Spark from switch from RM1000X on turn on.

[TheRiwen]

When i did turn my pc on today. There was a big spark from the on and off switch.

The power rails looks fine but i dont no if it still safe to use it  ?

It is only a year old and i got a rm850 from my old system i use now.

 

 

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by TheRiwen

[LeDoyen]

ouch... if you use the power switch of the power supply to turn it off and on daily, you should stop doing it 🙂

they are not made to be used that way. you should only use the power switch of the computer case, and leave the PSU powered on at all times.

otherwise the PSU protection circuit will die in short notice. People doing it often come in the forum with brand new PSUs dying after a year, year and a half, when they are meant to last 10 times more.

[TheRiwen]

I dont power it off by the switch.

I did turn it off to clean it with air after a year. Then when i turn it on again and the spark from power switch.

I dont feel corsair is at the level it ones was.

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by TheRiwen

[LeDoyen]

ah if it's just ocasional it's normal actually.

There's a massive current surge when you switch these on when the caps charge. sometimes you see it, sometimes you only hear the switch making an arcing click. but once it's powered on it's fine.

it's a bit of a matter of luck. same stuff when you plug a phone charger or a laptop adapter. if it makes contact when the mains is close to the top of the sine wave, you get a little pop and a flash.

 

One thing you can try is powering off the computer, switching off the PSU, and unplug the cable, and with the cable unplugged, toggle the switch quickly on and off for a few seconds to clean the contact. it sometimes help.

[TheRiwen]

Thx 🙂

Then i am more relax.

I will just use my old powersupply RM850. So the RM1000X will just be as backup then 🙂

I maybe change if i get a new graficcard. But it hard to get one now 😞

 

 

Edited November 25, 2021 by TheRiwen

[Leekay07]

It’s not normal at all.  It’s showing that the system is lacking any kind of ground protection.  Make sure your outlet has a wired common ground.  This can also be bad grounding in the PSU.  Ask Evga when they first launched the P2 1000x PSU it did not have properly grounded components and had to do a recall.

[LeDoyen]

the initial power surge has nothing to do with ground at all. that's what happens when you pass 30 or 40 odd amps for a few miliseconds in a 16A rated switch.

Still good to make sure the wall socket is well grounded, but it's not related.

[Leekay07]

I have not had a spark from any pc build except when intentionally triggered (when I slid it from 240 to 110v) Any spark is the sign of bad switch or something is wrong internally.  Warn rocker switches like house hold light switches should be replaced when you start to see current arcs.  I have a 3090, and a 12900K which has a load of over 600 watts alone.  Yet I do not see a spark when turned on.   It is not normal or desired to have sparks from rocker switches. 

[LeDoyen]

it's only when you flip the switch which may happen 2 or 3 times a year. when it's on, there's no sparks. Well if you see some by all means get it changed under warranty!

those sparks are just a consequence of how switch mode power supplies work. as soon as you flick it, you charge the primary side capacitor(s) from empty, and the massive surge flashes the contact sometimes.

That's why i suggested to remove the power cable and flick it several times to clean the pitting on the contacts.

All the PSUs i ever owned do that, but the effect also varies depending on where you live. it can be a bit scary on 120V while on 240 it usually only makes a little pop.. sometimes.