Is my power supply dead?

Discussion in 'Power Supplies and UPS's' started by hardywang, Apr 16, 2009.

  1. hardywang

    hardywang Geek Trainee

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    All of sudden my PC would not start. I tried to diagnose from power supply.

    Base on the diagram at ATX - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia I beileve I have ATX12V 2.x version of power supply.

    I short pin 15(ground, black) and 16(power on, green) and plugged power cable to wall outlet and nothing happens.

    There is a small green indicate light at back of power supply, when I plug to wall outlet it is on, if I short 15 and 16, the little green light is off. I am not sure what is the meaning of it.

    Anybody has experience?

    Regards,
    Hardy
     
  2. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    Welcome to HWF!

    Sounds like a dead PSU all right. What's the make/model? If you don't know, a picture's worth a thousand words. :)
     
  3. hardywang

    hardywang Geek Trainee

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    The power supply is actually from HP Pavilion a1540n, the brand is unkown.

    [​IMG]
    The red box is the green light I talked about.

    [​IMG]
    This is side view and pin to motherboard.
     
  4. Anti-Trend

    Anti-Trend Nonconformist Geek

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    Based on the picture, looks like it's a Hipro, though the connector covers the model, amperage and wattage. :O
     
  5. hardywang

    hardywang Geek Trainee

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    Model is HP-D3057F3R
    300W

    quite a lot amperages under different voltages.

    Thanks
     
  6. Ghostman 1

    Ghostman 1 Mega Geek

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    HP and Compaq and Emachine all use this Hipro or Bestec brand.. I would install a better brand though.. Also with a little more wattage..
     
  7. ft4321

    ft4321 Geek Trainee

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    Don't mean to threadjack, but what are the odds?? I have a similar issue yet I have a HP m8100n. However, I did not short the pins yet, how do I do that? I have the exact same model power supply and if I decide to go against OEM how do I pick the right power supply so that the pins match and such?

    Thanks for the help!
     
  8. Net Jockey

    Net Jockey Geek Trainee

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    What one needs to know about...the relation of the negative effects of heat on the computer...That can be caused by the power supply.

    Manufacturers test their PSU's at a set temperature...from this their rating is determined... for most this No. is 25 degrees Celsius...which falls short of the temperature that most computers are capable of achieving.

    Given that a PSU will actually lose 2-5 watts per one degree of heat above the 25 Degree Celsius testing temperature...coupled with the fact that computers tend to run at 10 degrees higher than room temperature... In the summer time when the room temperature can easily reach 80 degrees F... your computer will be running at 33 Degrees C. or 90 Degrees F.

    So the...math can make...your 500 watt power supply into a 460 watt unit.

    In addition to this...what needs to be taken into account is that each degree that your computer components are operating at...under powered...adds more heat to the equation.

    Consider also...the possibility...that ratings given by the manufacturer of single components...such as graphics cards...need to be treated with skepticism... Manufacturers may minimize support issues and under rate the power required...in order to make a larger profit.

    The above has not taken into account...the issue of high quality vs poor quality units...Power supplies convert voltages from wall outlets to lower levels used by the PC. During this conversion, some power is lost as heat. The efficiency level of the PSU determines how much extra power must be put into the power supply to run the PC. A high quality PSU can help reduce the noise and heat generated within a computer system. The higher the efficiency rating the less heat the PSU has to deal with.

    Therefore heat is the computers enemy...The hotter the temperature your PSU is forced to run at...the poorer the supply of power the rest of the components will receive...which has been known to lead to such things as crashes, freezing, rebooting, BSOD’s, and video distortion, as well as partial and complete failure of other components.

    The fact is very few PSU’s are capable of producing the wattage that the companies advertise.

    For a very good comprehension of recommended brand names, wattage, and models in listed categories...Plus much more...check out this link. Power Supply Information and Selection - Tech Support Forum
     

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