Found the culprit. When the card reader was installed (by me), the tower was unplugged and sitting on the dining room table. Whilst I was not wearing the latest in esd straps, I thought that having no footwear, I was earthed. Yes there is a power source on all motherboards, namely the battery (to keep the clock running).
And yes I've seen a friend change out a ram stick only to have the stick fry whilst holding it...esd. Sandshoes on carpet.
However, if the reader that you install (and trust to be wired correctly) is indeed faulty, it will, when reconnected and powered up take out various items of interest around said motherboard, namely the power supply unit, the motherboard the card reader was plugged into and the item of suspicion itself. The incorrectly wired unit will try to incinerate itself, briefly, before all the little do-da's inside give up the ghost and stop smoking...unspectacular!
Just because the finished product shows it was checked by No 34980123 on a production line of a million underpaid and probably underaged workers, doesnt mean the item actually works.
Ever bought a new kettle only to have the handle fall off?
