AAAH!!! I think I blew out a power supply! An Antec Truepower 430W power supply no less! *updated*

[Jeff7]

Installed hardware, turned on PC - it begins to POST, then comes a loud POP! I don't know where it came from; I notice that the bottom fan in the powersupply doesn't spin now. I'll open it up soon and check it out - it's an Antec Truepower 430W!
Hopefully this'll be under warranty if it is the PSU.

Ok, I guess I won't open it up - it's got one of those "warranty void if you use this power supply" stickers on it. Grr....guess I'll have to just connect the green to a black wire on the ATX connector and see if it goes that way.
I did a possibly stupid thing and turned on the system after whatever it was popped - besides the fans in the PSU not spinning, it seemed to work - all voltages were working, though the 3.3v line was down to 3.10. Did I overload the PSU??? It's a namebrand 430W power supply! But here's what I got in the system:
Tbred 1700
Epox 8RDA+
768MB PC3200
2x7200 rpm IDE drives
1x5400 rpm IDE
DVD writer
5.25" bay equalizer
ZIP drive
floppy drive
GF2 Ti 450
WinTV PVR-350 TV tuner
IDE RAID controller

Was that too much for it?


Slight update: Yup, blew out something in the power supply. I attached a few fans to it, turned it on - the external fans spun, but nothing inside the power supply budged.
Ooh, this is promising - I can hear something rattling around loose in the power supply. It'd be great if Antec (I assume I'll be dealing with them for the warranty) pays for postage - this sucker is heavy.

Update v1.2: Got an RMA number; simple process - gave them my name, address, and the PSU's model and serial number, and they gave me an RMA. He said it was likely a resistor blowing out; that's what had happened in the 300W L&C power supply that I blew out before - a few resistors fried and exploded. I pay shipping to them, they pay shipping back. (And I pay for the brief long distance call. I think I spent about 5 seconds on hold.)

Update 5-27: They received the power supply on May 16th. I just finally got a replacement today - UPS ground from CA to PA sure takes awhile; be nice if they could use something a wee bit faster. But anyway, I'll be able to install it in about a week, maybe more. The place that the PC normally occupies is taken up by someone else's PC, and it's there for awhile - I just discovered that backing up the Incredimail folder does NOT back up the stored messages. They are stored in Windows\Application Data\IM\Identities\(long string of numbers\Messages or something like that. That folder was wiped in the format. So I'm going to try out R-Studio right now, and if the demo thinks it can restore the files, I guess I'll burn the money I'm going to earn for doing this work, on the full version of it. (This is why I hate responsibility - I am great at screwing things up.) Ok, rant over.
Hopefully the new power supply won't nuke itself too. Antec never did send a message to me telling me what did go wrong - I asked them that in the problem description paper I sent along with the power supply.

Update 5-30: Ok, I think I'm ready to go now with installing the new PSU. I'm worried now - if I remember right, all I did before the PSU blew out was plug the PSU fan connector into the motherboard header, and plug an LED into the RAID card. I'm kind of worried about doing either now.

 

[jackschmittusa]

Sounds like you had a short at the beginning. You didin't loose a screw when you were putting it together did you?

 

[Jeff7]

No loose screws, or anything shorted. It posted just fine a few times before this too. Then I added the IDE RAID card, turned the system on, and POP. It seems like the fan circuitry for the PSU is the only thing affected. The motherboard and processor seemed fine too, as they still posted, even on a damaged power supply.
I just wonder if I overloaded the 3.3v line, since it was so low. Before the motherboard and RAM got upgraded, it had 512MB PC2100 and a Shuttle AK35GTR, and the 3.3v was already hovering around 3.18v. Maybe the new board and RAID card did it in?

Just checked Antec's website:
To return your product for service, package the product securely in its original packaging and ship it postpaid.
I guess that means they'll at least pay for return shipping. I'm past the 90 days; Antec says to send it back to the vendor within that time, and I bought it January 25th. At least I get warranty repairs I guess. And of course their warranty phone numer is long distance from Pennsylvania to California.

Sucks too - I got several 300W power supplies sitting here, but I can't use them - they probably would just overload and burst into flames if I got them near the computer.

 

[arcenite]

Everytime someone has problems with their antec, it just makes me worry. I thought they had overload protection?

Bill

 

[Jeff7]

Yeah; according to this, the 380W can put out 471W! (assuming that test is accurate)
I thought Antecs were supposed to be good power supplies too.

 

[Brian48]

It'd be great if Antec (I assume I'll be dealing with them for the warranty) pays for postage - this sucker is heavy.

Considering the retail cost of the PSU, the shipping costs to send it to them is relatively low. Had to RMA a pp352x myself last year. The RMA service is pretty good with Antec. Easy to deal with.

 

[Bonesdad]

same thing happened to my TruePower 330 a couple weeks ago...didnt lose anything else along the way thankfully. Had a new PSU in less than 10 days thanks to Antec. It is under warranty...call them and get the RMA # then ship it...as soon as they get it, they will ship a brand new one.

 

[jester700]

I lost a 380 a few months back. I was dorking around inside and I suspect I blew some dust in the PS where it shouldn't have been. As I didn't disconnect anything and my hands were nowhere near the box when it smoked, that's the only thing I can think of.

Under warranty, and newegg's RMA procedures are awesome.

 

[Jeff7]

So I wonder now, should I just sell the brand new one from RMA once I get it, and buy a more powerful model? Or should I just figure that this particular one was a bad power supply?

 

[PrinceXizor]

1. Antec is still good quality. The BEST product ANYWHERE will have a defect every once in awhile.
2. Overload protection DOES NOT PREVENT overloads. What it prevents is that overload current, spiking through the rest of your expensive computer equipment. As the poster said, all his stuff seems to work fine, i.e. the Overload protection circuitry did its job.

P-X

 

[Jeff7]

Ah, good. I had hoped that overload protection would do something better - like just shut down if it's overloaded. But I guess it is nice that when the power supply dies, it dies alone. Maaaan, I need a power supply now!

 

[0roo0roo]

i'm having difficulty understanding how people keep blowing up these mega power antecs. i use a antec 350watt non true power with a xp 2000+ 2 7200rpm hd, radeon 9500, butload of usb devices, tv card, 4 fans, dvd, burner, network card, soundcard, modem... and i ran that on a generic 250watt before

my other pc has basically the same hardware cept its 1.5ghz tually on a 230watt ps generic with 3 hd's and a pile of cards like thee other pc. its been going strong for over a year, the power supply is probably 2 years old.

from what i've seen, an antec 430truepower should be able to take an insane fully raid system with 10k rpm hd's with dual cpu's etc.

 

[jester700]

Well, I blew up an Enermax, too (I don't want to be unfair!) ;-)

Despite my experience, I'll continue to buy Antecs. They are still my choice - well made, quiet, and conservatively rated.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: 0roo0roo
i'm having difficulty understanding how people keep blowing up these mega power antecs. i use a antec 350watt non true power with a xp 2000+ 2 7200rpm hd, radeon 9500, butload of usb devices, tv card, 4 fans, dvd, burner, network card, soundcard, modem... and i ran that on a generic 250watt before

my other pc has basically the same hardware cept its 1.5ghz tually on a 230watt ps generic with 3 hd's and a pile of cards like thee other pc. its been going strong for over a year, the power supply is probably 2 years old.

from what i've seen, an antec 430truepower should be able to take an insane fully raid system with 10k rpm hd's with dual cpu's etc.

Don't understand how we do it? Here's how - plug it in and press the power button. That's what did it for me.

 

[PrinceXizor]

Actually, I'm guessing for yours Jeff, its just an internal short circuit due to an improperly connected fan relay. If the PSU had died, you'd get no power at all and it would continue to pop and hiss if it DID take power. I doubt your system draws enough power to overload a 430W TruPower.

P-X

 

[Pariah]

Here's an idea from way out in left field. Maybe the PSU was just faulty. It happens, even to the best companies. Your system is no where near pushing the limits of a TruPower 430. You likely just got a lemon.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: Pariah
Here's an idea from way out in left field. Maybe the PSU was just faulty. It happens, even to the best companies. Your system is no where near pushing the limits of a TruPower 430. You likely just got a lemon.

Yeah, though I just wonder with stuff like that why it takes 4 months for it to fail.

Actually, I'm guessing for yours Jeff, its just an internal short circuit due to an improperly connected fan relay. If the PSU had died, you'd get no power at all and it would continue to pop and hiss if it DID take power. I doubt your system draws enough power to overload a 430W TruPower

The only fan thing I had connected was the RPM header coming from the power supply - it was connected to the PSU fan header on the motherboard right next to the CPU Fan header. The reported rpm was about 1500rpms, and the POST screen had it shaded red. I guess it was too slow for the motherboard's liking. But would that somehow have caused the power supply to die like that? I had the fan header connected to the motherboard on the AK35GTR. And it wasn't on backwards - I've been working on PC's long enough to know which is the right way to plug a fan connector into the header.

I wonder what actually would happen if I tried hooking a Deer 300W PSU to this thing? If something like that overloads, does it traditionally kill the entire system as well?

 

[b4417]

Maybe that 430 isn't *really* 430. Check this out:

http://www.pcpowerandcooling.com/pdf/insidestory.pdf

Maybe all just marketing fluff, but I've been using the PC Power and Cooling supplies for years, and have yet to have a problem. I bought an Antec True 550, and returned it - smelled like something was burning inside it every time I cranked up the computer -- I mean, nasty, burning electrical part type smell. Seemed to work OK, but I couldn't deal with the smell (and the constant fear that something was about to blow). Replaced it with a PC Power 510 unit, and everything is fine. Just a personal opinion....

Bill

 

[mechBgon]

Jeff7, I see you have the 8RDA+. You didn't plug USB wiring into Pin #10 on the USB3 header by any chance, did you? Yeah, that stuff is not going to stress a TruePower 430 from a power-draw standpoint. Antec should take care of you.

 

[Jeff7]

Yeah, I've seen PC Power and Cooling's explanations of why their power supplies are so wonderful. But that review at Tom's Hardware guide seemed to indicate that Antec's are quite good too; the one they reviewed performed well over its rated output. Plus, I'm the kind of person who buys Geil RAM, not Corsair - some stuff is just a bit too rich for my tastes I guess. Antec always seemed to get good reviews from people here. Heck, maybe I'll just go with "TTGI" - that's the brand of the power supply in my main system - it's rated 420W and it seems to put out more stable voltages than the Antec did.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Jeff7, I see you have the 8RDA+. You didn't plug USB wiring into Pin #10 on the USB3 header by any chance, did you? Yeah, that stuff is not going to stress a TruePower 430 from a power-draw standpoint. Antec should take care of you.

I don't think I did; I used the USB header that they provided. I just plugged the header into the motherboard - there's no USB devices on the system yet though.
I just checked the connector again - pin 9 is gone completely, and there's an accompanying filled in hole in the connector. And there's no wire going to the pin 10 position.

 

[PrinceXizor]

I meant the interanal relays for the PSU fan inside the PSU, since that is what you are saying is not moving (yet the PSU still supplies power). By the way, are you reading your voltages off of the mb or physically reading the rails with a multimeter. Mb readings can be flaky sometimes. Sounds like you just blew the fan in your PSU (not the PSU itself).

P-X

 

[mechBgon]

Originally posted by: Jeff7

Originally posted by: mechBgon
Jeff7, I see you have the 8RDA+. You didn't plug USB wiring into Pin #10 on the USB3 header by any chance, did you? Yeah, that stuff is not going to stress a TruePower 430 from a power-draw standpoint. Antec should take care of you.

I don't think I did; I used the USB header that they provided. I just plugged the header into the motherboard - there's no USB devices on the system yet though.
I just checked the connector again - pin 9 is gone completely, and there's an accompanying filled in hole in the connector. And there's no wire going to the pin 10 position.

Ok, cool Sorry to see you had trouble, my TruePowers at work have been good to me.

 

[Jeff7]

Originally posted by: PrinceXizor
I meant the interanal relays for the PSU fan inside the PSU, since that is what you are saying is not moving (yet the PSU still supplies power). By the way, are you reading your voltages off of the mb or physically reading the rails with a multimeter. Mb readings can be flaky sometimes. Sounds like you just blew the fan in your PSU (not the PSU itself).

P-X

Ok; the readings I'm getting are from the BIOS.
Also, BOTH fans in the thing are not moving - that entire circuit is dead, not just one fan.

Just found the Spec Sheet on the power supply. Looks like it should just shut itself down if it overloads, if I'm reading that right. I'm leaning toward saying "lemon" here and hoping it doesn't happen again.

 

[Blastman]

Originally posted by: Pariah
Here's an idea from way out in left field. Maybe the PSU was just faulty. It happens, even to the best companies. Your system is no where near pushing the limits of a TruPower 430. You likely just got a lemon.

I agree with this assessment.

ADD: I think even a good 350watt psu would power that system no problem.