"Capacitor Plague"
Oct 10, 2010 7:43:43 GMT
Post by CharlieChomper on Oct 10, 2010 7:43:43 GMT
In checking my motherboard a few times earlier this week for signs of bad (mostly in the form of leaking or bulging capacitors--mine is unaffected by this), I thought to mention an incident that had happened within the industry and went on until as "recently" as three years ago--as well as to make people aware of it as it still remains unknown just how extensive this problem really was or which companies were involved, as anyone with a computer (regardless of whether it's a PC or a Mac) made before 2008 potentially could consider themselves at risk for this (although, I'd also like to mention that the odds are/were against it).
However, I would like to emphasize that the odds of it happening to a system are not very high (unless you have one of the motherboards or systems which were notorious for this problem, and the odds that they would still be running if that were the case makes it even less likely)--I'm mainly mentioning it to keep an eye on it, not to scare anyone.
To provide some back story into this (and possibly shed some light into the nature of that part of the industry), most motherboards historically have been either made/manufactured by Taiwanese companies (although, in recent years, there have been more American companies who have gotten into making motherboards--albeit, still outsourced to places in Asia. Just as there have been either more Chinese manufacturers entering into it or else consolidating amongst each other) or just manufactured there--just as it's historically been the case with capacitors and certain other components (at one point, most memory was made there as well--this is not the case as much now as it once was, however. So, when Taiwan had a natural disaster, all RAM went up to near-astronomical prices, until their situation improved again to where they could begin manufacturing again).
However, in the case of capacitors (which look like little, rod-shaped "batteries" sticking on top of an electronics board), the competition became so fierce it seems between the different companies who made them that some of them decided to engage in a form of "industrial espionage" against a rival company--ethics and legalities aside, they only obtained an incomplete formula for it. The result was a recipe for disaster, not just for some of the companies who made them (or some motherboard or other electronic manufacturers), but especially for any end user/consumer who had the misfortune to have a board that had these capacitors.
The bad capacitors began manufacture apparently starting in 1999 (and strangely did not stop until 2007--why it took so long to put an end to it, remains unexplained)--however, it wasn't until around 2002-3 that word of the problem (within tech/techie circles and the industry) became known.
At first, most people assumed it may have just been one or two motherboards that were "bad" (despite an indescribable shock at who the manufacturers were--two of the previously "best", "must-have" (if one could sometimes afford them) motherboard manufacturers in that segment of the component industry). However, it then came out just how widespread the problem really may have been in that no one felt "safe"--although, no one seemed to have an answer nor any idea as to what was actually causing it or what was happening.
The problem was that there was so much pressure sometimes building inside, that the capacitors either started bulging and/or leaking--in some cases, they were known to actually explode (there are certain models of motherboards and even entire systems--some of Apple's eMacs and a specific model of Dell, for example--which then earned themselves the distinction of where their owners could either expect it or else were dealing with the aftermath of it).
It not only caused a panic in that no one knew for certain which motherboards were "safe" versus which ones (that were not already known to have the issue) potentially would show signs of this, but it's still never been fully confirmed as to how many companies were actually affected by this or which models. I can't fully begin to even describe to anyone here the impact this problem had throughout the industry.
It also affected Apple's "flagship" iMac G5 series (and less expensive eMac series--both of which had issues tied into their motherboards because of it as well as their power supplies), as well as most of HP's 2004 line (and forced the company to take them off the market out of concern), and Dell (I remember reading around that time that they had spent close to $300 million (roughly 216 million Euros) on analyzing just how widespread the issue was with computers they sold/whether people had issues on them and with half the amount going toward actual replacement of the bad boards) to name but three of the big system building companies that were affected by this (admittedly, there were more out there--however, those three were the hardest hit by this).
It also was part of what led to one of the previously biggest motherboard (along with other components) companies in the industries to descend into a downward spiral of demise and eventual bankruptcy, as there was one model (amongst others), in particular, that I remember as being especially notorious for this (and which almost everyone in or monitoring that industry knew by heart as having this problem--you can think of it as the "poster child" of it)--and so many people had it happen to them or knew to avoid it, that the company had no viable way of really "making it right" either for the customers it happened to (especially those who had, at least, one capacitor explode as it not only rendered their motherboards basically useless--it also damaged some of their other hardware in that system when it exploded)).
They also had to contend with having to deal with the aftermath of it and a lack of trust from it (which may not seem like much to some people, but in the hardware business it actually does mean a great deal--and in some cases, it has led to companies going under (not just component makers but also sometimes system building companies)).
Their subsequent products tried to improve their reputation--and some were still good--but the damage was a contributing factor (albeit a minor one)along with other more major factors which led to their "death" (namely bad accounting practices, fraud, and embezzlement--none of which became known until after the company went bankrupt and whatever was left sold off, however). Some of their executives were also investigated over the criminal portions, however I don't know whether or not anything came of the charges.
However, those who were affected by the bad capacitors had few options--most motherboard companies were completely unaware the capacitors were faulty when they bought them, while those whose systems were affected by it generally only had one of two options open to them (and depending upon whether the bad capacitors had exploded or not): they could either try to send their motherboard back in for repairs and run the risk of still being vulnerable to the problem (however, it a capacitor had exploded and took out other hardware, it was almost a moot point as they would still have damaged hardware which could not be replaced--if there were warranties on anything, they would have been voided as a result of the explosion, given the way in which most warranties are set up--likewise, almost all motherboard companies out there do not just issue replacement boards. Instead, you have to ship the board back to them for repairs--usually at your expense--and wait for them to receive and then repair it and send your original board back to you. It can potentially be a long wait before you get the board back, depending upon where you live, the company, and where it needs to be sent to (most Taiwanese companies I've dealt with have usually sent the boards back there for repairs--even if they have an office in your country/region and you have to send it to that office, they will still likely ship it back to their facilities in Taiwan for the repair work); Or they could completely replace the motherboard with something else entirely (at their own expense). More often than not, most people went with the second option unless the system was a commercially-built system in which people were more likely to try going the RMA/replacement route instead.
The situation with the bad capacitors also led to an investigation by the Taiwanese government into both the nature of the problem as well as the industrial espionage that was involved.
However, because the problem was with capacitors, themselves (which are used in a wide variety of different types of electronics--not just computer-related), it also led to some issues with certain camcorders, digital cameras, DVD players, audio equipment, network "switches" (a type of device, not an actual switch), and other portable electronics that used them (which was not as widely-documented as it had been with the motherboard fiasco, so it's even harder to know just how widespread the problem was in that segment of the industry in comparison or what, specifically, was actually affected) as well as power supply issues (as power supplies also use capacitors--however, unlike a board, it's almost impossible to really check a power supply for that problem (mainly due to the risks of an electrical shock from even attempting to open it)).
Again, I doubt anyone here would have reason to worry about this. However, the symptoms of what has been dubbed "Capacitor Plague" (although, admittedly, it's more commonly referred to as just "bad capacitors"--or the motherboard company I mentioned earlier may get a mention) are usually in the form of either leaking (usually with a "goo"-like substance often visible on either the capacitor or on the board--the color may vary) and/or bulging capacitors (either sideways or actually usually toward the very top). In some cases, they would explode (and, in addition to making a noise, spray your hardware with sometimes a substance on top of it) from the pressure build-up.
However, it only takes one bad capacitor to render a motherboard almost useless and usually you'd be experiencing other issues had it happened (symptoms that are also so commonplace, they could just as easily be caused by anything else and should not be used to diagnose this problem because of that).
However, I would like to emphasize that the odds of it happening to a system are not very high (unless you have one of the motherboards or systems which were notorious for this problem, and the odds that they would still be running if that were the case makes it even less likely)--I'm mainly mentioning it to keep an eye on it, not to scare anyone.
To provide some back story into this (and possibly shed some light into the nature of that part of the industry), most motherboards historically have been either made/manufactured by Taiwanese companies (although, in recent years, there have been more American companies who have gotten into making motherboards--albeit, still outsourced to places in Asia. Just as there have been either more Chinese manufacturers entering into it or else consolidating amongst each other) or just manufactured there--just as it's historically been the case with capacitors and certain other components (at one point, most memory was made there as well--this is not the case as much now as it once was, however. So, when Taiwan had a natural disaster, all RAM went up to near-astronomical prices, until their situation improved again to where they could begin manufacturing again).
However, in the case of capacitors (which look like little, rod-shaped "batteries" sticking on top of an electronics board), the competition became so fierce it seems between the different companies who made them that some of them decided to engage in a form of "industrial espionage" against a rival company--ethics and legalities aside, they only obtained an incomplete formula for it. The result was a recipe for disaster, not just for some of the companies who made them (or some motherboard or other electronic manufacturers), but especially for any end user/consumer who had the misfortune to have a board that had these capacitors.
The bad capacitors began manufacture apparently starting in 1999 (and strangely did not stop until 2007--why it took so long to put an end to it, remains unexplained)--however, it wasn't until around 2002-3 that word of the problem (within tech/techie circles and the industry) became known.
At first, most people assumed it may have just been one or two motherboards that were "bad" (despite an indescribable shock at who the manufacturers were--two of the previously "best", "must-have" (if one could sometimes afford them) motherboard manufacturers in that segment of the component industry). However, it then came out just how widespread the problem really may have been in that no one felt "safe"--although, no one seemed to have an answer nor any idea as to what was actually causing it or what was happening.
The problem was that there was so much pressure sometimes building inside, that the capacitors either started bulging and/or leaking--in some cases, they were known to actually explode (there are certain models of motherboards and even entire systems--some of Apple's eMacs and a specific model of Dell, for example--which then earned themselves the distinction of where their owners could either expect it or else were dealing with the aftermath of it).
It not only caused a panic in that no one knew for certain which motherboards were "safe" versus which ones (that were not already known to have the issue) potentially would show signs of this, but it's still never been fully confirmed as to how many companies were actually affected by this or which models. I can't fully begin to even describe to anyone here the impact this problem had throughout the industry.
It also affected Apple's "flagship" iMac G5 series (and less expensive eMac series--both of which had issues tied into their motherboards because of it as well as their power supplies), as well as most of HP's 2004 line (and forced the company to take them off the market out of concern), and Dell (I remember reading around that time that they had spent close to $300 million (roughly 216 million Euros) on analyzing just how widespread the issue was with computers they sold/whether people had issues on them and with half the amount going toward actual replacement of the bad boards) to name but three of the big system building companies that were affected by this (admittedly, there were more out there--however, those three were the hardest hit by this).
It also was part of what led to one of the previously biggest motherboard (along with other components) companies in the industries to descend into a downward spiral of demise and eventual bankruptcy, as there was one model (amongst others), in particular, that I remember as being especially notorious for this (and which almost everyone in or monitoring that industry knew by heart as having this problem--you can think of it as the "poster child" of it)--and so many people had it happen to them or knew to avoid it, that the company had no viable way of really "making it right" either for the customers it happened to (especially those who had, at least, one capacitor explode as it not only rendered their motherboards basically useless--it also damaged some of their other hardware in that system when it exploded)).
They also had to contend with having to deal with the aftermath of it and a lack of trust from it (which may not seem like much to some people, but in the hardware business it actually does mean a great deal--and in some cases, it has led to companies going under (not just component makers but also sometimes system building companies)).
Their subsequent products tried to improve their reputation--and some were still good--but the damage was a contributing factor (albeit a minor one)along with other more major factors which led to their "death" (namely bad accounting practices, fraud, and embezzlement--none of which became known until after the company went bankrupt and whatever was left sold off, however). Some of their executives were also investigated over the criminal portions, however I don't know whether or not anything came of the charges.
However, those who were affected by the bad capacitors had few options--most motherboard companies were completely unaware the capacitors were faulty when they bought them, while those whose systems were affected by it generally only had one of two options open to them (and depending upon whether the bad capacitors had exploded or not): they could either try to send their motherboard back in for repairs and run the risk of still being vulnerable to the problem (however, it a capacitor had exploded and took out other hardware, it was almost a moot point as they would still have damaged hardware which could not be replaced--if there were warranties on anything, they would have been voided as a result of the explosion, given the way in which most warranties are set up--likewise, almost all motherboard companies out there do not just issue replacement boards. Instead, you have to ship the board back to them for repairs--usually at your expense--and wait for them to receive and then repair it and send your original board back to you. It can potentially be a long wait before you get the board back, depending upon where you live, the company, and where it needs to be sent to (most Taiwanese companies I've dealt with have usually sent the boards back there for repairs--even if they have an office in your country/region and you have to send it to that office, they will still likely ship it back to their facilities in Taiwan for the repair work); Or they could completely replace the motherboard with something else entirely (at their own expense). More often than not, most people went with the second option unless the system was a commercially-built system in which people were more likely to try going the RMA/replacement route instead.
The situation with the bad capacitors also led to an investigation by the Taiwanese government into both the nature of the problem as well as the industrial espionage that was involved.
However, because the problem was with capacitors, themselves (which are used in a wide variety of different types of electronics--not just computer-related), it also led to some issues with certain camcorders, digital cameras, DVD players, audio equipment, network "switches" (a type of device, not an actual switch), and other portable electronics that used them (which was not as widely-documented as it had been with the motherboard fiasco, so it's even harder to know just how widespread the problem was in that segment of the industry in comparison or what, specifically, was actually affected) as well as power supply issues (as power supplies also use capacitors--however, unlike a board, it's almost impossible to really check a power supply for that problem (mainly due to the risks of an electrical shock from even attempting to open it)).
Again, I doubt anyone here would have reason to worry about this. However, the symptoms of what has been dubbed "Capacitor Plague" (although, admittedly, it's more commonly referred to as just "bad capacitors"--or the motherboard company I mentioned earlier may get a mention) are usually in the form of either leaking (usually with a "goo"-like substance often visible on either the capacitor or on the board--the color may vary) and/or bulging capacitors (either sideways or actually usually toward the very top). In some cases, they would explode (and, in addition to making a noise, spray your hardware with sometimes a substance on top of it) from the pressure build-up.
However, it only takes one bad capacitor to render a motherboard almost useless and usually you'd be experiencing other issues had it happened (symptoms that are also so commonplace, they could just as easily be caused by anything else and should not be used to diagnose this problem because of that).
