Replacing Aspire T TC-330-UR11 Motherboard

Zanthor
Zanthor Member Posts: 3 New User
My wife purchased an Acer Desktop Computer Aspire T TC-330-UR11 A9-Series APU A9-9420 (3.00 GHz) 8 GB DDR4 1 TB HDD AMD Radeon R5 Windows 10 in 2018.

It was running fine until today when it wouldn't start up. It gives a single beep, long pause, single beep.
Doing a search I found this: 1 Beep - Refresh Failure. Reseat/replace memory, troubleshoot motherboard.
I reseated the memory stick but there was no change. I blew out all the dust. Made sure everything was connected and reseated the GPU:
EVGA GeForce 8400 GS DirectX 10 01G-P3-1302-LR 1GB 64-Bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
I ordered new memory and the exact same GPU in case it is the the graphics card.
Past that I am not sure what to do. If it is something on the motherboard I can't find any information on what to replace it with.
I am guessing a mini-ATX that is compatible with the memory I just purchased:  Crucial 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 2400 MHz SDRAM 288-pin DIMM Memory Kit CT2K8G4DFS824A
Since I read that the CPU is soldered to the existing motherboard I need to get that also.

Any suggestions on what to do if the memory and GPU don't help? Any suggestions on replacement motherboards if it turns out that is the problem?





Answers

  • StevenGen
    StevenGen ACE Posts: 12,065 Trailblazer
    Zanthor said:
    My wife purchased an Acer Desktop Computer Aspire T TC-330-UR11 A9-Series APU A9-9420 (3.00 GHz) 8 GB DDR4 1 TB HDD AMD Radeon R5 Windows 10 in 2018.

    It was running fine until today when it wouldn't start up. It gives a single beep, long pause, single beep.
    Doing a search I found this: 1 Beep - Refresh Failure. Reseat/replace memory, troubleshoot motherboard.
    I reseated the memory stick but there was no change. I blew out all the dust. Made sure everything was connected and reseated the GPU:
    EVGA GeForce 8400 GS DirectX 10 01G-P3-1302-LR 1GB 64-Bit DDR3 PCI Express 2.0 x16 HDCP Ready Video Card
    I ordered new memory and the exact same GPU in case it is the the graphics card.
    Past that I am not sure what to do. If it is something on the motherboard I can't find any information on what to replace it with.
    I am guessing a mini-ATX that is compatible with the memory I just purchased:  Crucial 16GB (2x 8GB) DDR4 2400 MHz SDRAM 288-pin DIMM Memory Kit CT2K8G4DFS824A
    Since I read that the CPU is soldered to the existing motherboard I need to get that also.

    Any suggestions on what to do if the memory and GPU don't help? Any suggestions on replacement motherboards if it turns out that is the problem?





    Replacing the motherboard is a bit drastic and unnecessary, you have to diagnose the problems that you have. The TC-330 comes with two versions of motherboards to suite its AMD processors which are:
    • MAINBOARD KIT TC-330 AMD A4-9120 RTK8111GA ACER LOGO DTX W/O 1394 LF - Acer part #: DB.B9A11.001
    • MAINBOARD KIT TC-330 AMD A4-9120 RTK8111GA ACER LOGO DTX W/O 1394 LF LAN SURGE - Acer part #: DB.B9A11.002
    The TC-330 memory (btw, the Crucial memory that you have should work) the OEM specs are; DDR44-2113MHz or DDR4-2400MHz at 1.2V unbuffered DIMMs of either 2GB, 4GB or 8GB single channel up to 16GB total memory into its 2x slots e.g. 2x 8GB DDR4-2400MHz but Acer lists only DDR4-2400MHz as their recommended RAM type

    Check and  take these steps first before you do anything:
    1. If the system is giving "a single beep, long pause, single beep" its more related to the BIOS and not the RAM, see the beep codes for the TC-330 below. Try the CMOS reset first as the diagram shows below, as the BIOS could have errors. 

       3. Clear the CMOS data 

       4. And finally, what BIOS version are you running and is it the last version of the TC-330 which is the; R01-A2 dated;  2018/06/13 as the BIOS might be corrupted.



  • Zanthor
    Zanthor Member Posts: 3 New User
    I attempted the cmos reset. It put the pin back on 1 and 2 and was met with two shorty beeps - CMOS failure. Rebooted and it is back to a single beep, long pause, single beep. Replace cmos battery next? Not sure what version Bios I have. I might have updated it after we purchased the computer. Or it is at it's original version. Nothing has been added to the system so I wasn't worried about a conflict or problems down the road because it was working fine. That was almost 3 years ago though so I am not sure. I can download the newest bios version but with out being able to boot I am not sure how much I can do. My sons computer is a windows 10 but mine is windows 7. I can set a flash drive up on his computer but without the ability to change the bios I am not sure if it will boot from that.
  • Zanthor
    Zanthor Member Posts: 3 New User
    I ordered new Cmos batteries just in case that is the problem. I removed the battery for 2 minutes to do a manual cmos reset. Put battery back in and it still does the single beep long pause, single beep. Next steps?
  • billsey
    billsey ACE Posts: 34,101 Trailblazer
    Yes, unless the CMOS chip itself has had something like static damage a new battery should allow it to start working again.
    Click on "Like" if you find my answer useful or click on "Yes" if it answers your question.