Want to know more about Power Supply's?

[fkloster]

Then this review of the sweeet Enermax 550w by Acid Hardware is a must read. Very nicely done... Thanks Anand...

 

[ledzepp98]

that was a good read, thanks...but electricity and power supply stuff is greek to me i have posted a pic of what mbm5 reports as my voltages and i was hoping someone who is knowledgeable in this area can tell me if things look ok? this is for the "BIG BASTARD" computer on my rg page and here is the pic.

 

[TunaBoo]

12V looks a tad low, but well within specs. Should be okay

 

[ledzepp98]

what is the generally accepted tolerence level for the voltages (i assume there is a tolerance range)?

 

[sharkeeper]

<< Stupid puns aside this section of the review deals with what is on the inside of the Enermax PSU. This intrepid reviewer risked life and limb to open the PSU for your enjoyment... Well maybe not... Anyway if you intend to open up any PSU you must be extremely careful, they store potentially fatal voltages inside their capacitors and if not treated with respect could make you visit the other side. If you don't know what you're doing please don't open the PSU. >>



While I would never argue about a safety issue, this rumor about capacitors in the computer power supply need to be put to rest. It is true that capacitors can store a charge close to their rated voltage (never actually higher than the voltage of the circuit in which they're connected to) for some time after the power is disconnected. Most if not all power supplies will have &quot;bleeding&quot; resistors across the capacitors. These function to drain the caps to zero after the power source is removed. Most electrolytic caps are rather leaky and will loose considerable charge on their own after a day or so. The dropping resistors ensure this happens within a minute or two.

The rumor about caps storing a charge for many days or even months is false. No capacitor that you will find in your computer power supply, TV or monitor can do this. However, the CRT itself can most definitely keep a charge stored up for quite a considerable amount of time. They can also &quot;rebuild&quot; a healthy charge after being discharged! Please be careful when working around CRT's.

Most people will get shocked while working on a computer PS with the power cord still plugged in! Obviously, you have a hazard there. Most supplies' internal heatsinks have a voltage above that of ground when running! This isn't lethal, you're more likely to get injured after you jump back and fall off your chair!

Cheers!