Took me 2 years to realize I was testing power supplies wrong

Been doing PC repairs since 2022, always used the paperclip trick to jump start PSUs before testing. Last week a customer brought in this old Dell that wouldn't power on, I did my usual thing with the multimeter and got solid readings. Hooked everything back up and still nothing. My buddy from the shop next door walked over and asked if I was testing under load. Turns out I was checking voltages on a dead PSU that looked fine until you actually put a motherboard on it. Anyone else have a basic habit they did wrong for way too long?

2 comments

2 Comments

vera_sanchez4d ago

My uncle fried three PSUs before he learned you can't test them with the case standing on carpet.

jade_hunt484d agoMost Upvoted

Took me 2 years" - sounds like you figured it out though, @vera_sanchez's uncle had it way worse lol.