Computers| Computers |
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03-27-2008, 12:54 PM
| #1 (permalink) |
| Newb Techie Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 4
|  Tried to test PSU with resistors and got strange results About 2 months ago my PC croaked. It would start up and immediately shut down. The CPU had been running hot so I replaced it. No help. So I yanked the Antec SP-500 power supply to test it. I shorted pins 14-15 to get it to turn on. With no load the voltages are what they're supposed to be. So I tried loading it down with some big (>100W) resistors from work. Below is the setup Pins 14-15 shorted 2 ohm resistor across pins 10-15 (the +12V line) .75 ohm resistor across pins 1-15 (the 3.3V line) .75 ohm resistor across pins 6-15 (the +5V line) A 10 ohm resistor across the 12V line on the 4 pin mobo power connector. A fluke multimeter to measure the voltages. I didn' t load the -12V line since the spec says the minimum current draw is 0 A. All the other lines should be drawing more than their minimum (.5 A) and much less than their maximums. When I fire it up the 3.3V line goes down to 1.3 V, the 12V line drops to 10.6V, and the 5V line drops to 3V. So I figured the power supply was dead. Just to verify my results I applied the loads to another power supply that I know is OK and got about the same result. So there must be something wrong with my setup. What could be wrong? Thanks, Apchar |
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03-27-2008, 01:04 PM
| #2 (permalink) |
| lvl Infinite Psychopath  Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Mount Prospect, IL
Posts: 8,499
   |  Re: Tried to test PSU with resistors and got strange results Why did you feel the need to use resistors? Test the power supply rails with everything hooked up and under load, either gamming or prime 95. Tolerence is 5% +/-
__________________ Read The Rules!! Power Supply Guide Intel Overclocking Thread AMD Overclocking Thread Other Important Threads I'm sorry but I do not accept support requests via IM, email, or personal messages There will come a day, such a day when all will be told more than they wish to know, what one hears may explain the past, it may explain the future, but it has never made a difference either way and it will change nothing. Some day.... But that is not this day, and I don't know when, I just don't know. |
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03-27-2008, 01:26 PM
| #4 (permalink) |
| lvl Infinite Psychopath Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Mount Prospect, IL
Posts: 8,499
| Re: Tried to test PSU with resistors and got strange results Did you ever consider the power supply not to be the problem? Tried a window Repair? Does it even POST? What error message if any? Tried booting with mobo outside of case?
__________________ Read The Rules!! Power Supply Guide Intel Overclocking Thread AMD Overclocking Thread Other Important Threads I'm sorry but I do not accept support requests via IM, email, or personal messages There will come a day, such a day when all will be told more than they wish to know, what one hears may explain the past, it may explain the future, but it has never made a difference either way and it will change nothing. Some day.... But that is not this day, and I don't know when, I just don't know. |
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03-27-2008, 03:43 PM
| #6 (permalink) |
| lvl Infinite Psychopath Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Mount Prospect, IL
Posts: 8,499
| Re: Tried to test PSU with resistors and got strange results Try different RAM, in different slots.
__________________ Read The Rules!! Power Supply Guide Intel Overclocking Thread AMD Overclocking Thread Other Important Threads I'm sorry but I do not accept support requests via IM, email, or personal messages There will come a day, such a day when all will be told more than they wish to know, what one hears may explain the past, it may explain the future, but it has never made a difference either way and it will change nothing. Some day.... But that is not this day, and I don't know when, I just don't know. |
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03-28-2008, 12:36 PM
| #7 (permalink) |
| Newb Techie Join Date: Mar 2008
Posts: 4
| Re: Tried to test PSU with resistors and got strange results Swapping RAM wouldn't explain the peculiar behavior of the PSU. I'd like to better understand these things. Is there anything more to testing a PSU under load than throwing some power resistors across the rails, shorting PSO pin to ground, and watching the voltages on a DMM? Do the loads have to brought up in some sequence? Do one of these pins operate as a sense? |
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03-28-2008, 12:58 PM
| #8 (permalink) |
| lvl Infinite Psychopath Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: Mount Prospect, IL
Posts: 8,499
| Re: Tried to test PSU with resistors and got strange results There is no problem with the power supplies, the rails were the way they were because it was not under load, you had very little to nothing attached to it when you tested it. So now, you said you tried different RAM and in different slots and you said you tried different power supplies, and you also said you tried POSTing with mobo outside of the case. So now your next step, assuming you did everything you said, is to try a different motherboard.
__________________ Read The Rules!! Power Supply Guide Intel Overclocking Thread AMD Overclocking Thread Other Important Threads I'm sorry but I do not accept support requests via IM, email, or personal messages There will come a day, such a day when all will be told more than they wish to know, what one hears may explain the past, it may explain the future, but it has never made a difference either way and it will change nothing. Some day.... But that is not this day, and I don't know when, I just don't know. |
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