My computer restarts each time i turn my cathode light on/off in my computer

[bullion416]

I bought a blue cathode light for my computer, and it worked fine at the beginning. Ever since I put my window in my case and mounted the switch for the light, it restarts my machine when I turn it on or off. The switch is mounted in a how i drilled in a 5.25" bay in the fron of my computer. The only things I can think of is the light is causing some sort of a short in the power system of the computer or possiblely draining a lot of power when it is used, therefore causing a big dip in the power of the computer. Regardless, the light is from Http://www.bestbyte.net but the light itself had "PC Mods" printed on the box, so I think it is made by them. What could be wrong and what do you think I should do?

 

[Cyph3r]

<< What could be wrong and what do you think I should do? >>



Perhaps the fact that you are actually "mod"ing your computer???

Seriously, the only thing I can think about is that you have too much draw from this cathode light thing. Use an ohm meter and measure draw, too much draw would cause a short and restart of your PC. Alternatively don't do these things to your PC! Regards

 

[Mitzi]

What power supply have you got? When you turn on the light - perhaps it draws too much power from the PSU for a small amount of time and thus the machine reboots.

Just an idea...

 

[bullion416]

I have an Antec 300 Watt PSU

 

[Mitzi]

That PSU should easily be able to handle that kind of load. Are you sure you have wired the light/switch up correctly?

After rebooting, does the light stay on? Perhaps the light is faulty?

 

[Demon-Xanth]

It's probably an issue with the surge current being higher and faster than the PS can react to. Capacitors and inductors can induce high currents when power is first applied. You might try the following:

if the current is known, put a resistor in series that will drop less than 10% of the voltage

put some rechargable batteries on the 12V line w/ a diode to keep it from powering the rest of the computer.

putting a large (10,000uF) cap on the 12V line


Basically: reduce spiking.
It's not the load itself that is causing it to reset, it's the sudden change in load. I have a power supply (19" rack mount, variable 700W linear output 0-20V, 1-35A current limiting) that at one point had a 1 in 5 chance of resetting my computer and stereo when I switched it on. Never once tripped the breaker, but just added a large enough spike to cause problems.

 

[Jeff7]

Do NOT put rechargeable batteries on the line. Nicads can overheat, leak, or explode if charged too fast. They can usually be charged at maybe 1/4th the rate of discharge, which is in the milliamp range. The 12V line is in the amps range - that would destroy a rechargeable battery, even a newer NiMH battery.
Give the capacitor idea a try. I hooked a fan up to a dimmer switch, and it refused to spin at lower voltages. Added a 300uf AC capacitor to it. It will spin at almost any voltage now. Capacitors can do good things.

 

[Demon-Xanth]

I was thinking more along the lines of Lead Acid.

 

[Croton]

is any part of your switch or your cathode circuit thingy touching metal (like the case?)? is it insulated?

that's what caused my fanbus to reset my computer when i flipped a switch.

 

[Studdyman]

Cathode lights only draw about 4-5 watts. From what your saying "worked in the beginning, until I added the window" seems to point to a short of somesort. I would check your wire to make sure that you didn't put any type of small cut in the wire when feeding it in the hole you made. Also check to make sure your connectors to the switch are covered well and not touching. It can't even hurt to put some electrical tape over the wire wherever it it going through metal.

Lastly...PCMods has a small PCU for $14.99 right now, you can get that and run your cathode (and some fans if you want) off that, works great.

Hope that helps.

 

[MoFunk]

Mine was doing that. I had this plugged into the same line as my hard dirve and caused my system to reboot everytime. Moved it to another lead and all is fine.

 

[Jeff7]

Just wondering, the way a switch works. It isn't a smooth operation when it switches power. As the contacts get close to each other, there might be a sudden surge when they get close enough. That might be enough to disrupt the power system of the computer, causing it to shut down. The capacitor idea might do the trick, as it would effectively cushion the blow.

 

[Passions]

Make sure your wiring is sealed and not contacting anything.

 

[ashneel]

i know what you mean my dell 8100 demension restarts by it self i guess its thinking.

just happened to me a couple of times not a serious problem even though its powered through a Surge Protector.

nothing has failed yet but i have warranty a few more years.