Revision no.

: PPT/2K804/04
PPT/2K403/02

SMPS
 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Power Supplies

• Based on the regulation concept, the power supplies are

classified as either linear or switched mode.
• Linear Power Supply
– Conventional AC/DC power supplies is to comprising a
transformer, rectifier, filter and regulator constitute the linear
power supplies.
– In linear power supply, the active device that provides regulation,
is always operated in active or linear region of its characteristics.
• Switched Mode power Supply
– DC to DC converters and DC to AC invertors belong to the
category of switched mode power supplies(SMPS).
– In switching power supply, the active device that provides
regulation is always operated in switched mode.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Power Supplies (contd.)

Table - Compares the major characteristics of linear

and switching supplies.

Parameters Linear Switching

Line Regulation 0.05 - 0.05 % 0.05 - 0.1 %
Load Regulation 0.02 -0.10 % 0.10 1.0 %
O/P ripple 1.5 - 5 MV 25 - 100 MV
Efficiency 40 - 50 % 70 - 90 %
Power Density 0.5 W/inch 2.5 W/inch
Transient Recovery 50 Us 200 Us
Hold up time 2 MS 32 MS

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Power Supplies (contd.)

• The PSU supplies various voltages and power signals

necessary for the operation of PC's system board, keyboard
and other installable optional cards.
• It can be operated over an input voltage range of 190 V to 240
V AC and provides four regulated DC output voltages of +5V, -
5V, +12V and -12V.
• The +5V DC powers the logic on the system board, the disc
drives and adapters in the system expansion slots.
• The +12V is used for the system's dynamic memory and disc
drive motors. It is assumed that only one drive is active at a
time.
• The -5V DC level is designed for dynamic memory bias voltage
and has a longer decay on power off then +5V and +12V
outputs.
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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Power Supplies (contd.)

• Power Good Signal

– The power supply ensures that the system does not run unless
the power supplied is sufficient to operate the system properly.
– The power supply completes internal checks and tests before
allowing the system to start.
– The Power Good signal (sometimes called Power OK or PWR_OK)
is a +5V (nominal) active high signal (with variation from +2.4V
through +6.0V generally being considered acceptable) that is
supplied to the motherboard when the power supply passed its
internal self test and output voltage have stabilized.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Power Supplies – Block Diagram

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Power Supplies (contd.)

• Power Supply Form Factor

– The Form Factor describes the physical dimensions of the power
supply and the types of power connectors it provides to power the
motherboard.
– The form factors encountered are as follows.
• PC/XT/AT Form Factors
– In addition to the power connectors of the peripherals, the power
supply also provided a motherboard power connectors, P8 and
P9.
• Baby AT/LPX Form Factor
– The Baby AT had the same power connectors as the AT, and
smaller physical size.
– LPX is physically smaller than Baby AT.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Power Supplies (contd.)

• ATX/NLX Form Factor

– The ATX was first power supply to provide 3.3 volts,first software
switch that allowed the software to turn on and off the computer.
– A single 20-pin connector, replaced the two separate connectors
P8 and P9.
– The ATX power supply was designed for NLX form factor
motherboard.
– Therefore sometimes ATX power supply form factor is sometimes
called NLX power supply.
• Mini-ATX/Micro-ATX/SFX Form Factor
– It’s a single form factor that is physically smaller than ATX and
does not have –5 volt signal,needed by older expansions bus
(ISA) cards.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Power Supplies (contd.)

• ATX12V Form Factor

– The newest form factor,a superset ATX called the ATX12V, was
created for systems using P4 and high-end Athlon processors.
– The ATX12 adds an extra +12 power connector that enables the
delivery of more current to the high-end processor-based boards.

• Form Factor WTX

– It is designed for multiple-CPU and multiple-drive systems, such
as servers and high-end engineering workstations.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Connectors from SMPS

• Molex Connectors

– The Molex connector is primarily used for devices that need both

12V and 5V of power.

• Mini Connectors

– The mini is used primarily on 3.5-inch floppy drives.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Motherboard Connectors

• AT Connectors
– These supplies feature two main power connectors(P8 and P9),
each with 6pins.
– When both the connectors are plugged in,the black wire on P8 will
be next to the black wire on P9.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Motherboard Connectors (contd.)

• ATX Connectors
– It is used in the ATX,Mini-ATX,Micro-ATX & SFX form factors.
– This 20-pin keyed connector with pins configured as shown below

• ATX12 Connector
– This adds a third power connector, called the ATX12 connector, to
supply additional +12V power to the board.
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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Motherboard Connectors (contd.)

• Power Switch
– Power switch utilization creates major differences between AT
and ATX power supplies.
• AT Power Switch
– AT power switches come in only two common types: rocker and
plunger as shown in FIG 21-12.
– Each of these switches has four tab connectors that attach to four
color-coded wires leading from the power supply.
– The four or five wires are color-coded as follows.
– Brown and Blue: These wires are the live and neutral feed wires
from 110V power cord to the power supply.
– Black and White: These wires carry the AC feed from the switch
back to the power supply.
– Green or green with yellow stripe: This is the ground lead.
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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Troubleshooting tips for SMPS

– Check the wall outlet. The outlet should be providing between

220-250V AC current. Just set the voltage-ohmmeter (VOM) to
read AC voltage and put one lead in each hole of the outlet.
– Check the power cord. It should be firmly plugged into the power
supply. If you have a spare cord, swap cords. Yes, power cords do
fail.
– Is power getting to the power supply? The fan gets it first, so if it
isn't turning on, the power supply isn't getting power. When some
power supplies are first turned on, the speaker emits a low click.
– Check to make sure the power supply is connected to the
motherboard using the right connectors, whether P8 and P9 (AT)
or the single-piece, 20-pin ATX connector.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Troubleshooting tips for SMPS (contd.)

– To conclude whether the problem is with the motherboard or

SMPS, short the PS ON pin (Green pin) with any black pin i.e. the

ground, and observe whether the SMPS fan has started. If it has,

then it can be concluded that the source of the problem is with the

motherboard, else it will be with the SMPS.

– If all those things check out correctly, try swapping in a different

power supply.

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 Revision no.: PPT/2K804/04

Design & Published by:

CMS Institute, Design & Development Centre, CMS House, Plot No. 91, Street No.7,
MIDC, Marol, Andheri (E), Mumbai –400093.
www.cmsinstitute.co.in

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