Testing power supplies...

Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
edited October 2004 in Hardware
I've just ordered 6 of these:
http://www.bgmicro.com/prodinfo.asp?sid=0683159722222222138911215&prodid=RES1373&page=1&cri=200w&stype=3&time_out=19:58

200w, 15k ohm adjustable resistors-
1 for the + 3.3v (60A)
1 or 2 for the +5v (40 or 80A)
2, 3, or 4 for the +12v (33.4, 50, or 66.7A)

I'm thinking that that should be enough to bring any PSU on the market to its knees. Which is exactly what I want. :D

I can hear PSUs screaming in pain already... muahahahahaaaa!! :D:D

Comments

  • TheLostSwedeTheLostSwede Trondheim, Norway Icrontian
    edited October 2004
    Nice. But why be so advanced? Just use a couple of lightbulbs and have the multimeter connected to the Aux/Molexes.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2004
    I thought about lightbulbs. But see, a 120w bulb designed for 120vac has a resistance of 1 ohm; at +12vdc it'll draw only 12w. As a result, I'd need a whole ton of lightbulbs, or I'd need to use car bulbs, which are not cheap (if you get high wattage ones), use special sockets, are fairly dangerous (halogen bulbs get VERY hot), and it doesn't allow me as precise control. With variable resistors like that, I can set the test rig exactly.

    Say a PSU has a rating of 31a @ +3.3v, 25a @ +5v, and 43a @ 12v. I can set the resistors to draw exactly 31, 25, and 43a. Lightbulbs don't allow that kind of precision, because they only come in a few wattages.
  • mmonninmmonnin Centreville, VA
    edited October 2004
    Remember that a lot of the PSUs share the current in hte 3.3 and 5V lines so you wont get 31Amps AND 25Amps at the same time. Most likely most of one and a small amount on another.
  • Geeky1Geeky1 University of the Pacific (Stockton, CA, USA)
    edited October 2004
    Yeah. For testing the 3.3v and 5v lines on most PSUs (with the exception of Antec's TruePower), i'm planning on dividing the maximum wattage in half and loading each one to 50% of that.
  • EMTEMT Seattle, WA Icrontian
    edited October 2004
    That sounds pretty cool man. I'm in an electrical crash course here at UIUC , it begins to make sense...
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