Compaq power supply, proprietary or not...?

Hey everone..haven't been here in a while...just been to busy with other stuff. ;)

Anyway, my spare machine is a Compaq 5835 and the power supply is a little iffy. You jiggle around the mobo power cable and it works but sometimes it just shuts off if the power moves. I've looked around and there doesnt' seem to be a frayed wire or anything.

I figure I'm best off just replacing the PSU, I can get a 200 watter for cheap, most likely (this thing came with a 200 watt)

My question is that I need to know whether this Compaq will accept a standard power supply unit or not. I've heard nightmare stories about Dells (like if you plug in a standard PSU into a Dell board...bzzzzt) and how the power supplies and boards use a proprietary wiring, so you can't use standard PSUs with Dell boards and vice versa.

I want to know if it's the same case for Compaq.

By the way, for what it's worth, it's a Celeron 500 with onboard sound/vid, LAN card, 40 gig hard drive, and a junk pile CDROM.

Thanks :cool:

I tried to swap a compaq supply from a p4 into a box that I suspected the supply was going bad on. looked like standard ATX no problem right. powered on, heard a loud "pop" and machine shut down. wasted a tbird 1200 which may have been on the way our anyway (based on the symptons before the failed swap attempt) but was definately toast now with nice little brown spot on the cpu.

but other older compaqs I've at least used standard ATX supplies to test without any trouble.

Not like it's a huge expense if I fry this thing, hehe, but I just want to be sure before I waste my time.

Is there a way to tell by the way the ATX connector is wired? perhaps someone's got a link to the normal color-coding for ATX PSUs, and I could work from there?

OK, so you've used standard ones on older Compaqs. That's a start, maybe a second or third opinion can verify that...

Thanks :cool:

Yeah, some of Compaqs are using standard PSUs, but not all the models...

Is there any way to find out for sure, Ruslan? Other than putting one in and seeing if it fries or not...?:D

Compare the plugs to see if the same colour's in the same place?

In case you haven't already done so, go here to download your Service Quick Reference Guide. Looks like your 5835 model came with a 145 watt power supply...
If you can jiggle the cable, I would double check that powe connector and maybe reflow the solder on the mobo for that power connector also.
You might check these guys out: http://www.compaqrepair.com/powersupply/

Good Luck!

Quote:

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Originally posted by JungleMan1
Is there any way to find out for sure, Ruslan? Other than putting one in and seeing if it fries or not...?:D

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Of course, there is way - compare the colors of wires, check all the voltages using voltmeter (run the Compaq PSU outside the case). Check out pins layout, and compare with standard PSU.
For example, using an ATX connector description from manual for any of ASUS an ATX motherboards...
http://www.compaqrepair.com/images/c...pply/wpe1B.gif

From the picture it really looks like standard PSU, but check it first, though...

OK thanks Ruslan; I will compare the colors :cool:

quick and dirty way is to use the PC Power & Cooling ATX power supply tester or another similar unit. Less than $10 and a real necessity in any techs tool box.
Jim

From my experience, it's not usually the ATX Mobo connector that's proprietary. Usually it's the shape of the PS housing, the layout of the screws, or wheter or not there are additional plugs that need to go into the Mobo for sound or other components. I have never seen an ATX compaq power supply that had a different pinout than standard on the mobo connector.

dell definately does it
http://www.upgradingandrepairingpcs....ade3_01_01.asp

I haven't seen anything on the net or otherwise that says compaq definately does it in all models, but my first hand experience with an p4 evo says this definately happens at least occasionally.

If memory serves, the whole 5800 series used fairly standard parts. I've switched out power supplies in a 5838 (Athlon) and a 5834 (Celeron). Both of them took a standard Antec ATX power supply without a problem. I think the only thing in those machines that was proprietary was the case to motherboard connector (one single connector rather than individual connectors for HD LED, Power, Reset, Power LED, etc.).:cool:

The past couple of years I have found that Compaq uses mainly standard power supplys. The couple of differences I have come across are that the white -5V wire is missing and the color coding is NOT the same. Frequently the +12V is orange. But if it is one of the blue faced Presario's in my experiance they use a "standard" atx power supply the missing -5V wire as far as I can find only affects ISA cards and not even many of them.

Hope this helps a little.

in my expreience with compaqs is that they usually are fairly proprietary, but the newer models have become better with the later models... usually the 5000 series they have been good, some times in my tech room we have to use a "tester PSU" its a fairly Generic $50 CDN 300 watt PSU and it seems to be holding up fine. Tho ive olny used it on the 5000+ series models :)

so to make a long story short..... ya it should be fine :)

Quote:

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Originally posted by Hippie_Tech
If memory serves, the whole 5800 series used fairly standard parts. I've switched out power supplies in a 5838 (Athlon) and a 5834 (Celeron). Both of them took a standard Antec ATX power supply without a problem. I think the only thing in those machines that was proprietary was the case to motherboard connector (one single connector rather than individual connectors for HD LED, Power, Reset, Power LED, etc.).:cool:

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AthlonDave: this isn't one of the blue faced ones. It's the beige ones with the door at the top and the IO panel at the bottom.

Yes, the mobo connector is proprietary