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AndyP & Lenore
11th August 2006, 06:22 AM
We were woken up this morning to the sound of two huge bangs coming from the computer room behind our bedroom:eek:. Thinking one of my dumb-ass, sh!t-for-brains cats had chewed through a mains cable I went running into the room. The smell of overcooked electronic components hung in the air and burnt my nostrils. How our smoke alarm didn't go off, I'll never know. I looked under the nearby bed only to find a perfectly healthy cat staring at me with a "don't f*****g look at me, it wasn't me" look on her face.:D

On further inspection it seemed my PC had blown up it's own PSU, for reasons only be-known to itself. So off to PC world for a replacement, fully expecting to be ripped off. PC World were up to their usual over-priced antics - £24.99 for an ATX PSU!! WTF??:eek::eek: Anyhoo, running out of time and already starting to get the shakes from no net access for 7 hours, I paid the money and headed home.

Installed the new PSU and here I am, chatting away with you good folks.:D:D

Anyway, my point is... When a PSU blows up in such dramatic style - 3 explosions in total (I had to try it with another mains fuse, just in case) - how in the name of all that's holy, did the resulting surge (I'm guessing there would have been one), not blow up my motherboard, memory, graphics card, drive controllers........ Etc. Etc. :question::question:

A.

Scottie
11th August 2006, 06:30 AM
I dunno ;):p glad your back on-line

Looked out all your pressies tonight.;):p

sh@z
11th August 2006, 06:45 AM
Because if anything is to blow, the PSU should go 1st and stop the surge from frying the rest of your components. Although of course it doesn't work out like this in theory. Get a surge protector ;)

X30YES
11th August 2006, 06:49 AM
I woukld say the power would have been cut after the psu, on the first bang !!ie NO voltage getting past that !!

AndyP & Lenore
11th August 2006, 07:14 AM
I don't think it was a surge that caused it. Maybe it was. Not just as clued up on that sort of thing as I'd like to be.:clown:

I just opened up the case of the duff PSU, expecting to find a burnt out winding. But it's actually a couple of diode's and a cap that has blown. Couldn't help but find this funny as that is the first thing that usually goes in the rectifiers in the cinema when we have a breakdown. It's just on a much larger scale. 120,000mf Caps!! And 80A diode's!!!!

But with it being a diode and a cap that went, I would have said that would have made it even more likely a voltage higher than 12v could have strayed to the boards.:blackeye:

I guess I'm just incredibly lucky it didn't.:approve:

AndyP & Lenore
11th August 2006, 07:15 AM
quote:Originally posted by ScottieCoop

I dunno ;):p glad your back on-line

Looked out all your pressies tonight.;):p


Oooooh. Cool. And your stuff is in the back of our MINI also.:D

X30YES
11th August 2006, 07:22 AM
quote:Originally posted by AndyP & Lenore


quote:Originally posted by ScottieCoop

I dunno ;):p glad your back on-line

Looked out all your pressies tonight.;):p


Oooooh. Cool. And your stuff is in the back of our MINI also.:D
You guys could email or telephone the info ;).next 20 Q's will be asking what it is :D

AndyP & Lenore
11th August 2006, 07:26 AM
quote:Originally posted by X30YES


quote:Originally posted by AndyP & Lenore


quote:Originally posted by ScottieCoop

I dunno ;):p glad your back on-line

Looked out all your pressies tonight.;):p


Oooooh. Cool. And your stuff is in the back of our MINI also.:D
You guys could email or telephone the info ;).next 20 Q's will be asking what it is :D


Why else would we be talking in code, other than to wind you or him up?:D;);)

You're both as easy wound up as the other.:D:D:D

Sweeney
12th August 2006, 02:27 AM
quote:Originally posted by AndyP & Lenore

quote:You guys could email or telephone the info ;).next 20 Q's will be asking what it is :D


Why else would we be talking in code, other than to wind you or him up?:D;);)

You're both as easy wound up as the other.:D:D:D


hohum :evil: (might i add your code isn't exactly complex :clown:)

Please keep in mind i am a founding member of the DILLIGAF club, :D

gill
12th August 2006, 03:18 AM
:eek::eek::eek: Glad you're both OK (and the cats too!;))

Note to self.... buy surge protector!:D

AndyP & Lenore
12th August 2006, 07:45 AM
quote:Originally posted by gill

:eek::eek::eek: Glad you're both OK (and the cats too!;))

Note to self.... buy surge protector!:D


Thanks Gill. It was a bit of a scary moment.:eek: At first I thought one of the cats had blow themselves up for sure.:eek::eek: Then the realisation dawned that if we hadn't been home and the sparks had started a fire...... oh dear.:(:(

X30YES
12th August 2006, 08:15 AM
quote:Originally posted by AndyP & Lenore


quote:Originally posted by X30YES


quote:Originally posted by AndyP & Lenore


quote:Originally posted by ScottieCoop

I dunno ;):p glad your back on-line

Looked out all your pressies tonight.;):p


Oooooh. Cool. And your stuff is in the back of our MINI also.:D
You guys could email or telephone the info ;).next 20 Q's will be asking what it is :D


Why else would we be talking in code, other than to wind you or him up?:D;);)

You're both as easy wound up as the other.:D:D:D
I'm not getting wound up , I was only trying to keep it on Topic .

AndyP & Lenore
12th August 2006, 08:20 AM
quote:Originally posted by X30YES


quote:Originally posted by AndyP & Lenore


quote:Originally posted by X30YES


quote:Originally posted by AndyP & Lenore


quote:Originally posted by ScottieCoop

I dunno ;):p glad your back on-line

Looked out all your pressies tonight.;):p


Oooooh. Cool. And your stuff is in the back of our MINI also.:D
You guys could email or telephone the info ;).next 20 Q's will be asking what it is :D


Why else would we be talking in code, other than to wind you or him up?:D;);)

You're both as easy wound up as the other.:D:D:D
I'm not getting wound up , I was only trying to keep it on Topic .


:D

Gismo
12th August 2006, 01:41 PM
Most common power supply failures are as a result of dust collecting inside the fan and overheating setting up a static charge.
As you've experienced when it goes you got a nice sound ;)
This would explain why no motherboard damage

Burple
14th August 2006, 04:41 AM
quote:

Please keep in mind i am a founding member of the DILLIGAF club, :D


Err.. that would be Kevin Bloody Wilson.. :p:p:p:p:D

Sweeney
14th August 2006, 04:44 AM
;)