my powersupply fan stopped working today, is it vital

[bigslammer]

the powersupply fan just stopped working today but everything seems fine. stable and I've put my hand next to the PS and it ,doesn't seem too hot. basically i've got a case fan near my PS and that serves to circulate air, and a little fan on the other side. my only concern is whether or not the capacitors, transistors etc will get super hot and will ruin anything in my case. seems to me that this isn't as big a concern as I first thought. been up and running for 5 hours with no probs so far. thx in advance

[drdeath]

whoa! that is really wierd! i just had the EXACT same problem! i dont have the money to get a new PS right now, so i was just sitting here waiting for it to burn out or something - but everything seems fine so far... anyone have any info on this? is it really bad to leave it like that?

[Dominus]

Well, if you hear a big *SNAP* and your comp goes dead, you know what the problem is /forum/smile.gif.

[scotter]

you can replace the fan your self most power supplys just use a stardard 80mm 12volt fan you can get at most computer stores for less than $10.00 /forum/smile.gif if you can add a 80mm fan to your case you can replace the fan in your ps it's not that hard just make sure you unplug it first /forum/smile.gif

[Dave_H]

Remember
If your computer catches on fire, unplug it before you put water on it.

Go get a fan and spend the ten bucks, It's cheeper than any of the alternatives.

Or "you'll be sorry"

[KillerBug]

Ya, get a new fan, you can wire it into the old internal line, or just run the power line out and connect it to an interneal case plug.

[welsh wizard]

Get a new fan fast or just ask who's for bacon and egg, and the System will supply the chips /forum/wink.gif
WW

[bigslammer]

that is weird what are the chances of this happening at the same time drdeath? well I've taken the side panel off the powersupply and now my case fan sort of blows air into it. but back to the original question of whether or not there are any extremely hot parts(capacitors etc) inside my powersupply that absolutely needs cooling. put my hand near the parts inside and didn't feel anything particularly hot(not recommended, don't do this, but I'm too curious for my own good). so is it analagous to a voodoo3 chip which only has a heatsink but really should have a fan too, but works regardless without fan. the PS should have a fan sucking air out but is a fan vital(like a fan on cpu) or somewhat optional (like a fan on the Voodoo3 chip). thx

[Gene C.]

welsh wizard, give you a 10+ on that one. you can run the system with the cover off. and if a short cause the power supply to die. than when supply shorts the system. you have two shorts. and so the long side of the story is. if you live by a radio shack. they carry the fans. or do a search for someone that has had a power supply go ban. and will sell you the fan. did you take the supply apart and see if it is clogged up with dust?

[richamies]

The fan in the PSU is fairly VITAL!!!! ive worked at an IBM brokerage for a couple of years and i cannot reccomend using a pc without one. the fans are the same as the case fans so just go get a replacement... If the caps do go then you will certainly wish you had! they absolutely stink, and trust me it aint worth risking. if the psu goes ive seen the mobo go down more times than not, all of a sudden the $10 doesnt seem so bas does it? maybe the $20 for a new PSU might be a little wiser instead..... the components inside are fairly tolerant of heat but I'd still reccomend swapping it....

[drdeath]

i went rummaging thru my closet full of old computer **** (ive been collecting it for years /forum/smile.gif) and i managed to find an old busted power supply from a 486 i used to have - ripped out the fan and spiced it into the wires inside the PS in my comp and its working great now.

thanx for all the info guys! i have a cool PS again! /forum/smile.gif

[bigslammer]

thx i'll go grab an old ps and pop in that fan asap. deep down i kinda knew it was porbably a must consider all the components in system but I'm trying not to mess with the hardware now that we are in finals week. i wish i would have actually studied during the quarter. doh doh doh. well i'll study after the Simpsons. doh doh doh /forum/smile.gif.

[welsh wizard]

When changing fan keep unprotected fingers away from the big cap,or you'll soon wish you had.
WW

[bigslammer]

thx WW I'll try to remember. how's everything going with your recovery, well it must be going well cuz you're sense of humor is still present /forum/smile.gif. anyways if you don't see a post from me in the next couple of days then I didn't keep my fingers far enough /forum/smile.gif hehe.

[welsh wizard]

Going to try keyboard throwing soon, just can't decide which to use MS HP or compaq /forum/smile.gif
WW

[dawgtuff]

The reason the fan is there is to cool off the 120v.AC /12v.DC transformer.If you have a 300 watt PS with little load,that's maybe why you don't feel any heat....My advice is to put some kind of fan on the xformer! You neeeevverrr know what may happen if you don't!...DawgTuff.

[U-96]

My thoughts exactly, dawg. Its the transformer that need the circulation. By the way, don't touch anything shiny and copper coloured.

Oh, and leave the power cable CONNECTED. That will earth it (assuming your local system gives you an earth). Just make DARNED sure that the socket switch is OFF. Otherwise you won't be feeling your limbs for a while. If you are lucky. (I think it was skywalker[TSG] who went to ER after something like this...)

U-96

[bigslammer]

yikes!!! just replaced the fan no prob and now it has cool air blowing into it instead of out. no ER experience here

[Bob-NB]

You should take the fan out and turn it around so the air is coming out.

Otherwise, you are blowing the hot air out of the PS into your case.

Many systems used to be built this way, but lessons were learned and now all PS's blow out.

[dexmax]

Almost all PS from those w/ PC/XT's, 286/AT, 386-586, to modern PS, have still the same PS fans(8cm 12V DC). If you got some old PS, you could get the fan, it hope it still works. I got a PS fan from my XT w/c I threw back in 1992 in my back yard. The case was all rusted up and the PS case too. Got the fan out and tried it on a 12Volt supply. It still worked, and seemed better than my new ones, nahhh.