A Reddit user shared a shocking story about how his Gigabyte M6880X gaming mouse suddenly spontaneously ignited, burning almost to ashes and leaving a charred spot on the table. Gigabyte has not yet commented on the incident, but it is important to note that this model was released more than 10 years ago and has not been produced for a long time.
Image source: u/lommelinn, Reddit
«Early this morning I smelled smoke, so I rushed to my room and found my computer mouse burning with a strong flame. Black smoke filled the room. I quickly put out the fire, but in the process I inhaled a lot of smoke, and now my room is in bad shape, covered in black particles (and so is my modular synth). Fortunately, we avoided the worst, but the fact that this could happen is still shocking. This is an old wired optical mouse from Gigabyte,” the user wrote.
Experts explain that most components responsible for supplying electricity have a built-in surge protection system. The USB 2.0 standard operates at 5V and 0.5A, and most modern motherboards, power supplies and USB controllers are equipped with mechanisms to prevent voltage surges. It is likely that natural wear and tear on components could have contributed to the fire, or it could have been caused by a short circuit.
In the published images, you can see that one part of the mouse (the front) was practically undamaged, while the rest of the mouse was badly burned. Why the fire was concentrated in only one part of the device remains a mystery. Further investigation is required for a definitive answer.
As a result of the fire, the mouse was left unsuitable for further use and also burned through part of the rug and table. “The user’s room was filled with smoke and black ash,” the user said.