Fire & Smoke on the Foxconn...Ouch! [Archive]

Ace-a-Rue

08-20-2006, 07:01 AM

i was sitting there at the bench table admiring my assembled hardware with this new foxconn...shaving my head:rolleyes: (electric) in preparation for going to church...i had my glasses removed as the foxconn was rebooting.

suddenly, out of the corner of my eye i see flames and then smoke shooting up from the board right behind the 1st 16X slot...i said, "YIKES"...i leaped up and yelled, "FIre, Fire" down the hallway to my wife!...she ran down the hallway with the extinguisher and blasted that baby into kingdom-come!:D ....kidding about the fire extinguisher...but i did yell yikes and fire:eek:

i leaped up out of my chair and fought through the fire and smoke fumes to lunge at the PSU to get to the kill switch!!...i barely had enough breath left to switch off the PSU..shew!:rolleyes:

i said to myself...self!...why ME!:( ...i had NO mods on this board and i was not over volting...i finally knew WHAT i did...I UNDER VOLTED the darn MCH and Vcore temination voltage...i was just experimenting with the settings...that's it guys!...damn!...what a wake up call at 6:45 AM!;)

here is the picture of the after affect...green arrow points at the mosfet that decided to give up the ship!:D

lawrywild

08-20-2006, 07:03 AM

rofl.. unlucky though :(

Seriously, undervolting should NOT do that

lross78550

08-20-2006, 07:08 AM

Blue078

08-20-2006, 07:11 AM

I love the smell of burnt silicon in the morning :D :D

Sorry Ace couldn't resist :)

Stigma

08-20-2006, 07:15 AM

rofl.. unlucky though :(

Seriously, undervolting should NOT do that

Yea, I never heard of anything being killed by under-volting. That mosfet was most likely bad and would have died anyway, so I think you can atleast have a clear concience that you didn't murder your board =)

-Stigma

DaWaN

08-20-2006, 07:27 AM

I thought the Digital PWM burned, but it's a MOSFET, the mosfet was already bad I think. Time for RMA :)

lross78550

08-20-2006, 07:44 AM

New Slogan:

FIRECONN MOTHERBOARD FOR A SMOKING HOT SYSTEM.

and why rma it? Unless you can get a refund... Im gona frame my fireconn mohterboard, hang it on the wall so in the future when i think about buying mohterboards ill remember anything but fireconn.
Lee

perry_78

08-20-2006, 07:56 AM

Firecon, the choice of a professional .... firefighter.

NickS

08-20-2006, 08:21 AM

LMAO. Wow man, you're lucky you were in the room when it happened!

Reminds me of the time I set a Biostar on fire installing XP with my friends Opty 148 in it LOL.

Falkentyne

08-20-2006, 08:40 AM

And people were saying I still should have given this board a chance??? JESUS CHRIST....what do I have to do, have my entire HOME burn down ????????

Foxconn sucks so goddamn :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: bad it isn't even funny anymore....SO GLAD I canceled that order...

NickS

08-20-2006, 08:55 AM

This may be an isolated case though. You never hear about any of their other motherboards failing like this...

kiwi

08-20-2006, 08:55 AM

Sorry to hear that. Most likely you won't be able to RMA it since it has burn marks.

What PSU do you have, do you have UPS or surge protection?

don_vercetti

08-20-2006, 09:03 AM

This may be an isolated case though. You never hear about any of their other motherboards failing like this...

well there's that other Foxconn mobo that lit up at 1.54v vcore. Two boards in a week, certainly seems like overclockers should be avoiding them.

NickS

08-20-2006, 09:29 AM

Damn.. really? It's a shame too, we all thought this board had potential. Now it has potential, to be labeled as a fire hazard.

dandragonrage

08-20-2006, 09:49 AM

Undervolting means more voltage is across the transistor instead of the component it supplies. It can do that.

Falkentyne

08-20-2006, 10:29 AM

Search the forums and find any other board that died from a mild undervolt...I sure can't find anything...

syne_24

08-20-2006, 10:32 AM

holy cow what a morning you have there lol..

lross78550

08-20-2006, 11:18 AM

maybe dell is using foxconn mohterboards :)

nooh

08-20-2006, 11:41 AM

maybe dell is using foxconn mohterboards :)Terrorists.Damn Them

lross78550

08-20-2006, 12:16 PM

That wasnt terrorist! thats dells new laptop end of life cycle system. every 3 years your laptop explodes forcing you to purchase a new one :)
seriously thats a photo of a dell laptop that caught fire due to the battery problem they are currently having :)
Lee

Terrorists.Damn Them

powertrippin

08-20-2006, 12:37 PM

m0da

08-20-2006, 01:01 PM

Well, im sure it looked semi-pretty. The board is red, the flames red/orange/yellow.
what a sunrise :)

Yoad

08-20-2006, 02:10 PM

^Infact, when burning chemicals and stuff it even do green flames and blue..

-Jo.

party animal

08-20-2006, 02:24 PM

That makes it look more like fireworks than a sunrise. Sorry to hear that your board decided to crap out on you.

[LCN]Knowledge

08-20-2006, 02:44 PM

OMG, that reminds me of a PSU that burnt my enterire system (only cpu and memory survived). I woke up on that morning and when i pressed the Power button i just saw some kind of explosion at the back of my PSU. Too bad all my hardware died (even the kewboard, mouse, and cd-rom, can u believe that?). Lucky me i already had another videocard, my bro's motherboard, another cd-rom etc.

Now im very careful on chosing a PSU :D.

don_vercetti

08-20-2006, 02:45 PM

well... lets not forget that voltage and amperage are inversely proportional. As you lower the voltage, the current (amperage) must increase to do the same work. Current, or amperage, is the force that the electrons move with... the more current you have, the more heat that will be generated. Just simple electronic principals.

I don't believe that's entirely true. Based on two things. Number one, the fact that when you lower the voltage, less wattage is consumed. As you no doubt know, Wattage = Volts X Amps. So evidently, as the voltage is lowered the current stays the same, rather than rising.

Two, when you overvolt, the current to the CPU doesnt drop does it. It stays the same (i think), otherwise we'd find the CPU running colder when we overvolt because if as you say they are inversely proportional, then that would hold true. Because it is certainly current that causes heat rather than voltage, hence why Power lines run 10,000v through them.

I imagine your thinking of what happens with a coil transformer. Lowers the current by raising the voltage, and vice versa.

Ace-a-Rue

08-20-2006, 02:53 PM

New Slogan:

FIRECONN MOTHERBOARD FOR A SMOKING HOT SYSTEM.

that is funny...hehehehehe

HARDCORECLOCKER

08-20-2006, 02:54 PM

:D So all we can learn here is: Always try to overvolt Ya board...... :hrhr:

:toast:

Ace-a-Rue

08-20-2006, 02:58 PM

Sorry to hear that. Most likely you won't be able to RMA it since it has burn marks.

What PSU do you have, do you have UPS or surge protection?

i know this kind of information everyone wants to know:

i just bought a brand new power surge protector, like 4300 joules rating; plus i have a whole house surge protector installed.

as for the power supply, a brand new OCZ 700W SLI ready gaming supply.

Ace-a-Rue

08-20-2006, 03:01 PM

:D So all we can learn here is: Always try to overvolt Ya board...... :hrhr:

:toast:

you know, I would think you could over volt the cpu using Vcore but, ut-eh!...they figured out a way to give you under/over volt everything else but the darn Vcore!;)

EDIT:...actually, i think you could undervolt the Vcore.:)

smids

08-20-2006, 03:05 PM

I don't believe that's entirely true. Based on two things. Number one, the fact that when you lower the voltage, less wattage is consumed. As you no doubt know, Wattage = Volts X Amps. So evidently, as the voltage is lowered the current stays the same, rather than rising.

Two, when you overvolt, the current to the CPU doesnt drop does it. It stays the same (i think), otherwise we'd find the CPU running colder when we overvolt because if as you say they are inversely proportional, then that would hold true. Because it is certainly current that causes heat rather than voltage, hence why Power lines run 10,000v through them.

I imagine your thinking of what happens with a coil transformer. Lowers the current by raising the voltage, and vice versa.
It's been three years since I did my physics A-level but this is what I was thinking!!!

Current remains the same, the only variable is the voltage here which we manually change. Remember, IVy Watts is a Powerful lady!

One thing I will say, it's more resistance to the current that causes the heat, rather than the current itself but there is a direct link - just being a bit pedantic. :rolleyes:

lross78550

08-20-2006, 03:07 PM

the only thing i have learned from all this, is that if foxconn started selling toilet paper tomorrow i wouldnt buy it.
Lee

toledo

08-20-2006, 03:18 PM

Sorry to hear that. Most likely you won't be able to RMA it since it has burn marks.

I guess it is possible . A frind of mine did a RMA of an Asus 7800gt that blew up due to bad heatsink contact with the core ....and yes , it had a huge burn mark :) . I think as long as they believe you don`t kill it by yourself it is possible to RMA ...who knows ?

PS : Sorry for your board :( . Burned silicon really sucks

Ace-a-Rue

08-20-2006, 03:29 PM

i am going to call newegg and describe what happened...i will either ask for a full refund or get credit for another purchase...they have been very good to me so far and i have been a good customer for them.:)

Blue078

08-20-2006, 03:38 PM

Ohm's Law, it takes 1volt to push 1amp through 1ohm of resistance :)

Ohm's Law
For many conductors of electricity, the electric current which will flow through them is directly proportional to the voltage applied to them.

http://hyperphysics.phy-astr.gsu.edu/HBASE/electric/ohmlaw.html

lawrywild

08-20-2006, 03:40 PM

hmm why would burn marks affect anything?

The board was faulty, therefore you are bound to end up with burn marks at some point or another. Just because it has burn marks doesn't mean that it was user error...

Ace-a-Rue

08-20-2006, 04:58 PM

i agree....

Ace-a-Rue

08-20-2006, 04:59 PM

I love the smell of burnt silicon in the morning :D :D

Sorry Ace couldn't resist :)

i understand, man!...it is like getting sex..right!:D

Blue078

08-20-2006, 05:34 PM

i understand, man!...it is like getting sex..right!:D

:hump: :D :D

Ace-a-Rue

08-21-2006, 06:45 AM

Lets face it guys that foxconn board is the yugo of motherboards. Mine fried at 1.54v vcore and yours fries cause you undervolt a little??? I think catching on fire is the only thing the foxconn board does really well. :)
Lee

:D

i am debating with myself whether i should tell newegg that it caught fire...they have a "no return" policy for physical damage...i presume they are talking about what i do to the board by making a mod...i do not think they are referring to physical damage caused by Foxconn's design inadequacy.

to be safe, i will just tell them that the board quit working after about 10 hours of operation and leave it that....telling them that a fire occur makes it sounds like i did something wrong when we all know this is the "YUGO":D of motherboards!

dinos22

08-21-2006, 06:48 AM

YUGO RULES!!!!! :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :toast: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana: :banana:

Ace-a-Rue

08-21-2006, 06:56 AM

Grin

jimwah

08-21-2006, 07:54 AM

The only Fireconn board I had was a s754 board - the onboard sound never worked & the onboard USB gave up a few weeks later; it hasn't burst into flames, but its definitely a YUGO. GL with the refund Ace.

Ace-a-Rue

08-21-2006, 10:27 AM

newegg is super in my book..they gave me a full refund....of course, i didn't say it caught on fire...LOL...i just told them it stopped working.;)

powertrippin

08-21-2006, 11:07 AM

As you no doubt know, Wattage = Volts X Amps. So evidently, as the voltage is lowered the current stays the same, rather than rising.

if the wattage is to remain the same, if you lower your voltage, the current MUST increase to perform the same amount of work. Wattage is a unit of work performed... if you have a 100 watt lightbulb, and you want to get 100 watts at 100 volts, it will take 1 amp... if you want to get 100 watts at 50 volts, it will take 2 amps... if you half the voltage, you must double the current to get the same amount of work done. Simple electronics.

Falkentyne

08-21-2006, 11:17 AM

BUT YOU ARE NOT GETTING 100 WATTS AT 50 VOLTS when dealing with CPU's !

Why does everyone keep overlooking the TOTALLY OBVIOUS ?
Overvolt a CPU, wattage, heat goes up.
Undervolt it, wattage, heat goes down.
This output is even listed on Intel's webpage.

If this did not apply, as everyone else said, if you overvolt a CPU, it should get cooler. Right?

When you lower the voltage to a CPU, the WATTAGE DECREASES. It does NOT REMAIN THE SAME.

I don't know if this applies to the other circuits on the motherboard.
If your above statement is ONLY for motherboard power components, then i"m wrong.

scooby609

08-21-2006, 11:22 AM

newegg is super in my book..they gave me a full refund....of course, i didn't say it caught on fire...LOL...i just told them it stopped working.;)

good to hear Newegg gave ya a refund :)

I got a RMA for the board before it even got to my house, held on to it for a
few days to see if any new bios where coming out to fix the Vcore issue ... soon
as I saw this thread I tossed this POS board in the mail on its way back to the Egg.

Ace-a-Rue

08-21-2006, 10:00 PM

good to hear Newegg gave ya a refund :)

I got a RMA for the board before it even got to my house, held on to it for a
few days to see if any new bios where coming out to fix the Vcore issue ... soon
as I saw this thread I tossed this POS board in the mail on its way back to the Egg.

EXCELLENT decision on your part!:clap: ...no reason to have a frustrating event with the Fox(fire)conn:eek:

dandragonrage

08-21-2006, 10:42 PM

well... lets not forget that voltage and amperage are inversely proportional. As you lower the voltage, the current (amperage) must increase to do the same work.

Yes, but not many circuits use a constant power supply. This is a constant voltage supply. It is not a question of more current to make the same power, it is a lowering of total power, but a shifting of power from one component (chip) to another (transistor) many times.

Ace-a-Rue

08-22-2006, 06:42 PM

don_vercetti

08-29-2006, 07:47 AM

i see your point...i just lowered the voltage so it should have produced less current...my question is that how does that affect other circuits which rely on a power circuit that is now putting out less power?
No, same current less wattage. That's all that should have happened.

A CPU's heat output is not constantly at 100w or whatever.

I have no idea how it would affect other circuits, not much would be my guess but evidently not.