Re: whodunnit: motherboard dead

From: w_tom (w_tom1_at_hotmail.com)
Date: 01/06/05 

Date: Thu, 06 Jan 2005 17:30:58 -0500

  The power disturbances include static electricity when you
assembled it weeks ago, transients that enter into mother
board from safety ground, and a power supply this is missing
essential safety functions (very common with power supplies
sold on price and without numerical specifications).

  Without specific facts, such as which component on
motherboard that is damaged, then no one can answer your
question.

  Power surges are rare events that occur typically once every
eight years. Four adjacent devices can all be confronted by
same transient. But if only one device provides both an
incoming and outgoing path for that transient, then only that
device destructively conducts the transient.

   Furthermore since so many don't even know if a power surge
existed, what is it, and how it damages electronics, then the
power surge is that classic salesman excuse. Did a power
surge ever occur? How would you know? How would the salesman
know? Power surges (like heat) are the poor excuse on which
blame is cast. After all, who is going to prove that
accusation wrong in a world where most don't have electrical
knowledge.

  Far more likely, especially this time of year, is damage
from static electricity.

  And then so many other usual suspects exist including other
defective components, motherboard conductive standoff breaking
through solder mask and now touching a printed circuit trace,
and infant mortality.

  Without facts, no one can answer your question. You have
not even taken voltage readings from the power supply - the
first fact one obtains.

hrdo@myrealbox.com wrote:
> Hey folks,
>
> My new motherboard died after only a couple of
> weeks on duty. The vendor says he owes me nothing,
> the motherborad was ok, it died of a power surge.
>
> Let's see:
>
> - the wall outlet for my PC is properly grounded
> - the monitor on the same outlet was not affected
> - a serial modem on the same outlet was not affected
> - the power supply unit in the PC was not affected
> - a SW receiver on the same outlet was not affected
>
> Is it still possible that some power disturbance killed
> the motherboard (and the motherboard only) and how?
>
> Thanks.
>
> john

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