fans, computer power supplies..

ok Im trying to use a computer fan in my room. and i know that you can usea 12v dc converter or old power supply.
I have the computer power supply, but it requires a on off switched to be wired also, mine broke. is there way around this? right now i jsut have an entire old comp inthere but the only way to have the power supply on is to have it plugged into the mother board and use that on off switch on the tower.
how can i avoid this and jsut use a power supply?

Find an old charging device...

... Like one that comes with a cell phone or light. Make sure it is 12v dc though...

JG

From the main set of cables that comes from your powersupply, the one that goes to your board and has a bajilion wires on it, cut the green wire and the black wire and twist them together and it should jump the PS, its kinda like hotwiring a car.

Peace

ok i have an old cell phoen one...jsut splice the wires? is that safe? dont want to start a fire...

ok so i have 2 main sets of wires comming from the power supply, on group would go to the harddrive mother board etc it only has blue brown black red yellow and white.... the other set goes to the front of the tower for the power switch etc it has a white blue brown black and a green wire with yellow stripe...its a sparkle power int'l switching power supply model no: SPI-230G

so what your saying is that if i splice the green with yellow stripe wire with the black one, it will turn my PS on? what happens if its the wrong one? that seems like neough juice to hurt pretty bad...

Power Supply Questions....

Ok man, let me start off from the begining to clear up this mess....

First youll need to identify the type of computer power supply you have....

Your two choices are AT and ATX.....

(Pic 1)
AT Power Supply Connector - Should be two like this if you have an AT. One will probably be labled (P8) and the other (P9).

(Pic 2)
ATX Power Supply Connector - There is only one connector for the main harness.

If you can drop by and tell me which one you have it will make this alot easier....



*-*-* Teetdogs *-*-*

You need to be careful giving out info, without knowing which power supply snwbrdr had, you could have started a pretty good size fire.... When dealing with power supplies especially in older used computers you are more likely to have a lot of dust buildup. A burnt circuit from a mis-wired power supply is like putting a fuse in a poweder keg. I have seen 3 foot flames from a power supply before.

Please refrain from giving advice about the subject untill you know a little more about it. Its just a simple safety issue, m8, not trying to rile you up or anything.

ok I have a AT power supply, with yes one labeled p8 and p9...now what

Ok lets continue....

Allright, now that we are sure you have an AT...

There are three methods for turning on each type of this P/S....

One is an external switch, (Which most already have...90% of AT's)
The external switch should be on a long cord and should also include a grounding wire. Alot of people think that when they flip the switch on the back of the P/S itself that it should come on, but that is not the case. It is just there as a main power shutoff....

If your computer dosent have the long external cord going to a switch, then there are two other options....

One being a propriatery power supply that is brand specific... IBM's HP's etc are especially bad for this... Instead of using an external switch they use two wires to jump to the motherboard, and then from another spot on the motherboard the same pairs jump to the cases' power switch. (Super simple to defeat, just cross the wires and it will come on, or if you want you can simply put a swith inbetween both wires...

Two, is called a "power good" signal. It takes power through a set of wires, and then when it senses that there arent any shorts it drops the voltage... In this case I would look for another power supply, the means to the end isnt worth the trouble... You could head to a local computer store and see if they have any old parts, you dont need one that is top notch, just one that works....


If you have any other questions feel to ask... That or If you can post a pic of the p/s and its connectors that would help to get you going....

Good luck

XS

yes mine has a switch well at least it did, its broken now i jsut ahve the 5 wires taht came form it, blue white black, brown, and a green one with a yellow stripe(i think its the ground) can i jsut cross one of those wires to make it stay on? or do i need to find a switch...

You can splice the wires together, they should go brown to black, and blue to white.... By following the pinout of the switch and the pinout of the wires that is the correct method for powering on this powersupply. I personally like to double check every hard-wire im going to make with a voltmeter that way I know what is being put out, and where. But that is just me, Im a nut....LOL

*-*-*On the other hand.*-*-*

You can go to radio shack (Etc.) and buy a replacement switch. They are super cheap, (A dollar or two.) and easy to install.... Here is the info just in case you want to go that route...


Switch Connection Instruction: The connection instruction and diagram should usually be printed on the power supply label. There should be a line dividing the four pins on the switch into two parts (P1 and P2). Connect the brown cable to Pin 1 (top-right as shown in picture) and the blue cable to Pin P1 (bottom-right as shown) on the same side. Connect the Black to Pin 2 (top-left) and the white (or red) cable to Pin P2 (bottom-left) on the same side.

You are correct in the assumption that the green/yellow wire is the ground.

Going with the second route you gain the ability to have a nice kill button in case you need it... Comes in handy sometimes especially when you dont want to get down and turn off the back of the powersupply, you can route this to normal hand level....

Good Luck!

XS

XaltedSmoke

Thank you very very much, youhave answered all that i have needed reguarding this and hopefully i can do it now with out toasting my grow room
I know my way around computers(took programing, networking, tech support Etc.) but when it comes down to wires, or mainly electricity im clueless
I think im jsut gonna splice the wires i dont really need anotyher kill switch
however, what would i groung it to? could i jsut attach the ground to the metal power supply? or is that kinda reversing the ground? like i said clueless!!

I hate electricity it scares me, mainly cause i lack the understanding. But know what it can do if abused...so your sure black to white blue to brown....here it goes......maybe a dollar switch is worth it......