A+ Guide to Hardware:

Managing, Maintaining, and

Troubleshooting, 5e

Chapter 2
Form Factors, Power Supplies, and
Working Inside a Computer
A+ Guide to Hardware
 Objectives

• Learn about different form factors used for computer

cases, motherboards, and power supplies
• Learn how electricity is measured and about
electrical components
• Learn how to select a power supply
• Learn how to protect yourself and your equipment
against the dangers of electricity
• Learn how to work inside a computer case
• Learn how to troubleshoot electrical problems

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 Form Factors Used By Computer
Cases, Motherboards, and Power
Supplies
• Computer case, motherboard, power supply
– Interconnected system
– Must be compatible

Figure 2-1 Computer power supply with

connectors

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 Form Factors Used By Computer
Cases, Motherboards, and Power
Supplies (cont’d.)
• Form factor
– Specifies size, shape, and features of a device
• Determined by motherboard
• Using the same form factor assures
– Motherboard fits the case
– Powers supply cords provide proper voltage
– Motherboard and case holes align properly
– Case and motherboard ports align
– Wires on case match connections on motherboard
– Power supply holes align with case
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 Types of Form Factors
• Intended use
– Influences computer case, motherboard, power
supply selection (form factor)

Table 2-1 Form factors

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Figure 2-2 The CPU on an ATX motherboard sits opposite the expansion slots and does
not block the room needed for long expansion cards

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 Types of Computer Cases

• Computer case (chassis)

– Houses power supply, motherboard, cards, drives
• Match power supply to system electrical needs
– Panel switches/lights to control/monitor PC

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 Types of Computer Cases (cont’d.)

• Desktop cases
– Motherboard on bottom; power supply to the rear
• Tower cases
– Up to 2 feet high; can contain several drives

Figure 2-11 Tower and desktop cases

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 Measures and Properties of Electricity

• Successful PC technicians:
– Understand electricity
– Know how to use electricity
– Know how to measure electricity
– Can protect computer equipment from electricity
• Units used to measure characteristics of electricity
– Volt, amp, ohm, and watt

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 Ohms Law: V = I X R Power (Watts): P = V X I

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 Current Flow

Ohms Law: V= I X R
Power (Watts): P = V X I

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 AC and DC
• Alternating current (AC)
– Oscillatory current driven by an alternating voltage
• Example: house current cycles or oscillates back and forth
through the circuit at 60 Hz
– AC is the most economical way to transmit electricity

• Direct current (DC)

– Single direction current driven by constant voltage
• Required by computer in small amounts, such as 5 V
• The type supplied by a battery

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 Power Supply

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 Common Terminology and Concepts
• Current flows to the path of least
resistance toward ground
– Never make yourself that path

• Short: When current is allowed to flow

uncontrolled from hot to neutral
(ground)

• Open: When hot or neutral is broken

and current can not flow at all

• Fuse: A device which creates and

open circuit when too much current
flows through 2 points (Rated in
Amps). *If a fuse is rated at 2 amps,
never replace with a higher
amperage rating*

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 Common Electronic Terms and
Components

• Materials to make components:

– Conductors: weakly resist current flow
(copper)
– Insulators: highly resist current flow
(ceramics)
– Semiconductors: allow flow if charged (silicon)

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 Common Electronic Component
• Capacitor
– Holds electrical charge for a period of time
– Creates even flow of current in a PC
• Beware !
– Capacitors: Are a major component of a power supply,
which maintain an electrical charge for a period of time in
order to smooth out the flow of current (could be several
hours).
• They are the reason that you don’t want to blindly put your
hands into a power supply or monitor (up to 35,000 volts)

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 Selecting a Power Supply

• Power supply or power supply unit (PSU)

– Box inside a computer case supplying power to
motherboard and other installed devices
– Also contains a fan for cooling
– Both a rectifier and transformer
• Converts AC house current to DC
• Steps down voltage from 110 V or 220 V to 3.5, 5, and
12 V

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 How to Select a Power Supply

• Considerations
– Match form factor to case, motherboard
– Make sure it provides necessary connectors
– Match wattage capacity to system requirements
• Just because it came with the case, does not make it the
correct power supply
• Determining wattage capacity
– Consider all components inside case
– Consider that some USB and FireWire devices get
power from the ports they are connected to on the
motherboard.
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 How to Select a Power Supply (cont’d.)
• Point to keep in mind
– It may have two ratings
• Room temperature (peak rating)
– Unrealistic temperature for advertising advantage
• Continuous operation (actual rating)
– Video cards draw the most power off of +12v.
– Use power supply rated 30 percent higher than expected
– Web sites have wattage calculators
– Never use Dell power supply with non-Dell motherboard,
and vice-versa
• You can purchase a pin-out converter for either the Dell
motherboard or the Dell powersupply

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 Table 2-5 To calculate power supply rating, add up total wattage
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 Protect Yourself Against Electrical
Shock and Burns
• Protection from electrical shock
– Remove jewelry
• Very good conductor
– Disconnect power if you suspect a dangerous issue
• Pull plug at AC outlet
– Protect power cord
• Do not pull on cord itself
– Power supplies, CRT monitors, and laser printers
contain large capacitors
• Technician must not be grounded
• Power supplies and CRT monitors are considered field
replaceable unit (FRU)
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 Protect the Equipment Against Static
Electricity or ESD
• Static electricity (electrostatic discharge or ESD)
– Brief flow of electricity caused by contact between two
objects that had a difference in voltage potential
• Example: an ungrounded person, touching a grounded
computer. Person stores charge like a capacitor.
• Can cause catastrophic (complete) or upset failure (degrades
performance)
• ESD is cumulative
• ESD is particularly severe in dry and cold climates
• You can feel a discharge at 3000v, hear it at 6000v, and see it at
8000v.
– You can damage a chip without even feeling the ESD.
– The screen of the monitor can discharge as much as 29,000v

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 Protect the Equipment Against Static
Electricity or ESD
• Protecting system from ESD
– Use ground bracelet, static mat, static shielding bags,
ESD gloves
– Touch computer case before touching components
– Touch person when passing components
– Avoid carpeted areas when working on systems
– Unplugged power cord before working inside case
• ATX and BTX motherboards contain a residual power
even when the switch is turned off.

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 Protecting Your Computer (continued)

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 Protecting Your Computer (continued)

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 Protect Against Electromagnetic
Interference (EMI)
• Caused by magnetic fields generated by current flow
• RFI (radio frequency interference)
– EMI in radio frequency range affecting reception
• Crosstalk problem
– Data in cables crossing EM fields gets corrupted
• Never run data parallel to power
– Control crosstalk by shielding cables, power supply
• Detect EMI using tuned-down AM radio
• Other ways to protect device:
– Use line conditioners or UPS
– Move PC to a new location
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 Types of Power Disruptions
• Blackouts
– No AC
• Brownouts
– Reduced AC, but not out
– Lights dim, monitor flickers, bad data?
• Surges
– Rapid over-voltage in the AC line
• Spikes
– Multiple rapid increases and decreases (sags)

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 Surge Protection and Battery Backup

• Storms and uneven AC flow cause power sags and

surges

• Devices used between AC outlet and computer

equipment to combat these sags and surges are:
– Surge suppressors (not Power Strips)
– Power conditioners
– Uninterruptible power supplies (UPSs)

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 Surge Suppressors

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 Uninterruptible Power Supply

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 Working Inside a Computer Case
PC Support Technician Tools
• Essential tools to help maintain, diagnose and repair
– Ground bracelet or ground mat
– Flat-head screwdriver
– Phillips-head or cross-head screwdriver
– Torx screwdriver set (size T15)
– Insulated tweezers
– Extractor
– Pen and paper
• Use a toolbox
• Many other non-essential tools exists
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 Troubleshooting Tools
Convenient Tools
• Multimeter • Canned Air
• Power Supply tester • Contact Cleaner
• Needle-nose pliers • Cable Ties
• Flashlight • POST Diagnostic Card
• Small cups or bags
– Keep screws in
• Antistatic bags
– Store unused parts

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 PC Support Technician Tools (cont’d.)
• Post Diagnostic Cards (not an essential tool)
– Helps discover, report computer errors and conflicts
at power-on self test (POST)
• Tests performed by startup BIOS

Figure 2-32 Post Code Master diagnostic card by Microsystems Developments, Inc.
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 PC Support Technician Tools (cont’d.)
• Power Supply Tester
– Measures output of each power supply connector
– Can be used inside or outside of the case

Figure 2-33 Use a power supply tester to test the output

of each power connector on a power supply
Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning

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 PC Support Technician Tools (cont’d.)
• Multimeter
– Measure several characteristics of electricity in a
variety of devices

Figure 2-34 This digital multimeter can be set to measure voltage, resistance, or continuity
Courtesy: Course Technology/Cengage Learning
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 Measuring Power Supply Voltage
• Set the Voltmeter
– Set to measure Volts (never set to resistance with
power)
– Set to AC or DC (AC outside of the case, DC inside)
– Set your voltage range (when not sure, set high)
• 200v AC outside of the case, 20v DC inside the
case
– Place black lead to ground, and red wire to point to
be measured
• Measurements should be within tolerance
– +/- 10% 3.3v – 2.97 to 3.63 5v – 4.5 to 5.5 12v –
10.8 to 13.2

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 Measuring Voltage
of a Power Supply

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 Measuring Voltage Output to an ATX
Motherboard

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 Other Common Connectors

• Molex and Berg Power Connectors

– Provides power to secondary storage devices, such
as hard drives and floppy drives.

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 Troubleshooting the Electrical System
• Electrical problems can occur before or after boot
– May be consistent or inconsistent
• Possible electrical problem symptoms:
– PC appears “dead”
– PC sometimes halts during booting
– Error codes or beeps occur during booting
– Smell burnt parts or odors exists
– PC powers down at unexpected times
– Hear a whine coming from the power supply
• Most PC problems have simple solutions
– Check the simple things first
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 Taking Apart A Computer
Safety Precautions
• Make notes for backtracking
• Stay organized, do not stack boards
• Do not touch board chips
– With hands, magnetized screwdriver
• Do not change dual inline package (DIP) switch
settings with a graphite pencil
• Protect yourself and the equipment
– Never ever touch inside of a turned on computer
– Consider monitor, power supply as “black boxes”
– Protect against static electricity
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 Steps to Take Apart a Computer

• Guidelines
– Backup all data
– Power down and unplug the sytem
– Before removing ribbon cables, look for red color or
stripe down one side of each cable
– Remove cables to all drives
– Remove expansion cards
– Remove motherboard
– Remove power supply
– Remove drives
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 Steps to Put a Computer Back
Together
• Reverse disassembly process
• Component installation order
– Power supply, drives, motherboard, cards
– Connect all data and power cables
– Plug in keyboard, monitor, mouse
– Turn on power
– Verify PC working properly

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A+ Guide to Hardware
 Summary

• Form factor specifies size, shape, features of device

– Motherboard, power supply, and case share the same
form factor
• Types of cases: desktop, tower, notebook
• Quantities characterizing electricity
– Voltage, current, resistance, power
• Current flows from hot wires to neutral wires

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 Summary (cont’d.)

• AC supplied by power station

– Transformed, rectified before flowing into PC
• Major components in a circuit board
– Transistor, capacitor, diode, resistor
• Electrical threats
– ESD, EMI, uneven current flow, sudden power surges
(or spikes)

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