Replace fuse in PC power supply (electronics)

[Deluks]

I had my PSU go bang last night, it was working fine in another system a few days ago, but when I hooked it up to another (working) system, it blew. Opened her up (don't try this at home kids!) saw the the removable fuse had blown, blackened inside the glass tube.

I have a few other spare PSU's lying around, and found a similar sized fuse in one of them, but the markings were different. The blown one was a f6.3al250v, the other replacement one was a t6,3l250v. What do these markings mean, what's the difference between the 2 fuses? Can I use the older fuse to troubleshoot this PSU (ie, if it starts up I'll know just to get a new fuse with the right markings)

 

[Igorian]

I wouldn't bother trying to troubleshoot the PSU. The faults are often caused by failing caps and replacing one is not really an option if you want to do it properly.

 

[breezer]

why not put one of the working psu's in instead?

 

[Deluks]

why not put one of the working psu's in instead?

Cos they don't have the 4pin 12v cpu power plug, plus they are only low wattage, a 200w and a 250w.

Anyway, I tried this other fuse, and the exact same thing happened, loud bang, flash etc. Looks like I'll be taking a trip to the tip with a bagful of PSU's

Anyone used Seasonic?

 

[Spark123]

An F6.3 is a fastblow 6.3Amp fuse.
A T6.3 is a time delayed 6.3Amp fuse.
They both have different characteristics, they are not generally interchangable. Sounds like something has gone really wrong with it, though trying the time delayed one may have sealed its fate.

 

[Igorian]

Anyone used Seasonic?

Yes, they are good, but Enermax are better, if you have the budget.

 

[plugwash]

and replacing one is not really an option if you want to do it properly.

caps in a PSU should be far easier than caps on a motherboard and even they are far from impossible. However component level replacements especially in something like a PSU aren't really beginner territory especially if you don't have schematics or at least details of which parts are likely to fail and what the correct replacements are.

lack of a 12V plug for the motherboard sounds like something that can be rectified easilly enough with a little soldering work but as you say the power ratings are probablly a bit on the low side for running a modern PC. I guess you could always use two one for the motherboard and one for the drives.

 

[Deluks]

Anyone used Seasonic?

Yes, they are good, but Enermax are better, if you have the budget.

It is (was) an Enermax!!!


My main pc, also has an enermax, this is the one that I posted about a few weeks back, with the random shutdowns. I thought I'd cured it after upgrading from P4 to Core 2, but it started happening again recently.

So if Enermax is better than Seasonic, what's better than an Enermax?

 

[Igorian]

and replacing one is not really an option if you want to do it properly.

caps in a PSU should be far easier than caps on a motherboard and even they are far from impossible. However component level replacements especially in something like a PSU aren't really beginner territory especially if you don't have schematics or at least details of which parts are likely to fail and what the correct replacements are.

lack of a 12V plug for the motherboard sounds like something that can be rectified easilly enough with a little soldering work but as you say the power ratings are probablly a bit on the low side for running a modern PC. I guess you could always use two one for the motherboard and one for the drives.

It's not the degree of difficulty, it's the fact that replacing one of the caps is not really an option , as all of them should be replaced at the same time. I agree, SM supplies should be treated with caution at the best of times.

 

[Igorian]

Anyone used Seasonic?

Yes, they are good, but Enermax are better, if you have the budget.

It is (was) an Enermax!!!


My main pc, also has an enermax, this is the one that I posted about a few weeks back, with the random shutdowns. I thought I'd cured it after upgrading from P4 to Core 2, but it started happening again recently.

So if Enermax is better than Seasonic, what's better than an Enermax?

Go for one of the Enermax Galaxy range. Cost is around £200 for the top of the range model. They have extremely stable independant 12V rails.

Don't get me wrong though, Seasonic are also extremely good, although the lower voltage rails aren't as stable as the Galaxy.