AT PS w/out MOBO

Is there anything special that needs to be done to make an old AT power supply work without a motherboard? I am not sure if they are a pain like ATX supplies are.

Thanks,
Fleeorg

I don't think so. AT PSUs use an analog (read: button) power switch instead of a "soft" switch like ATX PSUs use.

Thanks for the info. I was pretty sure they weren't anything special, but wanted to be sure anyhow.


Laterz,
Fleeorg

You could probably wire the AT switch into a relay so that it'd turn on at the same time as the ATX supply.

I'm guessing that you want to use the AT supply to run additional components.

Yes, I do want to use it to run my cooling arrangement that I have put together for the case. However, I don't want it to switch on at the same time. I am going to make it completely seperate from my main system components so that I can leave it running after I shut it off (case fans only). I have noticed that my components stay warm for several minutes after power off, and I feel that this may help to aleviate with heat dissapation.

I did figure out how to wire the puppy up and it is almost complete. I will let you know of the results when it is done.

Thanks for the input folks...

Fleeorg

be careful when cooling your componants after shut down. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as over cooling. This is why I leave my comp on all the time.

remember that when a componant heats up, it expands a little. Cooling it too fast after shut down could cause it to contract too quickly, thus resulting in teeny tiny little cracks that, over time can become larger, noticeable defects.

Just cool in moderation (WHAT am I saying?!?!)

Of course, this is only if your temps rise much above room.

Something to keep in mind.

Thanks, I will keep that in mind

Fleeorg

Fleeorg. I tried to wire a AT powersupply w/o the mobo and couldn't figure it out (read as: impatient). I had an old P100 board that I was using for a cooling project.. The AT supply has a separat power button.

I ended up just leaving in the old mobo cause the case was used for a large air compressor. See this thread.

Good Luck...if you find a link that shows the proper setup..be sure to let us know.

Willysnut,

I did find a way to do it.

I wanted the power supply to be a direct connection to an AUX switch on my Surge Protector/ Power Control Center. So what I did was simply removed the switch on the PSU and soldered the power plug directly to the AC input on the PSU, thus bypassing the switch all together. Now when I turn on the switch on my power control center, it is the same as simply plugging it into the wall......ie: if it is plugged in, it is turned on.

It works great and I have had zero issues reguarding the Mod, other than having to modify the case for another power cable plug.

Maybe that will help.

Fleeorg

Fleeorg said:

Willysnut,

I did find a way to do it.

I wanted the power supply to be a direct connection to an AUX switch on my Surge Protector/ Power Control Center. So what I did was simply removed the switch on the PSU and soldered the power plug directly to the AC input on the PSU, thus bypassing the switch all together. Now when I turn on the switch on my power control center, it is the same as simply plugging it into the wall......ie: if it is plugged in, it is turned on.

It works great and I have had zero issues reguarding the Mod, other than having to modify the case for another power cable plug.

Maybe that will help.

Fleeorg

Click to expand...

Can you whip up a simple wiring diagram for that? I'm not sure I understand what you mean.

Crazy Jayhawk,

I can get you a drawing of that, but it will be a day or so because I am kind of busy. Until then, maybe this will clarify it.

The power supply I used was a switching one. It had an input power cable connector from the wall (male), and it also had a power cable out (female) that was only on when the power supply was on. Those two cable connections went through what I believe was a DPDT (double pole double throw) switch and then to the PSU.

So essentially, there were the wires from the AC input going to the switch and two sets of wires leaving the switch to both the output plug and the PSU itself. Thus only leaving two actual wires (AC inputs) to the PSU.

In short I removed both of the power connectors and the switch, leaving only the two AC input wires to the PSU intact. Then I soldered the power cable connector that connects to the wall (male) to the wires that I left intact on the PSU.

By doing this, I removed the internal switching that was present internally to the PSU and made it either "always on" (plugged directly into the wall) or "switched" (plugged into an external switch like a power control center).

If that doesn't clear it up a little, let me know and I will draw it up on Electronics Workbench


Laterz,
Flee

Fleeorg said:

Crazy Jayhawk,

I can get you a drawing of that, but it will be a day or so because I am kind of busy. Until then, maybe this will clarify it.

The power supply I used was a switching one. It had an input power cable connector from the wall (male), and it also had a power cable out (female) that was only on when the power supply was on. Those two cable connections went through what I believe was a DPDT (double pole double throw) switch and then to the PSU.

So essentially, there were the wires from the AC input going to the switch and two sets of wires leaving the switch to both the output plug and the PSU itself. Thus only leaving two actual wires (AC inputs) to the PSU.

In short I removed both of the power connectors and the switch, leaving only the two AC input wires to the PSU intact. Then I soldered the power cable connector that connects to the wall (male) to the wires that I left intact on the PSU.

By doing this, I removed the internal switching that was present internally to the PSU and made it either "always on" (plugged directly into the wall) or "switched" (plugged into an external switch like a power control center).

If that doesn't clear it up a little, let me know and I will draw it up on Electronics Workbench


Laterz,
Flee

Click to expand...

I think you confused me even more.

A diagram would be helpful.

Hell Yeah!!!!!

Thanks to those that gave me tips on this one!!!!!

I got the PSU workin with a custom 5 fan baybus (3 LED monitored and 2 adjustable with light intensity varying LED's).

I will submit some pics in the next few days with some schematics for those who are interested.

Again, I thank those that contributed!!!!!



Laterz,
Flee

BrianCapps said:

be careful when cooling your componants after shut down. Believe it or not, there is such a thing as over cooling. This is why I leave my comp on all the time.

remember that when a componant heats up, it expands a little. Cooling it too fast after shut down could cause it to sontract too quickly, thus resulting in teeny tiny little cracks that, over time can become larger, noticeable defects.

Just cool in moderation (WHAT am I saying?!?!)

Of course, this is only if your temps rise much above room.

Something to keep in mind.

Click to expand...

Best bet it to just have enough cooling to stop parts from getting hot in the first place . . . .