Primary Function of a Power Supply

A power supply is a hardware component that supplies power to an electrical device. It receives
power from an electrical outlet and converts the current from AC (alternating current) to DC
(direct current), which is what the computer requires. It also regulates the voltage to an
adequate amount, which allows the computer to run smoothly without overheating. The Power
Supply an integral part of any computer and must function correctly for the rest of the
components to work.
You can locate the power supply on a system unit by simply finding the input where the power
cord is plugged in. Without opening your computer, this is typically the only part of the power
supply you will see. If you were to remove the power supply, it would look like a metal box with a
fan inside and some cables attached to it. Of course, you should never have to remove the
power supply, so it's best to leave it in the case.
While most computers have internal power supplies, many electronic devices use external ones.
For example, some monitors and external hard drives have power supplies that reside outside
the main unit. These power supplies are connected directly to the cable that plugs into the wall.
They often include another cable that connects the device to the power supply. Some power
supplies, often called "AC adaptors," are connected directly to the plug (which can make them
difficult to plug in where space is limited). Both of these designs allow the main device to be
smaller or sleeker by moving the power supply outside the unit.
Since the power supply is the first place an electronic device receives electricity, it is also the
most vulnerable to power surges and spikes. Therefore, power supplies are designed to handle
fluctuations in electrical current and still provide a regulated or consistent power output. Some
include fuses that will blow if the surge is too great, protecting the rest of the equipment. After
all, it is much cheaper to replace a power supply than an entire computer. Still, it is wise to
connect all electronics to a surge protector or UPS to keep them from being damaged by
electrical surges.
The basic function of the power supply is to convert the type of electrical power available at the
wall socket to the type the computer circuitry can use. The power supply in a conventional
desktop system is designed to convert either 115-volt (nominal) 60Hz AC (alternating current) or
230v (nominal) 50Hz AC power into +3.3v, +5v, and +12v DC (direct current) power. Some
power supplies require you to switch between the two input ranges, whereas others auto-switch.

Positive DC Voltages
Usually, the digital electronic components and circuits in the system (motherboard, adapter
cards, and disk drive logic boards) use the +3.3v or +5v power, and the motors (disk drive
motors and any fans) use the +12v power. Table 3.1 lists these devices and their power
consumptions.
Power Consumption Ratings for PC Devices
Voltage

Devices Powered

+3.3v

Chipsets, DIMMs, PCI/AGP cards, miscellaneous chips

+5v

Disk drive logic, SIMMs, PCI/AGP cards, ISA cards, voltage regulators,
miscellaneous chips

+12v

Motors, voltage regulators (high output)

The power supply must deliver a good, steady supply of DC power so that the system can
operate properly. Devices that run on voltages other than these must be powered by onboard
voltage regulators. For example, RIMMs run on 2.5v that is supplied by an onboard regulator,
and processors are supplied by a voltage regulator module (VRM) that normally is built into the
motherboard as well.
Negative DC Voltages
If you look at a specification sheet for a typical PC power supply, you can see that the supply
generates not only +3.3v, +5v, and +12v, but also 5v and 12v. The positive voltages
seemingly power everything in the system (logic and motors), so what are the negative voltages
used for? The answer is, not much! Some of the power supply designs, such as the small form
factor (SFX) design, no longer include the 5v output for that reason. The only reason it has
remained in most power supply designs is that 5v is required on the Industry Standard
Architecture (ISA) bus for full backward-compatibility.
Although 5v and 12v are supplied to the motherboard via the power supply connectors, the
motherboard normally uses only the +3.3v, +5v, and +12v. The 5v is simply routed to the ISA

bus on pin B5 so any ISA cards can use it. Today, though, not many do. However, as an
example, the analog data separator circuits found in older floppy controllers do use 5v.
The motherboard logic normally doesn't use 12v either; however, it might be used in some
board designs for serial port or LAN circuits.