Not only video cards are burning, but also ssd

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max1024



Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Posts: 636
Location: Belarus

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 4:04 am    Post subject: Not only video cards are burning, but also ssd Reply with quote

I have a PC that is connected to the TV and used as a HTPC, I usually watch movies from it. It has been standing under the TV for a long time and I don’t even glance there, it works quietly and that’s it, I just wipe the dust from the top cover.
Last night I started watching a movie, but after 15 minutes the room started to fill with acrid smoke. I realized that something was on fire, but I didn’t understand what it could be, it could be a TV, an HTPC, a switch or a surge protector, but fog appeared in front of the TV and I didn’t understand what was the matter, and then a pungent smell appeared. I turned off all electrical appliances and began to look for the cause.
When I opened the top cover of the PC, this is a desktop, I realized that this is the reason, by the pungent smell. My SSD lies is on a Blu-ray drive in a 5.25 bay and I thought that the motherboard might have caught fire. But when I reached out to the SSD, I realized what was happening.
I unplugged the ssd picked it up and it was still smoking! I thought something inside was on fire. Having disassembled it, I saw that the metal cover was smoked, I could not even wipe it off. But it was lucky that it was metal case, otherwise it would still catch fire even more.
The culprit was the Molex-SATA power adapter. Why this happened is a mystery. I think it was a bad contact, but I did not climb inside the case for 3 years. Perhaps it slowly heated up each time and then smoldered. I was lucky that I did not leave this PC turned on overnight to download content, otherwise this post might not have been.
The most amazing thing is that the ssd is alive!!!, the power connector of course melted, but the ssd works as if nothing had happened. I have now turned on the PC, connected the ssd directly to the sata power connector from PSU and monitor the temperature of the connector with a pyrometer. It's been an hour and it's back to normal. So check your connection of power connectors even for SSD!
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Wasmachineman_NL



Joined: 04 Jul 2019
Posts: 988
Location: Netherlands

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 4:19 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

"Molex-SATA power adapter"

found your problem
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cuttingedgecs



Joined: 08 Oct 2017
Posts: 1764
Location: Australia

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 4:47 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Interestingly, the fire is on the 12V side of the connector. Your SSD looks to be 5V only, so this side shouldn't have even been drawing current. In this case I wouldn't think it's a poorly made connection between the connector and the drive, rather it seems like poor separation of the 12V and GND lines of the adapter during manufacture. It was probably acting like a bit of a capacitor until the insulation finally broke down.
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rjluna2



Joined: 27 Oct 2014
Posts: 1302
Location: Hiram, GA, USA

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 10:21 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Wow Shocked

I have seen similar failure with HP Elite 8100 series with CD-DVD drive with similar power issue such as here.
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Williac



Joined: 25 Feb 2022
Posts: 933
Location: Canada

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 10:51 am    Post subject: Reply with quote

Might be worth trimming the 12V lines off of the replacement connector if they are not used.
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crazybubba64



Joined: 03 Jul 2018
Posts: 1371
Location: WI, USA

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 1:37 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

As the old saying goes:

"Molex-to-SATA, lose all of your data"

Unfortunately these molded Molex->SATA connectors are prone to bursting into flames. I've seen this several times.

If you must adapt, be sure to use the connectors that come crimped instead of molded around the cable (often have the connectors at a 90-degree angle from the cable rather than being inline). I've never seen one of those fail.
This is an example of one of the "safer" adapters

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max1024



Joined: 15 Jan 2015
Posts: 636
Location: Belarus

PostPosted: Sun May 28, 2023 1:51 pm    Post subject: Reply with quote

I have already connected the connected ssd directly with a wire SATA-power from the PSU.
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