Question Sparking and "zapping" PSU

Joseph_87

Reputable
Jul 3, 2016
34
0
4,530
Hi all!

I need your advice. I have an FSP Hydro G 750W PSU that behaves kind of strange.
If I don't flip the switch fast enough it gives a zapping noise - like an eletrical short. In turn if I don't flip the switch at all, just push it 1-2mm -s it sparks at the back under a toroid. The component that sparks seems something like a diode labeled GT4 but I couldn't find anything about it. Long story short, doing that 2-3 times and the PSU shuts off completely and cannot be turned back on.

Here's a video I sent to the retailer with the symptoms:
View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e1PNXchIMHU


And their response after 3 weeks was that the PSU is completely fine so I had to pay for the postal fee and for their testing.

What do you think? Is this truly normal for an FSP power supply?
 

Lutfij

Titan
Moderator
That doesn't look right.

Can you list your full system's specs like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:

You might also want to send the same video to FSP's support team. Some resellers have a knack for not diagnosing a problem the right way.
 
Any arcing in an electronic device means it is FAULTY.
If they don't replace it, I would contact your local Consumer Agency and make a formal complaint.
This is highly dangerous and can cause fire.
DO NOT USE IT

EDIT - Contact FSP directly and they will sort you out (That I am sure about), but I would still make a complaint to your Agency who may get stern with the company you bought it from.
 

Joseph_87

Reputable
Jul 3, 2016
34
0
4,530
Oh I'm not using it in my system ever since I saw that diode lighting up. I have another FSP Hydro G but a 650W model that doesn't click and doesn't do anything that you can see on the above video. The video was done on a separate 230V network and I've been using a "jumper" that came with my Seasonic Prime Ultra Gold 750W.

That doesn't look right.

Can you list your full system's specs like so:
CPU:
Motherboard:
Ram:
SSD/HDD:
GPU:
PSU:
Chassis:
OS:

You might also want to send the same video to FSP's support team. Some resellers have a knack for not diagnosing a problem the right way.

I also sent an inquiry to FSP so that they can comment on the video hopefully and also contacted the retailer once again sending them the above video now they're not responding :). This was the last time I bought anything locally, time for amazon or newegg with international shipping.

Anyway, here's the sparky boy: https://ibb.co/pPHLJ42 Sorry, I only get Something went wrong when trying to insert the image directly. That kinda seems like a diode to me, and that shouldn't spark that's for sure.
 

Karadjgne

Titan
Ambassador
Psus do not show visible sparks on startup. They make any kind of funky sound from a quick buzz or whine, depends on the unit, but never a spark as sparks only happen when voltages arc between 2 points. It's faulty, period. Whether or not the vendor will cover it is debatable, but the unit will be covered by FSP factory warranty and guaranteed that that arcing is a factory defect.
 

Joseph_87

Reputable
Jul 3, 2016
34
0
4,530
Alright, so I got a feedback from our local FSP on Hungary and they claim that the warranty is only valid through the retailer and they're unable to assist further. I tried asking then what about the factory warranty to no avail. They will not assist with anything. Now I have a brick to keep the papers down in the garden on a windy day.