Discussion Forums > Technology
What to do with a dead PC power supply?
datora:
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I've (fortunately) got all the fans I need for personal cooling at the moment. ;) And, I'm pretty set for case fans & cooling block fans also. Heat has been suck here, but tolerable given the circumstances. We're actually getting some small amount of rain, being lucky enough to be slightly north of the drought zone so far.
--- Quote from: Freedom Kira on July 19, 2012, 09:10:11 PM ---you should totally chain together all the inductor coils and build a Tesla coil.
--- End quote ---
WIN! ;D
Yah ... it's looking more & more like a parts & pieces situation. Sometime in the upcoming week I'll make a decision to (probably) start destructively removing things & scrapping what I can't think of a use for.
It's sort of a space issue. Reorganizing the various PC carcasses CRT monitors & printers & such I have stacked up and trying to recycle a couple boxes worth of things that will just be in the way for the next year. But, I always keep at least one box of pieces around with all the useful nits & bits like case/drive screws, connectors, fans, wires etc. etc. that are always needed to keep older PCs running properly. Used to have about three closets filled with such, a veritable Small Electronics Shoppe ... but not a luxury in my life these days.
Please don't hesitate to toss any other ideas or URLs into this topic. Like, I also have five perfectly functioning WnModems, a couple v.90s & three more v.92s. Can't think of any gawdforsaken use for them these days, so into the recycle bin.
Thanks guys! 8)
Freedom Kira:
--- Quote from: Pentium100 on July 19, 2012, 11:52:00 PM ---Big fans are usually AC and connect directly to the mains. Well, at least the ones available to me - I have a 17cm and a 25cm fan, they both can be plugged straight to 220V.
You can make AC fan spin faster (usually), but that requires a frequency converter, it would a bit difficult to build one from all the parts in a PC power supply. Though the big fans I have spin at about the same speed whether the frequency is 50Hz or 60Hz (it is written so in the datasheets, I have not tried connecting them to 60Hz).
--- End quote ---
I was thinking more wind tunnel -esque, actually. Who needs AC when you can build a tornado?
--- Quote from: datora on July 19, 2012, 11:58:05 PM ---Like, I also have five perfectly functioning WnModems, a couple v.90s & three more v.92s. Can't think of any gawdforsaken use for them these days, so into the recycle bin.
--- End quote ---
How about entertainment? I remember an article where this guy built himself a little electronics fryer, which consisted of an IDE cable rewired to connect to a wall socket (or something like that). If you try this, please do post a video. =D
kitamesume:
these PSUs can output 12+ Amps of 12volts power which would be a great amplifier powersupply, its efficient and stable so thats an option.
and doing so you could disconnect mosfets, capacitors and diodes from the unneeded 5v and 3.3v for building your DIY amp, good powersupplies uses seriously efficient and high rating mosfets and thats a good thing with amps.
the best thing to use a dead PSU tho is to recycle it to be reused as a PSU, well simply because the parts were intended for PSU usages. these includes powering a tesla coil like mentioned earlier and/or other stuffs. if you could tap the voltage sense from the PSU's circuitry, adding in a potentiometer could get you a variable powersupply as well.
Pentium100:
--- Quote from: Freedom Kira on July 20, 2012, 04:25:41 AM ---I was thinking more wind tunnel -esque, actually. Who needs AC when you can build a tornado?
--- End quote ---
I meant AC as in Alternating Current. I have a couple of fans that can provide about 1400m^3/h airflow (the fans are 25cm in diameter), the wind is quite fast. The fans use 60W each and plug directly into the mains (230V 50Hz in my case).
Freedom Kira:
--- Quote from: Pentium100 on July 20, 2012, 08:45:56 AM ---I meant AC as in Alternating Current. I have a couple of fans that can provide about 1400m^3/h airflow (the fans are 25cm in diameter), the wind is quite fast. The fans use 60W each and plug directly into the mains (230V 50Hz in my case).
--- End quote ---
... Oh. Right. I knew that. >.>
So I'm guessing you're saying that a fan built from a tweaked PSU would not be so great because there exist better fans that run on AC? I still think it'd be a fun project to build something more powerful. Maybe powerful enough to lift a medium-sized child?
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