Watched motherboard smoke, sigh...

  • Thread starter Thread starter bigbinc
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bigbinc

I heard a little noise in my computer case(little meaning, I have good
hearing and I am probably the only person on earth who could hear it).
Anyway, I heard this noise, not really a noise, but something like
the cpu fan sounds different noise. Like it is rotating slower than
normal. I open the case and kind of tip it over, a little jostling.
Unopen the case on its side, turn the power on, and watch as my
motherboard starts to smoke, thinking to myself, this cant be good.
In any case, a circuit on my board just started smoking and the board
is fried. I turned off the computer fast enough(I think to save other
components) but the board is gone? The question, it is a custom built
PC(basically I just through together some parts in 10-15 minutes).
Are any components fried, it doesnt look it? Power Supply? Memory?
The circuit fried next to some capacitors next to the memory. What
can I do to prevent this in the future. I think the jostling may have
knocked a circuit loose? I think my power switch(button) is
reversed(this wouldnt cause my MB to fry?) Actually I have dropped
computers down stairs and they work fine afterwords, why this one?
hmm...My apartment is kind of warm, problems there?

And then again, maybe this board...Asus a7s333
 
I heard a little noise in my computer case(little meaning, I have good
hearing and I am probably the only person on earth who could hear it).
Anyway, I heard this noise, not really a noise, but something like
the cpu fan sounds different noise. Like it is rotating slower than
normal. I open the case and kind of tip it over, a little jostling.
Click to expand...

That's not a very nice thing to do to a computer.
Unopen the case on its side, turn the power on, and watch as my
motherboard starts to smoke, thinking to myself, this cant be good.
In any case, a circuit on my board just started smoking and the board
is fried.
Click to expand...

I'm going to quote you on this in a moment.

I turned off the computer fast enough(I think to save other
components) but the board is gone?
Click to expand...

"the board is fried"

You let the magic smoke out.

The question, it is a custom built
PC(basically I just through together some parts in 10-15 minutes).
Are any components fried, it doesnt look it? Power Supply? Memory?
The circuit fried next to some capacitors next to the memory.
Click to expand...

I could speculate that it's only the board, and could easily be wrong.
It depends on exactly what happened, and further description may not
help, but you're wecome to try... EXACTLY what components, traces,
were affected?

What
can I do to prevent this in the future. I think the jostling may have
knocked a circuit loose?
Click to expand...

That doesn't sound likely, more likely there was a loose wire or the
board was shorting out on the backside, though we don't know just how
hard you "jostled" it.

I think my power switch(button) is
reversed(this wouldnt cause my MB to fry?)
Click to expand...

No, the power button can be connected either way with no problem. If
you had a highly integrated OEM front-panel with all kinds of other
stuff integrated into it, that might make a difference, but a simple
2-pin power switch can always be connected either way, safely.
Actually I have dropped
computers down stairs and they work fine afterwords, why this one?
hmm...My apartment is kind of warm, problems there?

And then again, maybe this board...Asus a7s333
Click to expand...

Oddly enough, I have one of those boards sitting about 14 inches away
from me at this moment... looks quite standard and uninteresting so
far as motherboards go. There's nothing I see near the memory that
would be an issue, though it has two fan headers only 1 cm away from
mounting studs... is it possible your case has a stud in the wrong
location? Perhaps a different stud, one under and to the left of the
2nd PCI slot?

The board also "hangs over" the rightmost column of studs by a lot, if
it somehow flexed a LOT it might make contact with something on the
right side? I generally use either press-in nylon standoffs or a
rubber bumper under the board when it hangs over the studs by that
much.
 
Once you let the smoke out, they don't work any more. Just a joke.
Maybe something shorted under the board. Not enough clearance from the
case, or a loose washer or something sorted the back of the board.
 
kony said:
That's not a very nice thing to do to a computer.


I'm going to quote you on this in a moment.



"the board is fried"

You let the magic smoke out.



I could speculate that it's only the board, and could easily be wrong.
It depends on exactly what happened, and further description may not
help, but you're wecome to try... EXACTLY what components, traces,
were affected?



That doesn't sound likely, more likely there was a loose wire or the
board was shorting out on the backside, though we don't know just how
hard you "jostled" it.



No, the power button can be connected either way with no problem. If
you had a highly integrated OEM front-panel with all kinds of other
stuff integrated into it, that might make a difference, but a simple
2-pin power switch can always be connected either way, safely.


Oddly enough, I have one of those boards sitting about 14 inches away
from me at this moment... looks quite standard and uninteresting so
far as motherboards go. There's nothing I see near the memory that
would be an issue, though it has two fan headers only 1 cm away from
mounting studs... is it possible your case has a stud in the wrong
location? Perhaps a different stud, one under and to the left of the
2nd PCI slot?

The board also "hangs over" the rightmost column of studs by a lot, if
it somehow flexed a LOT it might make contact with something on the
right side? I generally use either press-in nylon standoffs or a
rubber bumper under the board when it hangs over the studs by that
much.
Click to expand...

I never really did secure the motherboard(didnt use every single
stud). Maybe I bent the metal motherboared holder and flexed it and
metal may have touched some component on the motherboard. Cause a MB
to fry? I guess that makes sense, I did this 5 or 6 years ago. Well
they should build the studs so they are farther away from the board
and the holder.

I can tell you exactly what shorted. There are 4-5 capacitors next to
the memory holder(the 1st memory holder). That circuit right next to
a capacitor is black and blue, lit on fire. I can see the number of
course.
 
I heard a little noise in my computer case(little meaning, I have good
hearing and I am probably the only person on earth who could hear it).
Anyway, I heard this noise, not really a noise, but something like
the cpu fan sounds different noise. Like it is rotating slower than
normal. I open the case and kind of tip it over, a little jostling.
Unopen the case on its side, turn the power on, and watch as my
motherboard starts to smoke, thinking to myself, this cant be good.
In any case, a circuit on my board just started smoking and the board
is fried. I turned off the computer fast enough(I think to save other
components) but the board is gone? The question, it is a custom built
PC(basically I just through together some parts in 10-15 minutes).
Are any components fried, it doesnt look it? Power Supply? Memory?
The circuit fried next to some capacitors next to the memory. What
can I do to prevent this in the future. I think the jostling may have
knocked a circuit loose? I think my power switch(button) is
reversed(this wouldnt cause my MB to fry?) Actually I have dropped
computers down stairs and they work fine afterwords, why this one?
hmm...My apartment is kind of warm, problems there?

And then again, maybe this board...Asus a7s333
Click to expand...


I kid you not, I walked into work today and start my other machine and
now my hard-drive fried. I must be walking around with static-cling
or something. Word to the wise, take care when putting your machines
together. My own vice, I am lazy about putting stuff together. I am
sure I left the hard-drive hanging with a couple of bolts, but then
again it is a 6 year old drive, shrug.
 
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