2020
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So you have r720xd, correct? And you're missing the power button? I can try and look up which pins you need to short on that cable. I should have a similar system, will check out tomorrow
 
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ViciousXUSMC

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So you have r720xd, correct? And you're missing the power button? I can try and look up which pins you need to short on that cable. I should have a similar system, will check out tomorrow
No its a R510 and I bought it so long ago I cant recall but I think the seller sent me a R720XD ear for it as the original one was broken. So I have a R720XD ear and the power button doesn't work on it.

Guess I never tested it after installing that part.
 
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tinfoil3d

QSFP28
May 11, 2020
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Oh. But hey, you can just try shorting any two pins anyway. in r510 as far as i see its only buttons and leds there so nothing easily breakable there. Also maybe(just maybe) resetting bios would cause it to auto-power-on.
 

ViciousXUSMC

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Oh. But hey, you can just try shorting any two pins anyway. in r510 as far as i see its only buttons and leds there so nothing easily breakable there. Also maybe(just maybe) resetting bios would cause it to auto-power-on.
Possible, I did almost get it on when I was messing around and accidentally shorted something.

I will probably cut the wire leading to the ear and then have some wire I can work with and still have the case closed. This also put me on a hunt for just an IO wire rather than the EAR and those can be found a bit easier but still stupid over priced ~$45 when I can buy an entire server for less than $200.

So thinking about getting an entire spare server in this case to fix my issue and have spare parts, then later if someone has what I need here I can just have a spare lab machine.

Edit: Found just the wire for like $6 that should hopefully be good enough to get me going and I'll just find the right wires and wire a button to them.
 
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ViciousXUSMC

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Did you try cmos reset yet?
No since I do have that wire on the way, and I found a front panel button that while overpriced was not as bad as the entire ear for $75+ so I'll try to get it working with parts before I resort to forced power on via CMOS reset.

I do think once I get it up I can also always power it on via the IDRAC interface as well. I'll post back in a week or so when the parts are here and I have had time to work on it.

For now my WTB is still valid, if anybody has the parts I need for a fair price I'll go ahead and get them.
 

ViciousXUSMC

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Fixed it today. I did get it up and working the other day when I had the new IO cable come from ebay, using a paperclip randomly got the right pins to turn it on, and from there was able to reset the IDRAC user/pass and turn the server on and off via the IDRAC.

Yesterday a replacement power button came in from ebay. Today I took the left ear apart, removed the R720XD power button and put the R510 button in and it looks like it works.

Illumination, etc. But would not turn off/on the server.

Then just for the heck of it disconnected the IO cable and used the one I bought. More illumination and boom!~ Can power on and off the server again from the power button.

So its both the button and the IO cable different on the R510 vs the R720 but the parts are a drop in replacement for the left ear, was a bit of a tight fit to get the metal back of the ear back on but it works.

Parts I used if these pages can be viewed.


Also the right ear for USB and VGA is different between the two as well. Difference size connection for the IO.
 
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