[SOLVED] PSU exploded when i switched 230-115 switch

[Vineeth Kiran]

My PSU exploded when i switched 230-115 switch, i accidentally switched it the pc was off when that happened. i live in india where we use 240v please tell me if i could have lost other parts rather psu? I use cooler master 600 w
Thanks

 

[Phillip Corcoran]

Probably okay if the PC wasn't powered on at the time, but no way to know for sure until you hook up a new PSU to the system. Advise you buy a PSU which has automatic voltage switching so there's no voltage switch to mess with!

 

[Juular]

please tell me if i could have lost other parts rather psu?

Unlikely but how we would know that ?

 

[geofelt]

When you buy a replacement power supply(with auto voltage selection), you will know if other parts were impacted.
What was the make/model of the original psu?
If it was a quality unit, you are likely OK.
If it was a cheap unit who knows?
Do not buy a cheap replacement.

 

[madmatt30]

Generally it'll blow the primary fuse because the 115v input is paralleled.

Running 240v into it will hit it with 460-480v.

Unlikely to have done damage to pc components but certainly not worth repairing.

All decent psu's now have automatic voltage switching.
That cooler master will have been a design from a decade ago, it likely needed replacing anyway.

 

[Vineeth Kiran]

Thank you for your reply!
I got it checked today and thank god all the parts were fine but the PSU was toast
Got a crossair 550w PSU!

 

[madmatt30]

Thank you for your reply!
I got it checked today and thank god all the parts were fine but the PSU was toast
Got a crossair 550w PSU!

Good, that will have auto switching voltage, which means you can't 'accidentally' flick that switch ;-)

You're not the first to do that by the way, you also won't be the last.

 

[DSzymborski]

Assuming the new PSU is a Corsair and not some mysterious dodgy off-brand called Crossair, it will be a lot better than the old one; no even remotely competent PSU manufactured in the last decade or so will have a voltage switch like this.

As for part safety, you're likely OK, but nothing is a certainty when power is involved. Don't make it a habit of hitting a switch like this on anything that has a switch like this.

 

[AtotehZ]

I did this too when I was a kid. We run 240V in Denmark and I was curious to see what the switch on the back of the computer was.

It would've been a better idea if I'd tested it with my own computer and not my friend's.(I was 8)
It was very limited how much internet existed back then btw. Win95 had just come out.

Don't ever think I've felt so bad about something I did to a friend before or since.

 

[madmatt30]

I did this too when I was a kid. We run 240V in Denmark and I was curious to see what the switch on the back of the computer was.

It would've been a better idea if I'd tested it with my own computer and not my friend's.(I was 8)
It was very limited how much internet existed back then btw. Win95 had just come out.

Don't ever think I've felt so bad about something I did to a friend before or since.

So you also did it by 'accident' then? ;-) lol

Never has a term been so misused

I think we all know what accident really meant, you have to dig your fingernail into those switches with intent, it's impossible to do it by mistake.

 

[Vineeth Kiran]

Good, that will have auto switching voltage, which means you can't 'accidentally' flick that switch ;-)

You're not the first to do that by the way, you also won't be the last.

Haha a flick of a switch costed my PSU anyways it was old!

 

[Vineeth Kiran]

Assuming the new PSU is a Corsair and not some mysterious dodgy off-brand called Crossair, it will be a lot better than the old one; no even remotely competent PSU manufactured in the last decade or so will have a voltage switch like this.

As for part safety, you're likely OK, but nothing is a certainty when power is involved. Don't make it a habit of hitting a switch like this on anything that has a switch like this.

Yes its Corsair sorry about the typo😅

 

[Vineeth Kiran]

I

I did this too when I was a kid. We run 240V in Denmark and I was curious to see what the switch on the back of the computer was.

It would've been a better idea if I'd tested it with my own computer and not my friend's.(I was 8)
It was very limited how much internet existed back then btw. Win95 had just come out.

Don't ever think I've felt so bad about something I did to a friend before or since.

I know must have felt super bad!

 

[Vineeth Kiran]

So you also did it by 'accident' then? ;-) lol

Never has a term been so misused

I think we all know what accident really meant, you have to dig your fingernail into those switches with intent, it's impossible to do it by mistake.

Haha but i was like what can this do and flipped it with my nail and kaboom i ran away from it. Curiosity killed my PSU

 

[AtotehZ]

So you also did it by 'accident' then? ;-) lol

Never has a term been so misused

I think we all know what accident really meant, you have to dig your fingernail into those switches with intent, it's impossible to do it by mistake.

No accident. I was curious. I told him too. My dad is an electronics engineer so he diagnosed it and got a new PSU. I mowed the lawn for the summer to pay my father back.

The old towers had this solid metal shell around it. Top and sides were one and you slid it back to open the tower.

When I was 14 I wanted to see a debug code on the motherboard while it was on. I tried to take the shell off and it dragged all the way along the backside of the motherboard. Sparks were flying and the PC died... These kinda lessons were great when it comes to learning how to troubleshoot computers. "Don't do this" "Don't do that"

 

[AtotehZ]

@Vineeth Kiran Btw, remember to mark the thread as solved if you need no more help. You do that by selecting the cup on the left side of a message. Don't choose mine, I was late to the party 😛