PSU dieing?

[nihil]

i got a problem with a psu in one of my machines. it started making this annoying vibrating noise so i just assumed that there was some dust in it. so i tried blowing on the inside of it for a good 5 mins. or so. that didn't work, the noise is still there. so then i tried compressed air, still didn't do anything. one thing that i have noticed though is that when it makes this really loud "VRRNNN" noise, the fan in the PSU stops completely. i thought that this could cause a bunch of problems if the unit overheated and decided to fry my machine, so i just unplugged it. i'm out of ideas at the moment.

things i have tried so far:
different outlet
different power cable

i can't swap out the psu unfortunetly so i'm looking for any ideas on what to do with this one. i hope it's salvageable.

 

[cholley]

just replace the fan, it's easy

 

[nihil]

Originally posted by: cholley
just replace the fan, it's easy

i appreciate the try, but that just wasn't very informative at all.

 

[cholley]

huh?
just relace the fan in the power supply

 

[nihil]

i'm not about to attempt to tinker with something that has capacitors that can fry me 3 times over.

 

[cholley]

listen, i replace them all the time
they are cheap ass fans that fail.
replace the fan or replace the power supply, those are your options.
you asked the question, i gave you an answer.

oh yea, another tip don't touch the capacitors

 

[cholley]

Originally posted by: nihil
i'm not about to attempt to tinker with something that has capacitors that can fry me 3 times over.

your right nihil, i'm sorry.
you should leave tasks like this to a qualified and Competent technician.

 

[nihil]

Originally posted by: cholley

Originally posted by: nihil
i'm not about to attempt to tinker with something that has capacitors that can fry me 3 times over.

your right nihil, i'm sorry.
you should leave tasks like this to a qualified and Competent technician.

i'm actually quite competent. it's just i'm over-cautious when dealing with electricity due to the fact that i have been shocked very very badly by sockets as a kid. call me paranoid, but i'd just rather not have another run in with getting zapped.

furthermore, i've never actually serviced a PSU before so i'm not totally sure about the components inside. if i did know what i was doing it wouldn't be a big deal. anyway, i just swapped out the unit with one that i found in my closet. works fine now.

 

[cholley]

well, you can't get hurt by taking the cover off and having a look.
open it up and you'll see how easy it is to swap the fan without ever coming in contact with the other components.
sometimes i solder in the new fan, sometimes i just cut the wires and twist them togeather and tape them, depends on my mood.

every day i work with voltage in the rage from logic to 50kv.
i work on computer controlled electromechanical equipment (radars)
i don't think the caps in a power supply can do anything other than hurt

 

[nihil]

ah, you may be right about the ease of replacing the fan. i'll give it a try when i get some spare time. thanks

 

[DaiShan]

Nihil - I didn't think at first it was possible/a good idea to change out the PSU fan, but Paulson here on the boards one time gave some good instructions on it, I will try to find them for you. A couple of things to remember: make sure it is unplugged (had to say it lol) do not try to ground yourself with a grounding strap to the PSU, don't bother grounding yourself, you won't do any damage anyways. Try not to touch anything you don't have to.

/edit Here is what Paulson had to say about it:

Basically, if the fan is dying, go pick up an 80mm fan (standard fan size) and simply open up your ps unit.. if the fan is connected to the circuit board, unconnect it, if it's directly hooked into it, then cut the wires... then take and wire the new fan's power cables through the ps holes, and hook it up to one of the existing ps connectors...

 

[nihil]

so, i guess all it really entails is snipping some wires and little soldering or taping. thanks a lot, DaiShan.