On Fri, May 30, 2008 at 1:42 PM, <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> #1 is a known problem. Do a Google search for leaky or bulging capacitors
> on Dell Optiplex machines...
Yah. Faulty electrolytic capacitors are an industry-wide problem,
not just Dell. "Capacitor plague" is the usual name I hear for it.
Basically, the capacitors use an inferior electrolyte formulation
which degrades over time. Gas builds up inside the capacitor, causing
it to deform ("bulge") and eventually to rupture ("leak"). Either can
kill the capacitor, cause it to smoke, or just degrade it's
performance (leading to erratic crashes).
I do seem to hear about cap plague for Dell machines more than
others, but that could just be because more people have Dell machines.
Or maybe Dell is overly concerned with cost and not enough with
quality.
It's not a new problem, either. I had a motherboard I bought circa
1999 die of cap plague a few years ago.
> Intersting story of industrial espionage... An electronics company broke
> into the databases of a rival to steal their capacitor electrolyte
> formula.
I've heard that, too, but it seems like the problem is going on for
far longer than just one incident could account for.
-- Ben
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