Loud pop followed by burning smell

[sandman556]

When I went to turn on my PC today, it made a loud popping sound like a small firecracker and smelled burnt for a while. Has anyone had this problem and do you think it's my PSU?
The PSU is an antec 380w that came with my sonata case.

Thanks.

 

[Bryan]

Something went bye bye in there. What are the other symptoms?

I know this sounds odd, but sniff everywhere that there is a connection from the power supply to a component (drives, mobo, etc) at the part where the molex plugs in. The smell left behind will tell you what's dead, and will be isolated to that component usually. If you can't isolate the smell to a particular component, sniff the power supply.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

The POS Antec PSU has popped a cap in the comp's a$$. :laugh:

Google Fuhjyyu capacitors. Search http://www.badcaps.net/ > Forums for Antec.

If you are lucky no hardware will have been damaged because 5V spikes can/will kill HDDs.

Oh! Read http://www.badcaps.net/faq/ then read http://www.badcaps.net/Ident/
Look the motherboard over real good after reading the second link.

http://www.ewiz.com/ has the very well reviewed Enhance ENP-5140GH(400W) for a good price.
Google for reviews or look through the reviews at http://www.jonnyguru.com/ > Reviews.

 

[PurdueRy]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
The POS Antec PSU has popped a cap in the comp's a$$. :laugh:

 

[traderonline]

most probably the first thing to get fried is your PSU.

 

[Lemon law]

To sandman556,

You have not answered the big question--does your PC turn on and function normally---or is it dead?

But if it still works I would download and install a benchmarking program---something free like everest 2.2 springs to mind---it should output power supply voltages---what it should be and what is actually on the various rails---if your power supply is going---it should show it---and if you have a no boot---you should buy or borrow and learn to use a cheap VOM---and start checking whats output.

But as Bryan says---it could be another component other than the power supply---so look for or smell burnt component---and if the computer partially boots but stops in the middle---you could try step by step boot in safe mode to get other clues.

 

[Oyeve]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
The POS Antec PSU has popped a cap in the comp's a$$. :laugh:

.

Thanks for the laugh! I needed it! :laugh:

 

[sandman556]

The PC won't turn on in the first place. First I tunred on the surge protector and then powered on the PC and it began to boot up when a loud pop combined with a flash came from the box. It immediately turns off when this happens.

I only tried it once more as I was afraid of damaging other components.
At the time of the loud noise there was a smell like that of burnt hair, but now that I went back and sniffed out the PSU and mobo and all that, I can't smell anything.

 

[Modular]

Originally posted by: Bryan
sniff everywhere that there is a connection from the power supply to a component (drives, mobo, etc) at the part where the molex plugs in. The smell left behind will tell you what's dead, and will be isolated to that component usually.

The smell will also be directly linked to the alzheimers you experience in your later years.

Do a visual inspection. Smelling burnt electronics is a big no no.

 

[bfonnes]

TOASTY!!!!!!!

sorry, couldn't resist

 

[yh125d]

Blasted cap it sounds like. Open up your PSU and look for it. If everything looks alright, check the caps near the CPU socket and elsewhere on the Mobo

 

[Nocturnal]

Originally posted by: yh125d
Blasted cap it sounds like. Open up your PSU and look for it. If everything looks alright, check the caps near the CPU socket and elsewhere on the Mobo

You need to be careful and warn this guy that he can hurt himself if he just opens the PSU up and touches around in there looking for popped capacitors. Sure you can visually inspect it but also warn the guy at least stating that there is a chance you can hurt yourself pretty bad.

 

[NikolaeVarius]

I think that is the worst sound and smell you could ever hear from a PC. Whirring I'm fine, a bit of clicking worrisome.

But when something Pops and a burning smell comes out, THAT's scary.

 

[Frintin]

Digging around in a power supplies innards can be dangerous. We are talking some serious electrical juju. Your power supply most likely had a capacitor explode and thusly is no longer able to meet your power supply needs.

 

[sandman556]

Don't worry guys...I'm not gonna open up the PSU as Im too scared to mess around with it.

I did switch the PSU with a new one though, and had another question. Once I put in the new unit and connected it, nothing happened when I turned it on. There are a couple of LED lights that are on the mobo itself that light up but other than that no activity, no fans or anything.

 

[w00t]

Pwned

Hopefully it didn't ruin any of your components time to get a new psu or RMA that one

 

[Frintin]

Motherboard LED's lighting up means power is getting to the motherboard but not being used correctly after that. I would try a bios reset (usually just requires removing and reapplying a jumper) and a restart.

Always a chance that motherboard has fried parts too.

 

[sandman556]

Thanks frintin...btw people keep telling me to inspect the mobo for signs that it was damaged. What should I be looking for? I don't see any char marks or anything.

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

Read the links I left for you up above. Do more homework and you will need less hand holding.

 

[sandman556]

Yankee: I had already checked out those links but Im not finding any capacitors that look like the ones they have there. On closer inspection, there is one cap that is not perfectly 90 degrees and is slightly tilted. Could something this small indicate a bad cap?

 

[Operandi]

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
The POS Antec PSU has popped a cap in the comp's a$$. :laugh:

And yet people still stand by Antec, amazing...

 

[herbiehancock]

Originally posted by: sandman556
Yankee: I had already checked out those links but Im not finding any capacitors that look like the ones they have there. On closer inspection, there is one cap that is not perfectly 90 degrees and is slightly tilted. Could something this small indicate a bad cap?

No, he's talking about the tops bulging up or out or leaking. Look around badcaps, the link he had above, and LOOK at the pictures of bad capacitors, then look around your motherboard at your capacitors for any that look the same. It sounds like when the POS Antec blew up, it may have damaged some of the capacitors on your motherboard. Good light, like a flashlight, will help in your examination, as will unplugging the power supply from the wall before you go inside your case.

 

[herbiehancock]

Originally posted by: Operandi

Originally posted by: GalvanizedYankee
The POS Antec PSU has popped a cap in the comp's a$$. :laugh:

And yet people still stand by Antec, amazing...

Hey, I've got two Antecs I stand by every day....one is a door stop for my computer junk room and one has turned into a cat toy....our new kittens love the mesh on the main power cable and all the other unsleeved cables.....they just love playing with them and "killing" them....over and over and over........

 

[GalvanizedYankee]

With a known good PSU, try getting the motherboard to POST with just one stick of RAM and the CPU installed. If it does not POST, RMA the board. If it POSTs, add the graphics card and the HDD. Like I said above, 5V spikes can/will kill HDDs. So you may need to load the OS onto a new or known good HDD.

You might want to read this http://www.mechbgon.com/build/benchtest.html

Just wait until the real Summer heat hits us. We will be seeing all kinds of TP & SP failures. So do not feel alone OP.

 

[yh125d]

Originally posted by: Nocturnal

Originally posted by: yh125d
Blasted cap it sounds like. Open up your PSU and look for it. If everything looks alright, check the caps near the CPU socket and elsewhere on the Mobo

You need to be careful and warn this guy that he can hurt himself if he just opens the PSU up and touches around in there looking for popped capacitors. Sure you can visually inspect it but also warn the guy at least stating that there is a chance you can hurt yourself pretty bad.

It's completely unnecessary to touch anything but the outer case. You'll know a burst cap when you see it. There will be a coating of grey-silvery stuff all around. And there aren't any caps anywhere in a computer to give anyone more than a slight shock, that is if they can feel it at all.