Hooking it upĪside from the ATX power supply itself, we will need a few additional components to build our bench supply. I’m planning on using the additional 12-volt wires in my final design so I will just be removing the Molex connector. There is also a 12-volt 4-pin connector that is used to supply power to the motherboard CPU fan. I’m saving them as they may be useful in a future computer build. I just plan to remove these from my power supply. The ATX type power supplies also have other connectors, used to power up peripherals such as hard disks and DVD drives.
Older ATX supplies (like the one I’m using) have a -5-volt output as well as a-12-volt one, newer (24-pin) Type 2 models only have the -12-volt output. The output voltages are self-explanatory, I’m not planning on using any of the negative ones, but you can if you wish of course. 5V Standby – (PURPLE) – Standby voltage, 5-volts at up to 2 amps.A status voltage that is 5 volts when power is good. Connect to Ground to turn on the power supply. -5 V – (WHITE) – Negative 5 volts (not on later models).+3.3 V – (ORANGE) – Positive 3.3 volts.Ground – (BLACK) – The Ground or reference.The actual connections from the power supply are as follows: ground) have been repeated, this is done to increase the current carrying capability. You’ll notice that many connections (i.e. Note that the primary difference is that the 24-pin connector has additional voltage and ground lines. The unit I will be experimenting with uses an older 20-pin power supply connector. There are two types of connectors commonly used here, an older 20-pin variety (Version 1) and a newer one (Version 2) with 24-pins. It also has connections for power switches and indicators. The main power connector supplies power to the motherboard of the computer. There are actually a few different ATX power supplies, all of them are designed to provide 3.3, 5 and 12 volt outputs.
It still is the most common motherboard configuration.ĪTX Power supplies have standard sizes and connectors for use with ATX motherboards. ATX SupplyĪTX ( Advanced Technology eXtended ) is a computer motherboard configuration developed by Intel in 1995.
#PRINTLIFE ATX WINDOWS#
That’s what I did actually – an old Windows XP desktop computer has now become a useful addition to my workshop. In fact, if you have access to an old computer that is on its way to the junk heap you can rescue its power supply and put together a nice bench power supply for just a few dollars. And, thanks to mass production, they are cheap when compared to dedicated bench power supplies. Adapt an old computer power supply to use on your workbench.Ĭomputer power supplies have all the voltages you’ll need and some very impressive current capabilities. While a commercial bench power supply is certainly a worthwhile investment there is a cheaper solution that you might want to consider. As the current capability and number of output voltages go up so does the price. You can buy bench power supplies of course, but they are not inexpensive.
It should be capable of providing several amperes of current for each voltage. An ideal workbench power supply should have both 5-volt and 12-volt outputs, with 3.3-volts being a nice option as well.
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