[BC] The computer Nerds are At it again....

[Tom Taggart]

I like the computer cases and power supplies from P.C. power and cooling,  
have the air and production computers built in these cases.

The ops mgr. ( a while back) complained that the power supply fan in the  
air computer was about to go south.  I couldn't hear anything, but to be  
on the safe side, I ordered a replacement power supply (supposedly the  
same model as in the box when I built it two years ago).  Left the boxed  
supply in the control room where it could be found.

Well, the ops mgr was right, the power supply fan died the other night.   
Part-timer college kid dug out the power supply I ordered, only to find  
that:

1.  The motherboard connector was entirely different from the one used on  
my Azus ATX form motherboard.  This was supposed to be an ATX supply of  
the same capacity as the original.  However, P.C. Power did send an  
adapter along.

2.  Same number of cable bundles for peripherals coming out of the supply,  
but now the longest one uses four funky looking 15 pin mini connectors,  
with a third (orange) wire added to the red and yellow  5+ and 12+ feeds.  
I assume the orange wire is for 3 volts.  With some stretching and pulling  
my part-timer was able to hook up all the drives,(CD-RW, two HD's, floppie  
& external relay board for the automation) but ran out of connectors to  
run the extra 12 volt fan installed in the case.  The external relay feed  
(5 volts, was simply a 4 pin standard molex glued into the back of the  
case in a 9 pin D slot & run back to its mate on the cable bundle.  The  
new supply didn't have anything long enough to reach, so my parttimer had  
to improvise.    Now I have to get in there to splice a conventional  
connectors in place for the fan  & external board. The part-timer doesn't  
do soldering.

These new connectors, which my university computer guru has never seen  
before, look somewhat like the connector on the base of Motorola cell  
phones for the charger, etc.  I've never seen one before, there are about  
7 or 8 at various places in the bundle.  Not to blame P.C. Power, I am  
assuming that these new connectors are the latest and greatest idea in  
computer obsolescence from Far East Manufacturing.

The moral of the story (yes, I know, never assume!) is if you've bought a  
replacement computer supply recently, better open the box up and see what  
you've got--before one of your boxes dies & you have to scramble.

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