-----Original Message-----
From: David Gillett <[log in to unmask]>

On 30 Mar 99, at 16:28, Paul Jones wrote:

>> At 08:04 AM 3/30/99 +0530, you wrote:
>>
>> >The SMPS is AT type. Also there is leakage current in the case enough
to
>> >give a good shock. The leakage occurs only when load is connected (ie
>> >motherboard).
>
>  I recently saw a case where the manufacturer had installed a metal
>post in every available support point.
>

I wonder if maybe you have confused this with a home built system?  Having
worked in the manufacturing world, I know how hard they pinch the pennies.
Even if they didn't care about all those extra parts being wasted, I would
think that the added labor costs involved to install the extra standoffs
would have raised a big red flag.  But I also know that what the engineer
designs and what the assembler builds, may not be the same <BIG grin>

I'm suprised that a system would have passed the manufacturers QC or even
a simple boot up.  If it was a just case, I've never seen one (but that
doesn't mean they don't exist <g>) with standoffs installed, they always
come in a little baggie.


In either case, do you remember the brand name and/or model?
So we can watch out for this?

>  That's a poor idea, because no board provides holes for them all.
>Some of those metal posts are going to wind up near/touching the
>underside of the board in areas that were not designed to be grounded,
>and I imagine that a short here might produce symptoms like you
>describe.

100% true!  Although the DC voltages and amperages on a board _shouldn't_
be high enough to give even a mild shock (let alone a "...good shock...")
Personally, I would suspect the power supply itself, *IF* the shocks truly
only occur while the MoBo is connected.  Otherwise I would focus on
looking at the AC side -- particularly, the wiring from the power supply
to the on/off switch.

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