Sparking from motherboard (CPU issue?)

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gameranew22

gameranew22

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Jun 13, 2011
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Hi everybody, long time no see. Could you guys/gals help me out on this problem? Let's get to it:

I'm a tech at a computer repair shop and am working on a kid's gaming PC build that sparks when RAM is in and displays the red CPU LED consistently with RAM in or out and does not run video out (though components seem to be functioning - fans running, PSU supplying power, HDD powering on, etc.). Here are the specs:

Asus m5a99x mobo
AMD FX CPU (can't remember just this moment what model, I know it is compatible with the mobo)
4x2gb Corsair vengeance DDR3 1600mhz RAM
Antec 500w PSU
MSI PCIe GPU

What I've done so far (in order, just my process, please feel free to let me know if I've done something horribly wrong here):

1. Put the mobo in the case(IBM server case)
2. Put 1 RAM module in the slot closest to the CPU
3. Got all the standoffs in (not brass, just black-looking ones that came with the case apparently) and checked for damage to board or stray bits lying around
4. put in the CPU, cleaned and reapplied thermal paste and cooler (kuhler 620 water cooler)
5. Plugged in the power sw, reset sw, power led, hdd led, etc (no speaker came with this board, but tested with one and no POST codes came through)
6. Put in the 4/8 pin power connector AND the 24-pin ATX power connector since the PSU has both and the mobo seems to require them both
7. Plugged the power cable into the black and flipped on the switch, with RAM in the slot closest to the CPU, BOOM spark and crackle, red CPU LED still on
8. Turned off power, removed RAM, tested again; no spark, but red CPU LED still on
9. Powered down, tested different RAM in different slot; no spark, red CPU LED still on
10. Post to Tom's because I'm out of ideas. Maybe the CPU or PSU?

As always, thanks everyone for any help you can provide to me. Tom's is great. As I said, I'm stumped at this point and I've got that tech rage/mad curiosity building to figure out what's going wrong.

Peace.
 
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gameranew22

gameranew22

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I'll bench it first thing in the morning to see if the mobo (and maybe other components) are goners or not. This spark happened at the kid's house initially and I replicated the problem in our shop. If it helps at all, the sparks emanate from right next to the 24-pin ATX power plugs. Though, as electricity goes to the path of least resistance, I guess that makes sense that the sparks would happen at the point of entry into the system (IE the ATX power plugs) and would not necessarily indicate where the faulty parts are or what is causing the spark to begin with.

I'll follow up with my findings after the benching tomorrow, but would appreciate any further insight into this. PS, thanks for the benching troubleshooting guide, I'll use it tomorrow.
 
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gameranew22

gameranew22

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From my list of steps, does it sound like I've done anything wrong? I know that what I list doesn't really amount to much, but I feel I did everything correctly and by the book. I have no idea what could have gone wrong here. It's not static. It's not the standoffs. I will test the PSU, and the RAM and the jumpers but I don't have a positive feeling about all of this.
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

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Jun 5, 2013
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Before getting into the rest, check the PSU connectors at the 24 pin, make sure the actual wires from the PSU are securely connected to their pins and all pins are lined up, same with the mobo socket, if a pin is off it could be a simple short, might also want to try the rig with a different PSU in case the PSU already in place is surging
 
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gameranew22

gameranew22

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So I figured out (I think) why the case sparked. When the kid and I had initially put the motherboard into the case, the standoffs were not correct and there were no rubber grommets that they slotted into on the case. With my limited knowledge of circuits, this seems like the veritable perfect storm channeling electricity throughout the board to ground into the case, where it's not supposed to ground.

In sum, my inexperience (read: stupidity) for not checking this kid's board destroyed it. I feel compelled to let him know what happened but then I will liable for the parts I feel like, even though it wasn't all my fault. He is coming in today and we agreed to build a new system for him, but I feel bad about it. At this point, I don't really know what to do. What would you guys/gals do and should I be feeling this guilt? Were the lack of appropriately grounded standoffs the most logical cause of this electric fiasco?
 
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Tradesman1

Tradesman1

Legenda in Aeternum
Jun 5, 2013
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If it was sparking before it came to you, there was already something wrong with it, does your shop have a trouble shooting guide you all go by? I know there are a number of things I try and look for before starting a rig that's problematic, but some also depends on info you were provided or shown prior to you going hands-on
 
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gameranew22

gameranew22

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Our shop is a complete cluster f**k when it comes to having guidelines or procedures. We wing most of what we do; which works out most of the time because we're solid techs and have a wealth of experience amongst us, but sometimes, as with anything, things fall through the cracks and we miss the most obvious of details, no matter how minute they appear to be.

The motherboard sparked when I was at the kid's house at first. We put the motherboard in together and I did not put standoffs in - my huge mistake, though the kid had provided me with screws that were not normal so I took them as standoffs and screwed them in place. It was my fault, I now realize, but I'm not sure where to go from here. His mom came into the shop today and picked up the motherboard to return it (the one that sparked) to our local electronics store (Frys). They have a way-too-lax return policy so people return destroyed or swapped equipment to them all the time so I'm not too worried about him getting his money back on that, though he still has to return the CPU and the modules of RAM that were toasted as well.

All in all, this is about as bad as an experience can get (with the exception of losing someone's data). I want to leave with my dignity intact, but I just plainly have not had any guidelines, policies or procedures to follow at all at work, so I honestly feel like I can't beat myself up about this if the kid returns everything and gets his money back (which he should). The irony of this all is that now he wants me to build him a new intel machine (he had AMD before) from scratch...

I guess, morally speaking, if I build him a new machine, and he gets his money back for the fried components, should I feel okay charging him for the labor in building the new one? I haven't charged him a dime for the 10 hours or so of tinkering I've put into his old equipment, testing 4 motherboards, 2 CPUS, countless modules of RAM, resetting, updating BIOS, clearing CMOS, straightening CPU pins, testing PSU voltage, etc.

Maybe I'm just a crappy tech.
 
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