Computer Maintenance and Technical

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Chapter Five
Power Supplies

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 Chapter Five
Power Supplies
 Power supplies
 Types of power supply
 Batteries
 Troubleshooting the Power Supply

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Power supply
• A power supply, also known as a power supply unit (PSU), is
a box inside a computer case that supplies power to the
motherboard and other installed devices.
• Typical voltage levels provided are +12v, +5v,
+3.3v, -12 v and -5v.

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AC AND DC
• Electricity can be either AC, alternating current, or DC, direct
current.
• alternating current (AC) goes back and forth, or oscillates, rather
than traveling in only one direction
• Direct current (DC) travels in only one direction and is the type of
current that most electronic devices require, including computers.
• rectifier is a device that converts AC to DC
• inverter is a device that converts DC to AC.
• A transformer is a device that changes the ratio of voltage to
current.
• A capacitor is an electronic device that can hold an electrical
charge for a period of time and can smooth the uneven flow of
electricity through a circuit.

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 Power-Supply Connectors

•Used for IDE and hard drives.

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SATA Connector

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P1 20+4 pin connector
PC Main power connector (usually called P1): Is the connector that
goes to the motherboard to provide it with power. The connector has
20 or 24 pins. One of the pins belongs to the PS-ON wire (it is usually
green).

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 ELECTRICAL POWER ISSUES
• A PC’s power supply is the source and cause of more
component failures than any other component of the PC.
• A faulty power supply can burn out or weaken the electrically
fragile electronics.
• Common power delivery problems encountered by the power
supply are as follows:
– Power Surges: takes place when the voltage is 110% or more above normal
– High-Voltage Spikes: occur when there is a sudden voltage peak of up to
6,000 volts. These spikes are usually the result of nearby lightning strikes
– Transients: may be Impulsive, Oscillatory
– Brownouts: a steady lower voltage state
– Power Sag: sag is the reduction of AC Voltage at a given frequency for the
duration of 0.5 cycles to 1 minute’s time. Sages are usually caused by system
faults
– Electrical Line Noise: (RFI) and (EMI) and causes unwanted effects in the
circuits of computer systems
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 Power-Protection Devices
Surge suppressors
• A device used to filter out the effects of voltage spikes and surges that are
present in commercial power sources and smooth out power variations
• A good surge suppressor will protect your system from most problems
• Most power strips with surge protection have a red indicator light. If the light
goes out, this means that the unit is not providing protection
• Most power strip/surge protectors should be replaced every year or so. If the light
starts flashing before then, the power strip is failing and should be replaced
Uninterruptible power supply (UPS)
• For complete protection from power fluctuations and outages, the
uninterruptible power supply (UPS) is recommended
• A UPS is an inline battery backup. When properly installed between a
computer
and the wall outlet, a UPS device protects the computer from surges and acts
as a battery when the power dips or fails
• Many models can also interact with the computer and initiate a safe shutdown in
the event of a complete power failure They do this by means of software that
runs in the background and is set in action by a signal through one of the
computer's COM ports when the power goes down

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 Types of Power Supply
The most important distinguishable feature of computer
power supplies is the form factor;
• Form factor
– Specifies size, shape, and features of a device
• Determined by motherboard
• ATX - Computer power supply designed specifically for the
ATX motherboard.
• There are several modalities of this motherboard. The
standard size of an ATX motherboard is 305 mm by 204 mm.
• Flex ATX - Power supply designed for an ATX variety with a size of 229 mm
by 191 mm.
• Micro ATX - Power supply designed for an ATX variety with a size of 244
mm by 1244 mm.
• Mini ATX - Power supply designed for an ATX variety with a form factor of
150 mm by 150 mm size.
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 Types of Form Factors
• AT - Power supply for the original AT motherboard designed by IBM with a size of 350 mm by 305 mm.
• LPX - Power supply designed for an LPX motherboard with a size of 330 mm by 229 mm.
• NLX - Power supply designed for an NLX motherboard with a size of 254 mm by 228 mm.
• SFX - Power supply designed for an SFX motherboard. The "regular" SFX power supply is nominally 100
mm wide, 125 mm deep, and 63.5 mm in height; it has an output of 90 W

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 Battery
A battery is a hardware component that supplies power
to a device, enabling that device to work without a
power cord. Batteries are often capable of powering a
laptop computer for several hours depending on how
much power it requires.

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 Battery
There are two computer batteries types used with computers.
1.The backup battery, which is commonly referred to as the
CMOS battery that holds your computer's settings, such as the time
and date. Without a CMOS battery you would have to reset the time,
date, and other system settings each time the computer starts.
2.The main battery in portable computers is an alternate source of
energy for when the computer is not connected to a wall outlet.

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 Troubleshooting the Power Supply
The following is a list of PC problems that often are related to the
power supply:
•Any power-on or system startup failures.
•Spontaneous rebooting or intermittent lockups during normal
operation
•Hard disk and fan simultaneously failing to spin (no +12 V)
•Overheating due to fan failure
•Electric shocks felt on the system case or connectors
•Slight static discharges that disrupt system operation
•Irregular recognition of bus-powered USB peripherals
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 Troubleshooting the Power Supply
The following fairly obvious symptoms point right to the power
supply as a possible cause:
 System that is completely dead.
 Smoke.
 Blown circuit breakers.

Solution of the problems

•Check the AC power input.
•Check the DC power connections and Voltage level.
•Check the installed peripherals.

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 Removing and Installing
• Removing
– Disconnect wires
– Remove four standard screws
– Remove PSU

• To install
– Place PSU in case
– Replace screws
– Connect wires

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 Power Supply Test
1. Set the multimeter to test DC
2. Turn on the PC
3. Put the black lead onto any
black wire connection
4. Put the red lead onto colored
wire

• 12 V ± 10 percent
– 10.8 to 13.2 V • 5V ± 10 percent
– If readings are outside – 4.5 to 5.5 V
tolerance and symptoms exist,
replace power supply
• 3.3 V ± 10 percent
– 2.97 to 3.63 V
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