Power Supplies + Power Protection

Question 1

What are the two types of electricity?

Answer 1

AC (Alternating Current) and DC (Direct Current)

Question 2

AC - Alternating Current

Answer 2

The electricity changes direction constantly and comes straight from the electrical outlet.

Question 3

DC - Direct Current

Answer 3

This type of electricity flows in one direction and gives our electronics + computers a usable source of energy. It has less voltage power than AC (alternating current) that comes straight from the outlet.

Question 4

What’s the purpose of a power supply box?

Answer 4

It allows power to flow from the outlet plug into the power supply. It has an on/off button.

Question 5

What do power supplies do?

Answer 5

They are a step-down transformer that converts AC power from the wall outlet to DC power for the computer.

Question 6

Voltage

Answer 6

• described as the “pressure” of electricity
• pushes the electricity forward

Question 7

current amperage

Answer 7

• amount of the electricity coming out that is measured in amps
• pulls the electricity

Question 8

wattage

Answer 8

• amount of volts and amps your device needs
• volts x amps = wattage

Question 9

For providing power to motherboards, what connectors do you use?

Answer 9

You use standard connectors like 20-24 pin ATX and 4-8 pin P4.

Question 10

For providing power to peripherals and drives, you use what connectors?

Answer 10

SATA and Molex connectors

Question 11

What are the 3 main colors of cords that provide DC power to ATX motherboards?

Answer 11

• yellow: 12 volt
• red: 5 volt
• orange: 3.3 volt

Question 12

ATX12V Extension Power and P4 connector

Answer 12

An extension to the original ATX power supply that give more electricity to the motherboard. The P4 connector (4-8 pin) gives power to the CPU.

You have two of the ATX12V Power Extensions, but you can use 1 or 2, depending on the motherboard.

Question 13

Molex connectors

Answer 13

• used for providing power to peripherals and drives
• provide both 5 and 12 volt power

Question 14

mini connector

Answer 14

• used to provide power to floppy drives, but still in use today

Question 15

In the power supply box, what are all the parts that come with it?

Answer 15

• The power supply unit itself
• the fan
• the voltage information on the sticker (bottom or side)
• cables for motherboard power
• power cable to connect to the outlet’s electricity

Question 16

What aspects of a computer affect how much wattage you need for it?

Answer 16

• The processing speed of the CPU
• The amount of hard drives for the system
• The amount of video cards and what class they are

Question 17

The box of a power supply tells you the wattage. When will you get this amount of wattage?

Answer 17

When the power supply is at peak performance.

Question 18

You should get a power supply with ___ wattage than what your system needs.

Answer 18

More. You should get a power supply with more wattage than what your system needs, because it might need more than what you buy sometimes.

Question 19

What’s the purpose of the 80 Plus Rating System?

Answer 19

It tells you what your system needs in wattage by the voltage when you are shopping for a power supply for your system. The rating system is Plus, Bronze, Silver, Platinum, and Titanium.

Question 20

What is the best way to know a power supply is working?

Answer 20

Test it.

Question 21

What is a slow death of power supply?

Answer 21

Compared to a fast death, this isn’t as bad - it causes intermittent problems like unexpected shutdowns or rebooting. You need to verify the voltage of the slow-dying system by using a PSU tester or multimeter for testing, and the voltmeter to check voltage.

Question 22

What is fast death of your power supply?

Answer 22

This is the worst death of your power supplies. It manifests as a burning smell, smoking, or both. You need to unplug it from the electrical outlet.

Question 23

What is the purpose of electrical grounding?

Answer 23

a way to transport excess electrical discharge away from the connected components

Grounding provides a way to safely transport any excess electrical charges away from the device receiving the voltage. This prevents the electrical spike from causing damage directly to the connected device.

Question 24

In the United States, what is the standard voltage for alternating current?

Answer 24

110v to 120v

In the U.S., it is standard to use 110v to 120v of alternating current. Europe’s standard is to use 220v to 240v. In the U.S., 220v to 240v is sometimes used for large appliances, but this is not the standard in the U.S.

Question 25

redundant power supply

Answer 25

secondary power supply that provides power to a device in case of power failure.

Question 26

modular power supply

Answer 26

power supply that is not permanently attached to the device. This provides the potential for additional power connections to the device.

Question 27

How to determine the wattage requirement for the power supply, you:

Answer 27

add all of the wattage ratings for the individual components

Question 28

wattage ratings

Answer 28

or power rating, is the total capacity of the power supply. This must be high enough to meet the total power demands of all components in the computer. The number and types of devices or components in any given computer determine what wattage rating is needed for the power supply. They also determine what types of connectors are needed to ensure that you can connect the power supply to each device. The type of case the computer is in also needs to be considered to ensure that the power supply physically fits properly.

Question 29

wattage ratings

Answer 29

or power rating, is the total capacity of the power supply. This must be high enough to meet the total power demands of all components in the computer. The number and types of devices or components in any given computer determine what wattage rating is needed for the power supply. They also determine what types of connectors are needed to ensure that you can connect the power supply to each device. The type of case the computer is in also needs to be considered to ensure that the power supply physically fits properly.