I’m a big fan of the Sheevaplug, an all in one Linux device about the size of a power adaptor. One of the nice things about it is that it plugs directly into the mains. Unfortunately one of mine died recently. I thought the flash had become corrupted since the LEDs on the device were flashing but I wasn’t able to communicate with it. I found several forum posts about power supplies failing so decided to open mine up.
The internal metal case of the power supply had rust marks on it. Curiously the output of the PSU was still 5V but I’m guessing it wasn’t providing enough current. Connecting the power supply from another Sheevaplug confirmed the board itself was working perfectly. So I decided to open the broken power supply and take a look:
Not a pretty sight
Several exploded capacitors, nasty. I’m surprised it was still letting current flow.
I’ve emailed Globalscale, who make the device, to see whether they sell replacements. The unit is not yet a year old but the warranty is only one month, besides shipping charges to the US would make repair uneconomic.
The power supply is a custom part, not listed in the bill of materials Globalscale supply. Obtaining a part that can provide 15W that will fit into the original space will cost nearly £40 so I’ll replace it with an external PSU.
Disappointing as the unit was not connected to any external USB devices and under normal operation. Otherwise I’ve been very impressed with the Sheevaplugs.