Question Short circuit problem on the motherboard during mailing to our customers

[Valentine1704]

Hello! here valentin, we are having problems with 3 gaming computers that we sent by mail to 3 clients at different addresses in the country, it turns out that the 3 computers do not turn on, and when checking them, the motherboard is burned, they all have a cpu cooler thermaltake ux200 se, and it is the only thing that coincides in the 3 computers, for what we investigated in this regard, we found that the most probable thing that is happening is that due to the bad treatment that the mail has on the package of the pc, the same in a bad movement and because of how heavy and robust the cooler is, it creates a short circuit on the motherboard and burns instantly.

our question is basically to avoid this problem again with the next shipments with the pc having a new motherboard:

If we remove the cell/battery from the motherboard, and disconnect the power source so that it does not have any energy in the way, can a short circuit still occur on the motherboard? What happens if the motherboard does not have its battery for days due to the mailing of the package? In this way, the customer, when the equipment arrives at his house, places the battery, turns on the current from the source and the equipment would already work, having avoided the short circuit?

Is it a good idea to do this? Or what other idea can you provide to solve the case that by sending it by mail it does not generate a short circuit on the motherboard?

 

[lvt]

What do you mean by "burned"?

The huge cooler (0.8kg) could damage the motherboard during the shipment, making the PC unable to start, but I don't think that the CMOS battery has something to do with that.

 

[Valentine1704]

What do you mean by "burned"?

The huge cooler (0.8kg) could damage the motherboard during the shipment, making the PC unable to start, but I don't think that the CMOS battery has something to do with that.

in theory the 3 motherboards of these PCs had a short circuit that burned/fried the motherboard during mailing

Our question is, if we take out the battery and disconnect the power cables on the motherboard during shipping, so that the motherboard has absolutely no power, would this short circuit during the mail be possible? or doing this it would be practically impossible for the short circuit to occur

 

[lvt]

Our question is, if we take out the battery and disconnect the power cables on the motherboard during shipping, so that the motherboard has absolutely no power, would this short circuit during the mail be possible? or doing this it would be practically impossible for the short circuit to occur

Problem is if the computer is not plugged in a wall outlet, there is no power !!!

Are you sure that the motherboards were fried at arrival even before the computers are plugged in a power source?

 

[Valentine1704]

Problem is if the computer is not plugged in a wall outlet, there is no power !!!

Are you sure that the motherboards were fried at arrival even before the computers are plugged in a power source?

basically we send a new pc, with these coolers, dedicated video card, well everything you have to have. There were 3 computers to 3 different places/destinations, when they left our company everything worked correctly without a problem, the computers turned on, then when each computer arrives to the clients, it turns out that the pc does not turn on, they did all the tests and there was no way for the pc to turn on.

The clients returned the computers to us, we did RMA tests on them and when changing the motherboards for new ones in stock, the computers turned on without a problem, so what can be done to avoid the same thing happening again, that when sending from new the pc, it does not turn on, what do we do or what is the fault

Investigating, we discovered that the transport company, when actuating the package incorrectly, could damage the motherboard, which is what happened, so what do we do so that the PCs that now have the new boards changed that work, reach the customers well and that they don't it happens again that the pc does not turn on.

 

[lvt]

Investigating, we discovered that the transport company, when actuating the package incorrectly, could damage the motherboard, which is what happened, so what do we do so that the PCs that now have the new boards changed that work, reach the customers well and that they don't it happens again that the pc does not turn on.

Some thoughts :

1. Your computers should be shipped in a horizontal position to reduce the stress to the motherboard when a heavy cooler is mounted.

2. You should put a piece of soft rubber between the motherboard's back (CPU area) and the computer's side panel to absord the vertical shocks.

3. Use a cooler with the same performance but weights less than the Thermaltake UX200 SE.

 

[CountMike]

I would put that to poor packaging inside the case, All parts should be properly supported.

 

[drea.drechsler]

...
Or what other idea can you provide to solve the case that by sending it by mail it does not generate a short circuit on the motherboard?

The worst thing to do is just ship it in the cardboard box the case came in, but so many fly-by-night so-called VAR's do just that.

I see a few solutions:

If doing this commercially you really need to consult a packaging engineer. There are several packaging methods that support both the cooler and GPU to prevent damage to the socket/motherboard by handling in shipping. A packaging engineer will help you sort through those options, the pluses and minuses of each, and arrive at an optimal solution.

Even a proper packaging solution won't solve all shipping problems. You'll need a sure-fire way to push back on the shipper when they handle it too roughly. Including an impact monitoring device in the packaging gives you the evidence you need.

Another method is to ship the cooler and GPU un-installed. That imposes a burden on customers as they must install it, negating some of the value proposition from buying a pre-built computer as well presenting a question of who's liable should they install it improperly. But if shipping your own it's probably the preferred way to go.

And lastly, if you really are doing this commercially you shouldn't be seeking this sort of advice in on-line forums. You want the person giving it to be invested in the solution. That means it's not going to be free, but then this is a business and you have to spend money to make it. That's just the way it is. In the US at least, many packaging companies will work with you on packaging design for shipment in return for minimum order committments.

If your ship quantities are small you might also opt for a foam-in-place solution over custom packaging designs. The equipment and supplies can have a fairly high initial cost but you can use standard shipping boxes that are cheap. Results are superb when people are properly trained. You'll still need to support the cooler and GPU internally but the foam will work for that too if done carefully.