Repair a dead power supply without replacing

[Dacalos Cero]

hi guys, please tell me how to fix a power supply without replacing? what tools do i need?

 

[rolli59]

Not worth fixing since replacement is cheaper! How would you know what to fix in it in the first place?

 

[Gee Bee]

Whats the PSU exactly and your motivation for repairing?

 

[USAFRet]

That all depends on whats wrong with it.

Tools?
Screwdriver set
Soldering iron
Multimeter
Troubleshooting skills

But for a PSU...if you don't know what you're doing, 'fixing' can be far more dangerous than 'replacing'.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Depends on what died. At the minimum you'll need a soldering iron, and probably some new caps, fuses, and possibly the right FETs.

Almost always not worth doing.

Also remember that there's upwards of 300V in there, which is not a good thing to get in the way of. Unless you really know your way around electronics, I strongly suggest not opening it.

Mains voltage electricity can seriously harm or kill you. I don't suggest messing with it to save ~$40.

 

[Gee Bee]

i thought it maybe cost of replacement, but i could be wrong. Somme folk enjoy a challenge and believe me without personal know how this would be a challenge even if you could connect with someone that skilled here on Tom's.

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

Order a new one.

Cheaper.

 

[rolli59]

Personal know how and we would hardly get the question about tools!

 

[Dark Lord of Tech]

+1 ^

 

[snakebitex]

I don't want insult or anything don't take it wrong but by asking what tools you gonna need means you don't know what are you are gonna face. Fixing a PSU for some people especially for electronics geeks is easy staff (depends on the brand and what kind of PSU is.. some are not even fixable) . Fixing a PSU by guide is a dangerous task and you can also burn other staff(mobos vga etc...). My 2c opinion is find a person that knows the correct process or RMA it or buy a new one. Personally I have fixed some but if it was possible to replace it with new one I would have done it.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Definitely. The only time I would mess with a PSU is if it's proprietary (as in the monitor I recently repaired).

Without a decent amount of electronics knowledge, I would run a mile.

 

[Gee Bee]

Personal know how and we would hardly get the question about tools!

LOL

 

[Gee Bee]

Sorry Dacalous, a 250W OnePower Mini ATX PSU( if that is the one that broke) would not be that expensive to replace.
Hope you can find a way to do so.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

Mini-ATX could be interesting, but yeah, cheap.

 

[Lutfij]

There was an article here on Tom's about a kid who got electrocuted and died due to opening up a PSU that was unused for about ~8+ years. Apparently the capacitors in the PSU yet held their charge and was enough to kill the boy.

IMHO , repairing a PSU without proper technical know how is best left for the experts as the cost of new unit is far cheaper than loosing your life over one.

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2215200/Teenager-Shawnee-Oklahoma-dies-electrocuted-fixing-computer.html

*can't find reference to how old the machine was though

 

[USAFRet]

If you're asking what tools you need, you probably shouldn't be doing it.

 

[Someone Somewhere]

8 years is no chance. I'd have to grab a multimeter and log it, but by memory 30 minutes is a long time for a typical electrolytic to retain more than 5% of charge.

They technically retain charge indefinitely, but that's like saying that a bottle left tipped upside-down will always have some water in it - true, but absurdly small amounts.

 

[Delroy Monjo]

Yeah, if you want a surprise, just touch one of those giant capacitors in a PSU and see if it was really worth the effort. This is one of those, "If you need to ask, you have no business doing it." things.