Power supply popped and smoked, burned out. What should I test or check?
Hello,
Today when I got out of bed, my APC Back-UPS XS 900 was beeping a continuous beep, and the "Overload" light was on, and both pc's were off. I turned the APC off, and unplugged one pc from the APC. Then I turned the APC back on and re-plugged in the other pc I had just unplugged, and I heard a loud 'POP' from the pc, and the APC light went to "Overload" again. Everything connected to the APC (both pc's & monitors, Comcast Modem, Linksys Router) turned off. I saw sparks and smoke come out of the power supply of the pc that I first unplugged. I unplugged that pc from the APC again and turned everything off. I wasnt sure if smoke also came out of the APC or not since that electrical smoke is really strong and it is hard to tell what piece of equipment is smoking. So I took apart the pc that popped and the pwr supply smells like the smoke. I am pretty sure that pwr supply is shot, so I will buy a replacement, but do I need to test any of the other internal parts of that pc (system board, peripherals, the Router) to see if they got hit with something from the bad pwr supply?
Thank you,
Mark88
Today when I got out of bed, my APC Back-UPS XS 900 was beeping a continuous beep, and the "Overload" light was on, and both pc's were off. I turned the APC off, and unplugged one pc from the APC. Then I turned the APC back on and re-plugged in the other pc I had just unplugged, and I heard a loud 'POP' from the pc, and the APC light went to "Overload" again. Everything connected to the APC (both pc's & monitors, Comcast Modem, Linksys Router) turned off. I saw sparks and smoke come out of the power supply of the pc that I first unplugged. I unplugged that pc from the APC again and turned everything off. I wasnt sure if smoke also came out of the APC or not since that electrical smoke is really strong and it is hard to tell what piece of equipment is smoking. So I took apart the pc that popped and the pwr supply smells like the smoke. I am pretty sure that pwr supply is shot, so I will buy a replacement, but do I need to test any of the other internal parts of that pc (system board, peripherals, the Router) to see if they got hit with something from the bad pwr supply?
Thank you,
Mark88
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!WOW! I am greatly impressed by all the excellent, scientific, and helpful advice. I just dont know who to give points to now.
I bought a new pwr supply and luck must have been on my side. The pc is working and stable. Of course, nobody can know if any of the smaller circuits on the board are blown or not. That concerns me. So does the statement about the HD. Guess I better keep my credit card close at hand.
I heartily agree with nimatejic's comment: "Some people save mony on PSU's, but this can give you even more expenses. I strongly recommend a PSU from Corsair, Thermaltake, Enermax or similar manufacturers." I have usually purchased Antec's pwr supplys just b/c they are everywhere and usually inexpensive. I am going to switch to another brand as listed above, tho, b/c I have had historically bad experiences with Antec. I recommend that buyers beware of Antec, in my opinion.
I will never skimp on pwr supplys again. Im going to get really good ones from now on.
Thank you all, very much for the help.
Mark88
I bought a new pwr supply and luck must have been on my side. The pc is working and stable. Of course, nobody can know if any of the smaller circuits on the board are blown or not. That concerns me. So does the statement about the HD. Guess I better keep my credit card close at hand.
I heartily agree with nimatejic's comment: "Some people save mony on PSU's, but this can give you even more expenses. I strongly recommend a PSU from Corsair, Thermaltake, Enermax or similar manufacturers." I have usually purchased Antec's pwr supplys just b/c they are everywhere and usually inexpensive. I am going to switch to another brand as listed above, tho, b/c I have had historically bad experiences with Antec. I recommend that buyers beware of Antec, in my opinion.
I will never skimp on pwr supplys again. Im going to get really good ones from now on.
Thank you all, very much for the help.
Mark88
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ASKER
If I could, I would award each of you 500 points.
400v caps are most common in cheap or older model PSUs.