How do I get this thing to work?

[FireMyLaser]

Is it broken? I plug it in the socket and switch it on but I don't get any 5/12 voltage out, nothing happens.

I want to use this as a lab-PSU btw.

 

[john_lawson]

those are dirt cheap on ebay mine burnt out i got one for under 20.00 I believe

 

[FireMyLaser]

Yeah but first I want to know if this thing really is broken, or if it's just me who don't know how to use it. ;D

 

[FireMyLaser]

Guys?

 

[nvmextc]

Are you only plugging in power..
I think, because it's a CPU PSU you need to attach a button to the appropriate cables so u can turn on the PSU like the computer button is turning it on.

 

[FireMyLaser]

Oh snap! Any idea which ones? :-/

 

[Things]

IIRC, those types of PSU's need a load to work properly. Try putting a fan or something on the 12V lines and turn it on. Also make sure you have a switch

 

[12dstring]

It's usually the green one you have to connect to any black one to turn it on.

 

[MarioMaster]

It's usually the green one you have to connect to any black one to turn it on.

this ^

jumping green to black will signal the supply to turn on, and as some said it may require a load on the 5v rail to work (some need the load, some don't) so jump it and find out

 

[FireMyLaser]

I connected a wire between the green and one of the black pins on the 20 pin connector and a 2.8W load to 5V and a fan to 12V.

The wire between green and black draws over 3.3A and nothing happens. Without a load it makes a faint whistling sound. :-?

 

[nvmextc]

I've heard to have the 20 pin connector on a load. So if the greena and black wire are the right one's put a load in there, I don't know how much, it's because of something to do with a relay if that helps.

 

[MarioMaster]

try adding more load to the 5v rail, if it still doesn't work I'd say the PSU is dead

 

[FireMyLaser]

I just tried it with 7W and still nothing.

But something isn't right with the pins/colours. I googled some pics of the connector and found out that the green wire on my PSU is not on the correct pin. Or so I think.. Maybe the colours are just mixed up IDK.

Edit: I tried it my way (ignoring the colours and going for the correct pins) and it does work now, I can hear a relay switch over inside. It does need a load to work tho.

 

[chopper]

Glad you figured it out, for those who might still be interested here is a list of the pins on a 24 or 20 pin ATX power supply:

This is a screen cap from: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ATX


Here is a link to a wikihow for using a computer power supply as a lab dc power supply:
http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply

 

[FireMyLaser]

Wow thanks for the link m8!

 

[chopper]

No problem, thanks for inspiring me to make one...I'm going to get parts for my old power supply right now!