PSU blown?

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 13:55

hey guys

I think i might have just blown my psu but im not 100% sure. Before i swap it out with another one maybe u can confirm it. Basically i hooked up 3 extra fans, switched the pc on. Everything came on for about half a second then it all went off.

Now its completely dead, nothing happens when i switch the power on button. Blown psu?

DarkStar · Post by **DarkStar** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:04

Nope, overloaded PSU.

Unplug all non-essential items (extra HDDs, Fans, DVD drives etc.) see if it comes one.

You might also want to try and take out your GFX card and use onboard to see what happens, if it will boot.

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:07

yeah u see the thing is, i really dont think i was overloading it...because my video card was already out (its broken atm), and its 500W so it really should be able to handle 3 extra fans instead of the vid card...I tried unplugging my dvd drive/hard drive and all the fans and nothing comes on, its dead

thanks for the quick reply

DarkStar · Post by **DarkStar** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:13

Okay, my friend had a similar (exactly the same) problem.

If you've taken all that out, then your PSU is poked.

Get a new one and avoid the same brand as the dead PSU.

WiK1d · Post by **WiK1d** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:13

disconnect all power from the PC, make sure that NO psu cables are connected to anything. If the PSU has a switch on the back, change it to the ON position. Take your 24/20 Pin ATX plug and look for a green wire. Take a paper clip or wire and connect the green wire to a black one and see if the PSU starts up. If it doesn't it's toast.

DarkStar · Post by **DarkStar** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:14

Or try what WiK1d has to say.

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:17

that sounds dangerous 0_o im not gonna eloctrocute myself am i? Also, im colourblind : / i guess i can ask my sister to help me out tho

Prime · Post by **Prime** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:27

Nope you won't electrocute yourself.

Um sometimes you need to take the power cable out the back and then push the power switch on the pc, this seems to reset the whole PSU, you'll probably see the Case lights flick on but nothing else happen and then those too will switch off.

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:32

thanks for the help but it looks like the psu is dead

love it, now i get to replace a video card and a psu, its great how everything happens at once, such is life i guess

thanks again

Prime · Post by **Prime** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:35

That sucks.

Hey before you scrap the graphics card and PSU, rescue the fans

and are you sure your grahics card was not playing up because of the PSU?

Zana · Post by **Zana** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:37

Did you see smoke ? or smell smoke or see a flash?... i actualy witnessed this happen at a computer store, the secetaries PC, when i came to close to it and for some "secret" resons.. it went poof!

(((hugs)))

PSU's are not to expensive but graphics cards are...But if you want to replace it, and its still under gaurantee as long as you dont fiddle with the sticker.. just swop it.. But if you dont have the bucks, unscrewing it and looking to see what went pop may help.. also its an amazing experience... looking into Pandora's Secret Utility..box

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:39

er, the thought hadnt occured to me, i pray it wasnt the psu that was causing the vid card to have problems, just RMA'ed it back to the states which cost over R1000...i would not be a happy chappy if the vid card is perfectly okay and it was the psu all along..

lol, what on earth would i do with psu fans?

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:41

Did you see smoke ?

nope, nothing, it just magically stopped working

PSU's are not to expensive but graphics cards are...But if you want to replace it, and its still under gaurantee as long as you dont fiddle with the sticker.. just swop it.. But if you dont have the bucks, unscrewing it and looking to see what went pop may help.. also its an amazing experience... looking into Pandora's Secret Utility..box

lol, yeah ill open it up now and screw around with it, maybe ill get lucky

Prime · Post by **Prime** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:49

Um PSU fans generally work well as case fans.

Some are better than others. the Avant Garde Fans are Silent.

Could Be a Blown Fuse in the PSU. Thats easy enough to replace

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 14:50

hah, i wouldnt even know what a blown fuse looks like : / i know diddly squat about circuit boards lol

Prime · Post by **Prime** » 05 Jul 2008, 15:05

its a little glass tube on the circuit board. it may even have a few coloured rings around it. take a screw driver and lift it out with breaking it and hold it up to the light. if the tiny wire inside is broken, then its blown. the ratings will be one one of the metal end caps

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 15:07

now i feel like an idiot, i just shocked myself (it was bloody sore too) and tripped the whole house :O

the switch at the back of the PSU was off but the power still flowed and it hurt like a *****

/sigh, enough computers for me for one day

Prime · Post by **Prime** » 05 Jul 2008, 15:16

How the HEll? 8O

Hman · Post by **Hman** » 05 Jul 2008, 16:20

WiK1d · Post by **WiK1d** » 05 Jul 2008, 16:28

Yeah, you might want to discharge all the capacitors in the PSU before you open it.

DarkStar · Post by **DarkStar** » 05 Jul 2008, 16:31

If you go as far as having to open a PSU, then it's best to get a new one.

If you're not careful, the capacitors in there could kill you.

PingPong · Post by **PingPong** » 05 Jul 2008, 16:34

If you're not careful, the capacitors in there could kill you.

i wish u had told me that before i opened it...well, i guess u gotta learn the hard way, never again will i touch the inside of a psu without triple checking that theres no power

DAE_JA_VOO · Post by **DAE_JA_VOO** » 05 Jul 2008, 16:57

PingPong wrote:now i feel like an idiot, i just shocked myself (it was bloody sore too) and tripped the whole house :O

the switch at the back of the PSU was off but the power still flowed and it hurt like a *****

/sigh, enough computers for me for one day

Caps take a few DAYS to discharge.

If you ever need to open up a PSU, plug it into a machine first (but don't connect it to the mains) and press the power button a few times. That'll drain them

LOL, one of my buddies got the daylights shocked out of him last year making that same mistake.

DarkStar wrote:If you go as far as having to open a PSU, then it's best to get a new one.

If you're not careful, the capacitors in there could kill you.

No man, it won't kill you, but you'll definitely know you've been shocked.

Hman · Post by **Hman** » 05 Jul 2008, 17:00

Or just be careful what you touch

DarkStar · Post by **DarkStar** » 05 Jul 2008, 17:33

@DAE
Well, if you've got a heart condition, don't even try it.

Then again, I do have a morbid phobia of electricity.