My new build turns on by me touching the front of the case!

Astralv

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Now my computer is turning ON by me touching the panel near the power button where the USB ports are located. I can visually see electrical spark and it turns on! I don't thing BeQiet realizes they have "touch power on" functionality! This is expansive flagship case- I can't believe it doing this! Is it electrical shortage or just static? Is it dangerous? Can it electrocute me? I would say the Power Button is too easy to press, but I don't press button, I can turn it on by touching near the USB ports on both sides. Also last night computer was off when I thought it should be on, and today it turned on itself (I can be wrong). Any recommendations? Thank you.
 
Solution
You wouldn't. What you would do is call a qualified electrician who is licensed and bonded come check out the house, tighten any wires in the panel, especially check the neutral and bond, loose neutral service wires are extremely common in old homes. If he has to, he may even run dedicated circuits from the panel to your equipment, which would solve any equipment ground problems. Homes in the 60's didn't require grounds at outlets beyond kitchen, bath and laundry, so hallways and bedrooms, living and dining rooms etc almost always tended to either not have grounds, or they are so tiny (like 18/20 guage) as to be next to useless.
YES IT IS DANGEROUS.
STOP!!

I would guess the USB connections are shorted somehow to the case so I would:

1) shut down the PC
2) unhook the USB connector from the motherboard, and
3) see if that solves the issue

If not, then the POWER SWITCH must be shorted somehow but that doesn't seem to be the case. If it's the power switch then the case is essentially unusable unless the switch can be replaced by you (with replacement from Be Quiet?).

*SOLUTIONS*?
1. contact BeQuiet, and maybe they have a solution (replacing the USB cable?) that avoids returning the case, or
2. RMA the case
3. or buy a 3.5" or 5.25" kit that connects to the USB3 header (or USB2 if that's the case) but don't use the case USB connector

I got THIS one: https://www.amazon.com/Anker-2-Port-Front-Drives-Devices/dp/B00J4EZE4U/ref=sr_1_1?s=electronics&ie=UTF8&qid=1503886934&sr=1-1&keywords=usb3+front

Some cases don't have a 5.25" or 3.5" bay and you probably don't even desire this but I thought I'd mention it.
 

Karadjgne

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In bios/windows power settings, make sure that 'turn on from USB' is disabled. This'll prevent any possible connection from the USB (if it's shorted) turning on the pc by getting a static shock from you. If the pc still turns on, I suspect it's a sorted power lead from the switch. You can check this by pulling out the 'power' connector lead on the bottom right of the motherboard, it'll be with the 'hdd', 'power led' connectors. If that solves the touch turn on, then the issue is either in the button, or more likely a small tear in the wire, touching the case.
 

Astralv

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Small Tear in the Wire? Ouch! Let's not panic. Let's think about it. Like right now, right this second the magic does not work- it does not shut down with my slight finger touch. This is a good news, right?

My case is 6 months old, so RMA would not happen. I said New Build because this is my music computer and I dont use it frequently- still installing software and testing everything. So the case is not easy to replace, and it is huge case, would cost a lot to mail.
You can check this by pulling out the 'power' connector lead on the bottom right of the motherboard, it'll be with the 'hdd', 'power led' connectors. If that solves the touch turn on, then the issue is either in the button, or more likely a small tear in the wire, touching the case.

This is confusing. If I pull out power, how would computer turn on? Are you implying that it might some how still turn on without Main power connection? I would have to call Ghostbusters then. Or did you mean to disconnect HDD connecter- just one small wire connected to HDD?

1) shut down the PC
2) unhook the USB connector from the motherboard, and
3) see if that solves the issue

The issue is random. It looks like static activates some energy from USB. Cant test it because right now I have 20GB download in progress. But to be honest- I dont feel very comfortable to touch it right there until it creates a spark enough to power the computer. I also have priceless iLok and eLicensers connected to USN that hold all my license and it would be near impossible to restore- big pain if something happens to these drives. But I did see small spark at USB area. But it does not happen if I touch my case first and discharge my hands. Thank you.
 

Karadjgne

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Not the main power connection, the little 2 wire from the button to the board. If by pulling that little wire out, the pc no longer starts when you touch it, the issue is somewhere between those pins and the power button. If shutting down usb access to the on circuit stops it, the issue is with the USB.

All that wire is is a break in the connection of the green wire and ground at the psu, when you touch the button, it connects the 2 and the psu starts up. If there's a short there somewhere, you touching the case is making the connection, and psu is powering up.
 

Astralv

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There are more than one wire to that right lower corner. Do you mean take them all off or just certain connector? Thanks.
 

Karadjgne

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One will be labeled power or pwr, some cases use single pin connectors so you might see pwr+ and pwr-. That's the actual wire that connects the button to the mobo. The other connections are hdd/led, reset, spkr, pwr/led etc and can be left alone. By removing the pwr lead, you effectively take the power button out of the loop, pushing it will have 0 affect on the pc. (normally). If the pc still turns on with your spark, then it's either the reset button (if there is one) or the USB is allowing the pc to turn on. Either way, you should carefully inspect those wires for any nicks or gouges, trace it all the way to the button. If there's nothing that you yourself can't fix in a few minutes or can't find, then contact the vendor for RMA. Most times it's something stupid, like a pinched wire, or a nicked wire that can easily be fixed with some electrical tape. It's a hassle to RMA a case, not to mention pc down time, when a 3¢ piece of tape could fix everything in seconds.
 

Astralv

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Thank you for detailed reply. First of all- the magic is not working today. I lost my superpowers- I am sure temporary. This did not just happened once, it happened twice- first time I did not believe it, thought I some how pressed the button. Second time- on demand. But today it not doing it. I touched it everywhere. I understand that it may be hard to provoke shortage if it is not obviously broken and touching. So I cant test the plug/unplug wires concept. I was looking for "Power On by USB and could not find it in BIOS. I found Power On by PCI-E-PCI. Under USN config, I have Legacy USB Support Enabled and there single USB ports On/Off options, but nothing for Power on. Thanks.
 

Astralv

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Hey there again.

The iLok USB stick has led light on it and when I touch the area on the case with my hands, it lights up slightly about 3 times with each hand. And that is after I touched other metal surfaces. But looks like my hands have enough electricity to activate that USB and this is what may of turned computer on. Also it was not enough power to turn computer on this time. So it takes about 3 touches with each hand to discharge electricity and become free of static electricity. Is it me, or is there still a chance of electrical wire being exposed inside the case? (It would be hard to visually evaluate as the front case ports are behind the SSD/HDD/DVD cage.
 

Astralv

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Last night my powers returned. The computer was powered on with one slight touch near the iLok USB stick. :(

Today this would not happen at all- not even slight light of iLok's led light. Must be because I came out of the shower and grounded my superpowers. So I turned it on normally. After reading your reply, I decided to power it off (few hours later) unplug and trace the wires. To my amusement- I was able to turn desk lamp Off by touching it! I have this Led desk lamp with touch power switch. The switch button is at the bottom of the lamp, I grabbed it at the top to turn so I can see the case on the floor and it went off- I heard static click. Wow! My powers are growing. I am getting better at it.

The wires are impossible to trace without taking off the upper cage. From the back they go inside behind the 5" DVD cage. Yes, this case allows removing parts, but I dont feel like, besides- I doubt I would be able to see anything.

I disconnected the Power connector. Turned power supply ON. The iLok Led turned blue and stayed blue. this is different because I am positive- I saw it dark and turning blue when I touch the case- now he turned blue. But the button did not work. Computer did not start from me touching it.

However, after I reconnected back the Power connector and turned on Power switch, pressed Power Button- nothing. Now I remember that I had these strange power outages. I would do something- change SSD/HDD and so on, and then computer would not power on. Where the power supply connected to power cable, it has another layer- another cable- the power supply is about 3 inches away from back panel and there is another short cable that connects power supply to the back of the case, and the power cable is connected to another connector on the back panel. I always thought I am loosing connection there, so I would plug/unplug those connectors and then it would work. Now i am thinking- may be the problem is not there but at the motherboard connector (right lower corner).

Unplugged case to motherboard connector, reseated it, connected it back. Computer powered on, but strangely. First- looked like it powered on and off instantly, I had to press power button again, and then it started. I have seen it happened before with this set up. I dont know what to tell ya. I do have new synthetic rug in my room. But robing it does not give me superpowers directly. Thanks for reading.
 

Astralv

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It definitely powers on when I touch it.

So I e-mailed BeQuiet! and they told me that this is likely grounding issue and that the screws connecting power supply to the case usually provide the ground. They recommended to check if the screws have too much paint on them. This does not sound like a solution. I called the EVGA, and the guy on the phone had no clue. I told him- I am at work now, not by my computer- he sounded like he just was relieved and told me to call back when I am near the computer and they will try to troubleshoot it. I said- How? He said- we would try to reconnect some wires. What wires? I already tried to reconnect USB 3 and power wires on the motherboard. After I massed with motherboard wires, I had computer not power on once (which happened at least twice before), and after disconnecting and connecting it back, it powered on.

The case has this strange connection on the back- it is like power supply not sitting directly by the back wall- there is 3 inches space, it connected to short cable between the power supply and computer case, and then there is another connection point with another on/off switch to connect the EVGA power cord. So there on/off switch on the power supply, then again on the back of the case where power supply cable connects to this extra connection point, and then power button on the front of case. Why is it designed that way? So when I move up and down those connections, I get no satisfaction as if something was disconnected- it feels like I did not preposition anything but the ability to power on by front power button returns. I dont know if it can be just one of 2 switches in off position. The BeQuiet does not think I am in danger of being electrocuted. My partner thinks- I am and that without proper ground, something can turn itself on and overheat and set on fire. Is it serious? So what to do now? Does not sound like tech support will be of any help. Thank you.
 

Astralv

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I could not think of a place to post pictures, so I posted it to my Facebook page. Today it should be the first post on my profile. https://www.facebook.com/astralvl I took time to open the case and unmount the power supply to take pictures of how it mounted. You can see many holes- they are not mounting holes- I dont know what holes at the bottom are for. The power supply is attached to metal part that looks like "corner" with 4 screws. The Corner metal part attaches to the bracket on the proximal part of the side of the case. There is another bracket on another side of the case but it is too far away, so I can only attach to one side. So the power supply itself connects with 4 screws to the metal "corner" part and corner part attaches to the case with only 2 tiny screws. I dont know if this is what caused grounding issue- the mounting is very strange. You can also see the short cable that connects the power supply to the back of the case where another point of contact connects it to the long cable to the wall.

Today I started it again by touching the front top panel with the sparks. I question its safety. Also again- I touched the lamp on the table and it shut down (it has touch button at the button, but I touched it at the top). Thoughts, please? Thank you.
 

Karadjgne

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Wow, wierd setup. Nice psu though.
Scoot the psu forward to the last set of mounting holes. I get the feeling there's an issue with that switch on the backplate being pressured by the angle plug in the back of the psu. It looks that way from the pictures. You can get electrical leakage through insulation, if the insulation is broken or too thin, which can happen if it's squashed. The coverings on those switch tabs are not the most reliable when it come to quality and electrical insulation-ness
 

Astralv

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You mean- to first position, to have the PSU as far as possible? Yeah, it was on 2nd screw, I got it on 3rd screw now. And when I touch the area under the power button on the front, I get these hardly visible micro sparks from my finger toward the power button. But as I said- the intensity depends on what I touched before. So moving the PSU and reconnecting few things near PSU did not solve it. Also my desk lamp turned off again when I touched the top of it (the touch button is at the bottom). Can it be some grounding issue in the house? I used to have problem of headphones shooting static electricity in my ear- it was very frustrating and would hurt. It felt like it was more frequent when I wear synthetic pants. But then I changed mixer board and headphones and the problem disappeared. I have a recording studio and many electronic devices around, I cant have any electrical drama happening, if it can damage equipment. This is 1960 house, I am wondering, if there is some electrical issue with grounding in general. But I dont have any other symptoms. How would I check it? Thank you.

 

Karadjgne

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You wouldn't. What you would do is call a qualified electrician who is licensed and bonded come check out the house, tighten any wires in the panel, especially check the neutral and bond, loose neutral service wires are extremely common in old homes. If he has to, he may even run dedicated circuits from the panel to your equipment, which would solve any equipment ground problems. Homes in the 60's didn't require grounds at outlets beyond kitchen, bath and laundry, so hallways and bedrooms, living and dining rooms etc almost always tended to either not have grounds, or they are so tiny (like 18/20 guage) as to be next to useless.
 
Solution

Astralv

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That is sounding like a good suggestion, we were talking about it, may be it is a time to look for electrician. Thank you.