What is a power supply?

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Details: Category: FAQ's

A power supply unit (PSU) converts mains AC to low-voltage regulated DC power for the internal components of a computer. Modern personal computers universally use a switched-mode power supply. Some power supplies have a manual selector for input voltage, while others automatically adapt to the supply voltage. Most modern desktop personal computer power supplies conform to the ATX specification, which includes form factor and voltage tolerances.

Power Supply

The desktop computer power supply changes alternating current from a wall socket to low-voltage direct current to operate the processor and peripheral devices. Several direct-current voltages are required and they must be regulated with some accuracy to provide stable operation of the computer. A power supply rail or voltage rail refers to a single voltage provided by a power supply unit (PSU). Although the term is generally used in electronic engineering, many people, especially computer enthusiasts, encounter it in the context of personal computer power supplies.

Computer power supplies may have short circuit protection, overpower (overload) protection, overvoltage protection, undervoltage protection, overcurrent protection, and over temperature protection. Recent power supplies have a standby voltage available, to allow most of the computer system to be powered off. When the computer is powered down but the power supply is still on, it can be started remotely via Wake-on-LAN and Wake-on-ring or locally via Keyboard Power ON (KBPO) if the motherboard supports it.

Connectors

Various connectors from a computer PSU.

Typically, power supplies have the following connectors (all are Molex (USA) Inc Mini-Fit Jr, unless otherwise indicated):

PC Main power connector (usually called P1): This is the connector that goes to the motherboard to provide it with power. The connector has 20 or 24 pins. One of the pins belongs to the PS-ON wire (it is usually green). This connector is the largest of all the connectors. In older AT power supplies, this connector was split in two: P8 and P9. A power supply with a 24-pin connector can be used on a motherboard with a 20-pin connector. In cases where the motherboard has a 24-pin connector, some power supplies come with two connectors (one with 20-pin and other with 4-pin) which can be used together to form the 24-pin connector.
12V only power connector (labelled P1, though it is not compatible with the ATX 20 or 24 pin connector): This is a 16-pin Molex connector supplying the motherboard with six 12V lines with common returns, a 'supply OK' signal, a 'PSU ON' signal and an 11V auxiliary supply. One pin is left unused.
12V only System monitoring (P10): This is a 171822-8 AMP or equivalent connector carrying a supply to the PSU fan and sense returns.
ATX12V 4-pin power connector (also called the P4 power connector). A second connector that goes to the motherboard (in addition to the main 24-pin connector) to supply dedicated power for the processor. For high-end motherboards and processors, more power is required, therefore EPS12V has an 8-pin connector.
4-pin Peripheral power connectors: These are the other, smaller connectors that go to the various disk drives of the computer. Most of them have four wires: two black, one red, and one yellow. Unlike the standard mains electrical wire color-coding, each black wire is a ground, the red wire is +5 V, and the yellow wire is +12 V. In some cases these are also used to provide additional power to PCI cards such as FireWire 800 cards.
4-pin Molex (Japan) Ltd power connectors (usually called Mini-connector or "mini-Molex"): This is one of the smallest connectors that supplies a 3 1/2 inch floppy drive with power. In some cases, it can be used as an auxiliary connector for AGP video cards. Its cable configuration is similar to the Peripheral connector.
Auxiliary power connectors: There are several types of auxiliary connectors designed to provide additional power if it is needed.
Serial ATA power connectors: a 15-pin connector for components which use SATA power plugs. This connector supplies power at three different voltages: +3.3, +5, and +12 volts.
6-pin Most modern computer power supplies include 6-pin connectors which are generally used for PCI Express graphics cards, but a newly introduced 8-pin connector should be seen on the latest model power supplies. Each PCI Express 6-pin connector can output a maximum of 75 W.
6+2 pin For the purpose of backwards compatibility, some connectors designed for use with high end PCI Express graphics cards feature this kind of pin configuration. It allows either a 6-pin card or an 8-pin card to be connected by using two separate connection modules wired into the same sheath: one with 6 pins and another with 2 pins.
A IEC 60320 C14 connector with an appropriate C13 cord is used to attach the power supply to the local power grid.

Power Supply Connector Types

Modular power supplies

A modular power supply provides a detachable cable system, offering the ability to remove unused connections at the expense of a small amount of extra electrical resistance introduced by the additional connector. This reduces clutter, removes the risk of dangling cables interfering with other components, and can improve case airflow. Many modular supplies have some permanent multi-wire cables with connectors at the ends, such as PC main and 4-pin Molex, though newer supplies marketed as "Fully Modular" allow even these to be disconnected.

Life span

Life span is usually measured in mean time between failures (MTBF). Higher MTBF ratings are preferable for longer device life and reliability. Quality construction consisting of industrial grade electrical components or a larger or higher speed fan can help to contribute to a higher MTBF rating by keeping critical components cool. Overheating is a major cause of PSU failure. Calculated MTBF value of 100,000 hours (about 11 years continuous operation) is not uncommon.

1. How can I contact a technician to review my business?

Individuals can also request contact from a technician by; calling in, emailing us, opening a support ticket or visiting our location at 4011 Menaul Blvd. NE in Albuquerque, NM or give us a Call.

2. What will a technician tell me about my businesses I.T. practices?

During our technicians first consultation visit they will provide an assesement on the following; backup plans, disaster recovery pre-cautions, network security, server health check, system security and system stability.

3. How often would you suggest having techncians onsite or perform maintenance?

Our technicians recommend at the very least to have a system checked every 3 to 6 months. When it comes to business and office, we recommend weekly health checks and monthly onsite maintenance. Daedalus Offers a Service Level Agreement for all clients who need periodic maintenance and repair at a cost effective price.

4. Do I have to be local to the New Mexico area to use all of your services?

Abosolutely not. We can provide service to any client, anywhere on the globe as long as there is an active internet connection present. Our remote support software allows users to chat with our technicians and request service from anywhere in the world on any system.

5. Do I need an appointment?

Abosolutely not. We are located on Menaul, in Albuquerque New Mexico in between Organtica and Rustic Furniture.

How to report a computer crime: Unauthorised email account access

by Bob Burls @ Naked Security from Sophos on October 31, 2012

Do you know how to report a computer crime? Or even who you would report it to?

Well, there is no one size fits all solution - it depends on the individual circumstances and where you are in the world - but we've drawn up some scenarios that are typical of some of the crimes that any computer user, at home or work, might come across.

In the first of our series of articles on how to report a computer crime, we'll look at unauthorised email access, what offences are committed when a crime like this happens and how you should report it.

What is Thermal Paste/Grease/Heatsink Compound etc? And what does it do?

Thermal grease (also called thermal gel, thermal compound, thermal paste, heat paste, heat sink paste or heat sink compound) is a viscous fluid substance, originally with properties akin to grease, which increases the thermal conductivity of a thermal interface by filling microscopic air-gaps present due to the imperfectly flat and smooth surfaces of the components; the compound has far greater thermal conductivity than air (but far less than metal). In electronics, it is often used to aid a component's thermal dissipation via a heat sink.

How to Tell if Windows is Genuine or Not

We all love to shop online these days. Sometimes online deals are too good to be true. How to tell if the computer you just bought has a genuine copy of windows or not:
Almost all computers come with a windows license sticker somewhere on the outside of the case. This sticker contains all the information about the copy of windows; which version of windows and a 20 digit product key. It is possible to not have a sticker but more often than not, if it does not have a sticker it is not valid. Certain computers can save the product key on the BIOS, usually only major retailers like Dell and HP use this, NOT custom builds.\

The most obvious way to tell is there will be a icon on the bottom right logo on the screen asking to activate windows.

The easiest way to to check is performing Windows genuine validation via Settings. Just go to the Start menu, click Settings, then click Update & security. Then, navigate to the Activation section to see if the OS is activated. If yes, and it shows "Windows is activated with a digital license ", your Windows 10 is genuine.

For the more tech savvy,

Generally, you will check for products ID and license status of the operating system by right-clicking on This PC and choosing Properties.

In the pop-up window, you will see information about Windows 10 such as Windows edition, RAM, computer name, processor type, etc. Scroll down and then you can see if Windows 10 is activated in the Windows activation section. If so, the product ID is given.

But there is one thing you should note. Whether Windows 10 is genuine or activated, the status looks like the same in the system properties window. So, how to check if Windows 10 is original or not? How to check genuine Windows 10? You can use Command Prompt to validate Windows 10.

Step 1: Click Windows logo and R key on the keyboard in Windows 10 to open the Run dialog.

Step 2: Type slmgr.vbs /dli and press Enter key to display license information. Here slmgr stands for Software License Manager and the .vbs means Visual Basic Script.

In the pop-up window, if you see volume activation expiration, renewal interval and these types of information, you should know your Windows 10 is activated using activator software and it is cracked.

What is a Motherboard

A motherboard (sometimes alternatively known as the; mainboard, system board, planar board, logic board, or colloquially a
mobo) is a printed circuit board (PCB) found in all modern computers which holds many of the crucial components of the system, such as the central processing unit (CPU) and memory, and provides connectors for other peripherals.

Motherboard specifically refers to a PCB with expansion capability - the board is the "mother" of all components attached to it which often include; sound cards, video cards, network cards, hard drives, other forms of persistent storage, TV tuner cards, USB expansion cards, Firewire expansion cards and a variety of other custom components. (The term mainboard is applied to devices with a single board and no additional expansions or capability - in modern terms this would include controlling boards in televisions, washing machines and other embedded systems, which are not true motherboards.

CPU socket

A CPU socket or slot is an electrical component that attaches to a printed circuit board (PCB) and is designed to house a CPU (also called a microprocessor). It is a special type of integrated circuit socket designed for very high pin counts. A CPU socket provides many functions, including a physical structure to support the CPU, support for a heat sink, facilitating replacement (as well as reducing cost), and most importantly, forming an electrical interface both with the CPU and the PCB. CPU sockets on the motherboard can most often be found in most desktop and server computers (laptops typically use surface mount CPUs), particularly those based on the Intel x86 architecture. A CPU socket type and motherboard chipset must support the CPU series and speed.

Peripheral card slots

A standard ATX motherboard will typically have; two or three PCI-E 16x connection for a graphics card, one to two legacy PCI slots for various expansion cards and one or two PCI-E 1x (which has superseded PCI). A standard EATX motherboard will have two to four PCI-Express 16x connection for graphics cards, and a varying number of PCI and PCI-E 1x slots. It can sometimes also have a PCI-E 4x slot. (This varies between brands and models.)

Some motherboards have two or more PCI-E 16x slots, to allow more than 2 monitors without special hardware, or use a special graphics technology called SLI (for Nvidia) and Crossfire (for ATI). These allow 2 to 4 graphics cards to be linked together, to allow better performance in intensive graphical computing tasks, such as gaming, video editing, etc.

Temperature and reliability

A microATX motherboard with some faulty capacitors

Motherboards are generally air cooled with heat sinks often mounted on larger chips, such as the Northbridge, in modern motherboards. Insufficient or improper cooling can cause damage to the internal components of the computer and cause it to crash. Passive cooling, or a single fan mounted on the power supply, was sufficient for many desktop computer CPUs until the late 1990s; since then, most have required CPU fans mounted on their heat sinks, due to rising clock speeds and power consumption. Most motherboards have connectors for additional case fans as well. Newer motherboards have integrated temperature sensors to detect motherboard and CPU temperatures, and controllable fan connectors which the BIOS or operating system can use to regulate fan speed. Some computers (which typically have high-performance microprocessors, large amounts of RAM, and high-performance video cards) use a water-cooling system instead of many fans.

Some small form factor computers and home theater PCs designed for quiet and energy-efficient operation boast fan-less designs. This typically requires the use of a low-power CPU, as well as careful layout of the motherboard and other components to allow for heat sink placement.

Blown Capacitor/Capacitor Plague

A 2003 study found that some spurious computer crashes and general reliability issues, ranging from screen image distortions to I/O read/write errors, can be attributed not to software or peripheral hardware but to aging capacitors on PC motherboards. Ultimately this was shown to be the result of a faulty electrolyte formulation and the issue was named the capacitor plague.

Motherboards use electrolytic capacitors to filter the DC power distributed around the board. These capacitors age at a temperature-dependent rate, as their water based electrolytes slowly evaporate. This can lead to loss of capacitance and subsequent motherboard malfunctions due to voltage instabilities. While most capacitors are rated for 2000 hours of operation at 105 °C (221 °F), their expected design life roughly doubles for every 10 °C (50 °F) below this. At 45 °C (113 °F) a lifetime of 15 years can be expected. This appears reasonable for a computer motherboard. However, many manufacturers have delivered substandard capacitors, which significantly reduce life expectancy. Inadequate case cooling and elevated temperatures easily exacerbate this problem. It is possible, but tedious and time-consuming, to find and replace failed capacitors on Personal Computer (PC) motherboards.

Form factor

Motherboards are produced in a variety of sizes and shapes called computer form factor, some of which are specific to individual computer manufacturers. However, the motherboards used in IBM-compatible systems are designed to fit various case sizes. As of 2007, most desktop computer motherboards use the ATX standard form factor — even those found in Macintosh and Sun computers, which have not been built from commodity components. A case's motherboard and PSU form factor must all match, though some smaller form factor motherboards of the same family will fit larger cases. For example, an ATX case will usually accommodate a microATX motherboard.

Laptop computers generally use highly integrated, miniaturized and customized motherboards. This is one of the reasons that laptop computers are difficult to upgrade and expensive to repair. Often the failure of one laptop component requires the replacement of the entire motherboard, which is usually more expensive than a desktop motherboard due to the large number of integrated components.

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