[Empeg-technical] Help needed - Mk2 suddenly died.

[beaker at empegbbs-noreply.merlins.org]

Hi All,
Hopefully someone can shed some light on my problem. I'd been listening to my Mk2 all day on my desk at work when all of a sudden the screen went blank and the Blue LED started to blink. I tried restarting it several times but it just powered up into what looks like sleep mode. It did manage to go part way through it's normal booting sequence once but then reverted to powering up into sleep mode again.

Now I've got it dismantled and completely removed from it's chassis it's still doing the same thing even with no display board, HDD or anything else connected. Here's the serial output in Hyperterminal:

*************************************
e000 v1.04
Copying kernel...
Calling linux kernel...
Uncompressing Linux...
empeg-car bootstrap v1.00 20000601 (hugo at empeg.com)
If there is anyone present who wants to upgrade the flash, let them speak now,
or forever hold their peace...it seems not. Let fly the Penguins of Linux!
*************************************

This keeps repeating and is the same whether I connect the HDD or not. I've also noticed that the Red SMT LED near the front RHS of the board and the Blue 'Link' LED flash. When the HDD is connected this sounds like it's going through power up/power down cycles in time with the LED flashing.

My guess is that there may be something that has gone short circuit on the mainboard. Does anyone have a better idea of what could be wrong and how I might fix it? I would have contacted Rob (support) but I have'n't heard from him since February about another issue.

Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.