So, I've been building a new PC while continuing to use my old one. Today I decided to do the swap, turned off my old PC (which has run 24x7 for the past 16 months perfectly) and removed it. Put in the new PC, turned it on, got everything working, everything's fine.
Now I still needed to copy a few more things over the network from my old PC, so I set it up on the desk, plugged everything in and turned it on. Fans start up, hard drives spin up, optical drives start initializing. But no display. Reset... nothing. I open up the P180 side panel, look inside and all the fans are running, LEDs on but... still no computer. Then I listen closer, and I can hear a soft repetitive snapping/ticking sound coming from the Phantom 500. Then something catches my eye - the blue LED groundlighting effect on my Crucial BallistiX Tracer memory is flickering in time to the ticking sound (other LEDs in fans and on the motherboard are not flickering like this).
I quickly turn everything off with the switch on the back of the Phantom, check all my cable connections and try again. This time the Phantom switches on with about 1 second of what I can best describe as a static sound, and the blue light on the back of the Phantom flicking until the sound goes way. Quickly turn stuff off again, check things one more time. Turning it on... no ticking, no flickering, but still no display.
So, I come to the finaly opinion that the Phantom is fried. I just hope it didn't take anything else with it. Fortunantly, I've had power supplies go before, so I pull out a brand new Antec 500w NeoHE, without removing the old supply swap only the 24-pin/8-pin motherboard connections and the PCI-E plug, flip the switch and... display! Everything seems OK, so I swap over a few more plugs to give me hard drives and sure enough the system boots fine.
Now, considering how long the Phantom worked perfectly without giving me one stitch of trouble, I wonder exactly what's gone on here. Best I can figure is that allowing the supply to cool down for a few hours (the first time in months) caused something to fail - and possibly related to only one particular voltage?
I hope Antec honors the 3 year warranty...
Antec Phantom 500 failed...
Moderators: NeilBlanchard, Ralf Hutter, sthayashi, Lawrence Lee, Devonavar
Re: Antec Phantom 500 failed...
That's propable. It's even possible that high operating temperature (caused by lack of active cooling) might have caused fault to appear already some time ago and now temperature changes just made it "visible".Sunfox wrote:Best I can figure is that allowing the supply to cool down for a few hours (the first time in months) caused something to fail - and possibly related to only one particular voltage?
Especially electrolytic capacitors and semiconductors are sensitive to heat so without active cooling (or otherwise made cooling) those are always quite heavily stressed in this kind devices. Also bad solder joints are other place which would be vulnerable to high temperatures/temperature changes.
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Oklahoma Wolf
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Re: Antec Phantom 500 failed...
Bad caps, or what I like to call Fuhjyyu Syndrome. Antec's CWT made units are all susceptible for using heat sensitive Fuhjyyu capacitors and failing to cool them well enough. While the Phantom units took steps to address this issue, using Panasonic caps in the critical areas, they still used Fuhjyyu in a couple places in them.Sunfox wrote:I wonder exactly what's gone on here.
Methinks that if you were to open up the Phantom, you'd find one or more bulging capacitors in there. A recapping job actually has a good chance of fixing it. On a fanless unit, I'd replace all the caps (even the ones that look good) with a good low ESR cap from the big Japanese companies like Panasonic or Chemi-con.
I probably won't be installing it in anything for a little bit. I've been using a NeoHE 500w in that system since the Phantom went, and after the amount of work it took to get everything fitted and neat and tidy... and considering that the system will no longer be my primary, I think it's probably good enough.
However at the same time as that Phantom 500 went, I started using my new system which had a brand new Phantom 500... and everything has been fine with it so far.
However at the same time as that Phantom 500 went, I started using my new system which had a brand new Phantom 500... and everything has been fine with it so far.
Responding to my old post but...
When my original Phantom 500 died in January 2007, I started using a brand new one in my new PC right away. That unit has been working 24x7 since then without issue until late last night. I tried to start up a game and the video card wouldn't initialize (intro video came up 640x480 instead of 1920x1200 as usual and then it just exited). So, I figured it was time to reboot... rebooted the PC and it just sat there on a blinking cursor. So, I switched the power supply off and then turned it back on right away.
After a brief delay I had a 1/2 second burst of power and then... no more, dead. The motherboard's lights were on, and in fact the case's front power light was on, but nothing was working. Tried a few more times, same problem. I then noticed that the supply was unusually hot - now I've been into my PC while it was running quite a bit over the last ~18 months and it's NEVER been hot to the touch, so this was odd. And the PC had been essentially idling for the past 12 hours... no gaming or video rendering or anything. Just web surfing.
After it cooled down for a few hours I tried it again. Flicked it on... 5 second pause... BLIP of power and it cut out... then another blip... then more, faster... and much like a struggling engine that keeps sputtering but never properly igniting, the Phantom just kept bursting power about twice a second in a random pattern. The LEDs on all my stuff pulsing on and off over and over... well, THAT can't be good!
I had nothing else around handy to replace it with - just an old Antec 430w in an unused PC (still works fine), another random Antec 350w I'm not sure why isn't in something, plus the world's smelliest 500W supply I bought a couple years ago that continued to fill my office with toxic fumes even after running for a full month.
So last night I quickly researched a new supply, and today I went out and bought a Corsair HX620. So far it seems fine - no buzzing or whining or fan noise, and it seems to be staying quite cool, but we'll see how long it lasts.
So, this is the 2nd of 3 Phantom 500s I've had that have failed. Of note this was NOT the warranty replacement Phandom 500 I received for my original unit - last summer that went into a relative's PC when their supply died and I had nothing else on hand to replace it with. I'm now expecting THAT computer to come back to me broken, probably the beginning of 2009 as the pattern seems to go.
I *will* be filing a warranty claim with Antec. I hear they're just sending out some random 650w supply as replacement, but considering the failure rate on the Phantoms this is probably best. Wouldn't mind getting the new Signature 650.
I have to say that, for the two periods when my Phantoms have worked, they were my absolute favorite power supply that I have ever owned.
When my original Phantom 500 died in January 2007, I started using a brand new one in my new PC right away. That unit has been working 24x7 since then without issue until late last night. I tried to start up a game and the video card wouldn't initialize (intro video came up 640x480 instead of 1920x1200 as usual and then it just exited). So, I figured it was time to reboot... rebooted the PC and it just sat there on a blinking cursor. So, I switched the power supply off and then turned it back on right away.
After a brief delay I had a 1/2 second burst of power and then... no more, dead. The motherboard's lights were on, and in fact the case's front power light was on, but nothing was working. Tried a few more times, same problem. I then noticed that the supply was unusually hot - now I've been into my PC while it was running quite a bit over the last ~18 months and it's NEVER been hot to the touch, so this was odd. And the PC had been essentially idling for the past 12 hours... no gaming or video rendering or anything. Just web surfing.
After it cooled down for a few hours I tried it again. Flicked it on... 5 second pause... BLIP of power and it cut out... then another blip... then more, faster... and much like a struggling engine that keeps sputtering but never properly igniting, the Phantom just kept bursting power about twice a second in a random pattern. The LEDs on all my stuff pulsing on and off over and over... well, THAT can't be good!
I had nothing else around handy to replace it with - just an old Antec 430w in an unused PC (still works fine), another random Antec 350w I'm not sure why isn't in something, plus the world's smelliest 500W supply I bought a couple years ago that continued to fill my office with toxic fumes even after running for a full month.
So last night I quickly researched a new supply, and today I went out and bought a Corsair HX620. So far it seems fine - no buzzing or whining or fan noise, and it seems to be staying quite cool, but we'll see how long it lasts.
So, this is the 2nd of 3 Phantom 500s I've had that have failed. Of note this was NOT the warranty replacement Phandom 500 I received for my original unit - last summer that went into a relative's PC when their supply died and I had nothing else on hand to replace it with. I'm now expecting THAT computer to come back to me broken, probably the beginning of 2009 as the pattern seems to go.
I *will* be filing a warranty claim with Antec. I hear they're just sending out some random 650w supply as replacement, but considering the failure rate on the Phantoms this is probably best. Wouldn't mind getting the new Signature 650.
I have to say that, for the two periods when my Phantoms have worked, they were my absolute favorite power supply that I have ever owned.
My phantom broke around Feb 2008, less than a year after I bought it. It's been almost 6 months since I RMA'ed it and I'm still waiting for my Phantom 500 replacement, if I ever get it (or according to Antec, if they ever get one - what a joke). Keep my experience in mind when you read that Antec offers 3-year warranty on the PSUs.
The Phantom 500 was my 3rd Antec PSU requiring replacement. Prior to that I had had a TruPower replaced a couple of times. The shipping costs I spent added up to more than the price I paid for the PSU. What a money pit!
I swore I would never buy another Antec product knowing that they are of inferior quality and that Antec won't make good on their warranty.
The Phantom 500 was my 3rd Antec PSU requiring replacement. Prior to that I had had a TruPower replaced a couple of times. The shipping costs I spent added up to more than the price I paid for the PSU. What a money pit!
I swore I would never buy another Antec product knowing that they are of inferior quality and that Antec won't make good on their warranty.
My Phantom 350 just died on me this Sunday 
She was the second of two 350 that died, the first one lasted 3 weeks and now the replacement lasted 3.4 years, the shortest surviving power supply I have ever owned, actually no power supply has ever failed me during the time I owned the system !
On the Friday, I press the power on button and I hear a sputter with the fans, but no power on beep, so I pressed it again thinking I didn't push it properly and it started. On Saturday morning the same thing except I had to repress the power button 2-3 times before it would start and now nothing.
Has anyone tried to get Antec for a repair or replacement after the 3 year warranty or is mine just another paper weight ?, seems mine died just 4 months after the warranty period
To add insult to injury, I needed a PS since the stores that sell Seasonic here are closed on Sundays. I ended up buying a $5 420w 3Y Power Technology PS as a temporary PS at a local used PC joint and it booted it up like a charm.
So I guess is this the end of fanless PS as we know it ?
She was the second of two 350 that died, the first one lasted 3 weeks and now the replacement lasted 3.4 years, the shortest surviving power supply I have ever owned, actually no power supply has ever failed me during the time I owned the system !
On the Friday, I press the power on button and I hear a sputter with the fans, but no power on beep, so I pressed it again thinking I didn't push it properly and it started. On Saturday morning the same thing except I had to repress the power button 2-3 times before it would start and now nothing.
Has anyone tried to get Antec for a repair or replacement after the 3 year warranty or is mine just another paper weight ?, seems mine died just 4 months after the warranty period
To add insult to injury, I needed a PS since the stores that sell Seasonic here are closed on Sundays. I ended up buying a $5 420w 3Y Power Technology PS as a temporary PS at a local used PC joint and it booted it up like a charm.
So I guess is this the end of fanless PS as we know it ?
Re: Antec Phantom 500 failed...
My Phantom 500 recently died (after a mere 18 months) in very similar fashion.Sunfox wrote:Fans start up, hard drives spin up, optical drives start initializing. But no display. Reset... nothing. I open up the P180 side panel, look inside and all the fans are running, LEDs on but... still no computer. Then I listen closer, and I can hear a soft repetitive snapping/ticking sound coming from the Phantom 500.
I think my Phantom could have caused some minor issues my computer was having since ~9-12 months ago, as those problems have disappeared since installing the stopgap PSU. The Phantom should have never had any problem in my system (C2D E6600, GF 7600GT) and temperature shouldn't have been an issue, so I think the series' design and/or manufacture were probably flawed.Sunfox wrote:Now, considering how long the Phantom worked perfectly without giving me one stitch of trouble, I wonder exactly what's gone on here. Best I can figure is that allowing the supply to cool down for a few hours (the first time in months) caused something to fail - and possibly related to only one particular voltage?
Me too. I hope any replacement is worth the trouble.Sunfox wrote:I hope Antec honors the 3 year warranty...