Core Reactor 650W unusual clicks

[matpc]

Hello

I have a 650w core reactor connected in a good surge protector (iclamper)

It was everything good so far until i had a power lapse in my house

Lights would lose strength ( they became very dim , usual of power lapse ) my tv turned off and so on

But my pc and monitor (both connected to the surge protector ) remained On with the PSU making some clicks ( it is the same click operation of the relay when i turn the PC on and off )

But it is weird that i had some clicks and my pc remained ON

I´ve managed to turn it down but still kept it at the power outlet

Then the power was really cut and it was coming back intermittently ( like low power , throughout my whole house )

Everything was in the wall and even the PC being off ( stand by after safely turning it off before hand , just connected to the wall i mean ) i´ve still heard some clicking coming from the PSU

it was so fast , i couldn´t do much , the only thing i´ve managed was to safely turn off windows

So , i´ve got these clicks while it being in stand by and during normal operation while it was ON ( i´ve never had any additional relay clicks more than turning ON and OFF the PC , the normal behavior )

Now i´m wondering , was this some kind of short or damage to the psu or components ? i have this PSU for a fair amount of time and like i´ve said , never heard any clicks beyond ON OFF operation , let alone it being in stand by

my surge protector did not switch it to OFF as well ( the protection if it detects "risky" power )

but i found it very weird that it was clicking while ON and in standby ( the pc remained ON when everything in the house was running dim / low power )

So , is this normal behavior or some damage was done during this ?Like i´ve said , couldn´t do much except turn it off , happened very fast

Everything is working for the matter

Thanks !

Hello

I have a 650w core reactor connected in a good surge protector (iclamper)

It was everything good so far until i had a power lapse in my house

Lights would lose strength ( they became very dim , usual of power lapse ) my tv turned off and so on

But my pc and monitor (both connected to the surge protector ) remained On with the PSU making some clicks ( it is the same click operation of the relay when i turn the PC on and off )

But it is weird that i had some clicks and my pc remained ON

I´ve managed to turn it down but still kept it at the power outlet

Then the power was really cut and it was coming back intermittently ( like low power , throughout my whole house )

Everything was in the wall and even the PC being off ( stand by after safely turning it off before hand , just connected to the wall i mean ) i´ve still heard some clicking coming from the PSU

it was so fast , i couldn´t do much , the only thing i´ve managed was to safely turn off windows

So , i´ve got these clicks while it being in stand by and during normal operation while it was ON ( i´ve never had any additional relay clicks more than turning ON and OFF the PC , the normal behavior )

Now i´m wondering , was this some kind of short or damage to the psu or components ? i have this PSU for a fair amount of time and like i´ve said , never heard any clicks beyond ON OFF operation , let alone it being in stand by

my surge protector did not switch it to OFF as well ( the protection if it detects "risky" power )

but i found it very weird that it was clicking while ON and in standby ( the pc remained ON when everything in the house was running dim / low power )

So , is this normal behavior or some damage was done during this ?Like i´ve said , couldn´t do much except turn it off , happened very fast

Everything is working for the matter

Thanks !

and i´ve wanted to know , wouldn´t the surge protector take place if it was dangerous in the first place ? thanks

 

[Bill_Bright]

Well it does appear you discovered one of the greatest weaknesses of surge and spike protectors - they do absolutely nothing for abnormal "low-voltage" events like dips (opposite of spikes), sags (opposite of surges) or brownouts (long duration sags). And for excessive high-voltage events (surges and spikes), if lucky, they just kill power to your equipment which still is not really a good thing as that can result in data corruption.

This is one of the main reasons I always recommend all computers be protected by a "good" UPS with AVR.

So for the future, I recommend you look into that. A good 1500VA UPS with AVR will protect most computers, one or two monitors and typical network gear too (modem and wireless router). But now that's for a different discussion.

Now i´m wondering , was this some kind of short or damage to the psu or components ?

Most likely (fingers crossed) the connected components (motherboard, CPU, drives, RAM) are fine though you may have some data corruption on your drives resulting in lost or damaged files or even an unbootable operating system. I hope you keep good backups of all the data you don't want to lose.

I recommend you try to find another, known good PSU - a spare or temporarily borrow one from another computer, perhaps from a friend or relative. Then swap that in there and see what happens. Hopefully it will boot up fine, indicating your components are fine too and all that was damaged was the PSU.

And for sure, next time you see your lights dim, you need to IMMEDIATELY shut down (I would unplug) ALL your sensitive electronics (computers, TVs, even refrigerators and freezers). And I would suggest you get an outlet power monitor (often called kill-a-watt meters). These are nice because they show your mains voltage but also tell you how much power connected devices are demanding. Even something like a simple outlet voltage meter (that price is for 3) is handy. I bought several of these to put throughout my house after the tap on the transformer feeding my house failed and I have 146VAC at my outlets instead of the expected 120VAC. Not good. But also for a different discussion. Note both of those devices are available for different types of outlets and mains voltages. Check your local Amazon or home improvement center.

I also recommend every computer user have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure the wall outlet is properly wired and grounded to Earth ground. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets (outlets near water) too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK, or this one for German outlets) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the home and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.

 

[matpc]

Well it does appear you discovered one of the greatest weaknesses of surge and spike protectors - they do absolutely nothing for abnormal "low-voltage" events like dips (opposite of spikes), sags (opposite of surges) or brownouts (long duration sags). And for excessive high-voltage events (surges and spikes), if lucky, they just kill power to your equipment which still is not really a good thing as that can result in data corruption.

This is one of the main reasons I always recommend all computers be protected by a "good" UPS with AVR.

So for the future, I recommend you look into that. A good 1500VA UPS with AVR will protect most computers, one or two monitors and typical network gear too (modem and wireless router). But now that's for a different discussion.



Most likely (fingers crossed) the connected components (motherboard, CPU, drives, RAM) are fine though you may have some data corruption on your drives resulting in lost or damaged files or even an unbootable operating system. I hope you keep good backups of all the data you don't want to lose.

I recommend you try to find another, known good PSU - a spare or temporarily borrow one from another computer, perhaps from a friend or relative. Then swap that in there and see what happens. Hopefully it will boot up fine, indicating your components are fine too and all that was damaged was the PSU.

And for sure, next time you see your lights dim, you need to IMMEDIATELY shut down (I would unplug) ALL your sensitive electronics (computers, TVs, even refrigerators and freezers). And I would suggest you get an outlet power monitor (often called kill-a-watt meters). These are nice because they show your mains voltage but also tell you how much power connected devices are demanding. Even something like a simple outlet voltage meter (that price is for 3) is handy. I bought several of these to put throughout my house after the tap on the transformer feeding my house failed and I have 146VAC at my outlets instead of the expected 120VAC. Not good. But also for a different discussion. Note both of those devices are available for different types of outlets and mains voltages. Check your local Amazon or home improvement center.

I also recommend every computer user have access to a AC Outlet Tester to ensure the wall outlet is properly wired and grounded to Earth ground. I recommend one with a GFCI (ground fault circuit interrupt) indicator as it can be used to test bathroom and kitchen outlets (outlets near water) too. These testers can be found for your type and voltage outlet, foreign or domestic, (like this one for the UK, or this one for German outlets) at most home improvement stores, or even the electrical department at Wal-Mart. Use it to test all the outlets in the home and if a fault is shown, have it fixed by a qualified electrician.

hmm i see

hey man i think you´ve misunderstood , everything is working ( my PSU and pc turns ON )

but it still got me worried that it was clicking while the PC was ON

and also when i´ve shut it down , it still made some clicks

i´m sure they came all from the PSU

do you kow what could cause these clicks during stand by and normal operation ?

everything is working but do i run the risk of continuing using this PC and PSU ? thanks

 

[eidairaman1]

Psus have auto switching from 120 to 230 unlike back in the day, which had a red physical slider switch.

Relays make clicking noises, a fan hitting a wire does, sometimes coils might have a clicking noise. If you aren't noticing volts over/under atx spec of +- 5% on the 12V, 5V, and or 3.3V rails, leave it alone.



-keyboard drop-

 

[matpc]

Psus have auto switching from 120 to 230 unlike back in the day, which had a red physical slider switch.

Relays make clicking noises, a fan hitting a wire does, sometimes coils might have a clicking noise. If you aren't noticing volts over/under atx spec of +- 5% on the 12V, 5V, and or 3.3V rails, leave it alone.



-keyboard drop-

well , my pc is working but these clicks outside of ON / OFF (normal operation got me worried)

it also clicked while being in stand by

it is working but i´m wondering if these clicks (outside ON/OFF) were harmful ? thanks

 

[Shrek]

Psus have auto switching from 120 to 230 unlike back in the day, which had a red physical slider switch.

Does the APFC circuit actually switch for varying input voltage these days?

I believe the relay is to short the soft start for the main capacitor.

 

[LabRat 891]

If the 'new normal' was not happening prior to the especially (electrically) violent brown-out/surge/outage
-Replace the UPS.

TBF, the battery in the unit could've been 'weak' and putting it under a load 'wore' it down further.
-The relay clicking OP is hearing *could* be related to the UPS 'topping off' the battery, then after its self-discharged it's 'clicking back on' the internal battery charger.
OP could try replacing the battery first, but it'll be a wasted expense if it were not the cause.


I've a had a Vertiv Liebert 'worldwide' 208-250VAC 50-60hz UPS pop during a similar outage.
Very 'rough' mains current can absolutely damage UPSs -and, if one of my (consumer) UPSs were doing anything different after a major outage/surge, I'd replace it.

If it is within warranty, these kinds of incidents are precisely what is (supposed to be) covered by the warranty.

 

[matpc]

If the 'new normal' was not happening prior to the especially (electrically) violent brown-out/surge/outage
-Replace the UPS.

TBF, the battery in the unit could've been 'weak' and putting it under a load 'wore' it down further.
-The relay clicking OP is hearing *could* be related to the UPS 'topping off' the battery, then after its self-discharged it's 'clicking back on' the internal battery charger.
OP could try replacing the battery first, but it'll be a wasted expense if it were not the cause.


I've a had a Vertiv Liebert 'worldwide' 208-250VAC 50-60hz UPS pop during a similar outage.
Very 'rough' mains current can absolutely damage UPSs -and, if one of my (consumer) UPSs were doing anything different after a major outage/surge, I'd replace it.

If it is within warranty, these kinds of incidents are precisely what is (supposed to be) covered by the warranty.

i use the pc directly in a surge protector , i don´t have a UPS

i don´t think PSUs have UPS function ?

everything is working so far but worried if some damage was done

what it bugs me is that this relay clicking is only for ON / OFF operation , i was surprised that it clicked and my PC remained ON

 

[Shrek]

The main capacitor can carry a good amount of energy to keep things going for a missing cycle or two.

The relay needs to turn off in preparation for the recovery surge.

 

[LabRat 891]

i use the pc directly in a surge protector , i don´t have a UPS

i don´t think PSUs have UPS function ?

everything is working so far but worried if some damage was done

what it bugs me is that this relay clicking is only for ON / OFF operation , i was surprised that it clicked and my PC remained ON

My apologies, I mis-read.
I wrongly assumed that since the PC stayed on, you were talking about a UPS.

The main capacitor can carry a good amount of energy to keep things going for a missing cycle or two.

Apparently, OP's PSU had enough 'hold up time' to sustain through the brownout.
[Note: if OP is on 220+VAC mains, that would explain a lot. 'Holdup time' was part of why I used to run my homelab off a 20A 'dual pole' 220-240V 60Hz branch circuit.]


Still, if the PSU wasn't doing it before, and it is now after the power problem... I'd suspect both the Surge Protector and PSU.
Since 'surge protectors' are almost universally 'consumable', I'd replace that first.

IIRC, the 'surge protection' is provided by a MOV, and they 'degrade' under pulsed surges, rather than 'just fail'.

How and Why Varistor Failure Occurs Including the Effect of Multipulse Surges - In Compliance Magazine

This article is about varistor construction, characteristics, testing and the often-unappreciated ways varistors can fail.

incompliancemag.com

Does the PSU 'click' even when not plugged in through the (damaged) surge protector?

Psus have auto switching from 120 to 230 unlike back in the day, which had a red physical slider switch.

Relays make clicking noises, a fan hitting a wire does, sometimes coils might have a clicking noise. If you aren't noticing volts over/under atx spec of +- 5% on the 12V, 5V, and or 3.3V rails, leave it alone.



-keyboard drop-

I'm wondering if the MOV in the surge supressor is 'damaged' and malfunctioning; changing the voltage levels fed to the PSU, and putting the PSU in and out of 100-127VAC and 200-250VAC 'modes'?

 

[matpc]

I´ve been using the PC today and it seems fine

No clicks outside ON/OFF operation

i´ve never had this because it was the first time i had a power lapse in a very long time

i´ve managed to safely turn down (while it was clicking already )

then the power went down back and forth and i´ve heard some clicks of the PSU ( from power coming and going )

unfortunately it was so fast , could not do much but now i´m worried

i don´t really mind the PSU ( as this unit have a long warranty time )

mostly worried about the components ( even when using a good PSU and a good surge protector )

but still , this wasn´t a surge in the first place

Wouldn´t the PSU cut power if this undervoltage / lapse was dangerous ? thanks

 

[Shrek]

I'm wondering if the MOV in the surge supressor is 'damaged' and malfunctioning; changing the voltage levels fed to the PSU, and putting the PSU in and out of 110-125VAC and 220-250VAC 'modes'?

As far as I know and am ready to be corrected, modern supplies don't have 110-125VAC and 220-250VAC 'modes'.

 

[matpc]

My apologies, I mis-read.
I wrongly assumed that since the PC stayed on, you were talking about a UPS.

Apparently, OP's PSU had enough 'hold up time' to sustain through the brownout.
[Note: if OP is on 220+VAC mains, that would explain a lot. 'Holdup time' was part of why I used to run my homelab off a 20A 'dual pole' 220-240V 60Hz branch circuit.]


Still, if the PSU wasn't doing it before, and it is now after the power problem... I'd suspect both the Surge Protector and PSU.
Since 'surge protectors' are almost universally 'consumable', I'd replace that first.

IIRC, the 'surge protection' is provided by a MOV, and they 'degrade' under pulsed surges, rather than 'just fail'.

How and Why Varistor Failure Occurs Including the Effect of Multipulse Surges - In Compliance Magazine

This article is about varistor construction, characteristics, testing and the often-unappreciated ways varistors can fail.

incompliancemag.com

Does the PSU 'click' even when not plugged in through the (damaged) surge protector?

I'm wondering if the MOV in the surge supressor is 'damaged' and malfunctioning; changing the voltage levels fed to the PSU, and putting the PSU in and out of 100-125VAC and 200-250VAC 'modes'?

i don´t think the surge protector is damaged , the PSU clicks directly on the wall and in the surge protector

i don´t think the surge protector is damaged , the PSU clicks directly on the wall and in the surge protector

it clicks only when turning ON / OFF , i´ve never heard them during operation and in standby

 

[LabRat 891]

As far as I know and am ready to be corrected, modern supplies don't have 110-125VAC and 220-250VAC 'modes'.

Never heard of that brand, and figured maybe it was using some basic voltage detection and a relay to switch voltages, while using an old design.

Psus have auto switching from 120 to 230 unlike back in the day, which had a red physical slider switch.

-rather than ActivePFC.

Active Power Factor Correction

A concise guide to active power factor correction.

www.powerfactor.us

i don´t think the surge protector is damaged , the PSU clicks directly on the wall and in the surge protector


it clicks only when turning ON / OFF , i´ve never heard them during operation and in standby

If it only clicks when powering on/off. It's normal. Eldairman, as usual, is correct

You likely just never noticed the noise prior to the violent surge bringing your attention to anything power related.
IDK about you, but especially 'jarring' surges/outages make my heart race like I just narrowly avoided a car wreck

Still, I'd *highly reccommend* replacing the surge protector.
Unless the manufacturer of the surge protector explicitly states otherwise, surge suppressors/protectors are disposable protective devices.

 

[Shrek]

I thought so, that APFC does not switch modes.

 

[matpc]

Never heard of that brand, and figured maybe it was using some basic voltage detection and a relay to switch voltages, while using an old design.

-rather than ActivePFC.

Active Power Factor Correction

A concise guide to active power factor correction.

www.powerfactor.us

If it only clicks when powering on/off. It's normal. Eldairman, as usual, is correct
You likely just never noticed the noise prior to the violent surge bringing your attention to anything power related.

Still, I'd *highly reccommend* replacing the surge protector.
Unless the manufacturer of the surge protector explicitly states otherwise, surge suppressors/protectors are disposable protective devices.

No , i´ve always heard these ON/OFF clicks ( regardless of the surges/lapses)

What got me is that it had some clicks DURING OPERATION while the lapse was happening ( the light in my room was pretty dim but the pc somehow was ON and it was clicking )

and my psu was clicking while in standby when the power was coming and going

the ON/OFF clicks are normal but i´ve had these clicks during operation/standby

No , i´ve always heard these ON/OFF clicks ( regardless of the surges/lapses)

What got me is that it had some clicks DURING OPERATION while the lapse was happening ( the light in my room was pretty dim but the pc somehow was ON and it was clicking )

and my psu was clicking while in standby when the power was coming and going

the ON/OFF clicks are normal but i´ve had these clicks during operation/standby

and outside of lapses , never heard them except turning off and on the PC

does these clicks represent something else than the relay ''opening'' and ''closing'' power ?

 

[Shrek]

See post 6 and 9

 

[matpc]

See post 6 and 9

hmm i see

sorry it seems that you´ve edited

but makes sense

it is because i thought the relay would only open/close power

well , everything is working good so far , should i do something or is it ok to use ?


and one last detail , does posts 6 and 9 carry when the system is in standby ?

since the PC was already off ( standby ) and clicking

sorry being repetitive , when these things happen i´ve always make sure verything is out of the wall , but this happened in a matter of seconds really

thanks

 

[Shrek]

I imagine it applies whenever the power goes out for a moment, but I don't pretend to know exactly how things work; however, in standby there is a lot of reserve energy to carry things over missed cycles.

 

[matpc]

I imagine it applies whenever the power goes out for a moment.

hmm yes

it was like going back and forth very fast since the clicking

i know i can´t get a concrete answer for sure (if things are damaged or not ) but everything is working and i´m wondering , besides the surge protector , does this PSU features all the protections ?

 

[Shrek]

does this PSU features all the protections ?

XPG Pylon 650W Power Supply Review | Tom's Hardware

 

[LabRat 891]

i know i can´t get a concrete answer for sure (if things are damaged or not ) but everything is working and i´m wondering , besides the surge protector , does this PSU features all the protections ?

Apprently, It's a good PSU; CWT unit.

XPG Core Reactor 650W Power Supply Review

The XPG Core Reactor 650W is a high-performance power supply, ideal for demanding users.

www.tomshardware.com

If you aren't noticing volts over/under atx spec of +- 5% on the 12V, 5V, and or 3.3V rails, leave it alone.

Fin.

 

[matpc]

thanks everybody for the input

i guess it was just the safety systems then

it is unusual since these lapses are not that common here tbh and like i´ve said , never heard clicks outside ON/OFF

but i guess everything is fine after all

Thanks

 

[Bill_Bright]

hey man i think you´ve misunderstood , everything is working ( my PSU and pc turns ON )

but it still got me worried that it was clicking while the PC was ON

Pretty sure I understood you but I can only go by the information you provide. I was trying to reassure you that most likely, your computer itself was fine and only the PSU was affected. I note you said this clicking started after you had a power outage and a significant "low voltage" event (indicated by dimmed lights). That's why I said,

Most likely (fingers crossed) the connected components (motherboard, CPU, drives, RAM) are fine though you may have some data corruption on your drives resulting in lost or damaged files or even an unbootable operating system. I hope you keep good backups of all the data you don't want to lose.

I recommend you try to find another, known good PSU - a spare or temporarily borrow one from another computer, perhaps from a friend or relative. Then swap that in there and see what happens. Hopefully it will boot up fine, indicating your components are fine too and all that was damaged was the PSU.

I note you said,

i´ve got these clicks while it being in stand by and during normal operation while it was ON (

That is NOT normal. The fact you no longer hear them is NOT normal either because hardware does not repair itself.

Therefore, my recommendations above remain the same. "IF" your PSU was clicking because you mains power is unstable and has excessive sags (and apparent brownouts), you need to get this computer (and your other sensitive electronics) on a "good" UPS with AVR. If this clicking was caused by an intermittent problem with your PSU and now it has stopped, this likely is just a temporary reprieve and you need to swap in another PSU to verify.

Once again, the biggest advantage to using a "good" UPS with AVR is the AVR (automatic voltage regulation) as that is what compensates for and protects your connected components from those destructive and potentially damaging power anomalies. Back-up power during a full outage is just a minor bonus feature.

 

[Shrek]

Since a modern PC power supply is good for a range of voltages (100 - 240V) I believe the advantage of voltage regulation is that it avoids the UPS switching to battery during a brown out and so is beneficial more to the UPS than the PC it serves.

But the AVR cannot switch fast enough for fast glitches and for that one needs the surge protection built into most UPS units.