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Computer part went on fire

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  • 12-03-2010 12:36pm
    #1
    alexlyons
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭


    I bought a molex to sata power adapter for my computer of a well known good value website, can I name them?

    While I was working on the computer, There was something clicking inside, like a fan hitting something. I opened it up and saw the problem, just a cable tie clipping the fan. While it was open, I heard a fizz and then saw a flame. The power adapter mentioned above, had caught fire from the inside of one of the cables. Luckily the machine was open and I noticed this and could throw a t-shirt on it to put it out, but not before it melted the connectors.

    I contacted the website, and a long week later, they have just responded. I told them what happened and about the damage and requested a refund and compensation for the damage caused. I was very clear with them about what happened and how serious it could have been.

    I have more than one of them, hence the word items below

    The response I got:
    Website CS wrote:
    Hi,

    Sorry for the item being defective.

    Very sorry to hear the bad news.
    if you agree, we can refund the money of the items to you ,ok?

    Best wishes

    It seems like they just saw it as a complaint about a faulty product and hit an automatic reply.

    What am I entitled to in this case?


Comments

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    #2
    jor el
    Closed Accounts Posts: 16,713 ✭✭✭✭jor el


    If the item was faulty (and not just incorrectly installed) then you're entitled to the refund they're giving anyway. Whether you'd be entitled to anything else, I'm not sure. Was there any other damage? Did the hard disk die as a result?

    If the website has a live chat option, you should give that a try next. It can be difficult to make sure that someone reading an email gets the point you're making. If it's a live chat, you can be sure. Either that or a phone call.

    One other thing, is this an EU based site? You can name it.


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    #3
    alexlyons
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭alexlyons


    phone call isn't a bad idea. Was aware I'm entitled to the refund but don't want to accept it if I'm entitled to more. The HD is dead and buried, luckily I'm a backup fanatic, but it doesn't stop me needing to buy a new one due to their defective part


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    #4
    P. Breathnach
    Registered Users Posts: 12,089 ✭✭✭✭P. Breathnach


    I presume that the online seller has terms and conditions on the website, and possibly a checkbox for you to tick to indicate that you accept the T&Cs. I'd go there and see what, if anything, you have signed up to.


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    #5
    alexlyons
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭alexlyons


    nope no checkbox or anything. Had a look there and can't find anything on the site.


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    #6
    Kevin!
    Registered Users Posts: 1,622 ✭✭✭Kevin!


    I'm guessing that the item was bought off DealExtreme due to the bad English and grammatical errors.

    Unfortunately, I don't think you will get anything more than a refund on the faulty item. Open a dispute with PP and see how that goes.


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    #7
    alexlyons
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭alexlyons


    Kevin! wrote: »
    I'm guessing that the item was bought off DealExtreme due to the bad English and grammatical errors.

    Unfortunately, I don't think you will get anything more than a refund on the faulty item. Open a dispute with PP and see how that goes.

    You'd be bang on. Does it matter that its more than 45 days since I bought it?


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    #8
    Gaw_
    Registered Users Posts: 394 ✭✭Gaw_


    How odd, I bought the exact same thing, around the exact same time you did..

    Mine turned out fine though, apart from the bad molex female port on the cable.. impossibile to get the male one into it because its not.. glued stuck, all of the pins move about. Took me 15 minutes to get it in!

    I don't think you will really get anything off them tbh, you will get a refund either by asking for it by them or via dispute, but its unlikely you will get more tbh.


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    #9
    partyatmygaff
    Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    You won't get more than a refund out of them i'm afraid. Especially as they're all the way over in Hong Kong.


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    #10
    10-10-20
    Registered Users Posts: 7,156 ✭✭✭10-10-20


    Hang on - you were working on an open chassis, a cable tie came into contact with a fan and then the molex to SATA converter just spontaneously went into an exothermic state?
    I propose that you shorted the wiring while working on the chassis...

    Debate...


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    #11
    Run_to_da_hills
    Closed Accounts Posts: 20,009 ✭✭✭✭Run_to_da_hills


    Are yiu qualified or certified to work on PC, Ie A+ hardware minimum?


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    #12
    ttm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭ttm


    10-10-20 wrote: »
    Hang on - you were working on an open chassis, a cable tie came into contact with a fan and then the molex to SATA converter just spontaneously went into an exothermic state?
    I propose that you shorted the wiring while working on the chassis...

    Debate...

    Did sound a bit strange but Molex connectors DO burn out sometimes, if we ignore the fan bit I could list loads of possible scenarios but they all boil down to the contacts not making good contact or poor crimping.

    If we add back in the fan part of the scenario and assume whatever happened caused a short and some form of power surge then the weakest component/link will burn out first a partially plugged in Molex connector might be OK for the current it’s supposed to take but if there's a short it could easily be the weakest link.

    Now the OP is going to say it was fully plugged it but that makes no difference as sometimes the pins move inside the plugs and you can't see they aren't pushed in correctly which is quite common if the plugs are forced together and then there's always the rare possibility of a poor crimp, corrosion on the pins, wrong size cable (the crimps only work correctly with a specific size) and poor quality pins.

    Then there is also the possibility that there was nothing wrong with the lead that burnt out and the problem was in the socket it was plugged into. Remember it’s the weakest link that goes when there is a dead short so a bad pin in a socket can easily cause damage to its mate which will show up under extreme load.

    I used to make up leads with Molex connects for a custom made computer consoles and have seen a fair few low voltage power leads of various types burn out (worst were the floppy drive connector ones) in most cases the problem was the plugs not pushed together correctly or forced used damaging the way the pins were held inside the connectors (more common on the very cheapest quality connectors), very rarely the problem would be a poorly made crimp.

    Now there's one last issue that needs mentioning so I can do the subject to death, once you have had a burnt out Molex connector the socket it plugs into becomes suspect. Often the socket will have burn marks on it and not mate correctly with another new connector causing it too to burn out quite quickly.

    btw these Molex connectors are only rated for 50 uses plugging/unplugging

    "Molex" is a generic name often used for the Molex 8991 series of connectors.


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    #13
    alexlyons
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭alexlyons


    10-10-20 wrote: »
    Hang on - you were working on an open chassis, a cable tie came into contact with a fan and then the molex to SATA converter just spontaneously went into an exothermic state?
    I propose that you shorted the wiring while working on the chassis...

    Debate...

    The cable tie was only tipping the fan, creating a very quite clicking. I opened it up, cut the cable tie, and a few seconds later, the molex caught fire, nothing connected about the two. I know for a fact I didn't short the wiring, but I do see where you're coming from.
    Run_to_da_hills wrote: »
    Are yiu qualified or certified to work on PC, Ie A+ hardware minimum?

    No, and I don't need to be. I do however know exactly what I'm doing.

    I'm having one more push for more than a refund, if I don't succeed then I'll just take it.

    Thanks for all the help and second opinions.


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    #14
    ttm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭ttm


    alexlyons wrote: »
    The cable tie was only tipping the fan, creating a very quite clicking. I opened it up, cut the cable tie, and a few seconds later, the molex caught fire, nothing connected about the two. I know for a fact I didn't short the wiring, but I do see where you're coming from.

    Sound to me as if the problem was sitting there in the form of a burnt out but not atually burning connection for a while. I've seen connections with so much burn damage on the pins you'd think they wouldn't work but left alone they keep working slowly getting worse and eventually go but move them even just a little bit when they are connected and they expire with flash. Most don't ever go on fire with smoke and flames which is another reason I think you had the problem for a while, the damaged connector might have been sat there getting hotter and hotter and the movement you made inside the case was enough to cause a spark to set it on fire.


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    #15
    alexlyons
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭alexlyons


    Completely see where you're coming from. However the cabling in the machine is pretty new and the adapter was brand new. The molex connector that the adapter went into had never been used before. Not sure there would have been to much corrosion or other damage on them. Here what your saying, especially about movement in the case possible causing it, although it has been opened quite a bit, although its always off except that one time.


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    #16
    alexlyons
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭alexlyons


    tried again and no joy as expected. Technically they are liable for the damage. It really annoys me that there isn't much I can do, when they are completely in the wrong.


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    #17
    ttm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭ttm


    Why not ask the manufacturer of the PSU that provided the Molex connector that you used to plug into the adaptor to pay up for the damage? Why is it the fault of the adaptor supplier?


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    #18
    alexlyons
    Registered Users Posts: 2,182 ✭✭✭alexlyons


    ttm wrote: »
    Why not ask the manufacturer of the PSU that provided the Molex connector that you used to plug into the adaptor to pay up for the damage? Why is it the fault of the adaptor supplier?

    because it didn't go on fire


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    #19
    Dravokivich
    Moderators, Category Moderators, Music Moderators, Politics Moderators, Society & Culture Moderators Posts: 22,360 CMod ✭✭✭✭Dravokivich


    alexlyons wrote: »
    The cable tie was only tipping the fan, creating a very quite clicking. I opened it up, cut the cable tie, and a few seconds later, the molex caught fire, nothing connected about the two. I know for a fact I didn't short the wiring, but I do see where you're coming from.

    I'm curious... how does something that's not plugged in catch an electrical based fire?

    You did unplug the pc then hold down the power button to clear out any residual electricity right?


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    #20
    ttm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭ttm


    alexlyons wrote: »
    because it didn't go on fire

    So your saying you had a fire in your computer and the Molex conector that was plugged into and in direct contact with it did not go on fire? Doesn't really sound like any damage was done except to the adaptor the the supplier will replace that.


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    #21
    witnessmenow
    Registered Users Posts: 7,156 ✭✭✭witnessmenow


    I would have thought a PSU would have had some form of failsafe where if a connector was pulling enough power to light itself on fire the PSU would stop working.

    There is not a hope in hell of them refunding your hard drive....


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    #22
    partyatmygaff
    Registered Users Posts: 10,992 ✭✭✭✭partyatmygaff


    Dealextreme will never ever refund you a cent more than what you paid for the adaptor. It's simpy not going to happen as unfair as it may be. They are liable but to actually pursue that is going to cost you a lot more than a broken hard drive.

    How did it catch fire though if the pc was unplugged?


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    #23
    ttm
    Closed Accounts Posts: 2,045 ✭✭✭ttm


    witnessmenow wrote: »
    I would have thought a PSU would have had some form of failsafe where if a connector was pulling enough power to light itself on fire the PSU would stop working.

    The HDD will pull about an amp max at both 5 and 12V doesn't sound much but more than enough to create enough heat to start a fire. 15Watts dumped into heat sink is easily disipated but dump all that power across a thin piece of wire and bang :eek:.

    Put a dead short on the 5 and 12Vrails on most if not all PSU's and you get a bit of a flash and the PSU turns off. Take away the mains power and they usually come back on. The power cut off is part of the spec for a PSU but it can't detect a fire and switch off. In this case I don't think there was any dead short on the PSU.

    Rereading the OP's thread I can see the problem is probably a badly made crimp, so there is not enough electical contact between the wire and the pin on the Molex. If left alone it might have slowly burnt out with at worst a bad smell but moved around could burn out quickly with a bit of a flame.


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