PCH A-110 with dead Ethernet port

[baj1]

Has anyone seen this before? The network connection appears to be dead on my A-110.

1. No lights on CAT5 connector
2. Tried multiple CAT5 cables and multiple ports on switch, tested cable and port with a laptop and it worked.
3. PCH reports a MAC address - does this mean anything?
4. Tried "reset to factory defaults" - no joy.

Can anyone think of anything else I can try? Is there a USB/Ethernet dongle option?

Thanks,
-Brad

[mvallevand]

There have been a few reports of network hardware problems even some from GBPVR users posted here, but the ones I remember reading involved having a MAC address of 0:0:0:0:0:0 . One speculative post on the NMT forum suggested that improper grounding on your home circuit can cause bad hardware failure, because the ground isn't fully isolated coming into the PCH.

The diagnosis isn't good and you might be able to get USB wifi running but I suspect that is it.

Martin

[martint123]

I lost a PCH100 ethernet port some time ago now. As Martin says, if the chip has fried then the MAC address is shown as all zeros.
The chip itself was running so hot I got a blister on my finger when I touched it. Fortunately PCH covered it under warranty so I was only out postage (of just the smallish board).
Your problem sounds different though. ISTR there are a limited number of USB wifi dongles that may work for you (atheros based??)

[baj1]

Thanks guys. For giggles I took out a support case with PCH, but they don't repair them anymore. So I guess I'll see what I can hunt down for network dongles or start shopping ebay for a replacment.