VOGONS


First post, by egbertjan

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I am building a system on a Asus P5A-B rev 1.04 with a AMD-K6-2/500 CPU. I use a PSU of which name and specs are on the photo.

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On one of the other photo's is a picture of the Power Management page of the BIOS. Here are shown the different voltages as measured bij the BIOS. The 3.3 V part shows an error. The voltage is 4.0 V, a difference of about 20%. Does anyone know wether or not the to high voltage(s) can do any harm to the motherboard and/or the rest of the system? The system, as far as I built it, starts correct and nothing seems to go wrong.

Reply 1 of 17, by Repo Man11

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More concerning than the 3.3 volt rail being out of spec is the power supply itself - that is a very low end unit, and I would not trust it. I especially wouldn't trust it with a motherboard as rare and difficult to replace as a P5A-B.

There is a review here, it was found to be marginal. And that's when it was new; power supplies often do not age well.

http://ixbtlabs.com/articles2/power/rk-psu11.html

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Reply 2 of 17, by rasz_pl

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Asus used some crappy sensing chips that seem to fail in this precise way of reading too high voltage, but its also possible to be your supply. Best to validate with multimeter.

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Reply 3 of 17, by BitWrangler

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I'm thinking it's maybe got no real load on it.

Unicorn herding operations are proceeding, but all the totes of hens teeth and barrels of rocking horse poop give them plenty of hiding spots.

Reply 4 of 17, by Doornkaat

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BitWrangler wrote on 2023-07-22, 04:07:

I'm thinking it's maybe got no real load on it.

The ATX standard requires positive voltages to be within +/-5% and negative voltages within +/-10% of specification regardless of load.
If that reading is accurate this PSU is bad.

Reply 5 of 17, by shevalier

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God, when people will start reading manuals...

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Reply 7 of 17, by shevalier

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egbertjan wrote on 2023-07-22, 16:25:

Thank you, but the jumper was set correct to 3,5 V.

Then you are completely out of luck.
Asus motherboards with a Vio jumper fully do not use the 3.3V power rail from the power supply.
It is generated directly on the motherboard.
So the board is damaged.

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Reply 8 of 17, by BitWrangler

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Though flip the board and check for a whisker or something connecting that 4V jumper under.

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Reply 11 of 17, by Socket3

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shevalier wrote on 2023-07-22, 14:14:

God, when people will start reading manuals...

That BIOS screen shows PSU output voltages, it has nothing to do with the mainboard manual.

egbertjan wrote on 2023-07-21, 21:57:

20230720_210928.jpg

That PSU is bottom of the barrel stuff I like to call Schrodinger's Power Supply (will it or will it not let out magic smoke next time I power it on). Others call them "Firecrackers".

Please, get rid of that thing. It was bad when it was new, it's certainly a lot worse 20+ years later... Try looking for a 250-350w ATX PSU out of an OEM machine, you can find them online or at recycling centers for pennies. FSP is my go-to brand for cheap reliable PSUs, Delta Electronics is another good OEM brand, and there are so many more. You can also opt for a modern 300w 80+ PSU if you want to, Super 7 boards are not very picky about 5V rail amperage. I'd still go with a vintage PSU, as new units lack -5v, -12v or both, and some ISA sound cards need those.

Last edited by Socket3 on 2023-07-22, 18:42. Edited 1 time in total.

Reply 12 of 17, by shevalier

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Socket3 wrote on 2023-07-22, 18:38:
shevalier wrote on 2023-07-22, 14:14:

God, when people will start reading manuals...

That BIOS screen shows PSU output voltages, it has nothing to do with the mainboard manual.

Yep, especially when the board is connected to an AT power supply
asus-p5a-b-socket-7-system-board-atx-power-fits-at-case-1.18__20699.1490258614.jpg?c=2

big image
http://hw-museum.cz/data/mb/pic/Asus_P5A-B_F.jpg

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JetWay K8T8AS, Athlon DH-E6 3000+, Radeon HD2600Pro AGP, Audigy 2 Value

Reply 13 of 17, by TheMobRules

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shevalier wrote on 2023-07-22, 18:42:

Yep, especially when the board is connected to an AT power supply

OP is using an ATX unit, he even attached a photo to the first post. While the form factor is Baby AT, it has power connections for both AT and ATX power supplies.

Reply 14 of 17, by happycube

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LC... I think that's a Deer brand. Their first few models were an attempt to make decent PSU's, but they gave up pretty quickly.

Throw it in e-waste after cutting the power wires from it so nobody's tempted to rescue it.

Seriously, it's that dodgy!

Reply 15 of 17, by Tetrium

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I would definitely not use that PSU. Like others have already mentioned, it was bad even back when it was new. That thing may even be a fire hazard now.
I'd highly recommend you use a PSU that is not that brand and stop using it ASAP unless you really know what you are doing.

P5A-B is a nice board. Would be a shame if the PSU damages it. Or if it damages you or your other belongings.

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Reply 16 of 17, by Zerthimon

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Socket3 wrote on 2023-07-22, 18:38:

That PSU is bottom of the barrel stuff I like to call Schrodinger's Power Supply (will it or will it not let out magic smoke next time I power it on). Others call them "Firecrackers".

Firestarter.
https://youtu.be/wmin5WkOuPw

Reply 17 of 17, by Repo Man11

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Zerthimon wrote on 2023-07-24, 18:05:
Socket3 wrote on 2023-07-22, 18:38:

That PSU is bottom of the barrel stuff I like to call Schrodinger's Power Supply (will it or will it not let out magic smoke next time I power it on). Others call them "Firecrackers".

Firestarter.
https://youtu.be/wmin5WkOuPw

I much prefer this version: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CDXNfe2W8c8

"I'd rather be rich than stupid" - Jack Handey