The PSU (Power Supply Unit) is the box which the power cable connects to on the I/O (input/output) panel. All of the power to the motherboard and other hardware comes from this supply. The two types of power supply are…
- AC – Alternating current
n The direction of the current alternates providing an efficient way of providing power over long distances
- DC – Direct current
n The power runs from negative charge to positive charge, always in the same direction. Good for short distances
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| A typical power supply |
Externally, the plug socket provides the PSU with 110-115V AC current. The PSU then coverts the AC to DC and sends the required voltage to each individual piece of hardware (either 5V or 12V). The PSU gives out all of the different voltages using different connectors for each piece of hardware. They are as follows…
· P1
o Provides motherboard with power
o 20 or 24 pins
o This connector is the largest of all the connectors
· P4
o ATX12V 4-pin power connector
o Connects to motherboard to supply dedicated power to the processor
o High end motherboards and processors need more power, EPS12V , and therefore have an 8 pin connector
· 4-pin Peripheral
o Smaller connectors that go to the various disk drives of the computer
o Four wires
o two black both ground
o one red +5V
o one yellow +12V
· Mini-connector
o One of the smallest connectors
o Supplies the floppy drive
o Can be used as an auxiliary connector for AGP video cards
o Configured similar to 4-pin Peripheral connector
· Auxiliary power
o There are several types of auxiliary connectors designed to provide additional power if it is needed
· Serial ATA
o 15-pin connector for components which use SATA power plugs
o supplies power at three different voltages
o +3.3V
o +5V
o +12V
· 6-pin
o Generally used for PCI Express graphics cards
o Can output a maximum of 75 W
· 6-pin + 2
o Allows for backwards compatibility
o PCI Express graphics cards
o 6 or 8 pin can be connected with this connector
· C14 IEC connector
o “The kettle lead connector”
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| This shows a typical connectors on a PSU |
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