The skill of starting the power supply without a computer and motherboard may come in handy not only system administrators, but also ordinary users... When problems arise with your PC, it is important to check individual parts for functionality. Any person can cope with this task. How to turn on the power supply?

How to turn on the power supply without a computer (no motherboard)

Previously, there were power supplies (abbreviated as PSU) of the AT standard, which were started directly. WITH modern devices ATX this trick will not work. To do this, you need a small wire or an ordinary paper clip to short the contacts on the plug.

Left - 24-pin plug, right - older 20-pin plug

V modern computers the ATX standard is used. There are two types of connectors for it. The first, older one, has 20 contacts on the plug, the second - 24. To start the power supply, you need to know which contacts to close. Most often this is the green PS_ON pin and the black ground pin.

Note! In some "Chinese" versions of the power supply unit, the colors of the wires are confused, so it is better to familiarize yourself with the pinout before starting work.

Step-by-step instruction

So, when you have familiarized yourself with the layout of the wires, you can start to start.

When purchasing a computer, most users, first of all, pay attention to such components as a processor, RAM, video card and hard drive. There are many programs designed to test these devices, which are widespread even among beginners. At the same time, few people know, not only how to check, but also how to start the power supply without a computer. But this is its most important component, without which the work of all other elements is impossible. In addition, do not forget that this unit can be used not for its intended purpose, but for example, as a power source for radio equipment, a low-voltage soldering iron, or converted into Charger.

How to start a power supply without a computer

First you need to understand the connectors and color coding of the power supply terminals. If you look at the multitude of multi-colored wires emanating from the power supply unit, then, at first glance, the question of how to start a computer power supply without a computer will seem insoluble without the help of a qualified specialist. This is partly correct. Incorrect actions can result in damage to the device and / or electric shock. But, everything is not so difficult, the main thing is to figure out what the power supply connectors and wires of different colors are for.

Modern blocks ATX power supplies are equipped with one 20-pin or 24-pin connector, which serves to supply power to system board computer. Often meets universal connector, which has a main 20-pin part and an additional part with 4 contacts that attaches to it, which allows the power supply to be used to power both outdated and new computer models. It is this plug that we need to solve the question of how to connect the power supply without a computer.

Flat 4-pin white connectors are used to connect hard drives and DVD drives, supply the main supply voltages of +5 V and +12 V. Recently, they are replaced by miniature black SATA connectors, which also have a voltage of + 3.3 B. Other plugs, similar in appearance to the power connector to the motherboard, but having a smaller number of pins (2.4 or 6), serve to supply additional power to the processor and video card. All the connectors listed in this paragraph are of interest to us only from the point of view of obtaining one or another supply voltage.

Let's list what this or that wire color means:

• Black - common wire (GND);
• Orange - +3.3 V;
• Red - + 5.0V;
• Yellow - + 12.0 V;
• Green - the conductor that enables the PC to be turned on (PS-ON).

The power supply unit also contains a number of wires with other colors, which are not of interest to us in the context of the problem under consideration. Note that green has a single wire connected to the 20- or 24-pin power connector on the motherboard.

How to start a computer power supply without a computer

Important: Any switching power supply, such as a computer power supply, must not be turned on without load. As such, you can use an old, but working hard disk or CD-ROM.

Launch order:

• We connect the load (HDD, CD-ROM or other device);
• Find the only green wire (PC-ON) on the 20 (24) pin connector;
• We study the location of other contacts and select one of the black wires (GND or common) with which it will be more convenient to close the green one;
• We make a jumper, which can be a piece of wire or a paper clip;
• We close the contacts;
• We supply the mains voltage to the power supply unit.

If everything went well and the unit is operational, the fan should start working, the voltage corresponding to their color will appear on the conductors.

Note that it will be much easier to start an outdated AT format PSU. Such power supplies were turned on using a conventional 4-pin mechanical switch connected to a thick four-wire wire, which is not available on an ATX power supply. The connection diagram, as a rule, was indicated on a sticker on one of the sides of the device.

If you still do not understand the method of starting the power supply outside the computer, just watch the visual video below and you will finally figure it out:

That's all for the question of how to start a power supply without a computer. In fact, everything is very simple, and, without going into details, it boils down to the fact that you need to short the green and one of the black wires. The main thing is to observe safety precautions and not try to turn on the device without load, which may lead to its failure.

Sometimes, to check the health of the power supply, provided that the mother card is no longer functional, you need to start it without it. Fortunately, this is not difficult, but it still requires adherence to certain safety precautions.

To start the power supply in offline, in addition to it you will need:

• Copper bridge, which is additionally protected by rubber. It can be made from an old copper wire by cutting off a certain part of it;
• A hard drive or floppy drive that can be connected to the PSU. They are needed so that the power supply unit can supply something with energy.

Turn on the power supply

If your PSU is in the case and connected to the necessary PC components, disconnect them (everything except hard disk). In this case, the block must remain in place; it does not need to be dismantled. Also, you do not need to disconnect the power from the mains.

The step-by-step instructions are as follows:

If you have something connected to the power supply, then it will work for a certain amount of time (usually 5-10 minutes). This time is enough to test the power supply unit for operability.

Recently, I began to frequently encounter a malfunction of the PC power button - Power buttons... Previously, I did not give it much importance and did not pay due attention. But in vain!

It so happens that there is power in the network, the power supply, when the corresponding contacts of the connector are closed, starts up half a turn and works great. The motherboard signals with its LED about the presence of standby voltage, but by pressing pwr buttons Nothing happens. The computer does not turn on!

Of course, there can be a great variety of reasons for this behavior, but still it is worth paying attention to the PC power button!

What if the computer won't turn on?

1. It is necessary to check the performance of the power supply.

2. Start the PC, bypassing the power button, which is located in the PC case.

How to check the power supply of a computer?

I answer. Express check of a computer power supply is carried out as follows:

1. Disconnect all power supply connectors from the computer (from the motherboard, from the video card, from all kinds of hard drives, coolers, and so on).

2. Now you need to short-circuit the two wires on the next connector. It is the widest of all that come out of the BP. Any black wire can be shorted to green. I usually close green and near black(Earth). This can be done with a regular paper clip or tweezers.

If 220 volts are supplied to the power supply from the outlet, the wires are closed correctly, the power button on the power supply itself (there are such models) is turned on, and the fans of the power supply did not start, then we can state a malfunction of the power supply. On the contrary, if, when you close the indicated contacts on the connector of the computer's power supply unit, you see that the fans inside the unit rotate, and not just twitch or are silent, then the power supply unit is working properly.

At the same time we learned run a computer power supply without a computer!

Many experienced craftsmen may argue that such a check cannot accurately show the serviceability or malfunction of the power supply. And they will be partially right. But we do an express check, which is quite enough in this case. Moreover, not every user has a load stand or at least a multimeter to go deeper.

After checking the power supply, we connect all the connectors back. And we solve the next problem.

How to start a computer without a button?

Each motherboard manufacturer may have different pin locations. That's why the best option a search will open the documentation for your motherboard and find the location of those pins there. The documentation for the motherboard should come from the store, if you lost it or the seller did not give it to you (which happens very rarely), then the documentation for the motherboard can be downloaded on the Internet on the official website of the manufacturer, if you have access to the Internet!

If there is neither one nor the other, then we search by the inscriptions on the connectors. As a rule, they are signed with letters. Power Switch (PW Switch), Power ON, On-Off not to be confused with PWRLED.

Here are typical pinouts for connectors from some manufacturers:

MSI motherboard

Asrock motherboard

Asus motherboard

Biostar motherboard

Epox motherboard

Gigabyte motherboard

Foxconn motherboard

Intel motherboard

We remove our connectors and carefully shortly close the contact PWR SW and Ground... The computer should start up. How to close? Ballpoint pen!

If the computer starts, then the conclusion is obvious: the power button is faulty. What to do in this case? Try to reconnect the button to the motherboard connector, it may have been bad contact... If it does not help, remove the button, and then, according to the circumstances, either repair the button, or replace it.

To get out of this situation for a while, you can connect instead of the power button reset button (reboot) and use to enable it.

Thanks to such simple actions, you can start the computer without any special problems, but you should not neglect this, and it is better to fix the start button on the case as soon as possible in order to avoid unnecessary problems.

Attention: Neither the author of this article, nor the administration of this site, assumes any responsibility for possible problems that may occur when you turn on your computer in this way. You will perform all of the above actions at your own peril and risk, and be solely responsible for possible problems that are not described in this article.

Therefore, if you do not have sufficient qualifications and knowledge, I recommend that you consult a specialist.

Computer breakdowns and malfunctions are an integral part of the device operation process. Breakdowns (damage) can be software and hardware. Software problems are directly related to software, while hardware means the breakdown of physical components computer system... Both groups of breakdowns require immediate and competent intervention by a specialist.

A computer power supply (or Power Supply) is a secondary element of a computer system, which is necessary to fill the nodes of a computer with an energy flow. direct current... Explaining in simple words. Power Supply is the power supply for the computer.

The need to connect a PS without auxiliary elements arises in such cases:

• The need to diagnose the operation of the device.
• In the process of renovation.
• When using multiple power supplies in one computer case.
• Diagnostics of the performance of new circuits.

Power Supply. General information. Power supply standard startup

Using an electrical power adapter helps protect your computer from frequent power outages. A mandatory element that comes with Power Supply is a fan (other names: cooler, cooler). It performs constant cooling of the PS, protects it from overheating, which can lead to breakdown.

The standard process for turning on the Power Supply involves pressing the "Start" button on the motherboard, which activates the process of powering the unit. There is a widespread belief that it is impossible to turn on the power supply without a motherboard, because it does not start without voltage, but this is just a delusion.

If when you press the power button of the computer, it does not turn on and does not react in any way, then we can assume that, most likely, the motherboard is out of order or the Power Supply is broken. Before buying new expensive components, you should diagnose the operation of existing ones.

How to turn on the power supply without a computer

To turn on the power supply without a computer, you should pay attention to the tables of the location of all the necessary contacts on the connector. The pins of a standard ATX block are shown in the table below:

• The three shaded pins (8, 13 and 16) are control signals, not power signals.
• "Power On" is pulled up on the resistor to the level of +5 Volts inside the power supply, and must be low level to turn on the power.
• "Power good" is kept low until the required voltage is generated at the other outputs.
• "+ 3.3V sence" wire is used for remote sensing.

Before you learn how to turn on the power supply without a computer, follow these tips: do not start the power supply without applying at least some kind of load. The circuit that converts electricity may break and then the ATX unit will need to be replaced. Such repairs can be quite costly.

How to start a power supply without a motherboard:

1. Close the Power On contact to zero. In almost all cases, it is colored green.
2. Short to ground - any contact colored black. It is enough to close just one. Closed contacts look like this:

1. If you are using a pin table, take the simplest paperclip and touch it to pins 15 and 16. So in a simple way you will close them. The above table will help you navigate the ATX PSU pins. After the required contacts have been closed, the Power Supply should start up. If this does not happen, then you can short-circuit the green wire and the other black one.
2. Try not to overload the Power Supply as much as possible. Connect to it for example HDD or floppy drive.

Chinese block manufacturers very often confuse the English color names gray and green, so the green wire can be gray. In any case, try to be guided by the table.

Replacing an ATX PSU is assumed in the event of a breakdown of an old copy or in the case when the constituent elements of a personal computer have been replaced: more powerful video cards, processors, motherboards, large quantity random access memory... In the case of such a PC upgrade, the power supply becomes unable to supply power to all the components of the PC. First of all, you need to remove the existing ATX element, install a new one and test its performance. You just need to know the basic concepts of circuitry and follow the instructions below:

1. Tools Required: A standard size Phillips screwdriver.
2. De-energize Personal Computer- this process involves pulling out the power cord from the power supply unit.
3. The next step is to remove the wall of the system unit, usually it is removed from the left side of the case by unscrewing a few screws.
4. Remove all accumulated dust from the computer components with a brush or vacuum cleaner. Please note that cleaning the computer from accumulated dust must be carried out at least once every six months.... Only after complete cleansing from dust, you can proceed to the next steps.

1. Disconnect all wires belonging to the PSU from other devices. Pay attention to the possible presence of special latches in the connectors. Do not pull out connected wires abruptly.
2. After disconnecting all the wires, unscrew the screws that attach the PSU to the computer's system PSU. This will remove the old PSU.
3. To connect a new power supply unit, repeat all steps exactly the opposite: fix it to the system unit, carefully connect all its wires to the necessary elements, connect a 220-volt electrical cord to the power supply unit.