ATX Power Supply Died...Dirty Line Power?

[stevegt]

My ATX power supply seems to have died. I've had it for about three months. It seems to be outputting a lower voltage than it should (i.e. standby voltage is 1V, not 5V).

I have also noticed that the power in my apartment seems kind of variable. The lights dim and brighten on a regular basis. Could this possibly be the cause?

Anyone have any bright ideas what the problem might be, or how it can be repaired (if it can). Or, more importantly, how it can be avoided in the future. Is it just a bad supply, or might the line power have killed it? Should I invest in a UPS or line conditioner?

If anybody has any wisdom to share, I'd love to hear it.

 

[Liquid_Lenny]

Yes, it's easily possible that "dirty" line voltage can fry electronics S_L_OW_L_Y. Are you using a UPS? APC's UPS regulate (and clean up ) their output. This could give a double dosage of insurance:

1) The obvious benefit of a UPS in the event the power dies.

-and-

2) Line conditioning to prevent this sort of problem from "dirty" power.

 

[damien6]

For home use UPS might be an over kill depending on individuals' specfic needs but for those (especially) living in older apartment buildings w/older electrical wirings a "line conditioner" is a must. It could shorten the life span of : P/S, monitors, HDs and other various peripherals.

 

[Jhhnn]

Could be the line power, could be "infant mortality"- a small percentage of electronic devices fail early, those that survive 6 months will probably last for years. I personally wouldn't run a system without a backup power/line voltage conditioning device. For about $100, the surge protection is generally superior as well, and it is cheap insurance. Is your p/s under warranty? If so, take advantage of it, your problem is legitimate.

 

[Lalakai]

something else to consider: how many other demands are on the same line that you're using to power your system???? Each time one of those other demands (frig, toaster, air conditioner, etc.) kick on, they'll cause a power sag then spike (ain't good for the system). If at all possible try running an isolated line to your system. It's a pain in the a$$ but worth it.

unless you're getting sags and spikes that exceed 15-20% of normal your system should be able to handle it without a conditioner on the line (a voltage conditioner is usefull when you have to maintain an exact sine curve on your power supply but the only time I've ever needed one is when doing color developing and my light ouput MUST remain constant). A surge protector is good insurance.............get a decent one.

 

[Liquid_Lenny]

OK, I have to answer all this stuff:

damien6: Not true. I used to live in an older neighborhood houses all built in 1959. One, when a nieghbor three houses down from me, would kick on his 120 HP air compressor in his garage, my lights would blink. BLinking lights are a sign of power fluctations and sags. Two, When I bought an American Power Conversions Back-Up Pro UPS, the logging would indicate it switching to battery and back to AC power two to four timesevery morning between 5:30 am and 6:30 am. Eventually it killed the battery in the UPS and APC sent me a new battery for free. THeir techs indicated that that kind of switching kills mores sensative electronics like computers, and that the UPS protects it. Basically, you're sacrificing the battery instead of your powersupply, or worse, your CPU or motherboards. Three, when I was an Account Manager for W.W. Grainger, we sold a mess of UPS's and line conditioners , and virtually each and every customer who bought them for their networks reported a big drop in system crashes.

Moral of the story is I don't consider an $300 UPS to be over kill for any household PC user, and I speak from professional experience.

Jhhnn: I agree with you 100%. Furthermore, most houshold appliances factor in these voltage fluctuatoins in their design, and they have some electronic buffers built in to the motors, and some cicuitry to protect them. For some strange damn reason, PC's and home entertain equipement isn't on that list.

Lalakai: In theory, I agree with you too, but looking back on my experience in my older neighborhood, even if I had my PC on a dedicated line, it still wouldn't have helped (without the UPS/Line Conditioner) because of fluctuations in the main grid in my neighborhood. UPS/Line Conditioner is still the way to go.

For Pete's sake people, we're talking about another $300 to protection a system worth many times that amount. You can't go wrong with just about any of the UPS/Line Conditioner's out there, especially those that have a serial or USB connection to your box and software to monitor and shut down Windows in the event of a black out.