[SOLVED] Sparking noise when plugging in PSU power chord

[kazurengan]

is this normal? when i plug my power chord in my PC with switch turned on, i hear a sparking noise coming from the cable
the PC works normally and for long hours so far, but can it damage my PC badly or something

 

[Gam3r01]

Ive experienced that before, I wouldnt make a habit of it though.
A better option is to always have the PSU turned off when connecting the power cord, just in case.
I also generally plug it into the PSU first then the wall.

 

[TommyTwoTone66]

Sparking is very much not ideal. There is an on/off switch on the PSU itself that you should always use when disconnecting or connecting the power cable, which prevents exactly this from happening.

It will probably be fine if you've done it a few times, but if you continually do this over a long period of time it could lead to the PSU failing

 

[OrlyP]

It's called arcing, and up to a certain extent, it's perfectly normal.

Switch mode power supplies (SMPS) by design have large input capacitors on them that will draw quite a significant amount of current when you plug it in. They oftentimes have in-rush current limiters that helps reduce arcing, but it's not always totally eliminated.

 

[InvalidError]

Exactly what Orly wrote.

Additionally, PSUs with active power factor correction have at least one coil inrush current has to go through and when you have intermittent contact while inserting or removing the plug, current through the coil will try to keep arcs going until inductor current drops to zero or the voltage gets clamped internally.

 

[NightHawkRMX]

Sounds like arcing. Arcing can damage the terminal over time but it's generally not an issue.

If your PSU has a switch, turn it off before plugging it in.

Alternatively, plug the power cord into the PSU first and then plug the other end into the wall