Re: Are chips ... electronics runs on magic smoke??

On Sat, 6/20/2026 10:18 PM, Mr. Man-wai Chang wrote:
> On 6/21/2026 2:14 AM, Jeroen Belleman wrote:
>>
>> It is a well-known fact that all electronics runs on magic smoke.
>> The proof is that when the smoke leaks out, it stops working.
> 
> 
> 1. What did you mean by "magic smoke"? Electronic components
>    are usually sealed completely. They cannot smoke
>    like human! They don't even breathe.
> 
> 2. When you said electronics, did you mean all electronic
>    components or just chips?
> 

Electronic devices are allowed to smoke, under failure
conditions, but they're not supposed to support an open flame.

There was one report on USENET, of an ATX supply, where a live
flame shot out of the fan hole on the back of the ATX supply
(the supply was running of course and the fan spinning). If
the computer had been near curtains on that particular day, it
could have lit the curtains on fire. For the most part, other
ATX supplies do not fail exactly that way, so that one is an
"anomaly".

So if I tell you "don't put the back of your PC against the curtains",
that is the incident I am referring to.

   Paul