# Chassi problems



## Ishnuvalok (Jul 25, 2008)

Ok I think I've got a problem with my comp chassi. It's an Antec 900, steel. Now, why I put my foot on the radiator pipe in front of me, and the touch the steel of the chassi, a current runs through me, not a strong one but enough to be noticed. Now here's a part that scared me a bit. My powersupply cable started to glich, making a "bzzrt" sound, Now I happed to rest my foor right on the radiator pipe (a habbit I'm going to stop) and then my thumb brushed against the steel of the chassi as I put a CD in, and I got a strong shock, about as strong as one you get from a electric fence. Now I've turned my comp off, switched the powersupply off, unplugged and plugged the psu cable back in firmly and switched on the comp and didn't give any trouble. No wait, it just made that sound again....


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## Ceceil Felias (Jul 25, 2008)

The ground on the outlet's probably bad. Get an electrician or a friend who knows what they're doing to check.


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## hillbilly guy (Jul 25, 2008)

good thing some one replied before me i thought you wher taking about a car 
man now i feal stupid


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## Draco_2k (Jul 25, 2008)

You'd want to put down the PC for a while and call a technician.

A current running through the chassis isn't a good thing - no idea why your PC still works with that stuff going on, actually.


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## net-cat (Jul 25, 2008)

Sounds like a bad ground. 

Things that could be causing it in order of expense to replace:

1. Power Cable
2. Power Supply
3. Power Outlet
4. Fault in Household wiring.

Things that could be causing it in order of expense to replace if you know how to do it yourself:

1. Power Outlet
2. Power Cable
3. Power Supply
4. Fault in Household wiring.

Cheap-ass interim solution:

Run a wire from your case to the radiator pipe.


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## Ishnuvalok (Jul 25, 2008)

Uppdate, Ok I checked several plugs around the room and I got a current from all of them, I checked on the other computer as well and got a current there as well. But when I used a grounded extension cable the current became a lot weaker, and this was with the extension cord pluged into a non-grounded outlet. Now the plan is to avoid grounding myself until we can switch out these plugs to grounded plugs.


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## Draco_2k (Jul 25, 2008)

Ishnuvalok said:


> Uppdate, Ok I checked several plugs around the room and I got a current from all of them, I checked on the other computer as well and got a current there as well.


You repeatedly shocked yourself with all electrical plugs in the room?..


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## hillbilly guy (Jul 25, 2008)

thats one way to check with the best tool in the world a paper clip


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## net-cat (Jul 25, 2008)

You used yourself as an ammeter?

Creative, but I don't think multimeters are that expensive anymore...


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## Ishnuvalok (Jul 25, 2008)

net-cat said:


> You used yourself as an ammeter?
> 
> Creative, but I don't think multimeters are that expensive anymore...



Where am I supposed to find a store that sells multimeters at 10PM in Sweden? Oh well, anyway we're going to get on the problem tomorrow.



Draco_2k said:


> You repeatedly shocked yourself with all electrical plugs in the room?..



No, running the computer through them then shocking myself by grounding myself and touching the steel on the chassi.


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## Draco_2k (Jul 25, 2008)

Ishnuvalok said:


> No, running the computer through them then shocking myself by grounding myself and touching the steel on the chassi.


Jesus fuck. Sounds painful.


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## Ishnuvalok (Jul 25, 2008)

Draco_2k said:


> Jesus fuck. Sounds painful.



Well only about 12 volts or so going through me, with the grounded extension cord maybe 6 or 7 or even less went through. The time I fell (thats right, fell) on an electric fence was a lot more painful.


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## Draco_2k (Jul 25, 2008)

Ishnuvalok said:


> Well only about 12 volts or so going through me, with the grounded extension cord maybe 6 or 7 or even less went through. The time I fell (thats right, fell) on an electric fence was a lot more painful.


Still, ouch. But, on the plus side, this might count as free electroshock therapy. Is good against depression.


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## hillbilly guy (Jul 25, 2008)

now electic fences hurt i got them all over my farm i got a fue burn marks from them on my hands


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## dietrc70 (Jul 25, 2008)

Ishnuvalok said:


> Well only about 12 volts or so going through me, with the grounded extension cord maybe 6 or 7 or even less went through. The time I fell (thats right, fell) on an electric fence was a lot more painful.



The voltage simply causes the current to move--it's the current that shocks or kills.  That's why the same voltage that might give you a mild shock if you are dry could kill you if you just got out of the shower.  In the first case, your dry skin has high resistance, and only a small amount of current will flow.  In the second case, your wet skin has very little, and much more current will flow when subjected to the exact same voltage.

I'd get an electrician to fix these outlets immediately.  I don't know the electrical standards in your country, but it's possible that the neutral and hot lines were reversed.  If that happens, it is easier for a flaw in the power supply to electrify the chassis.  If the grounding is bad, then YOU wind up being the ground if you touch it.

Aside from not having a ground line, there are likely other problems:

1.  Your PSU could be messed up--house current should never reach the chassis unless there is some sort of short.

2.  Some doofus wired the hot and neutral lines backwards (This actually was the case at an apartment I lived in.  This is a very dangerous mistake.)

Definitely get a licensed electrician to check this out.  This is the sort of problem that can kill someone if not fixed correctly.


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