# IT DIED!!!!!!!!!!! (involves fire and the smell of ozone!)



## Kris W. (Dec 9, 2006)

This morning I turned on my (3 year old) alienware computer. *THE POWER SUPPLY* CAUGHT ON FIRE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Every thing is fried on it now, down to the memory! (I tested it) What did I do????????? Last year I replaced the dvd drive because it quit working. That is the ONLY thing I have done to the thing! Every month I clean it out with compressed air. I am on my laptop for now........ :Bawling: :Bawling: :Bawling: :Bawling: :Bawling: :Bawling:


----------



## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

How many watts was the power supply? I would surmise a DVD player consumes more than say a cd player and maybe that is what put your computer over the edge? My power supply is 400 watts and I worry that it may go at any time, especially with an Athlon XP processor. Vendors are known for using power supplies that just meet the requirements of the components they install. Expansion is not their consideration.
Maybe after three years, planned obsolesence kicked in.


----------



## Kung (Jan 19, 2004)

IMHO, the power supply was faulty. I have *NEVER* seen a power supply blow because a DVD drive was replaced.


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

Blam it on the power supply......  
Time for a new computer!


----------



## Teresa S. (Mar 2, 2006)

Alien ware's website says that computer has a 650 watt power supply.


----------



## jross (Sep 3, 2006)

Kung said:


> IMHO, the power supply was faulty. I have *NEVER* seen a power supply blow because a DVD drive was replaced.



I haven't heard of a DVD smoking a power supply either. However, after witnessing more than one ac transformer burning up quite spectacularly, it only takes an amp or two to reach breakdown current. Since a power supply has many taps for the various voltages required, only one tap has to exceed breakdown current/voltage and overheat. Also no load excitation has caused failure of ac transformers where no current flow causes circulating currents in the iron core and overheating. Big power transformers or little computer transformers, the principle is still the same. I think most likely the culprit is breakdown of the insulation due to age and heat.


----------



## Kris W. (Dec 9, 2006)

it is 650 watt power supply


----------



## Nevada (Sep 9, 2004)

Kris W. said:


> it is 650 watt power supply


650 watts? I'm satisfied with my 430 watt power supply.

Actually, I dropped into this thread because the title was irritating the chemical engineer in me. The fact is, ozone is an odorless gas. We associate certain odors with ozone because we smell them after a violent electrical event, but those odors are incidental to ozone itself. When air is cleaned through the commercial production of ozone, or by natural ozone production such as by a waterfall, we also say we smell ozone.

In your case, the odor you noticed was probably burned insulation, paint, and maybe even a little dust bunny material. People also associate a "clean" odor with ozone, since ozone degradation will result in the oxidation of airborne pollutants in the vicinity of ozone. In other words, some people associate the absence of odor as an ozone odor, since it was ozone that cleaned the air.

It may seem like a fine point to many, but it's as noticible to me as hearing "ain't" is to an English teacher.


----------

