You Smell Something Burning ....................................................................
This is not good news, but it may not be fatal. Don’t panic. Quickly shut down
the computer.Here are some possible causes for an unpleasant electronic odor:Insufficient or blocked cooling vents.A failing or overloaded AC adapter.
A short-circuited or failing internal circuit within the case.Once you have turned off the computer, allow it to cool for half an hour or so.
In the meantime make a survey of the exterior: Use your nose to determine if
you can isolate the source of the odor, use your fingertips (carefully) to try to
find any hot spots, and use your eyes to see if you can find any blockages to
the cooling vents.If you can see that the vents are blocked by an accumulation of dust, dirt, or
a melted chocolate bar, you can assume that this is the problem. Carefully
clean off the vent; the best tool is a vacuum hose. Don’t use a can of com-
pressed air, since this will push crud intothe body of the laptop, which is
exactly the opposite of what you want to accomplish. Another way in which
the vents may be blocked is if you place the laptop on a soft surface, like a
blanket on a bed. The machine is designed to stand off a solid surface so that
air can circulate underneath.All AC adapters will generate a bit of heat, but not enough to toast bread. If
the adapter is extremely hot, two possibilities may be causing it. First of all, it
may be failing and need to be replaced. A second cause for generation of heat
may be related to the voltage it is receiving from the wall outlet. Most modern
adapters can work with incoming voltage in the range from 100–240 volts; that
covers most every electrical standard in the world. (Utilities in the United States
and Canada generally supply alternating current between 110 and 120 volts
cycling back and forth at 60 Hz — 60 times per second, with cycles measured
in Hertz, named after physicist Heinrich Hertz.)Whatever the input, the AC adapter converts the power to a level and type
required by the laptop and its battery. My current Toshiba laptop demands
19 volts of DC (direct current); machines from other manufacturers may
require as little as 12 volts or as many as 24 volts. If the incoming voltage is at
one of the extremes of the adapter’s range, especially at the high end, it has
to work harder to drop the voltage down and convert it to DC. One byproduct
of the conversion is heat. I would be very wary of any adapter that became
extremely hot.304 Part VI: The Part of Tens