The MediaSmart Server is generally recognized as being quite reliable, with only occasional reports of hardware failures being reported in the forums. Of these few reported cases, the most common failure I’ve seen mentioned in the forums has been the power supply. Unfortunately this power supply is not an easily user replaceable part, with no publicly available source known to acquire the 200 watt HiPro HP-U200EF3. Another complication is the fact that the wiring connector on the power supply and MediaSmart Server motherboard is not a standard ATX type.
Fortunately the industrious MediaSmartServer.net forum members spent some time researching, experimenting, and measuring voltages with their multimeters and were able to come up with a solution. Forum member “erail” is the first person I’m aware of to replace his power supply, and he wrote up the process into a tutorial for me. Another forum member by the name of “pettt” then volunteered to be the guinea pig and rounded out the tutorial with pictures documenting the procedure. I’ve now cooked these two documents up into a Wiki article that will guide you through the steps needed to replace your MediaSmart Server power supply.
Obviously this procedure will go beyond the comfort level or technical ability of many users, so if you have a hardware issue with your MediaSmart Server outside of it’s warranty period, I’d suggest you instead contact the HP support team and ask about the “Out Of Warranty” service option so the experts can get you up and running again.
Note that performing a power supply replacement will most certainly void your warranty, and electricity can always be dangerous. Please do not attempt this unless you are comfortable working with electronics, and remember that you do so at your own risk.
Article by Alex Kuretz
I'm Alex Kuretz, and I'm the founder of MediaSmartServer.net. I was the Lead Test and Integration Engineer at HP for the MediaSmart Server until April 2008 when I moved on to other opportunites outside HP. I've kept active in the WHS community, creating several add-ins and helping users make the most of their Home Servers.
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Thanks Alex for the information. I check HP’s web site from time to time for replacement parts and the do not have the powersupply listed. I bookmarked this page for future refrence. In future I plan on putting the powersupply outside the EX470 in its own enclosure to reduce the impact of heat inside the Server and to increase the air flow both to the server and powersupply.