In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc steve d. podleski <steve.d.podleski@boeing.com> wrote:
> Arno.

> Thanks for helping.

> How can I tell if the PSU fan is bad without having the PSU installed?

Actually I meant the CPU fan. Or do you monitor the PSU fan as well?
It would require a special fan-like cable from the PSU to the maniboard.

If you really want to test the PSU fan. easiest is to switch it
on. For that you need to connect the -pwr line and GND. A guide
with photos is here:
http://www.rojakpot.com/showarticle....tno=268&pgno=0
If the fan does not spin after this, it is broken.

Arno

> "Arno Wagner" <me@privacy.net> wrote in message
> news:4s1179Ft6fklU1@mid.individual.net...
>> In comp.sys.ibm.pc.hardware.misc steve d. podleski
>> <steve.d.podleski@boeing.com> wrote:
>>> While I was working on my pc, the system shut down as if the power
>>> failed.
>>> I tried to turn the system back on but nothing happened. The only sign
>>> of
>>> power was a green light on the motherboard. I replaced the power supply
>>> with
>>> a used Dell power supply that I got at a surplus store; this used power
>>> supply had an extra bundle of blue and while cable with a small connector
>>> that, I guess, needs to be connected to the motherboard but I could not
>>> find
>>> a compabatible socket; the old power supply had only one connector to the
>>> motherboard.This replacement power supply had no effect including not
>>> lighting the green light on the motherboard.
>>
>> Bad idea to try a custom PSU. In the worst case you could completely
>> fry your system, because they might use a different connector layout.
>> As with the extra wires: How do you know they are not the +12v 50A
>> extra power line? If connected to a power-putton input, what you
>> hear will be the "pop" when the chipset explodes....
>>
>>> Also, when the computer was functional, I would get occasional warnings
>>> from the BIOS that the fan had 0 rpms but the after a few seconds, the
>>> fan
>>> rpm was back to full value; I did not see this warning before the compuer
>>> shut down.
>>
>> Typical for a fan with bearing trouble.
>>
>>> This system is over 5 years old with a 1.1GHz Athlon, ASUS motherboard
>>> and
>>> 300W power supply and 768MB Crucials (sp?) RAM.
>>
>> Get a known-to be good PSU and try that. Check all fans. If the
>> CPU fan stopped, the CPU may be fried.
>>
>> Arno
>>
>>