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My PC is tripping my RCD


Lid

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Hi folks - I've just got back from two weeks in Cornwall, turned on the electrical socket for my PC and it immediately tripped my RCD in the home consumer unit. I have been able to isolate the fault to the PC itself, but not to what part inside. I've put an Ohmmeter across the mains lead terminals on the plug, but there does not appear to be any leakage their to earth. However when I switch on the mains socket to the PC, the RCD trips again.

 

How do I find out what is wrong please? Have I got to disconnect every device that draws power and then plug them back in one by one? I already tried disconnecting the MOBO from the PC internal power supply, but the RCD still tripped when I switched the mains back on.

 

Thanks in advance.

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Have you tried anything else in that socket? The fault may not be with your PC.

" My choices in life were either to be a piano player in a whore house or a politician. And to tell the truth, there's hardly any difference!" - Harry Truman, 33rd US President

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The socket appears fine and other devices work OK from the same one. When I switch power on for the PC, there is a noticeable click in the PC immediately and then the RCD trips.

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Hi Lid,

Do you have many things plugged into a power strip or just the PC? Have you opened the box to see what if any damage has been done inside? Since you have been gone, something may have gotten in and started chewing wires. I'd start there. One may have gone to ground.

 

I just recently had a 13A extension melt because I overloaded it. You couldn't tell by looking at it, but it tripped the main every time.

Jeff

 

Piscator non solum piscatur.

 

Yellow Prowler13

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if its definately the pc a new psu is urgently required ,i have seen them blow capacitors apart on the mobo and things connected to it when they throw a wobbly :o

we had never seen it before but a student brought a pc in to the workshop for us to have a look at the thing because the hard drive electronics had blown up ,we were there wondering if we were being conned for the insurance side when he sent it back when suddenly there was a loud crack and his soundcard lost bits of capacitors .

we didnt look further we just signed a letter ,he sent the whole thing back and a new one turned up.

 

check the fans in the psu though sticky ones can give strange symptoms before the psu goes into meltdown ,they can be re greased or just replaced they are usually of a standard size ,if its a laptop then failing batteries can also give strange symptoms when plugged in the mains

Edited by chesters1

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

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Thanks for the repiles folks. It's definitely the PSU. I disconnected it and removed it completely and you can see it sparking inside when mains power is supplied to it.

 

It's going to cost me a bit to replace as I have a quiet PC and the PSU is a silent Yesico fanless unit! However the time needed to redo all the wiring is really going to be the main investment!

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blimey it must be a laptop then?

if not why the strange wiring.

it could also be a dry joint ,if the psu comes apart so you can see the board look for solder joints (under a lens) with cracks or even rings around the leg of the component coming through the board especially in obviously hot parts of the psu (the board will be a slightly different colour where its got hot).

if you spot any remove the old solder, scrape around to clean up the components leg and resolder and it may cure it.

a warning though unplug the psu from the mains and leave it for a day! those capacitors can give a naughty jolt until they discharge ;)

Edited by chesters1

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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blimey what a clean pc ,so a standard psu wont fit then? it looks like a standard mobo and your not short of room

Believe NOTHING anyones says or writes unless you witness it yourself and even then your eyes can deceive you

None of this "the enemy of my enemy is my friend" crap it just means i have at least two enemies!

 

There is only one opinion i listen to ,its mine and its ALWAYS right even when its wrong

 

Its far easier to curse the darkness than light one candle

 

Mathew 4:19

Grangers law : anything i say will  turn out the opposite or not happen at all!

Life insurance? you wont enjoy a penny!

"To compel a man to furnish contributions of money for the propagation of opinions which he disbelieves and abhors, is sinful and tyrannical." Thomas Jefferson

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That picture was taken before I removed all the dust. You should see it now!

 

Yes a standard PSU will fit, but I had it made as a near silent PC, hence the fanless PSU. An electrician friend has looked at it and a diode and a resistor on the HV side are shorting with one hell of a flash! I think it broke because the person who built it stuffed all the spare PSU leads in front of the PSU case, right where the two failed components, blocking the airflow.

 

I've ordered one of these now.

Edited by Lid
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