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Old December 18th 08, 11:06 PM posted to alt.sys.pc-clone.compaq
Ben Myers[_2_]
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Posts: 1,607
Default Unbelievable, 'sod's law' - power supply blows

William R. Walsh wrote:
Hi!

Could I have knocked it with them while replacing
the cord, we wonder in mild horror. In which case,
maybe the rest of the pc's fine?


Such a mishap would be unlikely, but possible. The voltage selector
switches are generally not that easy to move. The number that is
visible should be the voltage that the supply is set to operate on.

If the supply was set to 110/120 volts and got 220/240, then the
results are usually impressive and the supply will be burnt.

Chances for survival are much better if the supply was set to 220/240
and got 110/120 volts, although I have seen one supply die from that
in a PS/2 Model 25 286 some years back.

I've been looking at generic power supplies, though
their wattage is two or three times higher - are
these no good?


If they're truly capable of the specified wattage, they'll be fine.
(See below.) However, the Compaq Deskpro SFF systems do not use a
standard ATX connector.

You might get it running if you can figure out the pinout and splice
wires, but the PSU you find probably won't fit in the case (unless you
get a small one, which can be done). It would have been much easier to
do this with the power supply working, although wire color can
sometimes give a hint.

Some are very affordable to me, ten quid.


You should look for something better. Let's see what a cheap power
supply looks like inside:

http://greyghost.mooo.com/psuthoughts/

(I've naively or otherwise asked in a pc-building
group about whether I can transplant everything
into a new case/psu too.)


I don't think it will work...the fullsize Deskpro parts might make the
transition because they are more or less ATX shaped. The Deskpro SFF
parts are engineered to work in just one case--the Deskpro SFF case.
They're not a standard shape or size.

If you want to build a computer at a low cost, I would recommend
looking at an inexpensive case and something like the motherboards I
reviewed in the links below if you don't need lots and lots of
computing power:

http://greyghost.mooo.com/intelatom/
http://greyghost.mooo.com/d201gly2/

The current generation of the Intel D945GCLF2 board is the D945GCLF2,
which has an improved processor. I bought one recently. I still need
to review it.

William


Surprise! Some of the desktop models of the Compaq Socket 370 DeskPros
use a custom 24-pin power supply, a forerunner of the newer 24-pinners,
no doubt. Standard ATX size, though.

If someone is really in love with a Compaq DeskPro desktop case, I
suppose another motherboard could be put inside, along with another
power supply and a rewiring of the leads to the front panel (on-off
switch, power LED, HDD LED). It's not a bad looking case, but beige has
fallen out of favor lately... Ben Myers