****** - Verified Buyer
4.5
We have a number of desktop and laptop computers that are distributed throughout our home. Having an older home, and really disliking running Ethernet cables either through the attic or the crawl-space., we depend on a WiFi network that I maintain. Between storing digital records (of everything!), collecting movies and streaming them, recipes, emails, well you get the idea, the 5 servers I keep running require me to keep an eye on them and from time-to-time they need a little maintenance. Every night when each server shuts down on the schedule they run on, they send an email notification that tells me they did so. So where does the Gennel G104 thermal paste come in? Well, along with those notifications about following their schedule, if one of the servers has something out of the ordinary take place then I get an email about what it thinks happened (and in this case it included "measurements" of the situation). My newest server starting on Oct. 27 started noting that the supply voltage it was receiving was fluctuating. I checked the log for the server and there was a definite deviation in voltage, in this case instead of 12 volts as normally supplied, the voltage had dropped down to 10.72. The log also had a second entry that day for 10.77 volts. Having had power supplies go belly-up in desktops and laptops both, fluctuating voltages in my server was very concerning, having lost one desktop to a fried supply and experienced outboard laptop supplies creating havoc (thankfully no damage). Two days past, no new emails concerning voltage issues. Then it occurred again and started repeating. I immediately shut the server down and took its power supply out to my workbench and started checking and testing capacitors, looking for out-of-range or bulging, scorch marks, over-heated transformer, the usual suspects. Well, I only found one small Mylar-film non-polar capacitor my LCR meter flagged as "leaking." I haven't had any formal electronics training since the early 1970's, but the equipment you can buy today, combined with some common sense and the internet told me that little capacitor very well could be the cause of voltage problem. A new power brick (the same brand and model still sold on Amazon) goes for about $22; that small film capacitor is so cheap (and easy to replace) it was a no-brainer. What I wasn't sure about was replacing the brick-hard thermal paste used to keep the transformer from melting down (this power supply is capable of putting out 20 amps, overkill for this server, but that's what it came with). The only thermal paste I've used over the years was for installing coolers for CPUs, and at the prices you pay for that kind of paste I didn't want to go that route, so I checked around locally and found (and this is how bad business has come to be for brick-and-mortars in a city the size of Sacramento, CA) there wasn't a single tub, hypodermic-applicator or can of thermal paste available for repairing electronic components anywhere I went. So hello Amazon, and thank the gods for Amazon. After perusing the choices for a bit I ordered the Gennel G104 paste. It arrived quickly, safely packed in a nice screw-top plastic jar, sealed in a plastic bag with a Ziplock seal and even included a cool little spatula for stirring and application. Actually the paste was very well mixed when it arrived and I was able to immediately coat the top of the transformer and press the huge heat-sink it uses right down into the paste. The G104 has a nice consistency that allows it to fill in voids without running down the side and making a mess. It was very easy to clean up the spatula with a paper towel. Result: The power supply has been running non-stop for about four days without any notifications. Each time I test the voltage, it's been rock-steady at 12.18 volts with no fluctuation. I'm a "happy-camper" because I avoided sending a perfectly good power supply to the landfill, saved at least the $22 a new one would cost, bolstered my "electronics-ego" (atta-boy!) and had some fun in figuring this out. Also, I now have a generous supply of good-quality thermal paste for future repairs or builds. The G104 seems to be an excellent thermal paste and the price was excellent as well!
