Hi all. Gee, while I was typing my response to AndrewC, we got another reply. Wow you guys are quick, or I am just too slow on my typing skills. In the link provided to Cliff's Fanbus site, look at the LED schematics and circuits 4 & 5. One of them should do you quite well. Review the note & introdu...

AndrewC, Welcome to the forum. The 3-legged LED indicator you display has one common lead, usually the middle one and each outside one is a different colour. I.E. the "right" lead may be the "red" and the "left" lead may be the "green". This LED can be tested with a volt-ohm-meter. This can be a dig...

To Gekkani, Yes, I have heard ferritte cores whining or buzzing. Usually during high-current demands, etc. Also, a ferrite core is a little more than a piece of metal. In actuality, the core is compressed ferrite, an iron-based material and can easily be broken if dropped. To Elamb, WOW :shock: It a...

Doomer, I am no expert in these matters, but I do have some experiences. I have been a techie at a local electronics company for 30-years. Does that make me an expert? Not! Lots of experience. Anyway, to try & answer your question: the Seagate Barracuda IV could have a more-than-average current draw...

Hi all. Ferrite cores are to eliminate high frequency noise. You will see ferrite cores on video monitor cables, usually at the end where it terminates at the video card. Ferrite cores are readily available and should be "sized" for the wires (inductors) passing through them. The link that Fastman p...

Hi all. It's me, TerryW. Long time.... My thoughts on your predicament. I have heard that in rare occasions that elevated temperatures could cause extreme ripple (AC voltages) on the DC lines. The +5VDC is highly suspicious, as the +5 feeds all the digital control circuits such as the CPU, RAM, vide...

Hello, I don't specifically have an answer for you. However, this past weekend I ventured out & went to a local 'puter store & purchased a P3-500 mobo & CPU for $30.00 (Canadian $$). :lol: For your situation, you might consider looking in your local newspapers for new / used / refurbished computer s...

MikeC,
How is the review on acoustipack coming?
Two weeks is up.
Sorry, I couldn't resist the jab!
TerryW

To Keyz, From my understanding of electrical appliances in North America, each manufacturer is to provide their product model number, reference serial number, the operating voltage (VAC) and the wattage or VA ratings. :?: The math is simple: add up all the wattages together, add a 10 to 20% fudge fa...

Oops!

Why didn't I think of that?

Cheerio

TerryW

To Keyz, I don't specifically know much about the studio speakers, the mixing board or synthesizer. However, I do know about UPS & powerline conditioners. Generally speaking, the "VA" (Volt-Amperes) ratings is interchangeable with Wattage (though the VA may be a higher rating than the Watts). I woul...

Hi there. I agree with powergyoza WRT the tradeoffs. No matter how you look at it, one hot component, like the CPU or the PSU, will heatup other components as the heat passes by them. In my opinion and personal experiences WRT testing air convection in computers and other electronics, most enclosure...

Hi all, MuffinMan - Great article & great links. The APC products should do quite well for Keyz316! The APC products are widely recognized for UPS & power conditioning. Most of the server systems techies I know have several APC products in their stables. Some units are several thousand watts. I have...

Hi there, Up to now, the defacto standard for the power connectors to the FDD, HDD, CD-ROM, etc., have been MOLEX (an inexpensive product). If the pins are crimped properly and inserted into the mating connector bodies properly (hear a 'click' sound), they should provide years of reliable service. I...

Hi all. I feel compelled to reply to these messages. My electronics is a little rusty, so please bear with me. :wink: To NotSilentYet: Your circuit is an emitter-follower design. The base-emitter junction voltage of your transistor is around 0.6VDC at saturation. With your load (fan) in the emitter ...

Hi there. Like computer monitors, a TV has very high voltages for the picture tube. I don't want to bore you with the techy details why the voltage is there, but can safely say that colour monitors & TV sets can have voltages up to 30,000VDC and regulated to around 1mA! :!: Any stray body parts that...

Ah... But of course! Choose poor connectors = poor connections.

If using poor connectors, you might even let the smoke out of those solid state components, wiring, etc.

TerryW

Hi all. I have been using isopropanol alcohol (99% pure) for many years. This is like rubbing alcohol without the oil. If you clean up all the 'goopy stuff', the isopropanol alcohol doesn't leave any residual film behind. Ideal for CPU & new heatsink thermal compound materials. Available at most med...

Hi all. What I have done is to remove the offending harnesses and insert a 15 to 20-pin MOLEX connector with all the coloured wiring in a neat and orderly fashion (yellows together, reds together, etc.). Then I made a mating connector with only the connectors I needed. Another simpler idea is to bun...

Active PFC??

I always though that meant Private First Class!

Snicker-snicker

TerryW

Hi Crisspy! My 2-bits worth.... I have had good luck with using one of those 12VDC to 115VAC converters from TruePower. Much better than those from Radio Shack / Canadian Tire. As all PSU are switchers, they provide substantial filtering from their own internal transient-generating circuits and ther...

Crisspy, My turn to butt-in! My 2-bits.... Ooooo - A very detailed description for a fan controller, but not likely to be inexpensive. I am in awe - a fellow tehno-junkie after my own heart! Arise! Where do you get all these neat ideas? Do you spend your waking hours delving into techy manuals and r...

Hi all. I concur with larrymoencurly: the insulation of the transitor devices cannot be counted on for high-voltage isolation. In some instances, power transistors are internally connected from one lead connection to the case of the transistor (the case offers some heatsinking capabilities and provi...

Thanks MikeC :D Good comments & link. Many years ago, I used a variable DC circuit for an alarm for my classic Mustang. I started with connecting a Motorola MC7805 (3-terminal 5VDC regulator) onto the 12VDC souce and putting a potentiometer in the "common" lead to vary the output voltage from 5 to 1...

Hi there Shunx. I am no *expert* in switching PSU, but can only relate my experiences as a technician for over 30-years. I have seen most every type of PSU designs, & even designed & built some. The switching PSU is designed with multiple windings and/or multiple transformers to provide the various ...

Hi there.

My 2-bits worth: I like the links that Renod provided. Easy and straightforward. No "rocket-science" here!

Hi there.

What part of the country you live in?

I am sure that if you look in the 'phone book, you will find a lot of metal fabricators or sheetmetal shops that can help.

Good luck.

Hi Paul. I too live in the Vancouver area (Coquitlam). Aluminum can be found everywhere! Try a junk yard / recycle depot, or call up a local metal scrap dealer (I have made "deals" with scrap dealers). Another avenue is call up a computer surplus store & ask for old power supplies and strip out the ...

Hi. My thoughts: If you want to extend the leads of a thermistor, I recommend lengthening the wire leads & soldered the connections. Failing that, use a better connector system than those used for the case to mobo LED push-on connectors. You will want connector pins that are gold-flashed for low ohm...

Aw, MikeC. :shock: I agree there is a lot of hyp WRT hi-power supplies and how they are actually used. Yes it could be a marketing strategy. More Power (as Tim Allen says). One idea comes to mind though: for electrical approvals like CSA / ULc, etc., manufacturers need to define the maximum wattage ...