Invisible wrote:
> Picture the scene:
> 
> I get called to a PC that won't boot any more. I remove one of the PCI 
> cards, and suddenly the PC works perfectly. Hmm.
> 
> On closer inspection, one of the ICs on the PCI card looks... Well let's 
> put it this way. The writing appears to be scortched. The surface of the 
> IC is apparently damp with an oily liquid. There's a bulge in the 
> surface of the IC, together with a few small cracks.
> 
> Here's a question for you: Why would an IC suddenly do this?
> 
> [And more importantly, how in the name of God does a device which only 
> has access to a few milliwatts manage to get warm enough to physically 
> melt??]

IC chips are almost always connected to the power supply (usually 5V) 
and ground.  If there is a shorted component in the IC, then the power 
that briefly flows through the IC will be better measurable in watts, 
and not milliwatts.

Regards,
John

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