Please help identify this piece/part

[UserXP]

Hello, guys.

I have a question and I wasn't sure where to put it exactly, so I decided to it here as my greatest concern is the well-being of my PSU.

I had an accident with my PC casing, where it turned over and fell to the floor, hitting it hard with one of its upper rear corners (where the PSU is). Aside from the PC housing denture and a slight buckle at that area, no functional damage was noticed and the PSU housing also looks intact, the PC has been running just fine. However, a few weeks later, when I opened it to remove the dust, I found this litle copper-looking plate dangling inside the PC case, as in the photo. This pad is about 1x1cm, it is very thin, and on one side there is a residue as if it was welded (or soldered, but there is no solder, just a slight discoloration) onto something with a small circular connection.

Now, the PSU in question is SeaSonic X Series SS-660KM and I would like to ask if any of you know whether this little peace fell out of this particular PSU due to being knocked off by the force of the hit. I did inspect the PSU housing and concluded that there simply isn't large enough space anywhere for this little square piece to fall through (so that convinced me that it wasn't from the PSU). I also searched on the internet for various detailed reviews of this PSU, hoping to see whether somewhere on the images showing the inside of this PSU I could see this little piece, but I couldn't find any image showing some PSU components with this particular pad (so, this also made me feel it wasn't the PSU, but...).
My PSU is still under warranty and I am reluctant to try to open it, so do you know for sure whether SeaSonic used some parts like the little piece in any of their PSUs, especially this X model?

Also, any idea about where this little piece could have originated from would be very appreciated. My biggest concern is the PSU as I still use it (other components at the time of the accident were all replaced in the meantime), I really hope it didn't damage itself or lost some of its components.

My respect and regards, thanks in advance and sorry for the long post.

[lookimback]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

It might have been affixed to something as a heatsink. Try to Google the part number of your motherboard, maybe you'll find a picture identifying it's location.

[keeney123]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

yea that is all I can come up with also a heat sink

[UserXP]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

Thanks for your replies, guys.

So, since you are refering to the motherboard, are you saying it did not come off of any part inside the PSU? The MB that was in the computer at that time is now removed. It was GA-8IPE1000-G Rev. 4.0. As far as I know, Gigabyte didn't use these pads on any of their chips on that particular motherboard.

The image I included in my first post is from the Internet, but the piece looks exactly alike. I will try to find the little pad and take a picture of it and post it here.
Yes, the area looked as if it was attached to something. The residue remarks the one when there isn't enough soldering paste applied, and then the solder completely peels off, leaving no solder, only the discoloration where the soldering joint has been made initialy.

If somebody has opened the SS-660KM PSU and took it apart in detail, I am counting on that particular knowing of this particular PSU's internal structure. My only concern is the PSU, it is not that important of which other PC component it might have fallen off.

[UserXP]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

Here is the little pad:

[stj]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

maybe it was a shim between a part and a bigger heatsink.
try e-mailing Seasonic.

what else was in the case?

i can say one thing - it's NOT from the motherboard.

[stj]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

actually, looking at your new foto's i think it may have acted as an RF shield - possibly glued onto something sensitive to act as a shield.

[UserXP]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

Thank you for your reply, stj.
Yes, that MB didn't have such pads, as far as I know. And it has worked many months after the accident.
I might send SeaSonic an enquiry, but even if they used a piece like that, I doubt that they would have mounted it in such a poor way.

Since you've said that the pad could be some kind of a shielding, is it possible that it may have come off of the front USB connector board? That PC housing had one with two USB ports, but I never took it apart to check. Those two ports were soldered to the small PCB board, with two data cables plugged onto it. Are there any ICs or other components on PCBs, such as those, that could have had any requirements for a pad like this, do you happen to know?

[stj]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

i seriously doubt it's related to the case wiring.

what cards and drives did you have?
i'll tell you one place i'v seen something like that in the past - inside floppy drives on the back of the heads!

[UserXP]

Re: Please help identify this piece/part

My dear stj, you are a genius! I would have never thought to check out the floppy drive. There actually was a floppy drive in that casing at the time, but it was only left mounted in there and wasn't in use. So I decided to take it out and check. When I opened it, there really was a light square indentation on the upper head, along with a matching glue residue on its surface! The pad I found fits it perfectly, and the glue position also matches it to the forensic level!
Just to be sure, I then took apart the lower portion of the floppy drive and moved its head to see whether the lower head also had this pad - and it did, an identical one! So this little pad definitely came off of this floppy drive, and its housing had plenty of spaces through which it could fall out, ending up dangling inside the computer case.

I am so happy and relieved! Thank you all for your kind suggestions, but stj hit the spot! The mistery is finally solved. And the most important conclusion now is that my PSU is obviously instact and complete.