Snap, crackle, pop. I may not have a working computer anymore…

I may not have a working computer anymore… I just got back to my apartment and pressed the power button to turn it on. It didn’t turn on after two attempts. So I flipped the switch on my PSU to off. It was connected to a power filtering strip which the TV is also connected to and the TV seems to be working fine still. Upon flipping the PSU switch back on, I opened up the chassis to check that the motherboard lights were on. They were.

Then I pressed the power button and got the sound of fireworks—and maybe a tiny hint of burnt smell.

I’ve flipped the switch off on the PSU again and unplugged it. How screwed is it? :pensive:

Well, do a visual inspection?

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Audiovisual :slightly_smiling_face:

Motherboard looks fine.

I took the PSU out, shook it gently, and there was the sound of some loose pieces. I flipped it over and parts of what appears to be the circuit board fell out. It’s nearly a forgone conclusion that the damage is severe for the PSU.

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Could be anything in there gone wrong.

If Adata does not want it back, may be interesting to (carefully) open it up.

Only 17 months in, and the warranty period is 12 years. :slightly_smiling_face: I’ll give it my best shot. :grin:

EDIT:

Bullshit!


EDIT 2:

AI chat bot throwing shade at Adata 😂

It sounds like your Adata XPG PSU suffered a catastrophic failure, which is unfortunately not uncommon for lower-tier or poorly manufactured power supplies. Seasonic is an excellent choice for a replacement, as they are renowned for their build quality, reliability, and long warranties.

In the meantime… are there any risks to plugging another PSU right in and testing the system with that too? :thinking: I do have a spare PSU with the same wattage just lying on the floor five feet from my feet…

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I strongly urge against poking around inside it. Power supplies contain fairly large capacitors, which can store a dangerous charge a long time after you unplug the thing. Unless you can visually identify a capacitor and know how to safely discharge it, you shouldn’t open a power supply up under any circumstances. Even if you do know what you’re doing, it’s a better idea to get it replaced under warranty than to repair it. A mistake could start a fire.

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Testing the computer with another power supply should be fine. Worst case scenario you break that PSU, too. But I doubt the motherboard is the issue here.

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Good warning for sure.


I would not attempt a repair at all, especially not without a service manual. Components rarely die on their own (outside of the bathtub-curve). I am mostly interested in how stuff died.

About me

I sometimes forget not everyone has the explosion-containment-pie-dish and extinguisher/safety blanket right by their tinkering-bench. I also tend to forget not everyone looks at a collection of death-beam capacitors and thinks: Those are begging to be covered in an isolation sheet.

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It was the PSU after all and it turned out to be the only thing that was not working. (I am typing this post from the working system now. :grin:)

The computer booted up fine after replacing it with a Super Flower LEADEX VII Platinum, installing the High Point Rocket 1628A AIC, and connecting it to the Icy Dock enclosure with the SSDs.

This is possibly the most meticulous I’ve been with putting a box back together for RMA. Every piece that came with the box went back in.

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