psu paperclip test

bigtrak · 8 Mar 2018 at 16:46

As above people went to turn on my computer and for some reason it popped the fuse in the plug,
I had a check inside to see if a lead had came loose or anything else but everything seems fine.
I’ve now Swapped out the fuse and tried it again and this time it tripped my plug sockets in my house!
At this point I unplugged all the connectors in my pc and also checked the fuse again in the plug which this time hadn’t blown,
anyways now I tried the paper clip test on the psu and she’s not firing.
Does this mean she’s gone to computer heaven lol
Or is there anything else I could be missing ?

It’s a Corsair hx650

MrRockliffe · 8 Mar 2018 at 16:58

Would seem so to me - it sounds like something is shorting inside it. When you say "Popped the fuse" - do you mean there was an audible pop? As it may be a capacitor rather than the fuse, which would usually melt.

bigtrak · 8 Mar 2018 at 17:14

Popped the fuse in the plug (240v) that plugs into the mains.
And no, no noise smoke cracks pops or anything from the pc itself. Just the actual fuse that blew.

Tealc · 8 Mar 2018 at 17:49

If it is blowing fuses then the issue is likely in the mains voltage side of the PSU as most PSUs these days have over current protections on the low voltage side that would just switch the PSU off and not blow your electrics.

Could be the mains lead shorting across live and neutral. If not then maybe a transformer or capacitor in the PSU has emitted the magic smoke. The lead is easy to replace, the other bits n bobs, don't even try.

I had a mains lead once with too wide a brass contact for the pins on the PSU, maybe they'd worn over time. They arced and blew a fuse.

bigtrak · 8 Mar 2018 at 18:09

I did test the mains lead with a multi meter.
Must be one of the caps I’m guessing like you said,
Wonder what the chances of getting a replacement if the warranty seal ain’t broke ? Ain’t got the recipes thow.

Habakkuk · 8 Mar 2018 at 18:40

Without the receipts I'd recommend replacing it - any attempt at self-repair risks all the hardware it's plugged into.

P4Clock · 8 Mar 2018 at 18:45

Habakkuk said:
Without the receipts I'd recommend replacing it - any attempt at self-repair risks all the hardware it's plugged into.

This, 100% This.

bigtrak · 8 Mar 2018 at 19:07

Not gonna bother opening it up, can’t be bothered to be honest I’ve done all the checks I can from the outside,
Also Don’t want to risk sourcing a cheap Chinese component and it breaking on me again 2 weeks down the road lol.
Going to stick a ticket in to Corsair and see if they knock me back or not.
Can only try

WantoN · 9 Mar 2018 at 10:43

For the record I've repaired more dangerous things than a power supply, if you can source a good replacement part it can definitely be worth it.

Were I in your position I would also have attempted to RMA it though.

Habakkuk · 13 Mar 2018 at 07:18

I might do it myself, but I wouldn't recommend it to others - this kind of stupid thing falls under the "do as I say, not as I do" school of thought

bigtrak · 15 Mar 2018 at 13:32

Is the Corsair CS650m any good.

cbr · 15 Mar 2018 at 23:56

Funny this, few years ago I bought a Corsair tx650 that done the same thing, i changed the fuse, it worked for 2 weeks then went bang (loud) but was lucky it did'nt take anything with it.
Corsair RMA (pricey P&P, has this changed) any way they sent me a new one, i couldn't trust it so it sat in the box for about 2 years. I put it in a basic system 3 months ago for xmas.
And a week ago it blew the fuse in the plug, it's now in the bin.
Funny thing is I have a Corsair hx850 and it's been fine, if not for this, I would be really put off Corsair PSUs

fastboy · 18 Mar 2018 at 15:01

I had one of the cx500's I think it was and that thing let the magic smoke out after 2 weeks..bought an evga 550gs gold and run faultless last 2 years

mattyfez · 18 Mar 2018 at 18:23

Corsair don't manufacturer PSUs, that's an important thing to consider, they are just re branded.

Some are very well made, some are not.

Corsair just get a manufacturer to make a psu to thier preferable spec. Then they just put thier stickers on it.

The multitude of different models and naming conventions in thier current line up alludes to this.

Habakkuk · 19 Mar 2018 at 18:49

Corsair has several manufacturers for their PSUs - some use better quality components than others, mainly the capacitors.

It's hit and miss depending on the model number and year of manufacture - I still recommend them though, after a search for complaints about the specific model.