Computer Power Supplies
All of the high-tech peripherals and latest editions of computer software products that you've installed are useless if your computer's power
supply is not sufficiently providing electricity.
Before your computer can operate properly, it needs an adequate amount of electricity. Through the power supply system's switcher technology,
power delivers the electricity once the alternating current (AC) input from an electrical outlet is converted into direct current (DC) input for
your computer. The power supply is typically known as the "switching power supply." This is a metal box found in a corner of the computer case.
In most cases, power supplies are visible at the back of the computer that contains a power-cord receptacle, cooling fan and off/on switch.
As various components of the computer have different requirements, there are three voltages
typically provided by a power supply: 3.3 volts, 5 volts, and 12 volts. The digital circuits of most computers use the first two voltage rails
while the 12-volt rail is used in disk drives and fans. The main specification of power supplies is using wattage to rate the current they use
up. In the early 90's, the typical power supply used around 150 watts. But as the advancement of computer technologies grew, the need for higher
wattage arose. Thus, you are now able to purchase 450 watts or greater.
The emergence of higher-wattage power supplies led to many believing that these systems are better for their computers. Apparently, they
misinterpreted that installing a large-containing-wattage power supply would safeguard their computers against under-powering the system, and at
the same time, draw only the amount of current required. However, this notion is not advantageous at all, as large power supplies can produce
more heat. As power supplies are rated through wattage, generating more heat would mean more wattage used. Thus, more wattage used would also
mean higher cost for the power.
Power Supplies provides detailed information on Power Supplies, What Power Supply Do I Need?,
Uninterruptible Power Supplies, DC Power Supplies and more. Power Supplies is affiliated with Welding Inverters.
An AC Power Adapter is an electronic device which produces a specific direct current from the mains with an Alternating Current (AC).
Although actually a power supply it is popularly known as an AC Power Adapter or AC Adapter. Laptops along with most other portable
devices use Direct Current (DC), this also applies to rechargeable batteries which power laptops. Direct Current has a constant flow of
electric charge in one direction and flows from low to high potential. Connecting a laptop to AC is unsuitable and dangerous due to the varying
magnitude and direction of the current, which can cause an internal component to fail and even result in fire.
The AC Adapter carries out the following steps to produce the correct current and voltage to power your laptop or charge your laptop
battery:
• Converts the mains voltage to a lower voltage level
• Converts the AC voltage to a DC voltage by a process called rectification
• Smooths out any voltage ripple
• Converts the voltage to the required voltage to power the laptop
The other well-known name for an AC Power Adapter is battery charger or laptop battery charger. This is an important device
providing you with laptop mobility and frees you of restriction from using the power cord. Check the link at the end of this article to find the
correct AC Power Adapter for your laptop.
Car and Airplane Power Adapters This is a particular design of a power adapter which accepts DC input and output DC voltage required to power
a laptop. Instead of a standard plug for a wall socket, these have a specific cable that plugs in the cigarette lighter. The 12V DC supplied
through the cigarette lighter socket is converted to provide a different DC voltage. This power adapter can also be used in other vehicles with
similar sockets i.e. Vans, trucks and even boats. Air or airplane adapters work in the same way.
Universal Laptop Power Adapters Complying with most mains power supplies worldwide, a universal power adapter or power supply is able to
accept an input voltage ranging from 100 - 240 V with a frequency range of 50 - 60Hz. A truly universal product. However, the term
universal also applies to the array of laptops it can supply power to. Laptops are built to various specifications and the power consumption
varies accordingly. Physical attributes also differ between laptops and are not limited to the power socket. Manufacturers of universal laptop
power adapters supply various connecting tips allowing the adapter to be connected to various laptops. These connecting tips help the power
adapter detect the correct voltage to supply the laptop.
Universal power adapters are also available for cars and airplanes. Supplied with different types of plugs to fit a car cigarette lighter
socket or the in-seat adapter on most airplanes, such power adapters truly allow the user to be mobile over great distances. The 2-Power
Universal Car Air Power Adapter can power 98% of laptop computers.
Stella Blue Laptop Batteries and AC Power Adapters. universal laptop power adapters Universal Car Air Power Adapter
How to Choose a Computer Power Supply
What does "ATX" stand for? ATX stands for Advanced Technology eXtended. In summary it defines a set of standards in measurements and forms
that helps make things such as computer power supplies interchangeable with one another.
ATXPowerSupplies.Com writes this article on choosing the right power supply for your computer to help you in your decision making process.
Whether you are purchasing a power supply for your new computer or just replacing an old one we hope this will help in the selection
process.
The first question to ask yourself is, "Is my power supply an ATX form factor?". If you have
this information available then the selection process is much easier. The information is sometimes stamped somewhere on the power supply or may
be contained in the manual for your existing computer. If you're looking for an ATX power supply make sure the power supply is an ATX form
factor, not micro ATX or any other.
Perhaps the most method to use in selecting a power supply is comparing the physical dimensions. Make sure your computer case can accommodate
the the Height, Width, and Depth of the power supply. If you are replacing an existing power supply then take measurements of it before you
discard it. Take a look at the graphic above to gain a better understanding of Height, Width, and Depth. If your power supply is considerable
smaller than the typical dimensions of our atx power supplies then it could be possible that you have a micro atx power supplies. If you feel you
might have a micro atx power supply then you could compare its dimensions with our 200W micro atx power supply.
After you have chosen your power supply based on physical dimensions you need to take a look at what connectors you need on your power supply.
Different power supplies have different connectors so it's best to choose one with connectors that meet your every need. It's okay if you buy a
power supply and not use some of the connectors. You can just leave them hanging unconnected. Below is pictures of some common connectors found
on atx power supplies: atx connector
20 pin ATX Connector - The 20 pin ATX connector that inserts into an atx motherboard. If your motherboard has a slot for the 20 pin connector
shown in the graphic they you can be almost 100% certain that an ATX power supply is required for your motherboard.
Be sure to pay close attention to the number of pins. On some computers we've found that this connector contains 24 pins instead of 20.
24 pin ATX Connector - Some computer motherboards require a 24 pin ATX Connector. Given our past experience we advise purchasing a power
supply with a 24 pin connector built in rather than a converter that converts the 20 pin to a 24 pin. The converters tend to have poor power
distribution while a power supply with the 24 pin connector built in will be powered directly from the power supplies.
P4 Connector - Most motherboards that have Intel Pentium 4 processors will have a slot on the board for this P4 connector. If your motherboard
has this slot then make sure you get a power supply with a P4 connector on it. If your motherboard doesn't have a slot for this connector it is
still okay to purchase a power supply with this connector, and leave the P4 connector unconnected.
4 pin IDE Connector - This is the IDE connector that supplies power to your hard drives and cdroms. Most atx power supplies have 4 connectors
of this type included. If you need more than 4 connectors it's best to purchase y-splitters to increase the number of connectors. Purchasing
power supplies with more than 4 connectors can often be much more costly than purchasing a y-splitter.
4 pin floppy connector Floppy Connector - The 4 pin floppy connector supplies power to any floppy drives that may be on your computer. Some of
the card reader drives use this connection also. Most atx power supplies have two of these connectors included.
6 AUX connector - Look on your motherboard and see if there is a slot that accepts the 6 pin AUX connector. If there is a slot for it then
chances are you're going to need it.
Sata connector - Hard drives and other devices with sata connectors as shown here are becoming more and more popular. We aren't sure exactly
what the advantages are to this technology, but if you have any devices in your computer that use the sata connector you're going to need a power
supply with sata connectors.
You need to know how much power you're going to need. It's okay to buy a power supply that is larger than necessary because the power supply
will step down to your power requirements. On the other hand, buying a power supply that is too small for your requirements will be annoying.
Many times people will complain of their computer rebooting for no reason at all. Nine times out of ten the reason for this is an undersized
power supply. Many companies that sell computers will install an undersized power supply to save money and increase profit margins. Buyer
beware!
This article is supplied by ATXPowerSupplies.Com as a complimentary service. It may be reproduced only if credit is given, and all hyperlinks
remain intact in the article.
Copyright 2005 Two Point Enterprise
Matthew Thompson, Webmaster http://www.atxpowersupplies.com
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The loss of electricity supply is technically called as power outage. It is specifically referred to as "brownout" when some power is lost but
retained some voltage level, albeit not enough for the minimum level required by a certain system. On the other hand, it is called "blackout"
when the power is completely lost.
When power failures occur, your appliances or any other electronic devices are the things that suffer most from the damaging. Your computer
unit is featured with a power supply, a device that is used in generating electricity to keep it operational. The switcher technology of this
device will convert the alternating current line into direct current input. This enables the computer to start functioning. However, once a power
outage occurs it will stop producing power. As a result, the computer will end its operation. As mentioned, this occurrence is detrimental to
your computer. If this incident continues to occur, it will suffer serious damage and require extensive repairs that could run into a lot of
money.
Fortunately though, there is a device that counters the situation in the form of Uninterruptible Power Supply or UPS. A UPS is a device used
to protect computers and electronic equipment from the damaging effects of power outage incidents. It is a battery-driven power supply that is
active even whenever sudden loss of power has occurred. There are certain types of uninterruptible power supplies with variety of capacities.
There is a small unit type that can service a single computer in a home or office. There is also the kind that can provide protection to a
business environment that runs with a big computer network.
Uninterruptible power supplies are necessary tools both in large business establishments with a wide network of computers and in a home/office
with individual computers.
Power Supplies provides detailed information on Power Supplies, What Power Supply Do I Need?,
Uninterruptible Power Supplies, DC Power Supplies and more. Power Supplies is affiliated with Welding Inverters.
You may be wanting to build a new PC, or upgrade the unit you have now. Since computers require more wattage than ever before, concerns about
your power supply are sure to surface. The question "How much is enough?" has to be answered.
Fortunately, simple math, and the numbers I'll supply with this article, will answer your question.
The first item to consider is your CPU. Some of today's high end chips require 100 watts all by themselves. If, for instance, you planned on
salvaging an older case with a 250 watt power supply, and wanted to base your unit on a Pentium 4, you better think again. You might be able to
save that case, but the power supply will have to be replaced.
The reason is all the other items drinking electricity from that same little well. Your motherboard will only require 15 to 30 watts, making
it one of the more economical components. But a graphics card, of 128MB or more, will require another 100 watts. Add a hard drive, at 30 watts,
and you've used up your capacity. There will be nothing left for RAM, a CD/DVD, or any PCI cards you may require.
How much more will those items need? RAM has to have 7 watts per 128MB. So, a 1GB module means you'll need 56 watts. A CD/DVD ReWritable drive
takes an additional 30 watts. Those PCI cards are 5 watts each. Add 20 watts for a floppy drive, and extra case fans.
The total for all this comes out to around 380 watts! A 400 watt power supply barely covers it. In fact, you would be well advised to get a
450 watt or larger just to be safe. Not having enough power can mean a fried computer. They have a distinctive smell, like burned money!
On the other hand, you can design a power miser, like I did in my book "Building a PC for Beginners". It requires a total of only 214 watts,
allowing me to use the 300 watt power supply that came with the bargain case I bought. It was built using a Sempron chip, and a 64MB graphics
card.
Michael Quarles is the publisher of Monkey See Monkey Do Books.
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