Using power supply outside of computer

kodi said:

If you do this often you need one of these.

Hmm, I don't do it all that often, but I like that anyway. It's inexpensive and simple.

kodi said:

If you do this often you need one of these.

Thanks, I'm handy enough to make my own, besides the shipping from down under would kill me

Just out of curiosity, what would shipping probably cost on a little item like that "down under"? I know that I have ordered things from overseas, and the shipping has always been pretty nominal, unless I got impatient and had to have it now.

EDIT" OOPS! That's coming from down under, rather than the other way around. It still shouldn't cost too much, but I found that their shipping calculator didn't work, and I didn't feel like registering for an account.

seekermeister said:

I'm not sure what you mean by not safe, because it is only 12 volts and isn't going to shock anyone. As far as it shorting out to something else, that could be prevented by using an insulated wire.

Todays PC power supplies are switching power supplies. To work correctly they require a load. Using a paper clip or piece or wire to jump start them is not recommended. In some cases the power supply could fail in a very bad way. The power supply tester has load resisters in it to allow you to safely power it up with no motherboard connected. Many people have used a paper clip and got away with it. If the power supply is high quality with short circuit and overload protection it probably won't self destruct. Its still not good for it though.

seekermeister said:

Just out of curiosity, what would shipping probably cost on a little item like that "down under"? I know that I have ordered things from overseas, and the shipping has always been pretty nominal, unless I got impatient and had to have it now.

EDIT" OOPS! That's coming from down under, rather than the other way around. It still shouldn't cost too much, but I found that their shipping calculator didn't work, and I didn't feel like registering for an account.

You're probably right, that was my first impression

DocBrown said:

I bought several Y-splitter power cables. Linked them together & came out the back of computer in one of the empty slots. Works great with a Tri-Head USB adapter

Good solution

the jimmy said:

Todays PC power supplies are switching power supplies. To work correctly they require a load. Using a paper clip or piece or wire to jump start them is not recommended. In some cases the power supply could fail in a very bad way. The power supply tester has load resisters in it to allow you to safely power it up with no motherboard connected. Many people have used a paper clip and got away with it. If the power supply is high quality with short circuit and overload protection it probably won't self destruct. Its still not good for it though.

Interesting, did you have to look that up or do you have an electrical background? Just curious

I'm an electronic technician by trade. I have been trained in PC repair and maintenance. At one point in my career I did a short stint in a repair facility and one of the things I worked on were switching power supplies. They weren't PC power supplies but the principles of how they work are the same. I'm retired now.