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Comment by dcrazy | Hacker News Reader

Is NVIDIA breaching any consumer safety laws by pumping twice the rated current through a 24ish gauge wire? Perhaps by violating their UL certification?

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CE marking in Europe could be an issue. There's potential for a fine or forced recall.

Aren't 12VHPWR cables like https://www.overclockers.co.uk/seasonic-pcie-5.0-12vhpwr-psu... 16AWG ?

Sure, there are problems with the connector. But 600W split over a 12-pin connector is 8.3A per wire, and a 16AWG / 1.5mm² wire should handle that no problem.

Made some 12v-2x6 custom cables for fun and 99% sure the melting problems are from the microfit female connectors themselves. A lot of resistance going through the neck

You're correct about 16AWG however "But 600W split over a 12-pin connector is 8.3A per wire" is only what _should_ ideally be occurring, not what Roman aka Der8auer _observed_ to occur. Even with his own 5090, cable, PSU, and test setup:

> Roman witnessed a hotspot of almost 130 degrees Celsius, spiking to over 150 degrees Celsius after just four minutes. With the help of a current clamp, one 12V wire was carrying over 22 Amperes of current, equivalent to 264W of power.

UL is a private company. There're no laws requiring it or penalizing violations. I would think the only legal consequences would be through civil product liability/breach of warranty claims. Plus, like, losing the certification would mean most stores would no longer stock it.

https://www.cpsc.gov/

For how much longer will that .gov website be operating?

Many products sold in the United States must be tested in a CPSC-certified lab for conformity, of which UL is the best known. But consumer electronics don’t seem to be among that set, unless they are roped in somehow (maybe for hazardous substances?).

Seems like if you filled your house with non-UL compliant stuff and your house burned down, the first fact would be material to your insurance carrier (you know, the Underwiter to which the UL name refers…)

You might want to do some research on what you can buy and legally plug into your own home. It's more or less you get UL listing, or the product isn't available

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