Power supply Voltages/Amps quuestion

stevejazzx

OK i bought a power supply off boards user an ocz 520/620 peak watts
Now the power lead is 2 pin american type thing.
At the pin end(the end that goes to the wall) it's 16amp 250v and at the other end(the part that plugs into the computer) is 10amp 250v.
Now the adapter that comes with it is a satndard 5amp 250v. Is this ok will this be stable? Should it have an exact matched adapter or does the 5amp one handle the other 2 amp settings?
The system this will be running will be quite intensive so want to be sure.

Thanks

steve

lucernarian

5 amps shouldn't be a problem as 5*240 = 1200 Watts so unless you have monster power supply I wouldn't expect a problem. I'm not certain, mabye another user could clarify?

snappieT

To_be_confirmed wrote:

5 amps shouldn't be a problem as 5*240 = 1200 Watts so unless you have monster power supply I wouldn't expect a problem. I'm not certain, mabye another user could clarify?

Yeah, it should be fine.

Most PSUs either have a switch or can autoselect voltage, so you may as well just buy a kettle lead and plug it in without the voltage stepdown adapter thingy.
Doublecheck the PSU model number online though.

zilog_jones

stevejazzx wrote:

Now the power lead is 2 pin american type thing.

You should not be using a 2-pin plug of any sort. PC power supplies need to be earthed, so you need the third pin! Just get a standard BS1363 (UK/Irish) kettle kead with a 5 Amp fuse.

At the pin end(the end that goes to the wall) it's 16amp 250v and at the other end(the part that plugs into the computer) is 10amp 250v.

These are just the max. ratings of the actual plugs as there's no fuses or anything in them, i.e. they may start melting with higher currents. It'd be very dodgy for those plugs to be taking currents that high - your PC will only be about 2-3 Amps (I don't think the V*I=P calculation works with AC currents ).

Now the adapter that comes with it is a satndard 5amp 250v. Is this ok will this be stable? Should it have an exact matched adapter or does the 5amp one handle the other 2 amp settings?

What do you mean by "adapter"? Do you mean a stepdown transformer? You don't need one if it is - all PC PSUs are multi-votlage either via a switch on the back or auto detection. So just get a local kettle lead as said before.

stevejazzx

zilog_jones wrote:

What do you mean by "adapter"? Do you mean a stepdown transformer? You don't need one if it is - all PC PSUs are multi-votlage either via a switch on the back or auto detection. So just get a local kettle lead as said before.

Not a tramsformer
just a 2 pin to 3 (irish/english standard) pin adater,

mathias

Firstly ,

P = V x I does indeed work for AC currents when applied to peak , rms , and instantaneous values ,

Second , What needs to be taken into account here is the mains transformer or in the case of a switch mode supply like a pc , the primary versus the secondary power ,

The rule is ,
Power in the primary = power in the secondary ,

in this case power in the primary = 5 x 240 max , =1200W , power in the secondary is a sum of all the ( DC supply voltages x current drawn ) .

As an example , lets say the 5v rail draws 2 amps , thats 5 x 2 = 10 watts in the secondary , this would equate to 10 watts in the primary also , and that would mean that the current in the primary = 10/240 = 0.041 amps or 41 milliamps approx !!

So you see , a rating of 5 amp at 250 v on the mains side is very generous and should present no problems , you would have to draw approx 240 amps from the secondary 5v supply to reach its limit and start " melting wires "

Lastly ,
All pcs should be earthed , so try and get a 3 pin mains lead attached to that power supply , for safety reasons.

In terms of adaptors , american to 3 pin adapters typically have the earth as a metal strip along the top of the plug , when you plug your two pin american into the 3 pin adaptor the earth strip should make contact with the third earth pin on the 3 pin plug.

If it doesnt , dont use it and go and buy a standard 3 pin mains lead , should be less than 10 euro

Hope this helps.

zilog_jones

mathias wrote:

In terms of adaptors , american to 3 pin adapters typically have the earth as a metal strip along the top of the plug , when you plug your two pin american into the 3 pin adaptor the earth strip should make contact with the third earth pin on the 3 pin plug.

I think you're getting it mixed up with outside contact earthed Schuko plugs (used in most of mainland Europe) - there are 3-pin US plugs (see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/NEMA_connectors).

snappieT

Not a tramsformer
just a 2 pin to 3 (irish/english standard) pin adater,

Then defo just get a kettle lead. The PSU can handle 230V. Saves you clutter, worry, and chance of electrocution.