Cool power supply tester

[Unclebuck]

I found this cool Power Supply Tester at Pc Power & Cooling's Inc for only $8.00

Save diagnostic time with our universal ATX Power Supply Tester. This innovative device quickly and accurately determines if a computer problem is related to the power supply or caused by failure of another component.

UncleBuck

 

[Souka]

Also, for a free tester, go into your system BIOS/setup screen.

look at the power settings....is your 12+ close to spec? 3.3v? 5v?

Not great, but helpful.

My $.02

 

[Cyberian]

<< Also, for a free tester, go into your system BIOS/setup screen.

look at the power settings....is your 12+ close to spec? 3.3v? 5v?

Not great, but helpful.

My $.02 >>



Can you get to the BIOS/setup screen with a bad power supply?

 

[dude]

Yep, after you've racked your brains out and swapped every component and lastly swapped the PS. yeah...

 

[SpeedTester]

Lol

 

[Phunktion]

You can just loop the two wires on the connector that matter and a few other things and then you should be able to make it turn on without putting it on the motherboard.. just do search for testing atx power supplies..

 

[GetReal]

You can just loop the two wires on the connector that matter and a few other things and then you should be able to make it turn on without putting it on the motherboard.. just do search for testing atx power supplies..

Yes, and doing this without a load attached to the PS output will result in a nice Fourth of July display.

If you want to test you ATX PS , simply connect a LED and a 10K resistor in lina across any of the outputs and the short the PS sense (Green wire in ATX connector to ground. A PS tester for about 2 cents

 

[XONE]

To see if your powersupply still powers. Just place a peice of conductive wire (paperclip = cheapest) and thaan shove it in the connector of the green wire and the black wire about 4wires to the right (the clip sticking up)

 

[beamrider]

<< Yes, and doing this without a load attached to the PS output will result in a nice Fourth of July display. >>



Really? Why is that? I've been turning on ATX power supplies for about 3 years now by shorting the green and black with no problems, and I've probably done it to around 3000 power supplies so far......

 

[mrCide]

I've done it also.. I don't think he/she knows what they're talking about

 

[breweyez]

For $8 you can eliminate a lot of headache. Not too bad a deal.

 

[mikeford]

I bought one a couple months back when it floated through the lists. It came with a free bag of goodies and free shipping over $10 or so, so I bought a few more tidbits. Neat stuff like big knurled case screws, and PS connector caps.

The tester never leaves my bench, it along with an old hard drive make my first test on any system, or power supply. Saves a LOT of time if you know right off if the power supply is good or not.

 

[Hossenfeffer]

Yep, I bought one of these as well. A nice little tester and definately worth the $8-10.

 

[hardwarejunkee]

I have been looking for one of these. Thanks!

 

[Unclebuck]

I think that it would be a little easier to buy a $8 PS tester then to connect a wire or paperclip to the green and black wires. Then to find out that now doing that you just blow up your PS. I guess that would guarantee that you need a new PS.
:Q

 

[Ephibian]

GetReal is right here. Computer power supplies are switching power supplies. Unlike linear ones, they need to have a load attached, or they may not function properly. What you would probably see is either an extremely high ouput, or a very low one. Of course, I've also heard that newer supplies are designed to work for a bit even without a load...

 

[Zach]

No load never hurt me..

And if you want to test a PS, get a multimeter. If you can't POST with it and check your voltages in your BIOS setup, what goes is just knowinf if it turns on?

 

[SuperCyrix]

What happens when you connect high to ground for most of the time is that ground dominates and drives the high to ground so you won't get a bare potential accross a bare strip of wire. Of course, if you tie something directly from high to ground from your wall, then the 4th of July lights up.

 

[OldPro]

For $8 I'm in. Thanks, unclebuck.

 

[Zach]

<< What happens when you connect high to ground for most of the time is that ground dominates and drives the high to ground so you won't get a bare potential accross a bare strip of wire. Of course, if you tie something directly from high to ground from your wall, then the 4th of July lights up. >>



Isn't &quot;Ground&quot; on a computer just the ground from the wall? This would be a case for using a large resistor?..

 

[kmschwem]

Without a load the power supply just can't regulate, it oscillates, of course the internal fan is a load...

What happens when you connect high to ground for most of the time is that ground dominates and drives the high to ground so you won't get a bare potential accross a bare strip of wire. Of course, if you tie something directly from high to ground from your wall, then the 4th of July lights up.

Hmm as far as I know that's a short and will burn up your PS! Yes, AC ground is chassis ground and electrical ground.

 

[SuperCyrix]

&quot;Hmm as far as I know that's a short and will burn up your PS! Yes, AC ground is chassis ground and electrical ground. &quot;


The Power supply is no different then the 5V DC power supply many have already seen, at least the + - 5 and 12V and ground terminal. Remember back in the old days when you are plugging +5V and ground into those old bread boards? Sometimes you accidently hook up ground to high. What happens is your entire circuit is now grounded. Nothing fries. How does that work? I not sure, but I suspect and I can't think of any other way, that this is done using some tristate device.

The fire everyone is so concern about is when you connect something unregulated directly into the wall. You have one side that's high and won't budge, and you have one side that's low, or ground and also won't budge. The result is a bare potential accross the wire and we know where that leads to.

I think people can relax here. Your power supply plugs into the wall but before any of that current makes it to your motherboard, there are regulation circuits that protects it. Attaching ground to high simply pulls everything down to ground.

 

[Zach]

You go take your power supply, set up a video camera, strip some wires, and flick them together. Then tell me if they don't spark up. I'm fairly positive these computer PS's pump out enough amps to cause some good fireworks.

The reason that you can pull your voltage down to ground with small circuitry is that your power supply is usually very small, and/or you often have a resistor on your incoming voltage.

 

[rml]

>And if you want to test a PS, get a multimeter.

I have a multimeter, how do I test it with a mulitmeter?

Please help.

 

[bugsysiegel]

I just snip the ends of the wires off and stick them in my mouth!

If the plastic on my glasses melts, there's too much juice!