Posted: Mon Mar 14, 2011 17:35 Post subject: WRT300N
Hi, I just had my Linksys router die on me last night.
I was connected to the internet to check my work email and started to have connectivity problems. My Linksys Easy Link Advisor utility suggested to power off the router and re-connect and wait for LEDs to stop flashing then connect ethernet from modem. I did all of this I even did the 30/30/30 hard reset and now it just stays with all of the port and Internet LEDs lit, and my utility doesn't recognize that the router is connected.
This router has been working for about 6 years now and all of a sudden quit last night.
So I inherited a wrt300n with the exact same issue. My brother unplugged it in one room, moved it to another and all he would get was solid lights. So I thought I'd try the jtag method, see if I could save it. While I was soldering a pin header in and about to start making the jtag cable, I decided to try one last time to turn it on. To my amazement it fired right up. So I took the pin headers out thinking all was well, and plugged it in again. It was once again dead.
So I started thinking of what was different. It brought me back to thinking about my xbox and loose solder connections. So I decided to pull out my heat gun and warm up a few chips, see if I could reflow some solder. Once it cooled down, it fired right up. But then again after I let it cool down to room temperature, it once again wouldn't boot.
I then took it back apart, and just warmed up the board... Not very hot, just warm. It booted fine. Now I'm stuck at this point. It will boot every time I heat the broadcom chip next to the jtag area (ver 1.1). And it will stay running, but once I let it cool down and power cycle it, then it doesn't boot again.
I'm going to try a few other tricks, see if I get anywhere. I'll keep you posted.
Just an update. I got mine up and running. I ended up taking a soldering iron and heating up components until it turned on. Turns out it was actually a capacitor that was right next to the ring with the wire around it (sorry not a very technical term).
It was a 470uf 10v 105 degree capacitor. I found a similar one in an old motherboard, same uf rating, but 16v, and only 85 degree rating. The 16v shouldn't be a problem but the temperature might once I get it all back together. If so I'll end up replacing it with the correct one.
Wish you luck Randihue if you still have it laying around.
Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 18:43 Post subject: Same experience
I have a WRT300N that has worked pretty well for last 4 years. The power supply conked off 2 years back and I used a new one.
Off late, the device was behaving finicky and one fine day gave up totally. All the lights were lit up and nothing would work.
I thought this device was totally toasted or may be some firmware corruption so I googled and hit some sites from barry that suggested some jtag mods and I was about to prepare
.. and then I hit this post. I did the exact thing and my WRT300N is back running again.
It seems the 470uf, 16V capacitor near the Toroidal transformer on the PCB gives up .... Since I am facing the same problem and replacing that capacitor has saved my WRT300N and its running very fine. Thanks to the user who had posted this tip and my experience confirms that this is the Capacitor.
Overall, looks like Cisco and Linksys have NO control on the quality of their components. In modern era, very basic components like a capacitor cannot fail and put the whole device useless... I see on the internet that there are several users of WRT300N who are complaining of the ALL LIGHTS lit problem. Fortunately for me, i hit this post and i am a qualified electronics engineer so could replace the capacitor etc... but not every one can do it... So imagine how many devices are failing in the field.....
Cisco, Linksys.. time to call back your devices and pay for your mistakes and not make customers suffer !!!!
Joined: 26 Jan 2008 Posts: 13049 Location: Behind The Reset Button
Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2011 20:47 Post subject: Re: Same experience
manoj.patil.1974 wrote:
I have a WRT300N that has worked pretty well for last 4 years. The power supply conked off 2 years back and I used a new one.
Off late, the device was behaving finicky and one fine day gave up totally. All the lights were lit up and nothing would work.
I thought this device was totally toasted or may be some firmware corruption so I googled and hit some sites from barry that suggested some jtag mods and I was about to prepare
.. and then I hit this post. I did the exact thing and my WRT300N is back running again.
It seems the 470uf, 16V capacitor near the Toroidal transformer on the PCB gives up .... Since I am facing the same problem and replacing that capacitor has saved my WRT300N and its running very fine. Thanks to the user who had posted this tip and my experience confirms that this is the Capacitor.
Overall, looks like Cisco and Linksys have NO control on the quality of their components. In modern era, very basic components like a capacitor cannot fail and put the whole device useless... I see on the internet that there are several users of WRT300N who are complaining of the ALL LIGHTS lit problem. Fortunately for me, i hit this post and i am a qualified electronics engineer so could replace the capacitor etc... but not every one can do it... So imagine how many devices are failing in the field.....
Cisco, Linksys.. time to call back your devices and pay for your mistakes and not make customers suffer !!!!
I had the same problem that Randihue had. We've had this Router WRT300N for a few years and it work flawlessly. Until one day it stopped working I reset it and it worked a couple of days then it did it again this time when I reset it (unplugged it and plugged it in again) the lights stayed on steady.
So, I came across this forum and tried the Capacitor fix that Jsw98765 and manoj.patil.1974 did. So I replaced 470uf capacitor next to the Toroidal Transformer (the Ring with a coil of wire around it) with a similar Capacitor from Radio Shack. It was larger and I think it had a higher voltage spec. but they told that it should be fine. I had to lay the Capacitor down and bend the leads, so it would clear the case and because the spacing was wider, made sure the polarity was correct, soldered it in and plugged it up and Viola! I works like new!
I'm so happy I came across this forum Thank you guys for providing this information.
I only have minimal experience soldering and un-soldering, I had a little trouble with my two soldering irons, one was too little wattage and the other was a little too much. the first one wasn't getting hot enough and the other was getting too hot, but, in the end, and with plenty of flux I was able to solder in the new capacitor. I saved a few bucks and prevented a perfectly good router from the scrap yard.
I wonder how many of these routers are thrown away when they could easily have been fixed.
Thanks again guys, you are the best!
after a ligthing strom , my router start to have problems and malfunction . first i havent anwser to the ping , so ive reade a guy say re flash the router so i do that.
1) Set a static ip on your machine to say 192.168.1.6
2) Use this file in preparation for the TFTP flash
4) Have a cmd prompt open actively ping'n the unit, power off the router, then power it back on, as soon as you get any reply use the linked tftp util and the linked file and click the transfer, when you get success, wait 5 minutes and then try to access @ 192.168.1.1
after that ive got all the lights solid and found this tread and say why not gave a try
I came across this forum and tried the Capacitor fix that Jsw98765 and manoj.patil.1974 did. So I replaced 470uf capacitor next to the Toroidal Transformer (the Ring with a coil of wire around it)
It was larger and I think it had a higher voltage spec. but they told that it should be fine. I had to lay the Capacitor down and bend the leads, so it would clear the case and because the spacing was wider, made sure the polarity was correct, soldered it in and plugged it up and Viola! I works like new!
thx to has the knowledge to determine which one replace
