Fixed a power supply that everyone said was dead, here's what I learned

Had a customer's Dell Optiplex come in last month, completely dead. Everyone on the forums said to just swap the PSU and be done with it. I checked the caps and found a bulged one on the secondary side, swapped it for a 25 cent part from Mouser. Thing fired right up first try. Anyone else think we're too quick to toss power supplies instead of troubleshooting them?

2 comments

2 Comments

jade73816d ago

Oh man, I actually heard a similar story from this old electronics guy on YouTube. He said the same thing about how power supply caps are almost always the real issue on those Dells. I saw him recap one where the solder joints were all cracked on the connector pins too. It's wild how cheap caps can cause people to toss whole units when a 25 cent fix does the job. Honestly it makes me wonder how many perfectly good PSUs end up in the trash because nobody bothers to look at the caps first.

drew_patel5716d ago

The swollen top on a cap is usually a dead giveaway. I've found a lot of times you don't even need a multimeter, just look for bulging or crusty residue on the vents. Another thing is the glue they used to use on those old PSU boards, it turns conductive over time and causes all kinds of weird issues. So if you're recapping one, scrape that stuff off real careful with a toothpick or something. It's a solid 20 minute job if you know what you're doing.