pc issue.. should I be worried?
in [Repair]
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From: Samuel M. Goldwasser on 9 Dec 2009 19:12 kronflux <kronflux(a)gmail.com> writes: > well, the type of shock I was getting was a constant shock. not like a > zap-ish static kind of shock. > as I said, it hasn't happened lately, but I have tried the PC in > different locations, and it did the same, so it shouldn't be anything > to do with ground. I even tried different power cables. > I assume it's either the dust and dirt, the case sucks, or a faulty > power supply. > > unfortunately buying a new PC is out of the question at the moment, > financially. which is why I use an old junker for a media PC. > there aren't really any special devices hooked up to it. it's got a > video card, network card, and a USB infrared remote receiver. the > video card gets an s-video out, which is adapted to a composite, and > that hooks up to my tv. the audio is onboard, which also hooks up to > my tv. > > I think what I'll try is cleaning it first, and letting it run for a > while. watch it constantly, and see if it's still doing it. if not, > success. if it does, I may try unsoldering the bypass capacitor. > if it's a faulty bypass capacitor, should I replace this part, solder > a bridge between the two leads, or simply leave it empty? More likely your house doesn't have properly grounded outlets, not a problem with the PC. The case of a PC should be stone dead (no pun...) as far as shocks go. It's wired directly to the third prong on the power cord. If the outlet isn't grounded or you're using a 3 to 2 adapter and the Ground isn't connected, same thing. -- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/ Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/ +Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm | Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs.
From: Samuel M. Goldwasser on 9 Dec 2009 19:15 "William R. Walsh" <wm_walsh(a)hotmail.com> writes: > Hi! > > > so just to be clear, I -can- remove this, and it -should- work > > without replacing it? > > No, you'd better replace that capacitor. The designers of the board > put it there for a good reason. If you just remove it, you may find > out why when the board blows up or something on it fries. HaHaHaHaHa... :) I used to design high performance computers. Engineers often sprinkle bypass caps all over the place for insurance and there are always more than need be. The worst that will happen is that Windows might crash 1 time out of 10000 more often than it usually does. :) In any case, the board won't blow up or fry due to a missing bypass cap! Geez! ;-) -- sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/ Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/ +Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm | Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above is ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included in the subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs. > A new capacitor will be cheap. If you can find someone who is willing > to remove and replace the old one, or if you already know how, this > will not be an expensive fix.
From: Rheilly Phoull on 10 Dec 2009 06:18 "Samuel M. Goldwasser" <sam(a)repairfaq.org> wrote in message news:uy6lbwuob.fsf(a)repairfaq.org... > "William R. Walsh" <wm_walsh(a)hotmail.com> writes: > >> Hi! >> >> > so just to be clear, I -can- remove this, and it -should- work >> > without replacing it? >> >> No, you'd better replace that capacitor. The designers of the board >> put it there for a good reason. If you just remove it, you may find >> out why when the board blows up or something on it fries. > > HaHaHaHaHa... :) I used to design high performance computers. Engineers > often sprinkle bypass caps all over the place for insurance and there > are always more than need be. The worst that will happen is that Windows > might crash 1 time out of 10000 more often than it usually does. :) > > In any case, the board won't blow up or fry due to a missing bypass cap! > Geez! ;-) > > -- > sam | Sci.Electronics.Repair FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/ > Repair | Main Table of Contents: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/ > +Lasers | Sam's Laser FAQ: http://www.repairfaq.org/sam/lasersam.htm > | Mirror Sites: http://www.repairfaq.org/REPAIR/F_mirror.html > > Important: Anything sent to the email address in the message header above > is > ignored unless my full name AND either lasers or electronics is included > in the > subject line. Or, you can contact me via the Feedback Form in the FAQs. > >> A new capacitor will be cheap. If you can find someone who is willing >> to remove and replace the old one, or if you already know how, this >> will not be an expensive fix. > > Sams right, also no-one has mentioned to you, but DO NOT short out the connections where the cap was !! that would surely lead to pain :-) (You would be short circuiting the power supply) -- Regards .............. Rheilly P
From: William R. Walsh on 10 Dec 2009 10:35 Hi! > not even sure where I'd find something like that around > here. > maybe the source(which used to be radio shack) ? I don't know how similiar The Source is to RadioShack here in the US, but I know they were at least loosely related at one time. So they might have what you need. You can also steal capacitors from dead equipment. I have been known to harvest them from motherboards that were the victim of some catastrophic failure (other than the caps). If the equipment isn't terribly old and the capacitors look OK, they probably are. > I'm even installing windows 7 on it, for kicks. kind of push it > to its limits :p Been there, done that: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxf3PWwIqew Compaq Deskpro EN, 40GB hard disk, 512MB RAM It was entirely usable for a lot of basic computing needs. William
From: bz on 10 Dec 2009 13:33
"William R. Walsh" <wm_walsh(a)hotmail.com> wrote in news:8ce9ac01-0929-45b0- a33f-49b5aa3a999f(a)m16g2000yqc.googlegroups.com: >> and to my surprise there was a component on the >> motherboard that was glowing red hot. > > This cannot be good. Even if the board continued to work, I wouldn't > leave it running unattended for any reason. It could start a fire, > especially if the case is dusty. > I wonder if his 'red hot component' might be a surface mount LED? -- bz 73 de N5BZ k please pardon my infinite ignorance, the set-of-things-I-do-not-know is an infinite set. |