Dismantling a PSU

[ChipDeath]

My PSU (Enermax 430W) Has far too many wires coming from it (Why do they still include those stupid AT power connectors? who the hell needs them? )

I've decided I'm going to dismantle my PSU, and disconnect all the unused wires, and just have 4 actual cables coming from the PSU, with 3 molex connectors on each.

One to power CD, DVD, and 1 HDD;
one to Power Other 2 HDDs and 9800Pro
One to power Case/CPU fans.

And one with a couple of spare molex plugs, and the little one just in case I need to connect a floppy again, or anything else.

I was also considering fitting a toggle switch to the PSU which switches the two fans in the PSU between Serial and Parallel. (I'm assuming they're currently wired up parallel), to effectively wire them for 6V instead of 12V at the flick of a switch, to quieten them down some when I want less noise.

The only thing that concerns me is that the PSU already has (allegedly) variable fans, depending on temperature - so I don't want my PSU to overheat because the fans aren't spinning fast enough.... It also already has a variable resistor which slows them down as well.

Anyone ever done something like this?

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"Sex without love is an empty experience...
But as empty experiences go, it's one of the best" - Woody Allen

 

[jihiggs]

you would be better off making a switch that will do that after an existing molex connector. no need to hack up your wires. and the extra plugs you dont need, you will find it hard to separate the wires at the point they connect to the psu inside, just cut them off and tape them.

this is my boomstick!

 

[Crashman]

That flat 6-pin thing isn't an AT power connector, it's a supplemental power connector used by many server/workstation boards, and also used to power some riser cards.

Also for reducing fan voltage, I've found 7v to be ideal for most fans. It can be had by connecting the "ground" wire to +5v. Since the fans are plastic, they're not really grounded, so giving them a 5v floating ground has no ill effect on the system.

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[ChipDeath]

it's a supplemental power connector used by many server/workstation boards

Ah... I see.. Well, Whatever, it's still useless to me.

On the fans issue, I'm only referring to the two fans inside the PSU. I have a number of Casefans which are already wired to switches for 12-5V. I considered the 7V option, but went for 5. I might re-wire for 7, just to see if there's any noticeable noise increase (which I doubt, really...). I wired the switches to male and female molex connectors, so I've not permanently altered the fan wiring at all. Fairly easy to change.

As I'm unsure what the wiring for the fans in the PSU is like, and I know there are two of them which I assume are effectively wired in parallel for 12V, I decided the most guaranteed option would be the parallel->serial switch, as it's easy to wire up with some switches I already have (DPDT toggle switches).

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"Sex without love is an empty experience...
But as empty experiences go, it's one of the best" - Woody Allen