Razer Core X Chroma unresponsive

I checked the PSU and it seems to be working with the fan being on and with voltage outputs. I called Razer support to ask if they can provide a replacement main board or whatever other part might need to be replaced and they said that they don’t have these parts available. I am currently stuck. Does anyone have suggestions?

Hey I think I’m experiencing the same problem. I just hear a fan working, which I believe is the power supply, but it’s not lighting up and it’s no longer listed under Thunderbolt on my Mac Mini 2018.

Any progress?

@hahaokbye There hasn’t been any progress on fixing my Core X Chroma. It’s a real bummer having it sit there, unusable. I bought a new laptop with more powerful graphics just to be able to do my design work, but I would like to get my eGPU working again. I really hope Razer offers some kind of solution, such as a replacement part. I wouldn’t mind spending a fair bit of money to replace whatever part in my Core X Chroma that needs replacing. I just need Razer support to offer this replacement part. 

@CedricE Thanks for responding. Yes, I too feel bummed that my Core X Chroma is just sitting there while the video card still works great (I think). Please let me know of any progress. I’ll do the same.

No replies from RAZER on what I think is a related issue (see below)

Hi, reposting an ongoing issue that many other users seem to have faced or are facing.

I have been experiencing a sparking / poppong sound which sometimes is accompanied by a small flash when turning the X Chroma EGPU device on using the device on/off switch.

Following recent update, the X Chroma eGPU is not even turning on.

I also remember that my computer (on WINDOWS) often crashed when powered by the “BOX”. MS Hotline could not explain. Now wondering if there is a link, or if from the beginning the conception was not somehow faulty?

‘looking forward to hearing from support / community users.

Best

I guess they are unconfortable with it ...

THis is probably a PSU problem, and may require a replacement PSU which accounts for a large part of the cost of the unit.

Theoretically it’s possible to use a different PSU, but there is a strange 4-pin header that is powering the tiny board within the case that needs to be connected to the PSU in order to function properly.

Razer support is really disappointing. I'm steering clear of Razer in the future.

I have done some further testing and found that the problem is very likely within the ‘motherboard” of the device itself.  I checked the PSU, and it appears to be correctly outputting 12V on the proper pins, and a separate PSU dropped in place has the Chroma X doing the same thing.

With the GPU and the provided USB+ Ethernet PCIE card removed, I am also seeing that the behavior persists, so it is down to the motherboard within the Chroma X that seems to be developing a problem.

With a thermal camera I see that the inductor near the 12V DC to DC power conversion logic is getting warm, this could mean there is a short in the circuitry around the 12V conversion circuitry.

I also examined the chips supporting USBC (thunderbolt) power delivery, and another ARM chip.  When I “pushed” the power delivery with a machine over thunderbolt asking for 100W full USBC power, I saw that the Chroma X reset constantly every 2 seconds.  This is likely because there is an on-board component that is warming up, shorting, cooling, and this is repeating idefinitely.

I have the enclosure at a local electronics repair shop to see if there is anything they can do.  I think the proper solve is replacing the motherboard, but since so many people are seeing this problem I think this also means it’s a board-level issue that requires hardware components to fix / prevent the issue from re-occurring.

Also, for the main poster, a “popping” noise is a arcing, or a short happening suddenly.  This is normal for a mechanical switch like the one on the PSU.  The PSU is made by Lite-On, and in my brief chat with them on this issue they’ve indicated a closer look at the motherboard is a good place to go to next.  ( you can use other PSUs, they are ATX compatible within the unit, I tired one too, no change )

I had also confirmed that the PSU in mine is working correctly and that the issue is likely elsewhere. Please let us know what the electronics shop figures out. Thanks!