Switched the voltage while computer was on....

needhelp123 · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:20

I can't believe I did something this stupid.

I have, or rather had, a working GX280. The fans were going crazy, which apparently is a common problem, and I just got fed up. So I clicked the switch which I thought was the on/off button.

There was a loud pop and I could see and smell smoke. After a quick look at the actual function of the switch, I see its the voltage selection switch.

http://support.dell.com/support/edocs/systems/opgx280/en/ug/sffabout.htm#1053816

So I basically altered something in the pc so it expected 110 volts and gave it 240 volts. -_-

Is there any way I can go about fixing this? Does the computer have a fuse to protect its internal components?

stulid · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:22

Oh dear.

This dont sound good at all, your first thing to do is replace the PSU and hope the other parts are ok, but with the existing PSU being a cheap jobbie it might not have any protection in it.

One thing you can try is putting the switch back to 240V and then doing the paper clip trick on the PSU main board connector,

http://www.google.co.uk/search?clie...rceid=opera&ie=utf-8&oe=utf-8&channel=suggest

needhelp123 · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:26

stulid said:
your first thing to do is replace the PSU

How much is a PSU and can you recommend one?

Phenomenologica · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:29

The shape of that power supply in the Dell diagrams doesn't look standard. Is it that elongated in real life? If so it may be a pain in the backside to replace. Also, what kind of PSU has a manual voltage switch these days?

needhelp123 · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:31

Phenomenologica said:
Is it that elongated in real life?

Here's some pictures I took of the inside before the accident:

Phenomenologica · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:33

Non-standard size. Might have to get on to dell about this one. Can you grab some dimensions?

needhelp123 · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:38

Phenomenologica said:
Can you grab some dimensions?

Not really. Well not right at this moment. Since it died, its kept deep in the storage room and would take about an hour just getting to it.

Do you think I would find information about the specific components of this Gx280 if I searched for them online?

stulid · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:40

I think there is a service tag on it that when entered at the dell website will tell you exactly whats in it.

needhelp123 · 19 Jun 2011 at 18:43

stulid said:
I think there is a service tag on it that when entered at the dell website will tell you exactly whats in it.

Thanks for that. Once I find out about the components, I'll post back here and then maybe someone can recommend me a new one.

darael · 19 Jun 2011 at 20:13

Can't link to Dell's shop, but you can find the PSU on their website.

http://support.dell.com/ › Parts & Upgrades › Optiplex > GX280 Mini-Tower > Power

paradisiac · 19 Jun 2011 at 20:15

can sometimes be cheaper/easier to just get a new case & psu rather than messing around with dells own unique design ideas.

needhelp123 · 19 Jun 2011 at 21:45

darael said:
Can't link to Dell's shop, but you can find the PSU on their website.

http://support.dell.com/ › Parts & Upgrades › Optiplex > GX280 Mini-Tower > Power

After having multiple looks on the link I couldn't find it until I realised you were talking about the US version of the site and it isn't available on the UK version.

Other site do sell the Gx280's PSU but for around £50. Out of my budget.

paradisiac said:
can sometimes be cheaper/easier to just get a new case & psu rather than messing around with dells own unique design ideas.

I actually have another dead computer which I could use parts from but I have no clue what is wrong with it one so don't know which parts actually work.

paradisiac · 19 Jun 2011 at 21:51

needhelp123 said:
I actually have another dead computer which I could use parts from but I have no clue what is wrong with it one so don't know which parts actually work.

in theory, the psu should have died before anything else, so it should be a case of move everything out of the dell and into the old pcs case with its psu. might need a bit of rewiring on the front panel block but thats pretty straight forward.

but for starters i would remove the psu from the old pc and fit it externally to the dell to make sure it loads up ok.

erazor51 · 19 Jun 2011 at 22:06

You can get a replacement part from ebay but i would test it with another PSU to see if other components are not damaged. If you have a spare or could get hold of one just connect the cables and run a test.