How do I know if I my power supply is fried/dead? HELP!

[idNut]

I just got a bunch of new stuff for my computer (red cathode fan, 2 cathodes, rounded IDE cables, etc.) to add to my computer. I have a 350W power supply which powers my Radeon 9700 Pro, 60 GB HDD, 2 CD-ROMs and 4 fans (not normally all at once, usually just two but if it gets warm enough in there, it's supposed to turn another one on.) So today I got my new stuff so I disconnected my computer entirely and went to work. Now I have a ton of wires coming from my power supply and it gets very complicated with so many fans but I'm pretty sure I know what goes to what and so forth. I added my new fan and hooked it up along with my two cathodes, plugged in my power wire and hit the button to turn it on and nothing. I then let it sit for a little bit and tried it again but nothing. I disconnected all the newly added things but still nothing.

Right now I'm petrified that I fried my power supply and/or something else because A.) I have no money to replace itand B.) I have no money to replace anything that's fried. When I was doing all that work and such I didn't see any sparks or anything out of the usual so I really don't know what's going on. I'm very scared/worried right now because if I did blow something, then I'm totally screwed and will have to borrow money or something from my parents which I don't want to do. Did I short something out? Am I trying to get too much out of that 350W? What happened? What sort of PS should I get if I did fry it?

 

[egale]

If it worked fine before and not now, I doubt you fried it. Do any of the fans work? Do you have/see the power led on the mother board light up?

I would think you have a connection on wrong or loose. Try reseating your memory and cards and try to boot with just the basics. If that works, slowly connect everything till you have it all back together.

 

[idNut]

Originally posted by: egale
If it worked fine before and not now, I doubt you fried it. Do any of the fans work? Do you have/see the power led on the mother board light up?

I would think you have a connection on wrong or loose. Try reseating your memory and cards and try to boot with just the basics. If that works, slowly connect everything till you have it all back together.

Nothing turns on at all. No fans, no lights, no motherboard, nothing. When I turned it off to hook up all my new stuff was the last time it was on. I didn't touch the memory or video cards at all so it's not that.

When I try to hit the button, I hear a slight tick in the PSU but nothing. The only thing I can think of that might of did something bad was when I sprayed some compressed air into it to blow out all the dust. I did that and when I turned off the computer to add all my new stuff, I didn't hit the little switch in the back to O. That's all I can think of.

 

[idNut]

After sitting a while, I unplugged every device (HDD and CD-ROMS) and it turned on. After that I turned it off, unplugged the cord then plugged the devices in and tried starting and nothing. Same damn problem. So I gradually started unplugging devices, trying combinations to see which made it work and which didn't and for some reason, now it won't start again. I unplugged all the devices again and now it won't start again. W T F?

 

[compudog]

You may have blown the fuse in the PSU with too many devices hooked up or something shorted. The fuse is an overcurrent/short circuit protector inside the PSU. Most of the ones I have seen are soldered into place. You may or may not have noticed the fuse blowing. They usually make a flash when they blow, but sometimes not. If you are not comfortable working with electronics, just get a new PSU. You can replace the fuse if you have soldering skills and electrical experience. Before you even attempt something like this, you need to discharge all potential energy from the PSU. Best thing is to uplug it and let it sit overnight. Then remove the psu, remove the screws holding it together and look for the fuse. It about 1" long, has a glass tube with silver caps at each end. The glass tube normally has a wire connecting each end about the diameter of a coarse hair. If you can't see the wire, or the tube is dark, then the fuse is blown. It may be a removable type, in which case, you just pull it straight out and take it to the local electrical shop for a replacement. If it's soldered in, you have to remove it, get an exact replacement, and resolder it back in.

I had a client once that blew his fuse, and just "jumpered it out" (connected each side with piece of wire) and took out every device in his computer except his floppy drive!! You must proceed with extreme caution. It's usually not worth repairing IMHO, just replace.

You may also be able to use a tester to check the fuse, Set the meter to the ohm or continuity scale and put each lead to one side of the fuse. If it's good, the meter will read 0 (no resistance)BEEP or bad (it will read OL, or the needle (analog) won't move) no BEEP.

 

[marcoco]

I just had a similar incidence.
My power went out. all devices stopped running.

This happened while I was using the PC.

power button didnt do anything, no fans, no light, nothing.

I checked all connectors and plugs, tried again, and still nothing.

So I unplugged the PSU and popped out the CMOS battery as a last resort.

When I stuck in back in and replugged my PSU, it worked.
Not sure what caused this problem, or if what I did could possibly fix the power issue.
Lets hope it doesnt happen again.

 

[Mayne]

I know this is a necro but i'm just trying to verify if the psu is toast or the motherboard. gonna try the prior post to mine.