# old computer power supply question



## nik77356 (Jun 8, 2007)

ok so i just robbed a power supply out of an old computer. its got tons of wires coming out of it everywhere. i dont know where i would hook up my charger to. i am a complete and total idiot when it comes to computers and the like


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## Gary (May 21, 2004)

nik77356 said:


> ok so i just robbed a power supply out of an old computer. its got tons of wires coming out of it everywhere. i dont know where i would hook up my charger to. i am a complete and total idiot when it comes to computers and the like


You need a PS for a RC Charger, or is this a computer question?


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## nik77356 (Jun 8, 2007)

i need it for an rc charger and i didnt have a power supply at the moment. my only option was to rob one out of an old computer we had laying around, and i would really like to use my new triton


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## Gary (May 21, 2004)

nik77356 said:


> i need it for an rc charger and i dont have one at the moment. my only option was to rob one out of an old computer we had laying around, and i would really like to use my new triton


Forget it. Its a complex deal that takes some electronic knowledge and good soldering skills. You can google how to do it, but I wouldnt bother. I have a 10 amp PS zeric gave me I dont need anymore, and you can have it. Ill bring it Saturday.


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## nik77356 (Jun 8, 2007)

wow!! thanks gary. hopefully i can make it saturday. maybe i can pick it up? where do you live?


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## Gary (May 21, 2004)

nik77356 said:


> wow!! thanks gary. hopefully i can make it saturday. maybe i can pick it up? where do you live?


Over an hour from you. West side. Allmost to Brazoria co.


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## nik77356 (Jun 8, 2007)

o ok. nvm then. see you saturday!! LOL


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## nik77356 (Jun 8, 2007)

ok, i have one more question. i just got bought an original triton charger, i was told it charges lipos by a couple of different people but it doesnt say it does on the case. it says it charges nimh, nicd, lead acid, and li-on. so does it charge lipos or not?


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## PD2 (Jul 1, 2005)

Nik,

Here are the instructions that CJTamu used to build his:

You will need an ATX power supply and a 21W/5W or so car stop / tail light bulb (dual filament) and socket with ground tab/wire.



There are a number of multi-plugs on the power supply, we'll do each one separately.



20 way long, thin one (10 on each side):



Pick out the green wire and one of the black wires, cut them off the plug, strip them and solder them together. Insulate the connection with heat shrink.



Pick another black wire, cut it and solder it to the ground wire on your stop/tail light socket. Insulate the connection with heat shrink.

Pick a red wire and solder it to the stop light (21W) wire of your stop/tail light socket. Insulate the connection with heat shrink.

Pick a yellow wire and solder it to the tail light (5W) wire of your stop/tail light socket. Insulate the connection with heat shrink.



Plug in the power supply and the fans should start. The light should come on too, the stop filament (the thicker one) should be relatively dim and the tail one should be bright. If it's the opposite, reverse the connections for the red and yellow wires.



Unplug the power cord.



There are several cable harnesses with four way plugs on them. Cut all the yellow wires at the first plug they come to, strip them and join them all together. Cut the same number of black wires and strip and join them too. Some may only have one yellow wire, in which case you'll only need one black wire. Solder the yellow wire(s) to a red alligator clip, and the black wire(s) to a black alligator clip. This pair, yellow (+) and black (-) are your 12 volt supply for charging, etc.



Off the same harness, pick a red and black wire. Solder the red wire to a red alligator clip, and the black wire to a black alligator clip. This is your 5 volt supply for running your motor lathe.



On the 20 way connector, pick an orange and a black wire. Solder the orange wire to a red alligator clip, and the black wire to a black alligator clip. This is your 3.3 volt supply for breaking in electric motors.



Bundle all of the other wires up and ziptie out of the way. I recommend that you use zipties to bundle each pair of wires for the 12V, 5V, and 3.3V supplies together, and then label each pair so you don't forget which is which. Hitting your newly cut motor with 12V is going to do more then break it in. 



You can use all of these outputs at once if you want.



*FAQ's:*



*Is there a way to wire an on/off switch rather than having to plug and unplug the power supply constantly?*



Instead of joining the green wire to the black one permanently, you could put a switch there. Shorting green to black sends a power on command to the power supply, if the green wire is open, the power supply shuts down.



*What is the purpose of the stop/tail light bulb and socket?*



It acts as a minimum load to stabilize the power supply, they don't like having no load at all. It also makes the output voltages more accurate as the internal regulator has got something to do. Some people use resistors (1 ohm/25 amp), but the lamp is easy to get and does the job well.

__________________________

Hope that helps!

PD2


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## Courtney Vaughan (Apr 11, 2007)

Nik.......if you don't end up with a power supply, we can use my volt meter and figure out which output pins are the 12V output. I disagree with Gary....it's not that hard....I've used them before for all kinds of 12V purposes. If you have a voltmeter, just plug in the power supply to the AC outlet, put the black probe on the metal case, and go through the pins on the plug that would be going to the motherboard one by one until you see one that has +12V on it. Solder a lead on that one, and run another lead from the metal case and your done. 

Keep in mind, I'm saying this assuming someone can help you and you can be careful......electricity is very dangerous!


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## Froggy69 (Jul 21, 2004)

yoy will most likely need to have a power draw on the 5v side so you can get full power on the 12v side.did this before.will look around i should have some instructions printed out from the last time i did this.


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## Big Phil (Apr 27, 2007)

Gary said:


> Forget it. Its a complex deal that takes some electronic knowledge and good soldering skills. You can google how to do it, but I wouldnt bother. I have a 10 amp PS zeric gave me I dont need anymore, and you can have it. Ill bring it Saturday.


I would go with this.Let someone else burn the track down.lol


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## Donnie Hayden (Mar 7, 2005)

All of this for a lipo pack.....


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## Big Phil (Apr 27, 2007)

it's not that hard donnie.


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## Big Phil (Apr 27, 2007)

power supply's are cheap.


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## Donnie Hayden (Mar 7, 2005)

Thats what I was implying


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

Big Phil said:


> power supply's are cheap.


If this will work for ya'll, let Gary know...I get tons of them from time to time. I don't need them and they take up room I could use for other things.

I had/have the same avatar Big Phil...I use it sometimes during October


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## PD2 (Jul 1, 2005)

bill said:


> If this will work for ya'll, let Gary know...I get tons of them from time to time. I don't need them and they take up room I could use for other things.
> 
> I had/have the same avatar Big Phil...I use it sometimes during October


Wow! Thanks Bill! Actually, it does work and as I stated, CJTamu uses one all the time. I had one for a while and gave it to some one who still uses it to this day.

I've seen guys do all sorts of customizing of these things too. You can pull the wires back into the P/S case and then start drilling holes to insert plugs and really dress things up. The whole concept is based upon putting the right load on the right wires to insure you have have the right power outputs on the right wires.

Easy and fun DIY!

PD2


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## Big Phil (Apr 27, 2007)

A friend sent it to me i thought it was cool.


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## bill (May 21, 2004)

Here is the original, give you a little more detail


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## Big Phil (Apr 27, 2007)

cool it does.


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## nik77356 (Jun 8, 2007)

i think ill just go with gary's. i might try to find the 12v output just for fun though. LOL


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## Froggy69 (Jul 21, 2004)

look on the case of the power supply it should state which color wire is what


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## Snellemin (Jul 22, 2007)

Here's a link. It gives you a basic idea. I have done a conversion myself. My batteries charge at 10 amps and it was alot cheaper converting a PC power supply then just buying some cheapo build DC power supply. The best part is, that you can pull 15 amps or more and the power supply is not even breaking a sweat. I used a resistor as a load, and used a switch to ground the green wire.

http://web2.murraystate.edu/andy.batts/ps/POWERSUPPLY.HTM


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## cjtamu (Sep 22, 2004)

LOL. PD, those instructions are solid. I still have that thing and use it to break in motors and run my lathe. Lots cheaper than a Turbo 35. Froggy, the light bulb IS the load to keep the voltage from fluctuating.


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## KevinLRC (Jul 30, 2004)

I've had several computer power supplies along with a couple of old racing friends of mine. Unless they have gotten more reliable, they are a waste of time. I've never gotten one to last more than a month and neither did my friends.


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## Snellemin (Jul 22, 2007)

Dunno man, I have mine for a while now, but then again it wasn't a cheapo power supply either.


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## Courtney Vaughan (Apr 11, 2007)

I also used a cheapo one for over a year, and was still working up until I got purpose specific one.


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## cjtamu (Sep 22, 2004)

KevinLRC said:


> I've had several computer power supplies along with a couple of old racing friends of mine. Unless they have gotten more reliable, they are a waste of time. I've never gotten one to last more than a month and neither did my friends.


Yeah, but you're hard on equipment. Ha ha ha. Mine's like 3 years old, I keep waiting for it to die.


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## KevinLRC (Jul 30, 2004)

What do you guys use them for? Just curious.


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## Courtney Vaughan (Apr 11, 2007)

I used mine on an MRC charger, as well as for testing car stereo equipment.


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## cjtamu (Sep 22, 2004)

I used mine to power a charger for about 6 months or until I got a PS, and also to break in motors and run a lathe. Still using it for motors and lathe, every once in a while to power a charger.


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## danthrc (Jun 19, 2007)

Robert Rocha uses one on for his ICE charger. Says it works great


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## Gary (May 21, 2004)

nik77356 said:


> i think ill just go with gary's. i might try to find the 12v output just for fun though. LOL


Let me know if I need to bring it Saturday, otherwise I wont!


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## nik77356 (Jun 8, 2007)

yes!!! please bring it!!! 

and thank you!!!


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## Gary (May 21, 2004)

nik77356 said:


> yes!!! please bring it!!!
> 
> and thank you!!!


Curtesy of Zeric!


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## nik77356 (Jun 8, 2007)

dont forget it!!! 

thanks again!!!


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