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madcompnerd
05-04-2003, 06:16 PM
Just had a power dip, I have no UPS(I'm buying one tomorrow); computer shut off and wouldn't turn back on. Looked at the back, switch is on of course. But there is a little red switch on a slider that's kinda hard to slide. I slid it one way then back and turned the machine on. It came on.
Power supplies have circuit breakers? Somebody before told me that it was to switch from US to European power standards, but it apparently acted as a breaker reset this time.
Could someone please tell me exactly what the red switch on the back of a power supply does?
Oh, and interestingly. Another computer on the same circuit didn't go down. The lights went off, but this computer kept running... Which I've never been happier over because I'm installing gentoo on it when it happened! I think I would cry if it went down right now.
Stupid power company, I'm sick of these damn power dips.
bwkaz
05-04-2003, 06:43 PM
That switch changes between 220V and 110V AC power on every PSU I've ever seen.
DO NOT set it to something that you're not feeding the power supply! You will let the magic smoke out, of both the PSU and possibly the motherboard/CPU/whatever else.
Bad things come from mis-setting that switch.
If the switch had somehow moved to in between the two settings, it might have completely disconnected the power. That's remotely possible, anyway.
madcompnerd
05-04-2003, 08:49 PM
It wasn't, I simply moved it to 220, and then back to 110.
I checked my voltages and they're all still good!
I'm still buying a UPS tomorrow.....
From what i know, USA uses 220V more or less. In the other hand here, we use 110V more or less.
That depends on the country you live in.
madcompnerd That switch has nothing to do with your PC not turning on (in this case). That red switch is a Voltage selector, nothing more.
For example: if i set the switch to 220V instead of 110V i ....will let the magic smoke out, of both the PSU and possibly the motherboard/CPU/whatever else.
:D :D :D :D
bwkaz
05-04-2003, 11:00 PM
Originally posted by Yorsh
From what i know, USA uses 220V more or less. In the other hand here, we use 110V more or less. Only for washing machines. ;)
Everything else is 120V ideal, and 110V or so after the resistance of the wires takes its effect.
madcompnerd
05-04-2003, 11:29 PM
Yea, I get it, I'm still wondering why it made the thing work. Eh, who knows, it did and that saved me a trip to go and get a new power supply again. Thank God for local warranties!
He's right, 110 for everything but major appliances.
andysimmons
05-05-2003, 02:16 AM
Originally posted by madcompnerd
It wasn't, I simply moved it to 220, and then back to 110.
Before I decided to get a new PS, my old one would sometimes make a fizzling noise when I'd flip the power supply rocker switch on, and my motherboard wouldn't power up (yeah I was retarded enough to try it). Anyway, I did the same thing as you. I'd turn off the PS, slide the switch to 220 and back, flip the rocker switch back to 1, and repeat until the fizzling noise stopped. Whatever works I guess...
michaelk
05-05-2003, 05:46 AM
The US is 120V. I found a list of countries.
http://www.controlledpwr.com/products/voltstd.htm
The actual range is like 120 +/- 5. The actual min input voltage that a PSU can maintain a regulated output and the amount of dropout time it could handle would depend on its design.
I haven't looked at any recent schmatics of PSU lately but I doubt the voltage switch is also a reset switch. There might be some automatic reset breaker inside.