Why does a PSU have a 115V setting

jsmoke · 23 May 2013 at 12:42

230V or 115V, now I had the top of the PSU trying to work out why my mobo wouldn't boot with 4-pin cpu atx connecter in, checking all wires etc, so out of carelessness and curiousty I switch to 115V, never ever even considered anything like that before. And BOOM with a bang and flash of light, so what's point of 115V isn't that a US rating?

spixelspixel · 23 May 2013 at 12:45

Sometimes the same psu is sold in different regions.

mickyflinn · 23 May 2013 at 12:48

PSU Sold in different countries, which have different voltage so with a flick of a switch its compatable.

tom_e · 23 May 2013 at 12:49

Same as above, it's easier and cheaper just to be able to manufacture one model for all regions.

ubersonic · 23 May 2013 at 13:41

I am laughing so hard right now XD

bledd · 23 May 2013 at 13:47

Might have blown your motherboard.

Only cheap power supplies have a switch. Decent ones will auto switch the voltage

ubersonic · 23 May 2013 at 14:43

bledd. said:
Only cheap power supplies have a switch. Decent ones will auto switch the voltage

Older ones commonly had manual switches too regardless of price (I.E Enermax), he never said it was a newish PSU.

ExRayTed · 23 May 2013 at 14:45

You have made schoolboy error number 2. Sits right in between:

1) Bolt the motherboard directly to the case

3) Leave the cellophane on the TIM when installing the CPU heatsink.

You live. You learn.

ubersonic · 23 May 2013 at 14:52

If anybody's interested, if you get a bunch of old style PSU's with 115/230v power selectors and monitor pass through, you can daisy chain them into a rudimentary set of claymores. It will scare the **** out of a flatmate returning from the pub like nothing else (Warning: that is not a joke, one of my college buddies literally **** himself when we ambushed him with a set).

tom_e · 23 May 2013 at 14:57

ubersonic said:
If anybody's interested, if you get a bunch of old style PSU's with 115/230v power selectors and monitor pass through, you can daisy chain them into a rudimentary set of claymores. It will scare the **** out of a flatmate returning from the pub like nothing else (Warning: that is not a joke, one of my college buddies literally **** himself when we ambushed him with a set).

Brilliant!

jsmoke · 23 May 2013 at 15:05

It's quite a bang and flash, was pretty shaken up for a while.

panyan · 23 May 2013 at 15:08

jsmoke said:
...out of carelessness and curiousty...

tom_e · 23 May 2013 at 15:10

I think the scariest bang and flash I've had around a pc is when I touched the back of a old CRT monitor that had it's covered removed.
I've never seen my arm move so fast!