Connect the power supply without the motherboard. How to turn on a computer power supply without a motherboard

Don't underestimate the importance of your computer's power supply. Nice block Power supply serves as the cornerstone of computer stability and reliable operation. However, it happens that for some reason the power supply needs to be replaced. But don't be afraid. Replacing it is a surprisingly simple process. It's more difficult to choose the right one.

How to turn off your old power supply

Start by unplugging all power cords connected to your computer. If your power supply has a switch located on the back of your computer, switch it to the off position (off) and then remove the side panel of your PC.

You will need to disconnect all the cables that go from the power supply to the motherboard.

Note: The main 20 or 24 pin connector is most often secured with a key. Before removing the connector, remove the key to avoid mechanical damage to the board or connector.

Also be sure to remove the four- or eight-pin processor power connector located next to the processor socket on the motherboard (not available on all boards).

To avoid confusion when connecting, you can take a photo of the power cable layout. This way you will be sure which cable is connected to which components.

After you disconnect each cable, remove the power supply from the case to avoid getting tangled with other cables. This will also ensure that all power cables have been disconnected.

To remove the power supply, remove the screws that hold it to the case. In most cases there are only four screws, but designs may vary depending on the manufacturer.

Installing a new power supply

Step 1

Make sure that the power supply is powerful enough to fully power your computer. The processor and video card will use the most power. If there is not enough power, your computer may run slowly or may not start at all.

Make sure the power supply you buy will fit your form factor. Usually this is ATX or mATX.

Turn the computer case on its side. This provides best access to the location where the power supply is installed.

Open the computer case. In order to access the power supply, you may need to remove some of the PC components. Most often this is the processor cooler.

Install the power supply into the computer case. Most modern cases have a special chassis that greatly simplifies installation. If there are none, install a new power supply in exactly the same way as the previous one.

Make sure that all fans on the power supply are not blocked and that it is aligned with all 4 screws on the case. If this is not the case, the power supply may not be installed correctly.

Tighten all fixing screws on the outside and inside of the case.

Connect the connectors. Once the computer's power supply is secured, you can begin connecting the power cables to the computer's motherboard.

Note: Make sure that no components are forgotten and place the wires so that they do not interfere with the coolers. If you have any unused cables from the power supply, carefully put them aside (if you have a cable tie, you can use it).

Connect the 20/24 pin connector to the motherboard. This is the largest connector on the power supply. Most modern motherboards require a 24-pin connector, and older motherboards will only use the first 20 pins. Some power supplies have a removable 4-pin connector to make connections on older motherboards easier.

Connect 12V power to the motherboard. Older motherboards use a 4-pin connector, while newer ones use an 8-pin connector. It provides power to the processor and should be clearly marked on the cable or in your power supply documentation.

Connect your video card. Mid-range and high-end graphics systems require one or more 6- and 8-pin connectors. They will be marked as PCI-E.

Close the lid system unit. Plug in the power supply and make sure the switch on the back is turned on.

Turn on your computer. If everything is connected and working properly, the fan on the power supply should turn on and your computer will boot normally. If you hear a beep and nothing happens, it's likely that something internally isn't connected correctly or the power supply isn't providing enough power to your components.

The skill of starting a power supply without a computer and motherboard may be useful not only for system managers, but also for ordinary users. When problems appear with your PC, it is important to check the functionality of its individual parts. Any person can cope with this task. How to turn on the power supply?

How to turn on the power supply without a computer (without a motherboard)

Previously, there were power supplies (abbreviated as BP) of the AT standard, which were launched directly. With modern ATX devices, such a trick will not work. To do this, you will need a small wire or an ordinary paper clip to close the contacts on the plug.

Modern computers use the ATX standard. There are two types of connectors for it. The 1st, older one, has 20 pins on the plug, the 2nd - 24. In order to start the power supply, you need to know which contacts to close. Most often this is the green PS_ON pin and the black ground pin.

Note! In some “Chinese” versions of the power supply, the wire colors are mixed up, so it is better to familiarize yourself with the contact diagram (pinout) before starting work.

Step-by-step instruction
So, when you have familiarized yourself with the wiring diagram, you can start starting.

1. If the power supply is in the system unit, disconnect all wires and pull it out.

2. Old 20-pin power supplies are very sensitive, and in no case can they be started without a load. To do this, you need to connect an obscene (but working) hard drive, a cooler, or a primitive garland. The main thing is that the power supply does not run idle, otherwise its service life will be greatly reduced.

Connect something to the power supply to create a load, say a cooler

3. Take a close look at the pin diagram and compare it with your plug. It is necessary to close PS_ON and COM. Since there are several of them, choose the ones that are most comfortable for you.

Observe the pin arrangement on your plug and on the diagram.

4. Make a jumper. This could be a short wire with bare ends or a paper clip.

5. Close the selected contacts.

Close the PS_ON and COM contacts

6.Turn on the power supply.
The fan is noisy - the power supply is working.

Checking the functionality of the power supply is a simple task that an ordinary PC user can handle. All you have to do is follow the instructions carefully.

Good afternoon, in this article I will tell you how start, turn on the ATX power supply without a computer. This difficult task can be solved quite simply, just by closing the contacts on one of the plugs of the power supply. ATX standard power supplies produce voltages: 3.3 V, 5 V and 12 V. Old AT standard power supplies start without any short circuits.

Before starting the experiment, disconnect the power supply from the motherboard, hard drives, and everything to which it is connected. After that, unscrew it from the system unit and pull it out (if, of course, you need it).

Advice: do not run the power supply idle, this may shorten its service life. Before starting, it is advisable to put a small load on it by connecting an old hard drive or cooler.

And now how to actually start a power supply without a computer. To do this, you need to close 2 contacts, PS_ON and zero. Basically PS_ON is green and zero is black. I recommend that you first study the pinout, which is in the image below. On the left is a plug of the new standard with 24 contacts, and on the right is an older standard with 20 contacts. To avoid mixing up the contacts, pay attention to the latch on the plug; it will serve as a guide to which side what is on.

In our case, the older standard (20 pins) will be shown. My color coding is intact.

To start, we make this jumper from wire.

This is how we close our contacts.

For convenience, you can make a button like this.

Computer won't turn on? In this material you will find the answer to the question: how to check the computer power supply.

The thesis solution to this problem is in one of our previous articles.

Read about how to check its performance in our article today.

Power supply unit (PSU) is a secondary power source (the primary source is the outlet), the purpose of which is to convert AC voltage constantly, as well as providing power to computer nodes at a given level.

Thus, the power supply acts as an intermediate link between the electrical network and, accordingly, the performance of the remaining components depends on its serviceability and correct operation.

Causes and symptoms of power supply failure

As a rule, the reasons why power supplies fail can be:

low quality of network voltage (frequent voltage drops in the network, as well as its output beyond the operating range of the power supply unit);

low quality of components and manufacturing in general (this point is relevant for cheap power supplies);

You can determine whether the power supply or some other component has failed by the following signs:

after pressing the power button of the system unit, nothing happens - there is no light or sound indication, the cooling fans do not rotate;

the computer turns on every other time;

Checking the power supply can be done in several ways.

We will talk about the sequence of each check below, but now we will just limit ourselves to short information to understand what we will do.

The essence of the first method is to check the voltage supply and at this stage we perform a rough check whether there is voltage or not.

The second method is to check the output voltage; we have already mentioned that the voltage must be strictly within certain limits and deviation in any direction is unacceptable.

The third method is to visually inspect the power supply for swollen capacitors.

For ease of understanding, the algorithm for each check will be presented in the form step by step instructions.

Checking the power supply voltage

Step 1.

Step 2.

Remember or, for convenience, take a photo of how the power is connected to each of the components (motherboard, hard drives, optical drive, etc.) after which they should be disconnected from the power supply.

Step 3. Find a paper clip. We will use a paper clip to close the contacts on the power supply, and if it is not at hand, a wire similar in length and diameter to the paper clip will do.

After this, the paper clip must be bent in the shape of the Latin letter “U”.

Step 4. Find the 20/24 pin power connector. This connector is very easy to find - it is a harness of 20 or 24 wires, respectively, that come from the power supply and are connected to the PC motherboard.

Step 5. Find the green and black wire connectors on the connector. You must insert a paperclip into the connectors to which these wires are connected.

The paper clip must be securely fixed and in contact with the corresponding connectors.

Step 6.

Step 7 Checking the functionality of the power supply fan. If the device is working and conducts current, then the fan located in the power supply housing should rotate when voltage is applied.

If the fan does not rotate, check the contact of a paper clip with the green and black connectors of the 20/24-pin connector.

As mentioned above, this check does not guarantee that the device is working. This check allows you to determine that the power supply is turning on.

For a more accurate diagnosis, the following test must be performed.

Checking the correct operation of the power supply

Step 1. Turn off computer. It must be remembered that the computer's power supply operates with a voltage that is dangerous to humans - 220V.

Step 2. Open the side cover of the system unit.

Remember or for convenience take a photo of how the power is connected to each of the components (motherboard, hard drives, optical drive, etc.) after which they should be disconnected from the power supply.

Step 3. Find the 20/24 pin power connector.

This connector is very easy to find due to its larger size - it is a harness of 20 or 24 wires, respectively, that come from the power supply and are connected to the PC motherboard.

Step 4. Find the connectors of the black, red, yellow, pink wires on the 20/24 pin connector.

Step 5. Load the power supply. In the future, we will measure the output voltage of the power supply.

In normal mode, the power supply operates under load, providing power to the motherboard, hard drives, optical drives, and fans.

Measuring the output voltage of a power supply that is not under load can lead to a fairly high error.

Note! An external 12V fan can be used as a load, drive optical disks or an old hard drive, as well as combinations of these devices.

Step 6. Turn on the power supply. We supply power to the power supply (do not forget to turn on the power button on the power supply itself, if it was turned off in Step 1).

Step 7 Take a voltmeter and measure the output voltage of the power supply. We will measure the output voltage of the power supply unit on the pairs of wires specified in Step 3. The reference voltage value for the black and pink wires is 3.3V, black and red - 5V, black and yellow - 12V.

The deviation of the specified values ​​is allowed in the amount of ±5%. So the voltage is:

3.3V should be within 3.14 - 3.47V;

5V should be within 4.75 - 5.25V;

12V should be between 11.4 - 12.6V.

Visual inspection of the power supply

Step 1. Turn off computer. It must be remembered that the computer's power supply operates with a voltage that is dangerous to humans - 220V.

Step 2. Open the side cover of the system unit.

Remember or, for convenience, take a photo of how the power is connected to each of the components (motherboard, hard drives, optical drive, etc.) after which they should be disconnected from the power supply.

Reading time: 3 min

There are different situations when you need to start a PC power supply without a computer using a jumper. For example, this is necessary to check the functionality of the power supply if you suspect that it has failed. For example, the computer does not respond to the power button, one of the reasons is a faulty power supply.

In this article we will tell and show which contacts need to be bridged in order to start the power supply without a motherboard.

Starting the power supply with a jumper

In order to start the power supply with a jumper, you need to close certain contacts. To do this, take the power supply plug, 20 or 24 pin, it doesn’t matter, and turn it with the latch towards you. Take it in your hands as in the photo below:

Now we count the fourth contact from the left, it is usually green, but it can be different. It is pin 4 on the left that is responsible for starting the power supply.

It is not advisable to start the power supply without any load; it is recommended to connect some kind of device, for example it could be a floppy drive or a hard drive.

Now everything is ready to connect the power supply to the network. We insert the cable into the power supply and into the outlet. Using the button on the back, if available, turn on the power supply. If there is no button, the power supply will start on its own.

If you did everything correctly and the power supply is in working condition, you will hear the fan in the power supply start working.