Can I use this piece of hardware to run a second PSU?

[Kaido]

$2 ATX Power Supply Starter

If I plug that into a secondary PSU, can I safely run fans, drives, etc., for long periods of time?

 

[Kaido]

Another question, if I use the secondary PSU without a motherboard, can I use all 300 watts for fans and whatnot?

 

[stogez]

You should just be able to jump the wires on your PSU and not even need that thing. I don't know exactly which wires but shouldn't be too hard to find out.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: stogez
You should just be able to jump the wires on your PSU and not even need that thing. I don't know exactly which wires but shouldn't be too hard to find out.

Or I could just pay the 2 bucks and not have to worry about it 😀

 

[Noubourne]

Run 2 PSUs.

 

[LouPoir]

Should work fine for fans and other like items

 

[NuroMancer]

See, the only time I ever used two PSU's in a case, I plugged the vid card into it. And it pulled from the psu perfectly on start up 😀

 

[andy04]

Just curious... Is there a way to start both the PSU when I press the power button on the case ?

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: andy04
Just curious... Is there a way to start both the PSU when I press the power button on the case ?

Yeah, just wire in a relay. I know some people who do water-cooling who do it this way. I want a no-hassle connector that I can swap for testing PSUs, running dual PSUs, and doing other projects. My next project is to build a spray booth for painting; this should work perfectly 😀

 

[The Borg]

All you do is short the green wire to ground - any of the black wires. That is exactly what that device is doing.

It would probably be easier to use a wire than trying to unplug that thing. You know how difficult it is to unplug a puwer cable from a mobo.

 

[bendixG15]

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: stogez
You should just be able to jump the wires on your PSU and not even need that thing. I don't know exactly which wires but shouldn't be too hard to find out.

Or I could just pay the 2 bucks and not have to worry about it 😀

Add $6.00 shipping for me makes it $8.00 total

Lets see.. that was the black and green wire ??? 🙂

 

[Jiggz]

Originally posted by: Kaido
$2 ATX Power Supply Starter

If I plug that into a secondary PSU, can I safely run fans, drives, etc., for long periods of time?

YES! you can ran anything on the 2nd PSU as long as there is a constant load on it. As for the starter, you actually do not need it. Of course, depending on what you are doing, If it is troubleshooting or repairing, it can be a help but you can easily do this with a paper clip. But if you plan on starting your 2nd PSU as a part of a system, then you need a relay. The relay can either control the jumper wire (green and black from the 20 pin connector) or have these pins permanently jumpered and control the 120VAC input to the PSU.

 

[Kaido]

Originally posted by: bendixG15

Originally posted by: Kaido

Originally posted by: stogez
You should just be able to jump the wires on your PSU and not even need that thing. I don't know exactly which wires but shouldn't be too hard to find out.

Or I could just pay the 2 bucks and not have to worry about it 😀

Add $6.00 shipping for me makes it $8.00 total

Lets see.. that was the black and green wire ??? 🙂

:shocked: time to find a paperclip...

 

[Jiggz]

Oh BTW, in respond to your second question of being able to use all the rated watts on your PSU. Technically, the answer is probably NO unless you will be using both the 5V and 12V rails. Check the label on the PSU and it will tell you how the rated 300W is divided among the voltage rails. If you will not be using this psu on a mobo most likely you will only be using the 12V, and the label should tell you how many watts is available on the 12V rail.

 

[Zepper]

The article on PC-Mod.com linked in one of the earlier posts is inadequate in several respects.

You want to have a minimum load on all high current rails of the secondary PSU. Check the mfr's specs page for the suggested minimums on each rail. If that info is not available, get a better PSU. Easiest way to start two PSUs is with a DPST momentary switch. Wire one side (pole) to the mobo power-on connector and the other side (pole) to the green and black wires of the secondary PSU as noted in several posts above. That switch will now power on both at the same time. Here is a useable switch:
http://www.bgmicro.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWPROD&ProdID=9389 . It has an extra throw that wouldn't be used. You might want to connect the second PSU to an outlet controlled by a different breaker than the primary so you don't trip the breaker by starting two at once off the same breaker.

I also recommend running a heavy gauge wire between the chassis of both PSUs to create a solid common ground unless they are both solidly bolted to the chassis metal of the same case.

.bh.