Re: ASROCK Dual 939 smoking!

I've had a floppy drive actually destroy a mb because it was shorting within
it's own case. be considerate not to hook any peripherals up other than the
graphics card which you have reasonable expectations of being OK, and if the
floppy happens to be old try a new one instead.


--
Jan Alter
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DKarma wrote:

I bought this board w/ all other new components to build a new system.
I hooked everything up and a resistor or diode started smoking! The
board refuses to post after said smoking occurred.
This will be the third board of this brand in a row this has happened
to...exactly the same every time. I plug them in put components in and
they smoke...same place. I was using a stock power supply that came w/
the case that I bought new from this place so after the second burned
board I got a new PS and RMA'd the board (the old PS didn't have a -5
rail for some reason so I thought that was the problem. I put it
together again today w/ new PS (completely diff brand) and the damn
thing smoked again...dunno if it is the board but it isn't the PS thats
for sure. I have it plugged into a power strip that the old comp was
plugged into also.

Stock xion PS and case (MS)

Asrock...new after 2nd RMA
Aspire PHATTY new PS and Xion case again

While it's possible you didn't take adequate precautions against static
electricity or shorts between the motherboard and case, I believe your
problem has been those junk power supplies you've been using. Aspire
is low-end Topower, and Xion is Deer, which is always worse than the
worst Topower. When a supply can't put out enough power, its voltage
drops. The voltage regulator on the motherboard compensates by raising
its voltage, but if the voltage from the supply is too low, the
regulator can overcompensate enough to damage its components. This is
why supplies are supposed to include protection not only against over
voltage but also under voltage.

Stop playing around with junk power supplies and get something
substantial, such as a 450W or higher Fortron, PC Power & Cooling,
Antec, or Seasonic. -5V doesn't matter, but high amp capacity on the
+12V does. "Dual rail" +12V is not necessary

The next time you try out your setup, first do it with the motherboard
outside of the case, and don't install anything not absolutely
essential to verify basic operation. You need only the motherboard,
CPU, CPU cooler, 1 memory module, keyboard, video card, power supply,
on/off switch (or use a jumper to briefly short the 2 power-on pins
together on the motherboard), and reset switch. To test the CPU
better, also install a floppy drive so you can run MemTest86 from it.
Place the board over the *** of anti-static foam included with it,
and place all that on top of some books to give clearance for the rear
bracket of the video card. You may want to buy a cheap digital meter
to verify that all voltages are within 5% of ratings (3% is better).

what could I put under the board? is there a spray or something?

Nothing. The standoffs and any fiber (cardboard) washers provide all
the insulation needed to prevent shorts, but you must install a support
for each of the motherboard's holes, even where there's no matching
hole in the case. You can use standoffs there (metal or plastic; they
don't have to be attached to the case, only to the motherboard), or
attach press-on bumper feet to the case under those holes.

If you ever do need to insulate a board where clearance is tight, get
fish paper from an electronics supply. It's thin cardboard but tougher
and harder to pierce. Mylar *** will also work, but I'd be hesitant
about it since it can hold a much higher static charge.



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