A friend of mine just gave me a fancy gamer computer power supply.
It has 3.3V output as well as 12V. Any reason I couldn't use this to test various sensors and accessories? You know, power window motors, coolant temp sensors, that kind of thing. Anyone ever use one of these for this purpose? I'm tired of hooking up a nearly dead spare battery to the charger in order to test 12v components.
I'm assuming that this is 12v dc...
Looks like an ATX power supply. Even though it has a switch, it will not turn on. You have to jump the green wire to a black wire on the main connector. Paper clip works fine.
The yellow wires are 12V and the red wires are 5V The black wires are ground.
Most ATX supply's don't generate a lot of current for 12V.
Give it a shot, whats the worst that could happen?
I find them handy for that sort of thing, they have inbuilt short and overload protection, though if you beat on one long enough they start getting out of alignment. Of course, ATX PSUs pretty much grow on trees so it's no big deal.
It'll work fine and provide enough power for just about anything - even fairly high-load devices if you're careful about where you connect them (for example, the GPU power connectors are usually on a separate "rail" that can handle high loads).
I would go to Radio Shack and pick up a 120v to 12.6v transformer, a full wave bridge rectifier, a 100uF capacitor w/bleed down 1k resistor, power switch and fuse. Then use a scavenged power cord and mount everything to a pine board. Might have to play with a resistor or two to get the voltage between 14.4V and 12.6V. I'd be into it for less than $20, I bet.
Don't forget the danger warnings!
RossD wrote: I'd be into it for less than $20, I bet.
Mezzanine wrote: A friend of mine just gave me a fancy gamer computer power supply.
I think free beats $20 any day. 
Holy hell I just looked up the specs and that is a bloody expensive, ultra-high-end PSU! I thought it was just a little better than average based on the capacity, but far from it!
Sell that for half the retail price, then buy a cheapo PSU for $20 and enjoy your Benjamin alongside an equally useful bench PSU. Hell you can get better gaming PSUs for a lot less than that, like the one in my PC. (Cost me $160)
I bet if you try to crank the starter over with it, you'll test the overload protection! 
Hell if y'all are needing these I can yank them from machines in cold storage. Granted shipping would prob cost $10-20 depending on where and the size of the box needed. My boss just gave me a 750 watt supply he had sitting on his shelf and a cooler master case.
I took some IDE hard drive power supple cables, clipped the hard drive end off, and stuck alligator clips on. Then I could start bench-testing stuff.
To bench test I use a used car battery or my handy dandy HF jump start pack. Usually one or the other is sitting in my garage. or both.
rcutclif wrote: To bench test I use a used car battery or my handy dandy HF jump start pack. Usually one or the other is sitting in my garage. or both.
This is what I've always done and I am tired of it. Which is why I was super excited when I heard my coworker mention he had just brought this PSU in for anyone that wanted it.
GameboyRMH, I like the way you think. I might post it on eBay or craigslist and see if I get any bites. If that works out, I'll buy a cheaper unit and the terminals I want to make a nice test bench and pocket the change.
Fujioko, thanks for the jumpering advice- it worked exactly as you described.
fujioko wrote: Looks like an ATX power supply. Even though it has a switch, it will not turn on. You have to jump the green wire to a black wire on the main connector. Paper clip works fine. The yellow wires are 12V and the red wires are 5V The black wires are ground. Most ATX supply's don't generate a lot of current for 12V. Give it a shot, whats the worst that could happen?
I did exactly this to get a replacement stereo for my sister's corolla sorted out.
I loaded different/better GPS software onto the unit before fitting it in her car, as the software that came standard was pretty basic. So I played with it on my office desk to ensure everything worked properly. It worked a charm. I don't think it would provide a whole heap of current (so an amp, for instance, wouldn't work) but for small devices it works great.
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