smoke detector

[deskless]

Recently a cable connecting riser to PSU melted. Do people here use any smoke alarm to get notification? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

[tg88]

I think it's important to understand why the cable melted, possibly you overloaded something PSU or cables ... If you can describe how you connect your Sata or molex risers? how many per cable ...

[deskless]

I think it's important to understand why the cable melted, possibly you overloaded something PSU or cables ... If you can describe how you connect your Sata or molex risers? how many per cable ...

Only one riser was connected to the cable. This rig has 7 5700 XT using 2 corsair PSU (850i & 800). Each GPU and riser has separate wire to the PSUs. Sata cable to the risers.
Thanks for your help.

[Stalker22]

Recently a cable connecting riser to PSU melted. Do people here use any smoke alarm to get notification? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

I experienced melted cables myself, but it was due to poor wiring. Are you sure you didn't accidentally use bad wiring to get that melted cable, for example poorly connected +12V?
Don't skimp on cables. Don't use a 6/8pin GPU power adapter from SATA or Molex. Even 2xMolex to PCIE isn't a smart idea.
Of course if you have a crappy PSU it only makes things even worse.

Use only dedicated 6/8pin PCIE cables and I prefer only power supplies of the top brand with enough juice.

Smoke detector alarm should be your second line of defense. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

[deskless]

Recently a cable connecting riser to PSU melted. Do people here use any smoke alarm to get notification? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

I experienced melted cables myself, but it was due to poor wiring. Are you sure you didn't accidentally use bad wiring to get that melted cable, for example poorly connected +12V?
Don't skimp on cables. Don't use a 6/8pin GPU power adapter from SATA or Molex. Even 2xMolex to PCIE isn't a smart idea.
Of course if you have a crappy PSU it only makes things even worse.

Use only dedicated 6/8pin PCIE cables and I prefer only power supplies of the top brand with enough juice.

Smoke detector alarm should be your second line of defense. Better safe than sorry, as they say.

I have been using corsair PSU to all my rigs. This rig has individual PCIE cables for each GPU and riser. Sorry but I fail to understand which cable is wrong. Thanks for your help.

[Stalker22]

I have been using corsair PSU to all my rigs. This rig has individual PCIE cables for each GPU and riser. Sorry but I fail to understand which cable is wrong. Thanks for your help.

Heat is generated when high currents encounter resistances. These are mostly either bad wires (small diameter) or bad connectors.
If you are confident in the quality of your power supply and use dedicated cables, make sure you don't have bad connectors somewhere. If the connector is loose, it should be replaced.

I'm just saying that a smoke detector is not a good solution because the wires shouldn't melt if everything is done correctly.

[deskless]

I have been using corsair PSU to all my rigs. This rig has individual PCIE cables for each GPU and riser. Sorry but I fail to understand which cable is wrong. Thanks for your help.

Heat is generated when high currents encounter resistances. These are mostly either bad wires (small diameter) or bad connectors.
If you are confident in the quality of your power supply and use dedicated cables, make sure you don't have bad connectors somewhere. If the connector is loose, it should be replaced.

I'm just saying that a smoke detector is not a good solution because the wires shouldn't melt if everything is done correctly.

I completely agree that wires should not melt. I do make sure that there is no loose connections. But this did happen. First incident in 3 years of mining.
There were 2 more cases when one of the black wires in the cable broke. Normally it has 5 small wires but one got broken. I normally keep extra cables and immediately replace the bad ones. Interesting thing that this happened to my latest rig which is less than 6 months old. Other rigs that are close to 3 years never had issue issues 

[miner29]

No surprise.

Sata can provide a MAX of 54w.  PCIe slot (riser in this case) must be able to supply up to 75w.  This is why it is a bad idea to use a sata to power a riser. 

The actual specs require either a molex or a 6pin plug to provde enough power.  Sata does not meet it by almost 50%.

You can find plenty of sites that list the specifications.  You can ignore the facts.  When you melt or burn ... its on you. 

[deskless]

No surprise.

Sata can provide a MAX of 54w.  PCIe slot (riser in this case) must be able to supply up to 75w.  This is why it is a bad idea to use a sata to power a riser.  

The actual specs require either a molex or a 6pin plug to provde enough power.  Sata does not meet it by almost 50%.

You can find plenty of sites that list the specifications.  You can ignore the facts.  When you melt or burn ... its on you.  

Thanks a lot for your help.
Below is the riser that was used
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08HHSPPBD/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_search_asin_title?ie=UTF8&psc=1

The wire that connects to 6 pin from riser to the PSU was something like
https://www.amazon.com/Cable-Matters-Pack-Power-Splitter/dp/B012BPLW08/ref=sr_1_5?crid=2VZ6V9CSGVV1W&dchild=1&keywords=corsair+psu+sata+power+cable&qid=1610824403&sprefix=corsair+psu+sata+%2Caps%2C142&sr=8-5

Could you please explain me if this setup was the issue.
Thanks a lot for your help. I would correct it if the setup is the reason.

[FP91G]

No surprise.

Sata can provide a MAX of 54w.  PCIe slot (riser in this case) must be able to supply up to 75w.  This is why it is a bad idea to use a sata to power a riser.  

The actual specs require either a molex or a 6pin plug to provde enough power.  Sata does not meet it by almost 50%.

You can find plenty of sites that list the specifications.  You can ignore the facts.  When you melt or burn ... its on you.  

If there are 3 sata power connectors on 1 wire, and 1 hard drive can consume 20-30 watts, then the wires must be designed for a load of 100 watts.
If the wire melted, then the transmitted power was more than 100 watts.

[miner29]

No surprise.

Sata can provide a MAX of 54w.  PCIe slot (riser in this case) must be able to supply up to 75w.  This is why it is a bad idea to use a sata to power a riser.  

The actual specs require either a molex or a 6pin plug to provde enough power.  Sata does not meet it by almost 50%.

You can find plenty of sites that list the specifications.  You can ignore the facts.  When you melt or burn ... its on you.  

If there are 3 sata power connectors on 1 wire, and 1 hard drive can consume 20-30 watts, then the wires must be designed for a load of 100 watts.
If the wire melted, then the transmitted power was more than 100 watts.

No sir.  Check the specs.  54w total on a sata chain for all connectors on that chain total.  Problem is a single PCIe can draw 75w.  You are trying to agrue against the specification of the connectors and wiring.  Just because you can plug 3 drives in doesnt mean it is safe to do..just like using a sata to 6pin converter is not safe.  

Maximum current is 4.5amps at 12v for a sata connector and cables. 4.5v * 12v = 54w

Another page dedicated to specifications of pc power connectors.....  http://www.playtool.com/pages/psuconnectors/connectors.html

Amazing people will argue with a defined specification made by experts in the field...your flawed thinking is exactly what melts wires and starts fires.  

[smoolae]

Recently a cable connecting riser to PSU melted. Do people here use any smoke alarm to get notification? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

If the cable melted you should really take a second look at this. Melting cables = overload. Always try to use 6 pin cables when connecting risers to PSU. MOLEX is so-so and avoid SATA cables at all cost.

[deskless]

Recently a cable connecting riser to PSU melted. Do people here use any smoke alarm to get notification? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

If the cable melted you should really take a second look at this. Melting cables = overload. Always try to use 6 pin cables when connecting risers to PSU. MOLEX is so-so and avoid SATA cables at all cost.

I am very confused with this. Are you suggesting below wire not to be used?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BQZ8LQN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

[miner29]

Recently a cable connecting riser to PSU melted. Do people here use any smoke alarm to get notification? Any recommendations would be appreciated. Thanks

If the cable melted you should really take a second look at this. Melting cables = overload. Always try to use 6 pin cables when connecting risers to PSU. MOLEX is so-so and avoid SATA cables at all cost.

I am very confused with this. Are you suggesting below wire not to be used?
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B08BQZ8LQN/ref=ppx_yo_dt_b_asin_title_o08_s00?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Yes...because the Supply side (sata) is not rated as much wattage as the load (6pin pcie) side can draw. 
In this case Sata is 54w max...6pin pcie plug is 216w but should only draw a max 75w due to its use here. 
Regardless its a problem.  For some gpus its not a problem.  In your case it was.

Best way is to use a pcie 6pin.  You can even take and use a Y splitter to take 1 6 pin into 2 pins (to power say 2 risers).  75w + 75W = 150W which is less than the 216w a 6pin can handle.  See links to psu cable and wattages i listed above.

Remember you have to add all the connection on the same chain together and respect the watt limits.   

People use the sata because they are cutting corners on thier psus.

Anyways...thats the maths behind the power.  Stay on the right side of the limits and you should have zero issues.

[adaseb]

Yes this is very common ever since USB risers came out back in 2015-2016. There are 2 reasons why this happens. One is that the SATA cannot handle that much wattage and second reason is that the SATA connector that is included in these cheap USB risers is very bad quality and melts easily, even if there is very little wattage draw.

Don't use SATA ever to power your risers. You can use the Molex as long as you don't connect more than 1 per chain. Best way is how was described above, using the PCIe cable to power the USB Riser and this way you would never deal with these issues.

Will this cause a house fire? Usually this doesn't cause fires. The cable melts, and no longer can deliver enough current which causes the GPU to crash which causes system to hang. When the system hangs, current no longer travels thru that melted cable. However you still need to cautious. There was a few ASIC miner farms that burnt to a crisp in the past. Haven't heard of any GPUs burning down a house however.

[deskless]

Yes this is very common ever since USB risers came out back in 2015-2016. There are 2 reasons why this happens. One is that the SATA cannot handle that much wattage and second reason is that the SATA connector that is included in these cheap USB risers is very bad quality and melts easily, even if there is very little wattage draw.

Don't use SATA ever to power your risers. You can use the Molex as long as you don't connect more than 1 per chain. Best way is how was described above, using the PCIe cable to power the USB Riser and this way you would never deal with these issues.

Will this cause a house fire? Usually this doesn't cause fires. The cable melts, and no longer can deliver enough current which causes the GPU to crash which causes system to hang. When the system hangs, current no longer travels thru that melted cable. However you still need to cautious. There was a few ASIC miner farms that burnt to a crisp in the past. Haven't heard of any GPUs burning down a house however.

Thanks for the response. Do I need to look for a cable with one side 6 pin that goes to the PSU and other side 6 pin PCIE that goes to the riser ?
In the PSU the 8 pin connectors are mostly used by the GPUs. So only has 6 pin slots in the back of the GPU.
Any help is appreciated. Thanks

[Stalker22]

In my first reply, I wrote:

Don't skimp on cables. Don't use a 6/8pin GPU power adapter from SATA or Molex. Even 2xMolex to PCIE isn't a smart idea.

To which you replied:

This rig has individual PCIE cables for each GPU and riser. Sorry but I fail to understand which cable is wrong.

And then, a few posts later, you post links to 6 Pin PCI to SATA Power Cable with the question of whether to use them or not?
I really don't know what you don't understand here.

[deskless]

In my first reply, I wrote:

Don't skimp on cables. Don't use a 6/8pin GPU power adapter from SATA or Molex. Even 2xMolex to PCIE isn't a smart idea.

To which you replied:

This rig has individual PCIE cables for each GPU and riser. Sorry but I fail to understand which cable is wrong.

And then, a few posts later, you post links to 6 Pin PCI to SATA Power Cable with the question of whether to use them or not?
I really don't know what you don't understand here.

I understand that I should not use the SATA power cable.
I am trying to see whether I could still use the corsair PSU. It has 6 pin slot available and should I try to locate 6 pin to PCIE power cable ?

[miner29]

In my first reply, I wrote:

Don't skimp on cables. Don't use a 6/8pin GPU power adapter from SATA or Molex. Even 2xMolex to PCIE isn't a smart idea.

To which you replied:

This rig has individual PCIE cables for each GPU and riser. Sorry but I fail to understand which cable is wrong.

And then, a few posts later, you post links to 6 Pin PCI to SATA Power Cable with the question of whether to use them or not?
I really don't know what you don't understand here.

I understand that I should not use the SATA power cable.
I am trying to see whether I could still use the corsair PSU. It has 6 pin slot available and should I try to locate 6 pin to PCIE power cable ?

You can use a second psu if your first one is out of connectors...or near its limit on total power...but you need to follow a few basic rules for dual psu.... (atx psus...likewhat you are using now)

You can use a 2pin y cable that will start both psus at same time.  like this...  https://www.amazon.com/Qaoquda-Power-Supply-Adapter-Motherboard/dp/B078W4H16S/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dual+psu+y+cable&qid=1610902119&sr=8-1

You must connect all mobo connections to one psu... (cpu / molex )

Each gpu & riser must be from the same psu.  Never gpu from psu 1 and riser its on connected to psu 2....that is a nono.

Thats pretty much it.

You can also do it with your psu (again only it hooked to motherboard)
Then power gpus/riser combos until the psu1 is full.  Again never combine psus to a gpu/riser combo.

Then for second psu you can use something like a server psu with a break out board....

https://www.amazon.com/579229-001-Platinum-Supply-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B07HFJHFZ9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16DALFEDVT53F&dchild=1&keywords=1200w+server+power+supply&qid=1610902320&sprefix=server+1200w%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1

with an adapter like

https://www.amazon.com/Ethereum-Mining-Breakout-Adapter-Graphics/dp/B07D6NC5LK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3CKPJ9BQNK1EQ&dchild=1&keywords=server+psu+breakout+board&qid=1610902366&sprefix=server+psu+brea%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-2

And you will have a lot of 6 and 6+2 connectors and 1200ws added to your rig. 

[deskless]

You can use a second psu if your first one is out of connectors...or near its limit on total power...but you need to follow a few basic rules for dual psu.... (atx psus...likewhat you are using now)

You can use a 2pin y cable that will start both psus at same time.  like this...  https://www.amazon.com/Qaoquda-Power-Supply-Adapter-Motherboard/dp/B078W4H16S/ref=sr_1_1?dchild=1&keywords=dual+psu+y+cable&qid=1610902119&sr=8-1

You must connect all mobo connections to one psu... (cpu / molex )

Each gpu & riser must be from the same psu.  Never gpu from psu 1 and riser its on connected to psu 2....that is a nono.

Thats pretty much it.

You can also do it with your psu (again only it hooked to motherboard)
Then power gpus/riser combos until the psu1 is full.  Again never combine psus to a gpu/riser combo.

Then for second psu you can use something like a server psu with a break out board....

https://www.amazon.com/579229-001-Platinum-Supply-Certified-Refurbished/dp/B07HFJHFZ9/ref=sr_1_1?crid=16DALFEDVT53F&dchild=1&keywords=1200w+server+power+supply&qid=1610902320&sprefix=server+1200w%2Caps%2C190&sr=8-1

with an adapter like

https://www.amazon.com/Ethereum-Mining-Breakout-Adapter-Graphics/dp/B07D6NC5LK/ref=sr_1_2?crid=3CKPJ9BQNK1EQ&dchild=1&keywords=server+psu+breakout+board&qid=1610902366&sprefix=server+psu+brea%2Caps%2C199&sr=8-2

And you will have a lot of 6 and 6+2 connectors and 1200ws added to your rig. 

Current rig has 2 corsair PSU using the 2 pin Y cable as you posted earlier.
main PSU that is 850 W is powering the Mobo and 3 GPUs and their risers. Other CPU that is 1000W is powering remaining 4 GPU and its risers.
I want to replace the SATA cables with the PCIE cables.
So both PSU would have 4 6-Pin and 1 8-Pin slots available at back.
Ideally if I could find a wire with 6-Pin at one end and PCIE at the other end it would be great.
I want to avoid using server PSU as they are noisy.
Thanks a lot for your help.