Safe way to test PSUs

[googlemad]

Got a few PSUs handed to me left by a previous technician in a hiding hole for the past year at one of our sites, if they work they're worth around 50 quid a piece due to their form factor!

 

Is there a easy and safe way to check if they have blown in the past without actually plugging them into a PC? I don't like fireworks

[mac_shinobi]

PSU TESTER ( From Aria )

 

Xilence ATX PSU Tester with LCD Display - Aria Technology

Edited March 3, 2009 by mac_shinobi

[kmount]

A PSU Tester from Maplin or so would be my best suggestion.

[synaesthesia]

PSU testers as above are great and very handy peices of kit to have around.

 

If you can't afford/find something in the budget/not allowed to invest in something like that, short pin 14 on the ATX connector (normally green coloured but if it's anything like Dell it could be any colour conceivable) with any ground (black cable) to power the PSU up outside of a case. Then grab a multimeter and check the values coming from the other cables, might be an idea to google around for a pinout of the connections so you know which is which on the ATX connector itself. From the molex connectors (for the drives) black and yellow should provide 12v, black and red should provide 5v.

[SYNACK]

Here is the 20 pinout:

http://www.techspot.com/gallery/data/501/atx-psu-pinouts.gifhttp://skylab.org/~chugga/mpegbox/pictures/z_mbconatxmain.gif

 

and the newer 24 pinout is here:

 

ATX (ATX12V) 24 pin power supply connector pinout and signals @ pinouts.ru