4 dead PSUs, there HAS to be a commonly failing component

[rjk]

slightly off topic: When I was younger I was taking apart a disposable camera with a flash... Well somehow I touched something on this camera and it blew me away, about 6 feet away on to my back.... My hand was covered in blisters.

really? did you figure out what it was. does someone know?

Well derp, you can still do that today, if you can find a store that sells disposable cameras with a flash. The capacitor is usually a 450 volt rating, and it will give you a decent jolt. I've often taken such cameras apart after they have had all their film shot, and liberated them of the flash mechanism. The film canister is still sealed and can be turned in for processing, it won't be ruined by you opening it.

If you do it right, you can re-use the charging circuit and repeatedly get some cool sparks from the cap using a screwdriver. However it will ruin cheap screwdrivers by cutting into the metal because of the heat from the spark.

[goxed]

Antec TruePower TP650 died on me. When I plugged it in, I could hear a click and nothing. Upon opening the PS, I realized that there was a short circuit in the big coil on the top LEFT corner.

The epoxy glue stuck to the coil and a plastic sheet had melted and become carbon due to the heat. Somehow the glue reacted with the enamel on the coil windings and removed some enamel and the carbonized glue was creating the short circuit. I scraped away all the black deposits and washed it thoroughly with IPA, and the PS was good again. Just a heads up for the adventurous.