Converting a PSU to a Power Supply for Electrolysis

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Rick_B

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I pulled a Thermaltake TR2-430W PSU out of a computer headed to e-cycling with a plan to use it for power an electrolysis tank. The model number is XP550NP. I am having a problem keeping it running for more tan 20 or so seconds. What I ahve done so far:
1. Cut off all the connectors and bundled like colors
2. connected the green power on wire to a black ground
3. connected the brown sense wire to an orange 3.3V wire
4. using 12 volt bulbs I put a load on each primary rail - 1 amp on the 3.3V rail, 3 amps on the 5V rail and 2 amps on the 12V rail.

With this set up the PSU runs and all bulbs light for about 25 seconds then it shuts down. Looking for any and all ideas to get this running correctly.

Thanks
Rick
 
I had the same experience. I think certain supplies are a little too tightly internally controlled for general use.
 
I have power supplies coming out my ears. About what voltage and current are you looking for? I can probably just send you one. It may just be a PC Board type though with no enclosure, depending on what you are looking for.

It will have to be in about a week or so as I'm traveling for a few days starting Monday.
 
I find it strange it shuts down. Perhaps the PSU is faulty? Do you have an option of trying another one?

I love old ATX PSUs. I use them a lot for various things. When additional voltage adjustment is not necessary I found all ATX PSUs I use don't need any internal modifications to use as bench supplies. For modern ones I don't even need to add any load to unused rails.

My favourite ATX PSU is a 1000W unit I successfully managed to modify for 12V voltage rail control with a potentiometer (10 up to 15V) for up to 80 amps of lead acid battery charging(while monitoring of course).

There was one time few years ago my power line was down for over a week during a harsh winter and I managed to get by using 600ah of lead acid batteries (two sets of tractor batteries) connected to a 4kw inverter to power almost everything in the house(including automatic wood pellet furnace, underfloor heating pumps, a microwave etc) except the kettle. Running a gas generator for only a couple of hours twice per day charging the batteries with said PSU. That PSU, a Chinese "4kW" inverter and two sets of tractor lead acid batteries (discharged no more than to 60%) allowed me to put together an emergency power system using components I already had for one twentieth of what it should really cost. Also all my neighbors were running generators all day long to keep their central heating running while I used very little fuel in comparison.

Another time I discovered my car battery was flat on the morning when I was supposed to go to a very important work meeting in another city.... That 80amp psu put enough charge in the 60ah diesel car battery to start it in 15 minutes (in winter, it heated it up well too).
 
Computer power supplies with the soft power control are controlled by the motherboard.

Older ones controlled by line power switch.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk
 
Try connecting the brown sense wire to the 5v rail instead
Traditionally the 5v is the reference for the regulation in many supplies
 
Last edited:
tq60 said:
Computer power supplies with the soft power control are controlled by the motherboard.

Older ones controlled by line power switch.

Sent from my SM-G781V using Tapatalk
Click to expand...
AT Power supplies are switch controlled, they were phased out in 1990s :), but are still popular with retro PC enthusiasts.

All modern power supplies (ATX) are operated by the motherboard.
markba633csi said:
Try connecting the brown sense wire to the 5v rail instead
Traditionally the 5v is the reference for the regulation in many supplies
Click to expand...

Let's start by trying to find out which pin this "brown sense wire" was going to in the plug? Can you post a photo?

Your standard ATX PSU has power good (grey wire) that tells the MB the PSU is ready and it has a green power on wire that tells it to power on when shorted to ground. The motherboard has no facility to do anything with a sense wire. When there is one it is typically shorted to one of the pins on the plug itself.
 
The brown sense wire is shorted to a 3.3 V orange wire in the motherboard molex connector - the brown and orange are in the same pin hole.

Rick
 
Reddinr said:
I have power supplies coming out my ears. About what voltage and current are you looking for? I can probably just send you one. It may just be a PC Board type though with no enclosure, depending on what you are looking for.

It will have to be in about a week or so as I'm traveling for a few days starting Monday.
Click to expand...
That's a very generous offer - if I can't get this to work I may go in a different direction. I will definitely keep this option in mind.

Rick
 
To clarify - I have the following wires
bundle of black (ground)
Bundle of orange (3.3V)
bundle of red (5V)
bundle of yellow (12V)
single wire - green, grey, purple, brown, blue and white

Rick
 
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