INFO: Turn an ordinary power supply into a valuable testing station
DATE: 09/22/03
COST: ~$7
TIME: An afternoon
SPONSORS: None
AUTHOR: Jon "Wampa" Bender
Intro:
There are two forms of modding in the computer world today;
aesthetically appealing, and functional. While I do not consider myself an
artist by any means, I think that a mod that is clean, functional, and has a
generally sharp look to it is a success. In this article I will show you the
process I went through to convert a $7 250w ATX power supply into an invaluable
testing unit that comes in hand for both modding and hardware review.
Materials:
Below is a list of materials I use for this
project. Everything I had lying around the house except for the power supply.
250w Foxconn / Allied Power Supply ($7, NewEgg, refurbished)
Electrical tape
Wire stripper
Wire cutter
3-to-4 pin Molex adapter
1mm flathead screwdriver
Phillips head screwdriver
Cowhide work gloves
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| (1) Some of the materials
used |
The power supply:
I chose the 250w Allied PSU because it was
perfect for this project. My goal was to create a all-in-one testing station for
as little money as possible. This particular power supply was refurbished on
NewEgg for $7, with free FedEx Saver shipping. 250w was more than enough for any
fans or components I would be using the testing station for. Also, this power
supply had an on/off switch, which saved me from having to install one.
 |
 |
| (2) Side panel specifications |
(3) Overall PSU picture |
Instead of being a flat gray as most power supplies are, this
one appears to be somewhat-polished bare metal. It has a very industrial feel to
it, and the mod suits it nicely. It came with 1 motherboard connector, 1 P4
board connector, 1 floppy drive (Berg) connector, and 4 regular 4-pin Molex
connectors.
 |
| (4) Connectors |
Pre-mod modding:
The first item of interest is the motherboard connector. The
power switch in your case that hooks up to your motherboard tells the power
supply to turn on and off through a green wire. The goal is to rig the power
supply so that it does not rely on a separate on/off switch, but instead only
uses its own switch. Confused? It is actually quite simple.
 |
 |
| (5) One angle |
(6) A different angle |
The
wire of interest is the green wire. If you connect the green wire to any of the
ground wires on the motherboard connector, the power supply assumes it has a
motherboard attached to it, and power up normally. This allows us to operate the
PSU without any other components, a necessity for this mod to work. To test this
out before I began hacking away at the power supply, I used a small wire to
connect the green wire to one of the black wires, as shown.
 |
 |
| (7) Testing wire |
(8) An example of the
connection |
The power supply successfully started up once plugged in and
the PSU switch was turned on. Now it is time to crack the casing open and do
some real modding. There are a total of four screws on the top that need to be
removed before the casing can be opened.
 |
 |
| (9) Close up of a screw |
(10) The four screws are in
sight |
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