ASUS Recalls ROG Maximus Z690 Hero Motherboards Due to Fire and Burn Hazard

Under the directions of the US Consumer Products Safety Commission (CPSC), the regulatory body overseeing consumer-safety for the US and Canada, ASUS has instituted a general recall of its Republic of Gamers (ROG) Maximus Z690 Hero Socket LGA1700 motherboard. This includes pulling the product from the market, as well as reaching out to current owners, informing them of a design flaw with the product that affects their safety, and offering replacements.

The general recall has its roots in a December 2021 announcement by ASUS that a batch of the motherboard is being voluntarily recalled by the company after it discovered that a capacitor that’s part of the motherboard’s VRM has been defectively installed in the opposite electrical polarity. This has the potential to cause a fire.

Placement of most components on the PCB is done by an automated robotic placer. Components are fed to the machine in reels or trays, while bare PCBs are placed in stacks. The machine is programmed to precisely place each component (solder it), however a human intervention is needed to ensure that the information fed to the machine has the correct placement and polarity of each component. ASUS in fact prides itself with the degree of robotized manufacturing to minimize human errors.

According to a declaration filed with the US CPSC by ASUS, as many as 10,000 units are affected by this recall. This includes both unsold inventory and units owned by consumers. ASUS set up a dedicated URL to help consumers file for a free replacement, that’s https://www.asus.com/us/site/recalls