Maximum PC

I am thinking about making a test psu, which requires opening the power supply. I know there are some parts in there that hold charge. Can you give me a idea of what the parts look like / where they are located so i dont kill myself.

BTW i am using a older psu

Look at the how too in the MRL

That will be a start

Just look at what talks about PSU's

Manta

ok

thats the site i have been looking at to figure out hwo to do it but it does not specify how not to get zapped

The red arrows are pointing to large capacitors, or caps. Stay away from them. The Orange arrows are also pointing at caps, but are smaller.

But just staying away from these is almost impossible. There's more than what this pic shows, and they're all connected through circuits. Handle that thing like any trace, piece of metal, or solderjoint has potential.

I can't stop you from opening the PS, nor fiddling with it. But just be careful what you do. If you just want to open it and mod the case itself somehow, I guess that could be safely done. Touching anything else inside can be bad. I've only opened them to change out fans, and I'm still real careful what to touch. What's it take? Like, .01 amp across the heart to send it into arrest?

Myself, it's worth the danger to take these damned LED fans out

hmmm its just stripping and connecting wires but i thinl ill pass

but i heard once that if it isnt bluged in for a while the capacitors discharge and there is not as much danger to them.

CAN or MAY discharge. A leak in the circuitry is one of the reasons they will discharge. Naturally, they can do this through the capacitor's body itself, but may or may not happen at all. Simply going to each one you find and grounding it can help make you feel safer, but can also get you in trouble simply by looking for it.

Hey, if it's just stripping wire and putting something in, it's not all that bad IMO. In the one pictured, those wires are connected to the little board with a plug. I could safely pull out the plug and work on it away from the PS itself, then plug it back in. The design differs from unit to unit though. Just plan your work wisely. Ok then...edit...edit...

hmm i read the fine print, lol i dont even think its workth having a test psu. Idk. I think i will pass.

ive played around in all my PSUs and have never been shocked ... dont mean it wont happen, but i have done it a lot, taking the board completely out and handling it and all that (im not usually too big on safety ...). but nothings ever happened. all u really gotta do to make a test PSU tho is to short out 2 of the pins, just put a paperclip or small wire in between the 2 pins, i cant remember which they r, and then u can power up the PSU without it being hooked to a motherboard.

I think i will be fine if i am just connecting a few cords

Guys Guys,

That how too spends way to much time on looks. As XHOAS said, you just need to bridge two wires. The green and the black one. Look at picture 4 and 5. Just snip the wires and twist them together and then put a cap on them (or heat shrink or electrical tape). Everything else they did was for looks. You don't have to open the PSU at all.

Wanna get fancy? Buy a switch. Cut the green and black wires and wire them to the switch to when it is closed, it bridges the wires and when it is open they are simply sent to the plug.

Thats a real test PSU - you can use it as a stand alone, or use it as a full PSU.

Make sense?

BTW - you want a PSU with a power switch on it if possible.

Manta

PS - I assume the wire colors are the same on older PSU's. If its an AT PSU (really old) I don't know if you need to do this at all.

so do i have to cut off the whole molex

*Lets not confuse each other. I tend to call any connector on a PSU "molex"
We are talking about the big power harness that hook to the mb right?

Nope - and I wouldn't. One of the reasons the how too site had to remove all the wires was because they cut them all. That allows for shorting to occur. if you only cut the green and black ones and twist the ends (from the psu) together, then there is no need to cut the rest and since they are still in the housing they cannot short out. The two remaining wires comming from the connector (the ones you cut) will never have any power to them so you can let them dangle as well or cut them off as close to the white connector as possible.

Personally, I would let them dangle so I could always go back and install a switch like I was talking about before. But put some e-tape over the ends or wire caps (look more pro).

Make sence?

Manta

Oh yeah - take EDIT "pics" (not "pis")END EDIT if you do this. Obviously the how to in the MRL has issues

Manta

One last thing - this is an ATX power supply right?

shure ok i think i will

You don't even have to cut them. I get bullet connectors from radio shack that fit in the plug snugly. One bullet and wire for green and one bullet and wire for black then connect thos 2 home-made leads to a rocker switch. Easy as pie.

I see the edit, but can he still take pis after he's done?

I always advise taking one before one starts

I little shock can be a surprise - no reason for it to be embarrasing as well

Manta

heh heh ... that would suck, especially if it killed ya, paramedics walk in, and ur dead with piss all over urself. terrible way to go.