Need help with power supply.

[toddrocks]

I need help wiring a power supply to always be on after being plugged in. I want to eliminate the whole need to be connected to the motherboard jazz. Why would I want to do this you might ask yourself, well I am to cheap to buy a new power supply for my new video card which is a juice hog. I had an old tower laying around so I dedicated that old towers power supply to my video card and everything was made in the shade. Here is the problem my old lan party crew is starting to get active again and im getting tired of lugging around two towers. I'd like to just slap the second power supply somewhere out of the way inside my tower and be able to just plug it in and go!

I'm not afraid to shock myself to bajesus and back and im no fool i'll probably be using a different old power supply that hasnt sucked down a single amp in 4 years.

 

[flyin15sec]

This article might help you. Good luck!

http://www.computerpoweruser.com/editorial/article.asp?article=articles%2Farchive%2Fc0802%2F25c02%2F25c02.asp

 

[altazi]

flyin15sec, that might be a good article, but you need to be a paid subscriber to view the whole thing

toddrocks, I hope you have some extra cash saved to buy replacements for the components you smoke if you provide power to only some of the system. Your always-on PSU would supply +12V as soon as the system was plugged in, but the main PSU would be in the stand-by mode until you hit the power switch. This could cause undesired current flow which could damage your system. Designated add-in PSUs work in conjunction with the main PSU, they don't work against it.

I would just spring for a better main PSU; this is the best possible option. Next, I would consider tying the PS_ON signal from your main PSU and your auxiliary PSU together, but I would do more research on that before just doing it.

Edit: If you attempt to use a standard PSU as an auxiliary supply, be sure to meet the minimum loading requirements on all of the outputs, or the supply may not function properly. Minimum loads are required for regulation.

 

[flyin15sec]

Sorry, I must have hit a cache paged. Google "dual PSU" and you'll get a ton of hits with guides.