Arkan Posted April 5, 2008 Posted April 5, 2008 Well shoot... I think my PSU fan is giving up the ghost. I was watching a movie and suddenly I hear this noise like a rattle almost, Not sure else how to describe it, coming from the power supply. I power down and it goes away, (of course) and when I turn it back on, it's gone for a few minutes, but ultimately comes back even if I'm not doing anything with the PC. Is this a sign of a bad PSU, PSU fan, or something else that would be easily remedied? I'm guessing is a ball bearing gone wrong. I don't want to have to peal off some more cabbage just to fix the computer, especially after I FINALLY got it set up the way I wanted.... "Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." - Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials "I have also been slowly coming to the realisation that knowledge and happiness are not necessarily coincident, and quite often mutually exclusive" - meta
Moatilliatta Posted April 6, 2008 Posted April 6, 2008 Found this on wikipedia: Noisy fan Main article: Quiet PC Most desktop computer power supplies are equipped with a cooling fan, which helps to keep internal components cool and operating more efficiently. Abnormal fan noise is generally caused by dust, a lack of internal lubrication or a failing motor. Dust may be removed by carefully blowing air through the supply with an air pump or gas duster. While it's relatively easy and inexpensive to lubricate/replace a fan, opening a power supply can be dangerous and usually voids the warranty, so it's best left to a professional. Couldn't hurt to try. But most of the time stuff with dangerous components are usually best to take to your nearby professional.
tarna Posted April 6, 2008 Posted April 6, 2008 Dude, don't open the PSU It's already f****d up! What's the worst that could happen? He has to buy a new PSU?! Arkan...stay out of anything that does not relate to the fan circuit and you should be fine. Blow some 'dust-out' through the fan bearing mounts and possibly spray them with WD40. You can do this without opening the unit. The bearings should be sealed so if blowing them out does not clear up the noise them the WD40 probably will not either. Even if it does, it will be temporary so plan on replacing the PSU. If you do use WD40 or any other oil, use the tube so as not to allow the oil to enter any of the circuitry. It's low voltage so the oil will probably not be conductive but why take the chance. Do not use anything lighter than '3 in 1' oil as you start getting into the 'solvent' range of volitales and could 'melt' the fan blade hub or bearing covers. opening a power supply can be dangerous and usually voids the warranty, so it's best left to a professional. It's 120 volts. Yes it can kill you if you are careless. I know that you know to keep your mitts out of a live circuit. Don't tinker with it live. You're not stupid so I don't expect you to have any issues with this. Simply determine if it is the fan bearing or not. If the bearing noise stops after clearing the bearing of debris, cool. If it doesn't, plan on buying a new power supply. Ruminations... When a man has no Future, the Present passes too quickly to be assimilated and only the static Past has value.
Tigranes Posted April 6, 2008 Posted April 6, 2008 Well, if you don't know anything about a PSU and open it up and look around, you're going to die... but [see tarna]. First step is clean the fan through Tarna's method; second is to get a new fan, I had to do this a few months ago and it's not too expensive. Let's Play: Icewind Dale Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Icewind Dale II Ironman (Complete) Let's Play: Divinity II (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG1 (Complete) Let's Play: Baldur's Gate Trilogy Ironman - BG2 (In Progress)
Arkan Posted April 6, 2008 Author Posted April 6, 2008 Thanks guys. I hadn't actually planned on opening it up or anything like that. Suggestions like using the air duster was more along the lines of what I was thinking, and I happen to have a can of that stuff, so I'll give that a try. "Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." - Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials "I have also been slowly coming to the realisation that knowledge and happiness are not necessarily coincident, and quite often mutually exclusive" - meta
taks Posted April 8, 2008 Posted April 8, 2008 well... if you unplug the supply and let it sit for a day or two, and short the input pins on the plug, there's probably no hazard. the problem with opening any supply is that they have large capacitors and inductors. these are storage elements. capacitors store charge and inductors store current. the capacitors are actually more dangerous because they hold charge for quite a while, particularly if they are large (inductors are DC shorts so they dissipate much quicker). same problem with a tube tv, worse actually, as they have very large capacitors designed to hold very large charges for the electron gun. either way, it always pays to be careful. poke around with a non-metallic stick of some sort, and never touch anything with your fingers, particularly something you are unsure of. taks comrade taks... just because.
Arkan Posted April 8, 2008 Author Posted April 8, 2008 I'll probably just have to get a new PSU. It's quiet for a while, then it starts up again. Not sure what else to do but plunk down the dough. Ah, well... "Of course the people don't want war. But after all, it's the leaders of the country who determine the policy, and it's always a simple matter to drag the people along whether it's a democracy, a fascist dictatorship, or a parliament, or a communist dictatorship. Voice or no voice, the people can always be brought to the bidding of the leaders. That is easy. All you have to do is tell them they are being attacked, and denounce the pacifists for lack of patriotism, and exposing the country to greater danger." - Herman Goering at the Nuremberg trials "I have also been slowly coming to the realisation that knowledge and happiness are not necessarily coincident, and quite often mutually exclusive" - meta
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