Computer reboots when turning on a lighter???

[cwbrumm]

It happened the other day and I thought it was just a coincidence, but it just happened again a moment ago. I went to use a lighter to light a candle on my desk, and the whole PC black screened and rebooted itself. The flame was about 20+ inches from my actual PC and maybe 6-8 inches from the monitor on both occurrences. The PC has no issues, doesn't randomly restart on its own, ever. I've never heard of anything like this, no idea what could be the cause. I'm really lost here. Do lighters give off an electromagnetic pulse? Any scientific explanations?

 

[Ralston18]

What kind of lighter?

Lighters need a spark to cause the lighter fluid to ignite.

A spark is a a bunch of electrons - a small lightning bolt of sorts.

I would suspect some EM effect but overall that seems a stretch.

However, most people have probably had the experience of zapping their PC via a static shock on a cold dry day.

Test by moving around and seeing if you can trigger the reboots from differing distances and angles. by striking the lighter. Do not touch the desk while doing so. And do be very careful about any flammable materials around the area.

Consider that when you move, lean over, etc. to light the candle that you are bumping some cable or plug in the process. Maybe jiggling the desk a certain way or weighing down on the desk to where a cable is moved or wiggled.

Check and secure all plugs and cables. Reroute a bit to ensure that none are loose and and having intermittent connectivity losses.

 

[cwbrumm]

Thanks for the reply! I actually used 2 different lighters. Both are those long, skinny Bic lighters. Don't think its a wiring/connectivity issue. I bump into my desk, put my feet up on it, etc. quite often and never have any issues. They're all neatly routed along the wall. Also tried replicating the reboot a few times like you said and it's not doing it at the moment. Upon further digging, I've also seen a couple reddit/quora posts about people whose TVs flicker or keyboard/remote control stop working when they ignite a lighter. I just never realized electromagnetic interference was a thing lighters could do until now. Huh.

What kind of lighter?

Lighters need a spark to cause the lighter fluid to ignite.

A spark is a a bunch of electrons - a small lightning bolt of sorts.

I would suspect some EM effect but overall that seems a stretch.

However, most people have probably had the experience of zapping their PC via a static shock on a cold dry day.

Test by moving around and seeing if you can trigger the reboots from differing distances and angles. by striking the lighter. Do not touch the desk while doing so. And do be very careful about any flammable materials around the area.

Consider that when you move, lean over, etc. to light the candle that you are bumping some cable or plug in the process. Maybe jiggling the desk a certain way or weighing down on the desk to where a cable is moved or wiggled.

Check and secure all plugs and cables. Reroute a bit to ensure that none are loose and and having intermittent connectivity losses.