electrical sparks

Discussion in 'Power Supplies and UPS's' started by forca1, Jul 17, 2006.

  1. forca1

    forca1 Geek Trainee

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    ok, so.. when i try to plug in an usb hub into my motherboard, i see
    electrical sparks, like the whole backpanel of my motherboard is electrified

    i'd like to know how to fix this, and is it in any way dangerous for the motherboard/pc components and the hub as well?

    mb is asus k8v-mx sound and video integrated
     
  2. izzy007

    izzy007 Big Geek

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    it is very dangerous, dont plug anything into the usb port until it has been sorted, to start off with , what power supply are u using, with specs of rails aswell plz
     
  3. forca1

    forca1 Geek Trainee

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    im not sure what you mean izzy but i got this info off the
    powersupply sticker..

    Frontier Tech Inc.

    MAX OUTPUT 400W


    input output
    115VAC +12V 18A MAX
    10A +5V 40A MAX

    60Hz
    230VAC +3.3V 28A MAX
    5A MAX -5V 0.5A MAX

    50Hz -12V 0.5A MAX

    +5V/SB 1.5A MAX

    whatever that means, as i said mb is asus k8v-mx sound and video integrated
    and cpu is sempron 2600+
     
  4. izzy007

    izzy007 Big Geek

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    wat is the name of ur psu, i e antec, tagan, some generic one i suppose
     
  5. Addis

    Addis The King

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    Sparks were coming from the USB port/connector?! Thats very strange, never heard of this happening, as its quite unusual for a 5v current to do that unless there's an electrical fault.
     
  6. izzy007

    izzy007 Big Geek

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    no fromt the back plate of the mobo
     
  7. forca1

    forca1 Geek Trainee

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    Frontier Tech Inc. is the manufacturer izzy007
    prolly chinese
     
  8. izzy007

    izzy007 Big Geek

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    never heard of it, what is ur comp specs and how many watts was ur psu.
    i reckon its ur psu.
    u shud get a descent one once and for all, which wil depend on ur system specs and if u want to upgrade in the future
     
  9. forca1

    forca1 Geek Trainee

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    sempron 2600+ on asus k8v-mx with 512mb DDR400
    400W MAX is the psu
    and 2 hdds, 80 and 120gb Maxtor
    1 dvd nec
    1 cdrw lg
    thats about it, sound and video integrated

    surely not a highend mashine, i use it mostly for emule, so
    the pc is on 24/7
     
  10. Matt555

    Matt555 iMod

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    It could be that something isn't grounded, I know with my PSU you have to connect a grounding wire to the case but with others the SU grounds itself when it's screwed in.

    I agree with Addis, it's very strange coming from a USB Connection as they do only use 5V. (And izzy there can be USB Connections on the back of the motherboard you know)

    What I'd do is try a multi-meter on various parts of the case to make sure the case isn't shorting something somewhere.
     
  11. forca1

    forca1 Geek Trainee

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    i dont have a multi-meter matt555 :(
    hmm an extra grounding wire?? never saw such thing

    what could be the thing that isnt grounded, i mean, only the psu is connected to a socket, beside the monitor and the speakers?

    my psu is connected to a surgearrest, and that into the wall socket
     
  12. Matt555

    Matt555 iMod

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    I was referring to a small cable that comes form the PSU (inside the case) and screws into an mpty screw hole to ground the PSU's, most PSU's have this built in so when the PSU is screwed in it is grounded but the manufacturers of my PSU must have been smoking some strange substances the day they designed my one as that cable isn't neccessary.
     
  13. Karanislove

    Karanislove It's D Grav80 Of Luv

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    Make sure that its a 3pin socket.
     
  14. forca1

    forca1 Geek Trainee

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    it is a 3pin socket/outlet

    i tried something new and i realize going over with an usb cable over the
    backplate of the pc case (not the backpanel of the mobo) also gives me sparks!!! kinda freaky
     
  15. izzy007

    izzy007 Big Geek

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    wen did i say there cant.
    this is wat i sed:
    'no front the back plate of the mobo'
     
  16. Karanislove

    Karanislove It's D Grav80 Of Luv

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    Can you confirm that no uncovered wire is touching your system.
    Open the case and see where is that spark happening. Maybe you will get a clue with the close watch. Also make sure that the motherboard should not touch the case because it will blow up eveything in your system.
     
  17. StimpE

    StimpE lol, Internet!

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    I've seen sparks off this sorta thing before. The customer brought it in complaining that they saw a spark and flames when they plugged in a usb mp3 player into it. Turns out it happened by someone incorrectly plugging in the USB leads to the mobo.
     
  18. Willz

    Willz MiCrO$oFt $uK$ :D

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    heh, maybe its just normal, when i rub the wire coming from the speakers on the back panel i get little sparks, even with some usb things.
     
  19. Big B

    Big B HWF Godfather

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    For clarification, is this on the I/O panel cluster or an expansion bracket with USB ports?
    If this is one time, I wouldn't be worried, as I've seen odd stuff like this happen. However, if this happens all the time, there's some sort of grounding issue here.
     
  20. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    Is the motherboard lifted off of the back panel by risers (e.g. aluminum "A" risers or copper female threaded nuts), or is it screwed straight on with nothing in-between?
     

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