[Irinikus]

I was just running tests on my Octane2, when it suddenly stopped. I unplugged the power and then plugged it back in and the machine started, but with that electronic smell.

I quickly pulled the power supply and dismantled it and found that the following component was the source of the problem: (the yellow, square component)






It looks like some kind of fuse to me.

If anybody knows what this component is, please let me know.

---

I was running the machine extremely hard, when the fuse tripped the power. (All the quake games at once + doom)

The machine is back up and running, but I will have to replace this component! (It looks like a large resettable fuse)

It connects the power supplies output to the busbars.

[stormy]

I think you would be better off asking on an electronics forum, I'm guessing most people here are software people. I will post your photo on my Atari hardware forum as there are many electronics pros there.

I opened a thread here:
https://www.exxoshost.co.uk/forum/viewto...=35&t=1959

[bkd]

Irinikus, how did you understand that exactly this yellow element is the problem?

[stormy]

Good question, the guys on the forum seem to think it may be some kind of insulated power rail. Perhaps you could check Irin?

[Irinikus]

When the machine tripped, I got that classic electric smell.

I very quickly pulled the power supply and dismantled it and used a short tube to sniff through, in order to isolate which section of the power supply where the smell was coming from. I managed to isolate the small to that particular section of the power supply, which only contains the caps you see in the picture as well as that component. the caps are in perfect condition and that component has a tar-like substance inside it.

If you look at a surface mount resettable fuse, which looks like this:



You can see that there's some kind of resemblance. (Even though the yellow protective casing has been placed around it.)

The component in question is the only link connects the circuitry inside the power supply to the high amperage output rail, so in my opinion, it would be a perfect place to place a high amperage resettable fuse.

I reassembled the power supply and fitted it back into my Octane2 and it powered up normally and has been running perfectly for many hours since the incident.

My Octane2 is fitted with a dual R14K 600MHz CPU module and a V12 and I was running it under extremely high CPU and GPU load at the time that it tripped, so I can only surmise that if you load such a machine to the max (both CPU and GPU simultaneously, you will severely stress the power supply)

The fact that the machine is now working perfectly, and has been for a long while, without any further tripping or electronic smell, and given the similarity in construct between the device in question and surface mount resettable fuses, I have assumed that this might be a very large resettable fuse that has been constructed in the same way as the smaller surface-mount resettable fuses.

I may be wrong though, but the smell definitely came from this device.

[Irinikus]

I think that that's the case, I would also suspect that this component is the weak point in Octane power supplies, so I would look there first if I ware to experience a complete failure of one of these units.

[mosiniak]

For me this yellow component looks like a ferrite bead. Two ferrite halfs fasten together with adhesive tape. You can watch the edge of the yellow component - there are small cracks losses. If I'm right the ferrite should be hard in touch and behind yellow paint it should be dark. If I'm right the ferrite was not the source of the problem and smoke...

[Irinikus]

There is definitely a tar-like substance inside it. Maybe, if the busbar had to heat up sufficiently, it may cause the tar-like substance to give off the oder that I smelt.

There was no smoke, just a smell and the machine powered down.

Maybe if someone here has a broken Octane power supply they can investigate this component properly.

If I can remember correctly, the contacts are also offset in the same way as those of a resettable fuse are.

[stormy]

So either way everything is fine now and working? That's cool