How To Test A Power Supply

[Double clutch]

TEST A POWER SUPPLY

   

Troubleshooting a PC can get frustrating at times, especially OS issues. In this tutorial, I will be talking about hardware issues specifically the supply of power.  A Power Supply not working correctly is as crucial as having an overheating CPU, GPU OR Motherboard. And it can be just as troublesome. Symptoms involving power can be instability, odor, video, and complete failure. System instability can be guile to diagnose, due to the fact many things cause crashing and errors. If you can count out bad hard drive sectors and viruses, unexplained crashing could lead you to believe in a  power supply failure. You should pay particular attention to things that take more power. If the crashing happens more often when running high CPU/Graphic programs, this could be considered a power problem.

Noise if you hear a sound, and you can pinpoint it to the power supplies fan the hardware could be soon to fail. If you smell a burning odor, you should turn the PC off immediately; A power supply could cause an electrical fire.

Video error is another indicator that could point toward an energy problem. If your company is a 3-D user and crashing happens when switching to 3-D  this could be seen as a power supply problem.

The ability to turn your computer on is up to the power supply if it doesn't do this, the first thing to check would be the switch on the power supply itself. Once you check if the switch is on, check the switch on the front of the case by pushing it in if the PC doesn't power up crack open the case. When you have the case open, look for lights and fans turning, No light or fans turning is a sure sign of a failed power source.

But what if your fans are turning and your PC does power up, only you have the crashing and the errors, and everything points to the power supply. Well, that's when you run down to your local geek store and buy a power supply tester. We will be looking at the Insten 20 / 24-pin Power Supply Tester for ATX / SATA / HDD, https://goo.gl/wIEhUR

This power supply tester is very easy to use just unplug the twenty/twenty-four pin wire from the mainboard and plug it into the tester. ( Unplug PC from outlet first)  So here is your power supply you want to have the top row on your spec chart to light up on your tester if all light up power supply is good. If some light up but others don't, and they are on your power supply chart, the power supply tested bad you need to replace it. This power supply we will need +3.3V  +5V
+12V  -12V  +5VSB  and  PG

   

   

IT'S GOOD

[Compton]

super jon

[Timster]

Oh my trusty power supply tester.... It doesn't get the attention it used too

[Double clutch]

(09-10-2016, 12:55 AM)Timster Wrote:  Oh my trusty power supply tester.... It doesn't get the attention it used too

It works for me.

[Timster]

(09-10-2016, 01:21 AM)Double clutch Wrote:  

(09-10-2016, 12:55 AM)Timster Wrote:  Oh my trusty power supply tester.... It doesn't get the attention it used too

It works for me.

I was just saying I haven't had a reason to use it in quite some time. I did not mean that it does not work.

[Britec]

New power supplies are more reliable nowadays. The testers are handy to have for the first stage of testing. Nice tutorial. 

[Partha]

Nice job! I just wanted to point out separately as you've already meant, that the -5V won't lit up if that Mercury PSU is tested, as it's not designed to deliver -5V

I didn't know that devices like this exist. Makes life a lot easier

[Britec]

Yeah that can catch people out   also you need to test every cable on the power supply in case its one of them that's gone bad, example bad molex connector.