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I have 19 Dell Optiplex XE SFF computers that were manufactured between 2009 and 2013, and I've noticed a severe defect with insulation falling off of the wiring on the power supplies with early (<10000) serial numbers.
These power supplies are commonly used with Dell Optiplex XE and Optiplex 980 in industrial control and POS systems (e.g., restaurants). So far, I haven't found a recall for these power supplies.
Question: Is there any public information on the safety of Dell L280e-01 power supplies (e.g., recall or Date Codes/Serial Numbers where the defect was corrected)?
A detailed description of the defective power supplies follows:
I've inspected and cleaned up each of these systems thoroughly before booting them for the first time, and out of 19 there are 7 that have visibly cracked wires coming from the power supply:
I've had those set aside for a while and presumed I'd be able to fix them in the future. I finally disassembled one and found that the wires on the interior of the power supply were in even worse shape:
I should note that the metal part of the wires are fine, it is rather the insulation on the wires that is falling apart. Clearly, these are a fire/electrocution hazard and un-fixable; they will be disposed of. Any slight bend in these wires causes the coating to break, so it isn't just parts of these wires, it is the same along the entire length.
The specific wires with the breakage problem are labeled:
AWM STYLE 3385 18AWG VW-1 105 deg C 300V E236360 YUAN TAI
AWM STYLE 3385 22AWG VW-1 105 deg C 300V E236360 YUAN TAI
The wires on the power supply fan, the ground wire, and the positive and negative wires to the transformer and outlet plug are not breakable, nor do they have the same markings reported above.
The date codes of the Power Supplies I've found with this problem are R1003 (Serial No. 00002749), R1006 (Serial No. 00005511), R1009 (Serial No. 00007336), R1009 (Serial No. 00007540), R1010 (Serial No. 00009383), R1010 (Serial No. 00009700) and R1018 (Serial No. 00014545):
vallismortis
Posted 2018-11-15T23:52:48.720
Reputation: 382
1Considered covering the wiring with heat shrink tubing and then applying a heat gun, to make sure you don't have problems in the future? If Dell gives you The Mechanic's Shrug, then those power supplies are usable if reinsulated. – K7AAY – 2018-11-16T00:40:17.240
2First the wiring looks to be generic, but Dell should be contacted, if you are worried about any safety notices they might have released. – Ramhound – 2018-11-16T00:41:00.887
If there were public information on this it would be published be Dell and would be as available to you as it would be to us. – music2myear – 2018-11-16T00:50:56.810
1@K7AAY That was my original intention, but the insulation is so brittle that it would need to be replaced along the entire length of the wire. It would be easier to de-solder the bad wires and solder in new wiring harnesses. – vallismortis – 2018-11-16T12:45:27.747
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@Ramhound I just posted this issue on the Dell Community forum, hopefully some information will come forth.
– vallismortis – 2018-11-16T12:46:55.9733@music2myear I agree. I will summarize any information I receive from Dell in an answer here. – vallismortis – 2018-11-16T12:48:09.867
1To me, that level of insertion cracking indicates a bleach-based solvent of some kind might have wiped across those wires at some point. And then heat and age did the rest. Imagine someone on an assembly line cleaning equipment but not completely removing the solvent and it makes sense… But it also makes no sense. I would not put these supplies into production. Insulate if you can or better yet, just buy a new power supply and recycle these lemons. – JakeGould – 2019-01-24T21:07:40.293
I meant to say “insulation cracking.” Not “insertion cracking.” – JakeGould – 2019-01-24T21:30:02.220