Went to BestBuy and, I knew it was probably a waste of time but I wanted to be sure I didn't give them a phone number or email they might be able to use to reference my purchase, ...waste of time.
Thats the thing though, theres tons of resources out there that explain it pretty well.
Like I said previously I will try whatever I'm going to do to the Corsair PSU on older/cheaper hardware first just to be safe.
But since there's some difference of opinion here, and as a student/have a job I don't really have time right now to go learn the basics of electronics/physics/whateveritmaybealthoughiminterested, I am going to dig around some more and try to go the RMA route first. Seems to be a better step as I didn't realize this was such a touchy subject. I thought that since there may be a lot of tinkerers here that someone could give advice who has done this kind of thing before.
*By the way, does anyone have a recommendation for a book like this to reference for a fellow tinkerer? Any opinion on this book?
Cry for Help:
Where would someone with less knowledge of the subject find said resources? I have done some searching and found a few things on what the PSU does/is/contains and some guides on how to troubleshoot a bad PSU.
What to know?
Would a good start be learning about the basic terminology of electronics, then learn how the components inside the PSU work and function as a whole?
What I know (albeit correct or no)
I know BASICALLY, AC -> DC happens and the current is being transformed to DC and spread through connectors to components in the system, right? So, the next step would be the properties of the individual components in the PSU doing the work?
Yeah I've read that I will need to let the PSU sit for a while untouched... My biggest issue is that I have interference in my headphones while talking to friends in steam chat. Like you say, I don't think it's that big of a deal, but it is aggravating and if it is fixable it is probably worth figuring out and sharing with the community, right?
IMO, whatever you do to older stuff doesnt always apply to the corsair. Use case is different for everyone. In all reality the hot glue trick might be a perfect solution. I cant in good consciousness tell you to do that though. If the part gets hot, which it might very well be since its whining, you could cause premature failure of the PSU.
I would only consider doing it if you genuinely dont care if it dies on you or if you know for a fact that part doesnt get anywhere near warm, which it shouldnt really be anyway.
What you actually do to your stuff is on you. Basically what I'm getting at is...dont do it, but im not your mom.
Gotcha, that makes sense, newer components = particulars may change. Would that !conductive paste be safer than hot glue? I wasn't going to use actual hot glue under any circumstances anyway lol! Someone else suggested that, I thought it was a joke...
*They're using it on PSU components in the pictures... :|
Theoretically yes, just about anything non conductive should work. The idea really is to dampen the coil by either mechanical separation, or by changing the resonant frequency of the coil itself by adding weight to it. In this case the glue you linked kinda does both.
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dis man is correct
Heres a pretty good write up on the subject.
http://www.ukgamingcomputers.co.uk/capacitor-squeal-coil-whine-explained-a-63.html
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Nice! Thanks!
*On a side note, I just replaced the keyboard on my thinkpad x240 with a new one from amazon $35, and holy crap! It feels like a new machine!
I just realized there are 50+ posts in this thread already, you guys are awesome! This forum kicks ass!
Even if you do that, do remember that big capacitors keep their charge for quite some time, several days. Take care to never touch any solder points with your fingers. And never try to "discharge" a capacitor by connecting stuff to its solder points, it will probably just short circuit and explode. The bigger the cap, the worse the explosion (and smell). Not to mention that any connection to solder points transfers static and static hurts all digital components. Modern PSUs has more and more digital components. Try to touch the chassis (cover) before touching any PCB, that helps a lot.
Disconnect the PSU from the mains but keep it connected to the rest of the computer. Hit the power button a couple of times, that discharges the PSU at least a little. Then when it is completely disconnected only remove the cover, no need to remove the PCB from the "bottom" cover. That silicon glue probably works well, thermal conductivity is a bonus.
Edit: I'm not trying to sound patronizing or anything. I've hurt myself on electronics several times, just trying to give good advice :-)
Right-o! I usually do the latter [hitting the power button and disconnecting power] before opening my pc to any upgrades/maintenance. But you can't be too careful with electronics.
That won't happen in most power supplies now-a-days. There will almost always be a bleeder resistor, to drain the power out, within a few seconds.
It may be possible, but I've never heard of it happening. Capacitor's don't generally "explode" when being discharged. They tend to explode when they experience too high a voltage/voltage spikes. Quickly discharging the capacitor, however, will definetly reduce its lifespan.
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I am waiting on the silicon should be here next week but I have some programming assignments and a test so the PSU is going to have to take the back seat for a while. Is anyone interested in a walkthrough with pictures if I figure this out so other people can reference? We can add a TON of safety warnings, or should we keep it quiet so people won't look at pictures and go try something?
Ah, right you are. It's a good thing, back in the day I burned myself pretty badly on a TV PSU, not sad CRTs isn't a thing anymore.
I meant specifically short circuit. Very easy to slip and short an electrolytic cap and then it might go poof. Shorting it when it's charged produces maximum heat inside the cap and often make it burst. Not really "explode" as they are designed to burst up top, still can be pretty violent. And yeah, if it doesn't burst it will probably not work very well anymore for obvious reasons :-)
If there isn't any funny business going on in the pictures, I think it would be okay :-)
I don't think more than big letters in the beginning that safety is a concern is needed. Hopefully people will use their brain, if they are determined not to, not much we can do. I do believe I've seen some general safety guides that could be linked too. But you get pretty far with Unplug mains, "discharge" by hitting power-buttons, wait a while, touch chassis/covers before touching PCB's.
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Dammit...
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So I opened up the power supply and there was quite a bit of adhesive on the components already. Will post pictures after I test it in another machine, but I would imagine that this is going to turn into a "don't buy Corsair power supplies" lesson versus "how to fix coil whine."
Alright, I opened the PSU up which was very simple.
1. Remove PSU case screws
2. Remove fan screws
3. Use a thin flathead screwdriver and gently pry the case so you can remove the case
Upon taking the lid off of the case I found that almost all of the components that are usual suspects for coil whine had already been glued with what looks like similar adhesive.
So... my advice, DO NOT BUY CORSAIR CX MODEL POWER SUPPLIES!!!!
They are apparently using cheap components. I wouldn't be so quick to assume this if every hardware forum I've found concerning coil whine invariably includes a reference to an annoying Corsair CX___ power supply!
P.S don't think adhesive on components is a bad indicator because it shows up in all modern PSUs, I'm saying Corsair is using cheap components.
Pictures:
