burned power supply

Hi all
my power supply was burned out 3 months ago, I bought a new one from iCute with 450Kw, 4 days ago I lost it (burned) then I bought a new one from Sonic Gear 300Kw pure supply up to maximum of 600Kw and few minutes ago it was burned (lasted for 3 days only) which made me so confused, What could be the problem? This is not a normal matter some thing is wrong.
What I noted that there was some electrical leakage at the PC box, and that is not new to my PC, always there is some power leak I did connect the PC box to the ground and there was no more power leak notable on the PC box.
Any Idea why I am loosing my power supply?? And what should I do?

My PC configuration is;
1. Asus motherboard
2. Asus graphic card
3. Creative sound card
4. Creative web cam
at the time the power supply was burned the printer, scanner speakers were not connected, My monitor is connected to the mains and not through the PC box (directly connected to the power outlet at the wall)
Regards

Do you know if the burn-out is always in the same part of the PSU, input or output?

If it is always the input side that fails, for example, the mains voltage could be going high in your area, or large motors or other powerful equipment switching on and off could cause voltage spikes. A line conditioner/UPS could be necessary to protect the PSU.

If it's the output side of the PSU that keeps failing, another component, probably on the motherboard, could be going short-circuit & damaging the PSU. For instance, if a motherboard securing screw has been over-tightened, there can be intermittent contact between a voltage supply line and ground in the layers of the board. Faults like this can be hard to find.

Sounds like bad power. Maybe reversed leads, overvoltage, no ground, ground w/voltage on it, a heavy-duty motor on the same circuit? Something's definitely wrong somewhere.

One of the first things I'd do is check the circuit, (or call an electrican). Next would be to install an APC UPS, maybe something like this one:

http://www.tigerdirect.com/applicati...Tab=0&NoMapp=0

What brand power supplies are you buying? Are they name brand or generic?

The 2nd one as I mentioned was branded iCute, the third was Sonic Gear
BTW how would I know if it is input or output? I noted that when the PSU fails and every thing stops and when I try to switch on there will be an indication that the cooler fan of the PSU is about to start (slight turn) then stops. And nothing on the MoBo is on

Check to see what is on the same line or fuse in the panel box.

Refrigerators, air conditioners and freezers on the same line as a computer can KILL a computer.
I have replaced ps and mobo because of the feed back from those items.

Fact is a big electric motor in the are you live can cause fatal problems for a computer.

SpywareDr gave a good suggestion. Get a electrican in and have him check things out

Quote:

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Originally Posted by ahmedalmatook

when I try to switch on there will be an indication that the cooler fan of the PSU is about to start (slight turn) then stops. And nothing on the MoBo is on

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Seems like the input side is still functioning, if a capacitor or the rectifier is damaged there will be a bang, or a fuse blow and then nothing at all will happen.

The fan flicking suggests the PSU is trying to start up from standby, and cannot get started. Without measuring voltages on the supply lines, hard to know what is happening.

It could still be damage caused by spikes on the mains, being able to use a UPS would be good to eliminate this as a cause. But it can also be just low quality generic PSUs - even though they are labelled 450W or 600W, sometimes they are just lower powered units inside. Some people have reported being able to peel the label off and find the 350W label underneath...

Ahmed, what's the voltage in Iraq, have you got the voltage switch in the correct position for your countries voltage??

A fair question Philgo, I believe Iraq has 230V, so wrong setting usually results in instant explosion... :)

This could be a poor or non-existant earth (ground) connection, a good earth is essential for computers. I would advise you to get the house electrics checked out, as a poor earth is dangerous, apart from anything else.

And if you have a dirty electrical supply in your part of the world, then a good UPS, as SpywareDr suggested, will clean it up. I like (and use) these ones:

www.apc.com

Dear All,
thank you for the input, I really appreciate it. to answer your questions i will start with the followings;
(Philgo) power supply at my area is 230V with 50Hz.
(Platypus) the PSU is not tempered with I bought it form a reputable outlet and it is under warranty for 1 year (lasted 48 hours).
(Platypus) I checked the fuse inside the PSU and in both PSU's the fuse was intact. main power supply circuit breaker did not trip neither the secondery circuit breaker did not trip as well.
(Train) my Refrigerator is on a separate circuit breaker, My air conditioners were off at the time of the blowout and I don't have a freezer.

I have 3 PC's running and non of the other two experienced this problem.

now none of you gentlemen touched on the issue of why do I feel some kind of electrocution on my fingers when I touch the screws of my PC box? I do believe that this might be the root of the problem[]What I noted that there was some electrical leakage at the PC box, and that is not new to my PC, always there is some power leak I did connect the PC box to the ground []
I will invest in a UPS either an APC or a Blackout buster but please assist me to get into the root of the problem (I am interested in finding the cause rather than a way around it) :)
regards and thanks again

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SuperSparks

This could be a poor or non-existant earth (ground) connection, a good earth is essential for computers. I would advise you to get the house electrics checked out, as a poor earth is dangerous, apart from anything else.

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You forgot me Ahmed!

If you're feeling a tingling when you touch the metallic parts of the cae, then you definitely have earthing problems. You must get your house wiring looked at by an electrician, it is very dangerous to leave it like that - there are electrical shock and fire hazards :eek:

Quote:

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Originally Posted by SuperSparks

You forgot me Ahmed!

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:o how can I forget you my Dear friend, but I need to find out about the earthing of my house before I can reply to your question :D

Also that lack of Earth can cause the voltage to get too high and that blows things.
Not a good situation health wise either.

I just came from the repair shop, things dose not seems to be good, the repair man changed the PSU and on his desk the PC started normally and after 3 minutes it shut down instantly (immediate off) now he is dismantling every thing and will reassemble the PC replacing all isolating parts (at the screws) also he mentioned to me that a faulty monitor can cause power to leak to the PC box, Is that possible??