Simon Frankau's blog
Another switch-mode power supply goes bang
Turning on the hairdryer today, I heard a bang, and the circuit breaker tripped. Switching it back on, everything seemed ok, but I eventually discovered my mains-based network wasn't working. My Billion Homeplug had given up the magic smoke. Here's what I saw inside:
The capacitor (or capacitor look-alike) had gone pop, and indeed you could hear a rattling noise before I opened the case up. As with my other switch-mode PSU explosion, I still find it weird to open up a mains-connected piece of electronics and not see a giant chunky transformer. They're fantastic, but I'm not sure about the reliability of these switch-mode wonders.
Posted 2016-03-05.