[SOLVED] One wire from PSU to 24 pin connector cut

[Bharath Ulaganathan]

When I was half way cleaning My PC, I noticed a white wire from the PSU to the 24 pin connector was cut in half. I don't remember it seeing like that. May be while cleaning or opening the cabinet I by mistake did something that resulted in the wire being cut in half as it felt very brittle. What should I do to fix it? I turned on the power to the PSU and the PSU did turn on but the motherboard showed no power indication (I remember seeing a power indication on the motherboard previously). Can I just connect the two ends and tape it and continue using the PC or the only way is to replace the PSU (which will take a while as lockdown is on)?

View: https://i.stack.imgur.com/aAydH.jpg[/size][/i]

 

[cdrkf]

When I was half way cleaning My PC, I noticed a white wire from the PSU to the 24 pin connector was cut in half. I don't remember it seeing like that. May be while cleaning or opening the cabinet I by mistake did something that resulted in the wire being cut in half as it felt very brittle. What should I do to fix it? I turned on the power to the PSU and the PSU did turn on but the motherboard showed no power indication (I remember seeing a power indication on the motherboard previously). Can I just connect the two ends and tape it and continue using the PC or the only way is to replace the PSU (which will take a while as lockdown is on)?

View: https://i.stack.imgur.com/aAydH.jpg[/size][/i]

As a short term fix, if you strip away a bit of both ends of the wire and join them back together then tape it you should be ok to get the machine going again (ideally apply a bit of solder to the joint, if you have access to a soldering iron). Make sure the psu is fully disconnected and has had at least 30 mins without power before attempting this to make sure you don't get a shock.

I would say though that all looks pretty old - and it's worrying that the wires and old and brittle enough to brake like that - it might be a good time to invest in a new PSU as if that one dies it could kill the motherboard or other components.

If you want a guide on what PSU to look at, the toms guide is pretty good starting point:
https://www.tomshardware.com/uk/reviews/best-psus,4229.html

 

[DSzymborski]

You can try to fix it temporarily with the advice above. Though I would never leave the house with this PC on.

Also, you really ought to take the opportunity to do some cleaning; there are some quite appalling hygeine issues apparent here.

 

[jonnyguru]

The white wire used to be -5V, which hasn't been used for about a decade. My guess is someone cut it intentionally. Though, I would think the PC would work normally with a -5V lead that isn't used. Maybe whoever built the PC found out otherwise.