UV lamp burned out, should I replace it?
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The CCFL lamp that I installed in my 500W power supply burned out. Not surprising since it's always on when the system is powered on. I can easily replace it, I do have a spare. I could also add an on/off switch for the lamp- maybe replace that useless 110/220 switch on the back (wire it to 110V only). But when I removed the power supply I saw that the cool blue finish has faded over the years!
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Maybe it's time to upgrade the power supply. Get a larger one while I'm at it. I found an Ultra X4 750 watt power supply on eBay for a decent price. And by covering it with my vinyl foil it will be the same color as my case!
Extra connectors for SATA with 3.1V, and PCI-E 6 and 8 pin connectors. (Old SATA plugs had only 5V and 12V, which currently is rarely an issue.) |
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After testing my new power supply, I opened it to prepare for my modification. Fairly clean, and no bulging failing capacitors. |
I easily removed the power switch, but the power socket was soldered to an interface board. I was able to raise the socket so that I could tuck the foil underneath for a cleaner wrap. Purple foil went on to match the back of my case. The rest is blue to match the interior.
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Apply the foil, carefully trim and fold the edges over. And then there all those tiny holes to cut out- 'It's déjà vu all over again' as coach Yogi Berra once said!
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The edges wouldn't stay in place, but that's not an issue for me since once the case is reassembled it will stay in place. If it's still a problem, a little super glue can fix that.
Here are the old and new versions, side by side. Maybe I should put diamond plate on the black trim plate around the connectors? (you can see some of the blue fading to the right of the ring light)
Here are the old and new versions, side by side. Maybe I should put diamond plate on the black trim plate around the connectors? (you can see some of the blue fading to the right of the ring light)
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Yes, black screws to mount the power supply look so much better than the silver ones!
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Ok, so after installing, I see that the black plate is not to my liking. To dark even if you ignore the poor lighting! So, let's cover it with some diamond plate foil! |
And after some cutting, folding, and careful trimming, we have the end result. Now with the added thickness of the two foils, the black screws are too short! No problem, I replaced them with silver ones. Here the silver screws are better!
