Making a Bench Supply From a Computer Power Supply
General PC Power Supply Color Code (verify
these are right on your power supply!)
RED | +5 Volts |
WHITE | -5 Volts |
YELLOW | +12 Volts |
BLUE | -12 VOLTS |
BLACK | GROUND |
ORANGE | "Power Good" |
Since Personal Computer power supplies are abundant, you can usually find one that is cheap or free.
Normal warnings #1: PC power supplies have lethal voltages inside. Don't do this if you haven't played with these things before. You can kill yourself.
Normal warnings #2: This may not work with your power supply. Specifically, you should test the voltages and try different loads (use SMALLER resistors for a start!) if the 5 volt regulation is not working properly.