Do Power Supplys Have Surge Protection?

Chaffers · May 21st, 2004, 11:37 PM

I fried another CPU today.

Last time it was when I was adding a case fan into the chassis, and I didn't unplug/pull out the power cord, a contact was made on the mobo and it turned the computer on for a couple of seconds... After that, the CPU was fried... Had to pay £60 to replace it...

This time, I don't really know if there was something that I did wrong... The only logical thing that I though of would be that it was a power surge when I put the power cord back into the PSU... Would have thought that there would be some kind of surge protection that would eliminate any jumps in the current... Or was I being a moron for not turning off the mains before plugging in the power cord?

In this instance, I'm was wondering if power supplys have internal surge protection? Would surge protection have prevented this situation that is making me feel like an idiot?

Also, For something like this, would I be able to claim warranty?

Thanks in advance!!!

Spec:-
AMD Athlon XP 2400+
Asus A7V333 (KT333 Chipset)
768Mb DDR SDRAM 333Mhz PC2700
Maxtor 120Gb HDD (7200rpm 8Mb Cache)
MSI Geforce4 MX440 SE-T
Alcatel Speedtouch 330 USB ADSL modem
Other miscellaneous USB devices
52w/32rw/52r CD-RW
Windows XP Pro
Unbranded Realtek 10/100 NIC
300W unbranded PSU
System running @ ~50 degrees Centrigrade/~122 degrees Fahrenheit

Shabow · May 22nd, 2004, 12:07 AM

Did you leave anything on the mobo that was metal that causes a short on the mobo. And no, power supplies do not come with built in surge protectors you have to get an external one.

Chaffers · May 22nd, 2004, 12:19 AM

Nope... Nothing on the mobo...

Any other suggestions?

Would a surger protector help?

Ordered another processor... Would like some suggestions before I plug the new CPU in...

Bovon · May 22nd, 2004, 01:21 PM

Here is what happened...and it has nothing to do with any surge. (But..no..the PSU does not have any surge protection built in).

All ATX computer switching power supplies have a 5 volt circuit that is in the on position at any time the powersupply is connected to an AC wall outlet. There is no switch to cut this 5 volt (power good) circuit off, and more than a few computers have been damaged by the user simply doing a shutdown, (which causes everything to appear off) and then going into the system to do things..never realizing there is this 5 volt circuit that is still very much alive.

The power good circuit is what controls the main PSU..and must be on when the computer is ready to use. The ONLY safe way to work on, or make changes in any ATX type computer is to fully remove all AC power from it by pulling the plug (or have a power console with a master switch between the computer and the AC wall socket).

jmichna · May 22nd, 2004, 01:34 PM

Chaffers,
I always use a high quality surge protector for all my hardware connections. Aside from that, here is the process I take whenever working with any of the hardware "innards."
-- Power off the PC itself.
-- Turn the power supply switch to the "Off" positiion (note, if switch is labelled "1/0," the 0 (zero) is off).
-- Disconnect power cord from power supply socket.
-- Move the PC to a nonconductive, static-free work surface. A wooden or Formica table top works well.
-- Remove side panel, and make sure I ground myself (hands, elbows) to an unpainted section of the internal, metal case frame (I want to be sure my body's static charge and the PC's static charge are at the same level).
-- Especially if you are working on your PC in the winter months, where central heat keeps humidity too low, I frequently re-ground myself to the metal case frame. I also do this -- summer or winter -- whenever I am about to pick up any hardware component (either removing or installing).
-- Keep components in their static bags until you are ready to work with them, then ground yourself against the case frame before handling.
-- A lot of folks swear by wrist straps to keep themseleves grounded, but -- personally -- I find them uncomfortable and a bit awkward, so I do the frequent manual grounding.
-- Only AFTER completing all hardware additions/modifications, do I re-connect the power cord between the power supply and the wall (surge protector) power outlet AND I do so while the power supply switch is on the "Off" position.
-- Once the cord is connected, then I will turn on the power supply switch, and finally boot up.

gerald_weigel · May 22nd, 2004, 01:46 PM

Also, take your time, and relax. Most mistakes come from rushing a job. I know personally, I just scraped a part at work(machine shop) because I wasn't paying enough attention and was rushing through the job, well there goes a few thousand bucks!>

sam · May 22nd, 2004, 09:50 PM

another good tip it after you unplug your pc is to push the power button to discharge the capasitors and to work in a antistatic pad with the wrist strap. and NEVER RUSH

Chaffers · June 12th, 2004, 07:25 AM

Hi all,

Thanks for the responses... Realised that it wasn't just the CPU that was fried after putting in a new CPU and the mobo said that there was a RAM error... Got new RAM and it still won't start up... So when the CPU got fried, it decided to take the mobo down with it... RMA'd the RAM and CPU and decided to go for a proper upgrade.

Originally had an AMD XP 2400+ with a Asus A7V333. Ended up getting an AMD 3200+, 512mb PC3200 kingston RAM, Antec 480W Trueblue PSU, Asus GeForce FX5700 256mb.

Hence my spec is now:-

AMD Athlon XP 3200+
Asus A7N8X-E/Deluxe (NForce2 Ultra400 Chipset)
768Mb DDR SDRAM 333Mhz PC2700
512Mb DDR SDRAM 400Mhz PC3200 (Running @333Mhz)
Maxtor 120Gb HDD (7200rpm 8Mb Cache)
Asus GeforceFX 5700 256Mb
Alcatel Speedtouch 330 USB ADSL modem
Other miscellaneous USB devices
52w/32rw/52r CD-RW
Antec 480W TrueBlue PSU
Windows XP Pro
Unbranded Realtek 10/100 NIC
System running @ ~50 degrees Centrigrade/~122 degrees Fahrenheit

Had some problems with the HDD...

but formatted and now all okay...

Will start a new thread about the ram timings...

:edit:
the new thread is here:-
http://www.techimo.com/forum/showthr...35#post1117035

:edit2:
Also bought a good Belkin surge protector...

paul9 · June 12th, 2004, 09:04 AM

the surge protector only protects the mains section of your psu from dirty mains voltage. it will not stop you from killing your machine in the same way again. that said, it is still worth having a surge protector, especially coming into thunderstorm season. and i believe you londoners generally get a few more thunderstorms than us geordies, so remember to unplug your pc from the mains and phone lines when the lightning is giving it large.

OuTpaTienT · June 12th, 2004, 09:28 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Bovon

All ATX computer switching power supplies have a 5 volt circuit that is in the on position at any time the powersupply is connected to an AC wall outlet. There is no switch to cut this 5 volt (power good) circuit off...

Actually many do have a switch that will cut off all power. Mine does.