Power Switch Replacement Program

Over the last year we have observed a very rare failure case for early Apollo II units ordered from the initial Nov 23 launch timeframe and July of 24. Due to this we have extended the warranty for these units for another year, and out of an abundance of caution are replacing the power switches on these units under warranty.

Issue and causes

Units from this production runs ship with a switch which was rated for the current draw of the Apollo II and within safety margins, unfortunately rare use cases have causes this switch to overheat and in rare circumstances cause the AC power cord to overheat as well. While this will not occur if the unit is ran within its operating conditions, we still upgraded the switch on newer units to eliminate the issue altogether even if the units were not being run properly.

If you have experienced any of the below issues, please stop running the unit immediately and contact support to replace your power switch/cord.

-The units AC cable is hot to the touch (while warm is normal due to the exhaust heat near the cable, it should not feel super hot to the touch)

-The unit randomly turns off by itself (usually accompanied by the power switch light being “off” in the “on” position

-The power switch crackles or needs to be flipped several times to remain on

We have determined the below set of conditions that can cause the failure to be a safety concern

-AC cable was improperly plugged into the unit. Make sure you firmly press the AC cable into the socket, and its not loose

-The unit is tilted onto the side to allow from more airflow through the bottom, or on an open wire rack. While this might make sense and reduce temps/fan speeds slightly, the unit is ONLY designed to be run sitting on a solid surface in an upright position. Additional airflow form the bottom limits airflow from the cooling vents on the top of the device, which is designed to cool the PSU components

-Unit is run on custom settings with power setting >90%. While our system is designed for tinkers, please make sure you check your unit for overheating when overclocking or running past normal operating conditions.

-Unit is run in a hot and humid environment. The Apollo is designed to run in an inside conditioned space. Running it outside, in a very humid or dusty environment can contribute to to this failure and safe operation.

If you have not experienced any of the above symptoms, or running your unit in any of the above conditions your unit should not be impacted by the lower rated power switch, but we are still replacing all units with these switches for anyone that chooses to.

RMA Steps for Replacment

We have two options for units affected by this. If you are a DYIer and have basic computer skills to remove the bottom cover the power switch module is relatively easy to replace yourself and saves a 2+ week repair and turnaround time. Please contact support via our contact form below or reply to your order email and we will send out a free module for you to replace.

Please find the module replacement guide here if you are interested in this route:

Power Switch Self Replacement Guide

If you would rather send in the unit for the switch to be replaced by FutureBit, please reply to your order email and request an RMA for the power switch replacement program