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Power supply question:

Due to the way our offices have expanded, all of our electronics have ended up in a public space, our large waiting room. We were going to build a traditional server closet. However since we work with children and families, we decided to build a glassed in room (4x4x8feet) and "mod" it to really impress the kids. We are going to have a lot of mods in here, and want to have a separate power supply. Since power supplies will not turn on unless they are plugged into a load or MB, is there a safe way to turn one on without the motherboard?

Also, is there a way to connect 22 cold cathodes, fans, LEDs to one power supply without having to use 20 Y-splitters?

i forgot which lines..., but you could put a paperclip on the motherboard PS connector and it would "trick" it into thinking there is a motherboard there and would run as such. I want to say it was the 2nd and 6th wire, but im not 100% sure. Dont try it until you know its the right wires, i dont want you breaking your PSU

You can use a 12V relay to switch on the power supply off of one of the computers (some modern PSUs have external molex connectors. You should be able to rig something to not use a lot of Y splitters but depends on the knowledge of electronics (not computers) we're talking about.

Originally posted by Absolut Talent
i forgot which lines..., but you could put a paperclip on the motherboard PS connector and it would "trick" it into thinking there is a motherboard there and would run as such. I want to say it was the 2nd and 6th wire, but im not 100% sure. Dont try it until you know its the right wires, i dont want you breaking your PSU

Absolut is talking about the green wire in the mobo connector and any black wire (you're grounding the green wire). There's only one green one too.

Yeah but wouldn't all those accesories OL the psu?

Originally posted by Karchiveur
Yeah but wouldn't all those accesories OL the psu?

not always just toss the lights and fans on till it wont start easier then doing the math.
paper clip is good for always on and relay for when the PC is on. With the server you may want a switch instead if there are times when you want your toys off.
the color pin to find is easiy to find as its the only one that color all others are 3.3/5/12 and are 2-3 each that color

if you want tell me everything you have and i can build a conventional 12V supply. then you wont have to worry about it overloading since i can but a breaker in it. mainly i need to know how many amp to make it (wich determines how big a transformer i need). Where exactly is this going to be done? if its not to far i can come out and do all the wiring for ya.

So hold on. The server is going into a glass case in the waiting area? I cant wait to see the look on the IT guys face when you tell him that one.