blowing a fuse!

[papigo]

can anyone tell us why our tower keeps blowing a fuse. we have replaced the 5 amp fuse ( as the plug is marked) about 3 times in the last week. everything else stays switched on its just the tower that looses power. all the computer things are on the same extension-although different plugs. we dont know what is causing it or what to do. all answers greatly appreciated

[tomd]

Is the lead with the 5A marking the one that came with the computer, or has it got swapped along the way for a lower rated fuse?
If it keeps tripping the fuse, assuming no physical faults with the PSU, 5A might not be enough to run the tower unit. Are there any recommended fuse ratings on the back of the PSU, rather than on the plug?

[papigo]

no tom, its the same plug that came with the computer -it has a special fitting at one end whch will only fit the power source in the tower.

[tomd]

The connector on the end is probably an IEC (or 'kettle lead') connector, for good reason - if you check a wired kettle it'll be that same. It's also used on most guitar amps.

Have you added any hardware to the tower recently, either components or RAM? Is there any reason why it should be drawing more power?

Is there a recomended rating on the back of the tower unit, or on top of the PSU? (You might need to look inside your case to see this one.) See this example - "AC Input" in the top left of the orange box specifies 230V/6A.