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#11
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 03:55:53 -0500, w_tom wrote:
Doors don't close. So they kept replacing doors. No one noticed the foundation had collapsed. Does this sounds like your computer problem? Start at step one. We must first verify the foundation. This requires an inexpensive and ubiquitous 3.5 digit multimeter. No cheaper way around this solution. We must determine which of three power supply system components is dead OR determine the entire 'foundation' (power supply system) is working. Again, we need that meter so that this is verification is accomplished in but a few minutes (reading how to do it takes many time longer than the actual measuring task). Information in these previous posts report where to measure and what numbers to expect. In short, measure voltages on the red, yellow, orange, and purple wires. Those voltages must be within upper 3/4 limits of table. Purple wire voltage must be there always - power on or off (which is why you must always unplug a computer from wall before changing it). When computer powers on, voltages then appear on red, yellow, and orange wires - again in the upper 3/4 limits of those specs. Any power supply can spin fans and hard disk, light LEDs, and still be 100% defective. Without numbers, no one can say whether power supply is good or bad. Previous discussion that provides details on where to measure, what those limits are (you must measure in upper 3/4 of those limits), and define what is a good power supply: "Computer doesnt start at all" in alt.comp.hardware on 10 Jan 2004 at http://tinyurl.com/2t69q and "I think my power supply is dead" in alt.comp.hardware on 5 Feb 2004 at http://www.tinyurl.com/2musa Even if you don't understand what those numbers report, those numbers provide powerful facts so that others (with more knowledge) can immediately provide help. Currently you provide only enough facts to wildly speculate. Once we have established the power supply system as functional, only then can we move on to other suspects. Power supply system (which is more than just a power supply) is the foundation. First we must confirm the foundation is intact before ever considering any other possible problem. I have a multimeter, but I don't know what kind it is. I know it's a Digital Multimeter, I know it does DC voltage measurement, DC 10 Amp measurement as well as AC voltage measurement. I don't know much about this and I'm not sure how to use it or set it to use it. The book is not helpful to my "non-electrical knowledge" brain. ;o) All I know is it's a GB Instruments GDT-11 Digital Multimeter. Maybe I'll do a Google search and see if I can find some info on it to try to understand more how to use it and how it works and if I can use it to check the power supply, which I am confident that works as it should. Patty |
#12
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Power on digital multimeter. Turn selector switch to DC volts -
preferably the 20 volt range. Touch leads to points. Read voltage number from display. When done, turn meter power off. Patty wrote: On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 03:55:53 -0500, w_tom wrote: I have a multimeter, but I don't know what kind it is. I know it's a Digital Multimeter, I know it does DC voltage measurement, DC 10 Amp measurement as well as AC voltage measurement. I don't know much about this and I'm not sure how to use it or set it to use it. The book is not helpful to my "non-electrical knowledge" brain. ;o) All I know is it's a GB Instruments GDT-11 Digital Multimeter. Maybe I'll do a Google search and see if I can find some info on it to try to understand more how to use it and how it works and if I can use it to check the power supply, which I am confident that works as it should. Patty |
#13
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On 29 Jan 2005 09:33:11 -0800, w_tom wrote:
Power on digital multimeter. Turn selector switch to DC volts - preferably the 20 volt range. Touch leads to points. Read voltage number from display. When done, turn meter power off. Do you have the computer and power supply turned on when you do this? Thanks so much. I'm learning something new here. Patty |
#14
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Sometime on, or about Fri, 28 Jan 2005 23:45:51 -0800, johns wrote:
I learned the hard way to stop taking these old flakers to raise. If you build her up a junker, it will fail too, and no doubt take down her tax records and retirement account, and she will blame you and haul the thing to the XBOX PRO-TEENS who will charge her $300 just to recover her data onto a floppy. You will be in to this for the rest of your life, plus lose a friend while trying to do her a favor. Tell her to buy a DELL, and get it going for her. If she says she is starving to death, and will have to go raise camels in the desert, just smile and say, "That sounds like fun, and you can send me an email about it on your new DELL." If she needs someone to complain too, she can call DELL tech-support. They specialize in little-old-lady ( LOL) Psycho-lology, and you can get your life back. johns Any computer can die, whether old or new. That's what backups are for. Sam -- To mail me, please get rid of the BS first |
#15
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On 29 Jan 2005 09:33:11 -0800, w_tom wrote:
Power on digital multimeter. Turn selector switch to DC volts - preferably the 20 volt range. Touch leads to points. Read voltage number from display. When done, turn meter power off. I'm sorry, I hate to sound terribly blond here, but I don't understand how this works. If I'm supposed to get a reading of 12.0 here, how can I when the display is only 0.00? I think that perhaps this is the wrong kind of multimeter. Can someone please explain this to me clearly? How does this work? What am I supposed to touch the red and black leads on the multimeter to? Am I supposed to have the power supply plugged in, turned on and the computer turned on as well? Or, just the power supply turned on or none of the above? I understand that the big plastic connectors on the power supply that connect to the drives are supposed to be the 12v, right? But which are the -12v? Which are the 3.3? I am so confused here. I've never done this before. Thanks so much. I'm just thinking I should stick this power supply in another box and see if it works, that to me would be much simpler. Patty |
#16
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Dear Patty,
Put the multimeter away and have a cup of tea. Although someone here will be more than happy to type the play by play of the how to's, you should not mess around with electricity of a higher voltage. Start out with a battery 'D' cell or AA, and practice, not a potentially dangerous piece of equipment. "Patty" wrote in message .. . On 29 Jan 2005 09:33:11 -0800, w_tom wrote: Power on digital multimeter. Turn selector switch to DC volts - preferably the 20 volt range. Touch leads to points. Read voltage number from display. When done, turn meter power off. I'm sorry, I hate to sound terribly blond here, but I don't understand how this works. If I'm supposed to get a reading of 12.0 here, how can I when the display is only 0.00? I think that perhaps this is the wrong kind of multimeter. Can someone please explain this to me clearly? How does this work? What am I supposed to touch the red and black leads on the multimeter to? Am I supposed to have the power supply plugged in, turned on and the computer turned on as well? Or, just the power supply turned on or none of the above? I understand that the big plastic connectors on the power supply that connect to the drives are supposed to be the 12v, right? But which are the -12v? Which are the 3.3? I am so confused here. I've never done this before. Thanks so much. I'm just thinking I should stick this power supply in another box and see if it works, that to me would be much simpler. Patty |
#17
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 11:37:52 -0800, JAD wrote:
Dear Patty, Put the multimeter away and have a cup of tea. Although someone here will be more than happy to type the play by play of the how to's, you should not mess around with electricity of a higher voltage. Start out with a battery 'D' cell or AA, and practice, not a potentially dangerous piece of equipment. Well, I did a rechargeable AA battery. It tested 1.28v on the multimeter and the battery should be 1.2v so I guess that's pretty good. And, I don't drink tea, I'd much rather have an Absolute and Diet Coke. ;o) Besides, I've already helped my husband re-wire our house so I do understand something about electricity, I just don't understand how these multimeters work. Patty |
#18
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as long as you know the dangers.........
ok so then you must realize that the power must be on....only, if you pull the connector off the mainboard the PSU will not function..... if you are just testing the 12 v supply to the hard drives...which is only a small part of what the PSU supplies, then that doesn't apply. so black is ground and yellow and red are hot, each supplying a different voltage. black to black red to yellow or red on the molex connector to the HD's. But once again another 'oddity' both blacks are not 'common'. Confused yet? "Patty" wrote in message .. . On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 11:37:52 -0800, JAD wrote: Dear Patty, Put the multimeter away and have a cup of tea. Although someone here will be more than happy to type the play by play of the how to's, you should not mess around with electricity of a higher voltage. Start out with a battery 'D' cell or AA, and practice, not a potentially dangerous piece of equipment. Well, I did a rechargeable AA battery. It tested 1.28v on the multimeter and the battery should be 1.2v so I guess that's pretty good. And, I don't drink tea, I'd much rather have an Absolute and Diet Coke. ;o) Besides, I've already helped my husband re-wire our house so I do understand something about electricity, I just don't understand how these multimeters work. Patty |
#19
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Just came across a neat gizmo called an "Antec Power Supply Tester"
recommended by Tom's Hardware. Have one waiting for me at Circuit City (ordered online for instore pickup). At $10 (including tax) the price is right and it's suppose to make testing power supplies much simpler. I'm still not sure the multimeter I have is the right kind to have, but we'll see when I get the power supply tester. Thanks everyone for the suggestions. Patty |
#20
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On Sat, 29 Jan 2005 10:51:58 -0800, Sam wrote:
Sometime on, or about Fri, 28 Jan 2005 23:45:51 -0800, johns wrote: I learned the hard way to stop taking these old flakers to raise. If you build her up a junker, it will fail too, and no doubt take down her tax records and retirement account, and she will blame you and haul the thing to the XBOX PRO-TEENS who will charge her $300 just to recover her data onto a floppy. You will be in to this for the rest of your life, plus lose a friend while trying to do her a favor. Tell her to buy a DELL, and get it going for her. If she says she is starving to death, and will have to go raise camels in the desert, just smile and say, "That sounds like fun, and you can send me an email about it on your new DELL." If she needs someone to complain too, she can call DELL tech-support. They specialize in little-old-lady ( LOL) Psycho-lology, and you can get your life back. johns Any computer can die, whether old or new. That's what backups are for. Sam Yeah, and has anyone called Dell Tech Support in recent years? You get someone who barely speaks English and the first thing they tell you for any problem is your Windows is corrupted and you need to reformat and reinstall Windows. Not something I'd want to leave up to a computer illiterate old lady. Patty |
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