Oh... The Humanity! A troubleshooting quagmire resolves itself in a brilliant and dramatic way, and the results are unexpected. Enjoy!
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By Fran

12 thoughts on “Death of a power supply”
  1. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars xdtac9 says:

    Caps are zapped!

  2. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Phoebe Martin says:

    I had a Travan Drive. Travan 1 or Travan 4. Can't remember. There was a radio station in Lebanon, PA with the call letter WQIC. I wondered if they used "Quarter Inch Cartridge" tapes? he he.

  3. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars amoruzz says:

    LoL!
    Great title Fran

  4. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Bob D says:

    Great smokeshow. A lot of switchmode power supplies have a foldback feature that limits the output current in the event of an overload. It will still put out current, but not as much.

  5. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Jeff Ratliff says:

    Wow. I had a similar experience. This PSU had a thin sheet of plastic under the board to keep things from grounding out on the case. Over the years, an un-clipped lead on one of the big capacitors had worn through the plastic and touched the case. Not only did the cap explode, it burned a fair amount of copper off the bottom of the board when the cap discharged to ground. I also had a Travan drive in my OS/2 machine back in the day. Now I have 25 year old backups I can't read. 🙂

  6. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars BruceEEvans1 says:

    I have a computer which I assembled about 30 years ago. DOS 6.2 on a 5¼ inch hard drive. Obviously, I have upgraded the OS but all the hardware is original. For a while, my excuse for keeping it was it had a program for developing loads for shotgun shells, of which I shot about 3,000 per year. Now I can get all that info online, and I don't shoot anywhere close to that much.

  7. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars ML Tyler says:

    You let the smoke out!

  8. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Robert Reed says:

    Well I know this is an older video, but, I still use FireWire on a audio interface that is not all that old. Works great!

  9. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Diaval says:

    I wouldn't keep anything from that power supply. It is probably old and after a failure like that there were probably other parts that were stressed out. Rule of thumb with switching power supplies…it blows, replace the whole darn thing. Granted if you pop only a regulator on the low voltage side, that you might be able to fix, but anything on the AC side would be doomed to fail. It is best to just toss it out.

  10. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars Humblehombre says:

    Fran, I love your stuff, but please consider not using "yadda-yadda" so often, or even better not at all. Remember "what you talkin'bout Willis?" It is just too old. Please consider this.

  11. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars The Devil In The Circuit says:

    I had a very similar issue with a Dell, except the PSU died over the period of aboout three months. It started small…it was resetting the video driver (insufficient power to the vid card), and then the Power On switch started to get balky; it would take two or three pushes to boot up the machine. I tested the power rails and the 12V rail was unstable. So I pulled the PSU and cracked it open, and found four electrolytic caps with bulged tops; one had leaked a little out the top. Two were 2500uf/10v and two were 1500uf/10v. I desoldered all four and didn't have 10v replacements, but the 16v Panasonics i had in stock did fit so I used 'em. I buttoned it all up and it's working like new.

  12. Avataaar/Circle Created with python_avatars tm baz says:

    Hello, computer problems not seeing the hard disk or suspending due to power supply due to a shortage in the current connected to the computer parts, what do you want from Med in China😂

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