Do some ATX powersupplies have an inbuilt circuit breaker?

Thinking of cheaper units, around $AUD20-$30

gb

 

In a way all of them do, they all have a 5A fuse. Some are even easy
to replace, most tho are soldered in.

 

Years ago I built a cheap as I could PC and the power supply was the
cheapest around.($12.99) I was screwing around and shorted it - lo and
behold it had a circuit breaker in the circuit. Last month I built a new PC
and included a $89.00 power supply that didn't have one. Screwed up again,
had to disassemble it and resolder a fuse in. Times have changed.

 

You werre lucky. After all, Murphy's Law of Fuses states that if a device
is protected by a fuse, the device will protect the fuse by blowing first.

 

I have found more often than not the fuse sacrifices itself after the
main power semiconductors have shit themselves. When repairing it it
is a good idea to put a 100w 240v or 110v bulb in series with the
mains to limit the current if you miss a faulty component, the bulb
will glow if there is still a fault with the power supply if the power
supply is run under a small load. This has saved me some new
switching transistors or mosfet devices.
I have never seen a circuit breaker in a power supply (from memory)
but plenty of soldered in fuses. I guess a fuselink is so much
cheaper.
Jim McCardle
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