Hi guys, im thinking about hacking up a computer power supply to use as a desktop power supply for electronics projects, plenty of regulated positive and negative supply voltages tapped straight out of the transformer. Was thinking using bullet style terminals for ease of connection.

anybody tried this before?

Yes, pretty simple. So you will have 3.3V, 5V and 12V supplies (-12V as well). Total current will be stated on the PSU itself.

 

You won't get anything out of the supply until the wake pins are shorted together. http://www.howtogeek.com/172933/how-can-i-test-my-computers-power-supply/

 

You can have several individual outputs at different voltages or join them all together to create one output per voltage.

I did this to drive a car stereo in a reception room (car units are small, cheap, inobtrusive, and are multi-function) Worked a treat.

You can buy project power supplies with fused supplies for not much more than a good spec psu.

Maplins and RS sell them

If you want a computer PSU to last i think you have to have some load on it all times, i'm not sure if that means all of them. Just something i read before when I was using one to power a 12V charger

 

Green wire and any black one will soft start the PSU

I use an old PC PSU with one of these at home.

 

http://dangerousprototypes.com/docs/ATX_Breakout_Board

http://www.instructables.com/id/Convert-A-Computer-Power-supply-to-a-Bench-Top-Lab/

 

May be of use.