«

My saga with my client's MicroATX with the defective Power Supply
continues...

I purchased a new PS and installed it. As everything seems okay, I'm
now turning to my client's other complaint, which she described as a
"Smell like burning oil" when the system is running. Sure enough, after
I let the system run for a while, I detected the aroma such as you smell
at the service station when some gas has spilt onto the ground. I'm
really stumped by this and was wondering if anyone here had any idea
what in the computer might produce such a smell and whether it should be
a matter of concern.

Here are the details on my client's system: It is a MicroATX that was
built for her about four years ago by her son. The CPU is a Duron
800Mhz, 256M RAM, and an ECS EliteSystems Mobo (full specs uncertain as
she has no documentation for the mobo, or indeed for any system
components). The Power Supply is 200W, the highest I could find. The
chassis is unlike what I've encountered before. She is my only client
with a MicroATX system, and it is unlike the kind of "Cube Case" I've
see in bare-bones MicroATX systems in stores, but shaped like a mini-
tower lying on its side. I will say that things are very cramped inside
there: The floppy and hard drives are situated sideways just in front of
the Power supply, and the CD-ROM drive is suspended over the mobo and
CPU, so that the first thing air blowing out of the CPU fan encounters
is the underside of the CD-ROM drive. The cables from the power supply,
IDE, and floppy drives fill up most of what little empty space there is.

With things so cramped in there, I wonder if it could possibly be
getting sufficient ventilation in there -- When I looked at the "PC
Health" screen in the CMOS, it registered 55 degrees C (131 F) for the
CPU, and 45 C (113 F) for the System as a whole. (It was even hotter
before with the old 150W PS, and before I reversed the rear chassis fan,
which had been originally installed so that air was blowing *into* the
system!)

So could the smell be caused by a mobo that's currently still working
but in dsnger of getting heatstroke? Or is it something about this
unusual chassis? (Did I mention it's kind of a grayish-puce?) Would my
client be better off with a Full-ATX system?

Thanks ahead.

--
Dave

If it is overheating because of the small spaces involved, then just take
the components and put them in a larger case. That is if they re not
damaged at this point.

Why not take it somewhat apart on your bench, make sure the mobo has plenty
of air circulation, and see if it still smells.

Not sure what would give an 'oil' smell. I do know that what appears to be
bare wires in electronics are actually covered with a clear coating. If the
wires get hot, the coating can melt. This smells like varnish burning, if
you can imagine that. Not sure if that is the same thing that is happening
here. That usually applies to transformers. Hmmmmm...

Perhaps a cockroach crawled into the machine and is now burning up.

This is a good little problem you have here. Sorry I am not much help, but
I am following this saga. Keep us posted on new developments.

Captain Lon
--
All your base are belong to us.


"Dave Hardenbrook" <> wrote in message
news: k.net...
> My saga with my client's MicroATX with the defective Power Supply
> continues...
>
> I purchased a new PS and installed it. As everything seems okay, I'm
> now turning to my client's other complaint, which she described as a
> "Smell like burning oil" when the system is running. Sure enough, after
> I let the system run for a while, I detected the aroma such as you smell
> at the service station when some gas has spilt onto the ground. I'm
> really stumped by this and was wondering if anyone here had any idea
> what in the computer might produce such a smell and whether it should be
> a matter of concern.
>
> Here are the details on my client's system: It is a MicroATX that was
> built for her about four years ago by her son. The CPU is a Duron
> 800Mhz, 256M RAM, and an ECS EliteSystems Mobo (full specs uncertain as
> she has no documentation for the mobo, or indeed for any system
> components). The Power Supply is 200W, the highest I could find. The
> chassis is unlike what I've encountered before. She is my only client
> with a MicroATX system, and it is unlike the kind of "Cube Case" I've
> see in bare-bones MicroATX systems in stores, but shaped like a mini-
> tower lying on its side. I will say that things are very cramped inside
> there: The floppy and hard drives are situated sideways just in front of
> the Power supply, and the CD-ROM drive is suspended over the mobo and
> CPU, so that the first thing air blowing out of the CPU fan encounters
> is the underside of the CD-ROM drive. The cables from the power supply,
> IDE, and floppy drives fill up most of what little empty space there is.
>
> With things so cramped in there, I wonder if it could possibly be
> getting sufficient ventilation in there -- When I looked at the "PC
> Health" screen in the CMOS, it registered 55 degrees C (131 F) for the
> CPU, and 45 C (113 F) for the System as a whole. (It was even hotter
> before with the old 150W PS, and before I reversed the rear chassis fan,
> which had been originally installed so that air was blowing *into* the
> system!)
>
> So could the smell be caused by a mobo that's currently still working
> but in dsnger of getting heatstroke? Or is it something about this
> unusual chassis? (Did I mention it's kind of a grayish-puce?) Would my
> client be better off with a Full-ATX system?
>
> Thanks ahead.
>
> --
> Dave

Could it be the ozone smell of electrics burning out?

"Dave Hardenbrook" <> wrote in message
news: k.net...
> My saga with my client's MicroATX with the defective Power Supply
> continues...
>
> I purchased a new PS and installed it. As everything seems okay, I'm
> now turning to my client's other complaint, which she described as a
> "Smell like burning oil" when the system is running. Sure enough, after
> I let the system run for a while, I detected the aroma such as you smell
> at the service station when some gas has spilt onto the ground. I'm
> really stumped by this and was wondering if anyone here had any idea
> what in the computer might produce such a smell and whether it should be
> a matter of concern.
>
> Here are the details on my client's system: It is a MicroATX that was
> built for her about four years ago by her son. The CPU is a Duron
> 800Mhz, 256M RAM, and an ECS EliteSystems Mobo (full specs uncertain as
> she has no documentation for the mobo, or indeed for any system
> components). The Power Supply is 200W, the highest I could find. The
> chassis is unlike what I've encountered before. She is my only client
> with a MicroATX system, and it is unlike the kind of "Cube Case" I've
> see in bare-bones MicroATX systems in stores, but shaped like a mini-
> tower lying on its side. I will say that things are very cramped inside
> there: The floppy and hard drives are situated sideways just in front of
> the Power supply, and the CD-ROM drive is suspended over the mobo and
> CPU, so that the first thing air blowing out of the CPU fan encounters
> is the underside of the CD-ROM drive. The cables from the power supply,
> IDE, and floppy drives fill up most of what little empty space there is.
>
> With things so cramped in there, I wonder if it could possibly be
> getting sufficient ventilation in there -- When I looked at the "PC
> Health" screen in the CMOS, it registered 55 degrees C (131 F) for the
> CPU, and 45 C (113 F) for the System as a whole. (It was even hotter
> before with the old 150W PS, and before I reversed the rear chassis fan,
> which had been originally installed so that air was blowing *into* the
> system!)
>
> So could the smell be caused by a mobo that's currently still working
> but in dsnger of getting heatstroke? Or is it something about this
> unusual chassis? (Did I mention it's kind of a grayish-puce?) Would my
> client be better off with a Full-ATX system?
>
> Thanks ahead.
>
> --
> Dave

Some capacitors are filled with oil, sometimes when they get zapped the caps
will bust open and leak. Could be some oil ran down into the case or on to
the Mobo from when the old PS died and gets heated up when the system is
running.

On Wed, 20 Apr 2005 05:20:37 GMT, Dave Hardenbrook
<> wrote:

>My saga with my client's MicroATX with the defective Power Supply
>continues...
>
>I purchased a new PS and installed it. As everything seems okay, I'm
>now turning to my client's other complaint, which she described as a
>"Smell like burning oil" when the system is running. Sure enough, after
>I let the system run for a while, I detected the aroma such as you smell
>at the service station when some gas has spilt onto the ground. I'm
>really stumped by this and was wondering if anyone here had any idea
>what in the computer might produce such a smell and whether it should be
>a matter of concern.
>

If you could describe the smell as perhaps a fishy smell, it could be
a failing electrolytic capacitor.

Tom

In article <K8OdnXthZ-3FDfrfRVn->,
says...
> Some capacitors are filled with oil, sometimes when they get zapped the caps
> will bust open and leak. Could be some oil ran down into the case or on to
> the Mobo from when the old PS died and gets heated up when the system is
> running.

Could these oil deposits affect the system's performance or shorten its
life?

--
Dave

In article <80s9e.22532$H_5.22199@trnddc01>, says...
> This is a good little problem you have here. Sorry I am not much help, but
> I am following this saga. Keep us posted on new developments.

Thanks to everyone for your interest and advice! I've been trying to
better pinpoint what the smell reminds me of -- Then it hit me... It
smells like my grandfather's movie projector that I liked to operate
when I was a kid. Not sure if that helps any -- I don't know what the
common element would be with a computer system, but that's what the
smell triggers in my memory.

I replaced the Power Supply this past Friday, and told her to wait a
week, RE: JC's suggession about the lacquer in the new Power Supply.
We'll see how it goes.

--
Dave

>
> Could these oil deposits affect the system's performance or shorten its
> life?
>
> --
> Dave

Anything conductive that is spilled on the MoBo cannot be good, you run the
risk of shorting something out.