13 May
2006
13 May
'06
12:11 p.m.
Rumor has it that Gordon JC Pearce may have mentioned these words:
jim stephens wrote:
See Tom's previous response of MTBF. I'm not trying to *get* the PS started
- I'm trying to *keep* it running for a very long time. If the minimum load
on a switcher isn't provided, the regulation circuitry can start
oscillating, and eventually swing wider & wider off the target voltage,
with the possibility of eventually destroying the PS. Once the PS is dead,
the target equipment (assuming the PS didn't take it along to the happy
hunting grounds) will cease their functioning, resulting in (prolly quite a
few) unhappy customers[1].
Dennis Boone wrote:
what happens when you hook up some extra IDE drives? I have never had
them fail to come
up with a couple of extra IDE drives hooked up. I don't recall what the
Dale resitors were in the
I've never seen a power supply that wouldn't start with an IDE drive
attached. Come to that, I haven't seen one that wouldn't start with just
the 12v line loaded, but I can believe it happens. > The
problem is I need to use a PC power supply (AT-class with it's
own > >
power switch) as a 12V power source, and the only one I have
access to > > needs a minimum load of 3Amp on the +5Volt line.
> I can't see where you'd need to sink 15w to get
it running - is the 3A
minimum from the spec sheet?
Yup. Found the spec sheet for exactly that PS at Jameco's website.
Have you tried it with less?
Unforch, I don't have enough time for 'try' - I only have time for "do it
as right as possible under the time constraints." That's why I was trying
to overshoot the spec instead of 'getting away with' undershooting it.
Thankfully, RatShack had power resistors (and amazingly, *enough* of them)
that I can goad into working so the discussion is moot, yet still
interesting. ;-)
Believe you me, tho - I'll get some "good" power resistors on order from
Mouser next week, just in case I'm expected to perform the miracle again... ;-)
Anywho, thanks for all the insight - I've already got the first bank
soldered up & have to put the PS under load to see how things go...
Thanks again!
Roger "Merch" Merchberger
[1] Not to mention my (or one of my cow-orkers, who at that time would
rightly be pissed at me) needing to drive nearly 100 miles to replace said
PS and possibly other equipment to make the unhappy customers less
unhappy... That type of 'job performance' tends not to look good on
employee review day... ;-)
--
Roger "Merch" Merchberger | Anarchy doesn't scale well. -- Me
zmerch at 30below.com. |
SysAdmin, Iceberg Computers