Dabs (UK) Returns within 28 days.

[Dave (from the UK)]

Hi,
I ordered an Antec Titan 550 case from Dabs which I received a couple of days
ago. The case has two faults.

1) The wiring to the front USB/firewall/audio is a mess.
2) More importantly the PSU smells of burning, despite the fact I only have a
single Opteron CPU and a Geforce nvida 6600 graphics card - not a lot to stretch
a 550 W PSU.

I've selected to return the item from the Dabs site. It has generated an RMA and
will be collected Monday.

But does anyone know what happens after that? If I want another identical case,
do I have to order another from Dabs, or will they send another?

The quality control does not seem too good on these, but I am willing to try
another, as the case with a 550 W PSU is well priced.

--
Dave K MCSE.

MCSE = Minefield Consultant and Solitaire Expert.

Please note my email address changes periodically to avoid spam.
It is always of the form: month-year@domain. Hitting reply will work
for a couple of months only. Later set it manually.

 

[Conor]

Hi,
I ordered an Antec Titan 550 case from Dabs which I received a couple of days
ago. The case has two faults.

1) The wiring to the front USB/firewall/audio is a mess.
2) More importantly the PSU smells of burning, despite the fact I only have a
single Opteron CPU and a Geforce nvida 6600 graphics card - not a lot to stretch
a 550 W PSU.

I've selected to return the item from the Dabs site. It has generated an RMA and
will be collected Monday.

But does anyone know what happens after that? If I want another identical case,
do I have to order another from Dabs, or will they send another?

The quality control does not seem too good on these, but I am willing to try
another, as the case with a 550 W PSU is well priced.

To be honest, I doubt you had a reason to return it. All new PSU's
smell of burning for a little while from the laquer on the PCBs

Why don't you phone/e-mail Dabs and ask them?

 

[powerstation]

To be honest, I doubt you had a reason to return it. All new PSU's
smell of burning for a little while from the laquer on the PCBs

Why don't you phone/e-mail Dabs and ask them?

The messed up wiring is reason enough it could damage a new main board (soga
not suitable for its purpose)

 

[kony]

The messed up wiring is reason enough it could damage a new main board (soga
not suitable for its purpose)

But is it "messed up", or is "mess" only a subjective
interpretation of an asthetic state? Some of of the
universally compatible wiring used on retail cases is going
to look complicated and messy to anyone previously used to
custom harnesses on OEM systems which tend to integrate it
all between the case and board... which is a problem itself
when it comes time to reuse the case (or board in another
case if the situation arised).

 

[Dave (from the UK)]

Phone? Do you believe they have a phone number? Support from them is pretty
minimal to say the least.

But is it "messed up", or is "mess" only a subjective
interpretation of an asthetic state? Some of of the
universally compatible wiring used on retail cases is going
to look complicated and messy to anyone previously used to
custom harnesses on OEM systems which tend to integrate it
all between the case and board... which is a problem itself
when it comes time to reuse the case (or board in another
case if the situation arised).

The problem with the wiring is that the cables will not fit the motherboard. The
wiring harness does not follow the Intel standard given in the manual. The
location of the keys is not as shown in the manual. Red wires are used where the
manual says is GND. See the thread 'Many connectors on case will not fit
motherboard' on this newsgroup, which is archived by Google at:

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/al...fit+motherboard&rnum=1&hl=en#61c1a4b48b122e23

If I was so inclined I could sit and sort the problem out. But I am concerned
about the smell from the power supply. I am an electronics engineer (chartered
at that) and have not come across this smell from any power supply despite using
lots of professional ones over the years. However, the professional ones are
probably tested for 24-48 hours before dispatch. If a PSU smells for the first
few hours, it tells you something about the testing (or lack of).

Whilst not an avid PC builder, it is about the 3rd PC I have built and have
replaced the power supply in a few more, so I think I know what is excessive and
what is not.

Although I have not checked the manual to see the function of the cables marked
'fan only' from the power supply, they will not power a fan at all. I don't
think they are connected up.

--
Dave K MCSE.

MCSE = Minefield Consultant and Solitaire Expert.

Please note my email address changes periodically to avoid spam.
It is always of the form: month-year@domain. Hitting reply will work
for a couple of months only. Later set it manually.

 

[Conor]

The problem with the wiring is that the cables will not fit the motherboard. The
wiring harness does not follow the Intel standard given in the manual. The
location of the keys is not as shown in the manual. Red wires are used where the
manual says is GND. See the thread 'Many connectors on case will not fit
motherboard' on this newsgroup, which is archived by Google at:

I did. It worries me that you build computers.

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/al...fit+motherboard&rnum=1&hl=en#61c1a4b48b122e23

I am an electronics engineer

I doubt it. If you are, you're a shite one going by what you said in
the above linked thread.

 

[Charlie Wilkes]

Phone? Do you believe they have a phone number? Support from them is pretty
minimal to say the least.


The problem with the wiring is that the cables will not fit the motherboard. The
wiring harness does not follow the Intel standard given in the manual. The
location of the keys is not as shown in the manual. Red wires are used where the
manual says is GND. See the thread 'Many connectors on case will not fit
motherboard' on this newsgroup, which is archived by Google at:

http://groups.google.co.uk/group/al...fit+motherboard&rnum=1&hl=en#61c1a4b48b122e23

If I was so inclined I could sit and sort the problem out. But I am concerned
about the smell from the power supply. I am an electronics engineer (chartered
at that) and have not come across this smell from any power supply despite using
lots of professional ones over the years. However, the professional ones are
probably tested for 24-48 hours before dispatch. If a PSU smells for the first
few hours, it tells you something about the testing (or lack of).

I got a TP 2 380 for my new rig, and it did not emit any odors when I
first used it.

You may be smelling a corrosion inhibitor sprayed on the inside of the
case as part of the mfr'ing process. They use some kind of polymer.

I'd say, return the case, ask for a refund, buy a PSU and find an old
junk case that suits your spec.

Charlie

 

[powerstation]

But is it "messed up", or is "mess" only a subjective
interpretation of an asthetic state? Some of of the
universally compatible wiring used on retail cases is going
to look complicated and messy to anyone previously used to
custom harnesses on OEM systems which tend to integrate it
all between the case and board... which is a problem itself
when it comes time to reuse the case (or board in another
case if the situation arised).

Under the soga it is up to the retailer to prove that it is not faulty not
the other way round, so the question does not concern the op, it is not fit
for the purpose it was sold, simple as that. The distance selling
regulations apply, the op would not have been able to inspect the case
before ordering it.

 

[Paul]

I got a TP 2 380 for my new rig, and it did not emit any odors when I
first used it.

You may be smelling a corrosion inhibitor sprayed on the inside of the
case as part of the mfr'ing process. They use some kind of polymer.

I'd say, return the case, ask for a refund, buy a PSU and find an old
junk case that suits your spec.

Charlie

All the Antec power supplies I own, have a smell to them. One of
them smelled like an organic solvent, when the PSU was pulled from
the retail PSU box. Other Antec's have an acrid smell to them, which
gets worse with age (presumably as the chemical used breaks down).

I washed the inside of one computer case, thinking the smell
was a chemical coating the inside of the case. That didn't
help one bit.

In one case, I've traced that chemical to an 80mm fan. Taking
a sample of the plastic body of the fan, there is no smell to
the plastic. Which leaves the oil lubricating the fan bearing
as a possible source of the smell. On another fan, it was indeed
the plastic that had some of that acrid smell.

It seems some people can smell it and others can't. The smell
does bother me, and for one of my computers, is a reason not
to use that one too much.

There are examples of other big cases here, and perhaps a
different solution will work out better. This is just to
indicate some other brands of big computer cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...nPrice=&maxPrice=&ATTR3=2002710412+1289817894

Paul

 

[Dave (from the UK)]

All the Antec power supplies I own, have a smell to them. One of
them smelled like an organic solvent, when the PSU was pulled from
the retail PSU box. Other Antec's have an acrid smell to them, which
gets worse with age (presumably as the chemical used breaks down).

As an electrical engineer I have known a number of components to overheat over
the years. I'm pretty used to the smell of overheating components and I feel the
PSU had the smell of overheating components. It has however now cleared, which I
realise could indicate the problem was just materials getting hot for the first
time.

If the unit did not have a warranty seal I'd open it and look for myself, but it
would be unwise to do that on a new unit.

I washed the inside of one computer case, thinking the smell
was a chemical coating the inside of the case. That didn't
help one bit.

Not too useful.

In one case, I've traced that chemical to an 80mm fan. Taking
a sample of the plastic body of the fan, there is no smell to
the plastic. Which leaves the oil lubricating the fan bearing
as a possible source of the smell. On another fan, it was indeed
the plastic that had some of that acrid smell.

It seems some people can smell it and others can't. The smell
does bother me, and for one of my computers, is a reason not
to use that one too much.

A computer has a *serious* problem if one is tempted not to use it due to the
smell!! That is far as I am concerned not fit for the purpose.

Realistically if Antec power supplies are smelling like this, Antec should
address the problem. If it is temporary on new units, then they should be marked
as such or better still burnt in at the factory for 6 hours or whatever.

There are examples of other big cases here, and perhaps a
different solution will work out better. This is just to
indicate some other brands of big computer cases.

http://www.newegg.com/Product/Produ...nPrice=&maxPrice=&ATTR3=2002710412+1289817894

Paul

The Antec case is arguably better value than any of them. I need EATX for the
dual Opteron motherboard.

Interestingly on the other thread someone said he has two Antec cases with front
panel wiring errors. He also said Antec send out replacement wiring assemblies
on some systems to correct their mistakes. But I should not have to do this on a
new unit. If Antec get the case returned and spend some time/money correcting
the problem on the case, perhaps they will improve their quality control.

There is something else that is a little odd. The output from the Fan Only'
connector on the PSU is controlled by temperature to regulate fan speed. The
manual says this can go as low as 4.5 - 5 V and so it should *not* be used with
an external fan control circuit or the fan may fail to start properly. In fact,
I have measured the voltage at 4.124 V, so is lower than the minimum they quote.
Not a bit deal, but the documentation is clearly wrong.

--
Dave K MCSE.

MCSE = Minefield Consultant and Solitaire Expert.

Please note my email address changes periodically to avoid spam.
It is always of the form: month-year@domain. Hitting reply will work
for a couple of months only. Later set it manually.

 

[kony]

Realistically if Antec power supplies are smelling like this, Antec should
address the problem. If it is temporary on new units, then they should be marked
as such or better still burnt in at the factory for 6 hours or whatever.

Ideally, sure they shouldn't smell and if nothing else they
could burn them in but if there is this additional step it's
going to raise the price. Wasn't the low price one of the
reasons you chose the combo in the first place?

The Antec case is arguably better value than any of them. I need EATX for the
dual Opteron motherboard.

Interestingly on the other thread someone said he has two Antec cases with front
panel wiring errors. He also said Antec send out replacement wiring assemblies
on some systems to correct their mistakes. But I should not have to do this on a
new unit. If Antec get the case returned and spend some time/money correcting
the problem on the case, perhaps they will improve their quality control.

.... and the price goes up even more.

Recognize how/why manufacturers reach good price points.
one way is exploiting workers but Antec doesnt' even make
products, they just buy 3rd party cases with minimal spec
changes and market them more aggressively than most.

There is something else that is a little odd. The output from the Fan Only'
connector on the PSU is controlled by temperature to regulate fan speed. The
manual says this can go as low as 4.5 - 5 V and so it should *not* be used with
an external fan control circuit or the fan may fail to start properly. In fact,
I have measured the voltage at 4.124 V, so is lower than the minimum they quote.
Not a bit deal, but the documentation is clearly wrong.

Feel fortunate to have been given any number at all, it is
common to not get most of the specs on things like this.
Are you sure you were measuring the right lead though? If
it's getting ~5V in and a drop across a semiconductor for an
RPM output, that might accound for the slightly lower pulse
reading.

 

[Charlie Wilkes]

It seems some people can smell it and others can't. The smell
does bother me, and for one of my computers, is a reason not
to use that one too much.

I don't notice any smell. However, my PSU is housed in an open steel
case that was mfr'd in about 1993. I spent some time testing voltages
to make sure they hold under load, etc., and they do. As far as I can
discern, it's a good PSU.

Also, it's a heavy PSU. I don't know if you have ever noticed, but
cheap OEM PSUs tend to be physically light in weight.

Charlie

 

[-nos1eep]

It is further alleged that on or about Sat, 08 Apr 2006 09:33:52 GMT,
in alt.comp.hardware.pc-homebuilt, the queezy keyboard of Charlie
Wilkes <[email protected]> spewed the following:

|On Fri, 07 Apr 2006 19:50:51 GMT, (e-mail address removed) (Paul) wrote:
|>
|>It seems some people can smell it and others can't. The smell
|>does bother me, and for one of my computers, is a reason not
|>to use that one too much.
|
|I don't notice any smell. However, my PSU is housed in an open steel
|case that was mfr'd in about 1993.

I've looked at your computer. Technically you have no case, you are
chassis only.

| I spent some time testing voltages
|to make sure they hold under load, etc., and they do. As far as I can
|discern, it's a good PSU.
|
|Also, it's a heavy PSU. I don't know if you have ever noticed, but
|cheap OEM PSUs tend to be physically light in weight.
|
|Charlie

 

[kony]

I don't notice any smell. However, my PSU is housed in an open steel
case that was mfr'd in about 1993. I spent some time testing voltages
to make sure they hold under load, etc., and they do. As far as I can
discern, it's a good PSU.

Also, it's a heavy PSU. I don't know if you have ever noticed, but
cheap OEM PSUs tend to be physically light in weight.

Charlie

Keep in mind that PSU are commodity items and build with
commodity parts. One boatload of Antecs may have inductors
from company XYZ inside while the next boatload's may have
inductors from company ABC inside. Different parts may mean
different lacquer or plastic or (whatever the particular
smell, someone notices).