External Power Supply

**scottwile** · 03-02-2004, 10:05 PM

my mom brought home something that appears to be an external power supply. its a black box with a cable coming out of one end with a wall plug. and the other cable with one of those big old school ps/2 ports at the end (5 pin around the top), i don't know what they are called but they are what you used to plug the old keyboards into.
my question is, if i plug this into my compter will it burn it out.. or help it?
any ideas would be appreciated.

and on the back of the power box it says... POWER SUPPLY FOR use with computer related equipment
INPUT:115 VAC 60hz 30 W

**firefox** · 03-02-2004, 10:21 PM

If you do not know what it is do not plug it in to your computer, why risk it. Also I have something that looks like that, I made out of an old power supply to have so that I can test mother boards and hard drives and stuff outside a computer for testing. Makes it easier than having to install it to a computer or cracking a case open just to test something.

**scottwile** · 03-02-2004, 10:24 PM

alright, well if anyone has anyother ideas please help
thanks firefox.
and it doesn't look homemade, what u said could likely be it (some type of tester)

**tesco** · 03-02-2004, 11:34 PM

does it say something like UPS or something on it? it sound like an uninteruptible power supply to me. does it have teh wall plug and also a plug on it that the power for the computer could plug into it?

a UPS is like a battery so that when the power goes out you dont loose your work and it gives you about 5 minutes usually to shut down. the keybaord type cable you are talking about might be a cable that tells the computer to shutdown which is pretty handy. it will automatically save any windows open and shutsdown teh computer safely.

**_John_Lennon_** · 03-03-2004, 02:38 AM

Sounds like a 30W external power supply with a DIN connector.

Which would thus make it useless.

**scottwile** · 03-03-2004, 03:27 AM

Originally posted by ROSSCO_2004@2 March 2004 - 19:34
does it say something like UPS or something on it? it sound like an uninteruptible power supply to me. does it have teh wall plug and also a plug on it that the power for the computer could plug into it?

a UPS is like a battery so that when the power goes out you dont loose your work and it gives you about 5 minutes usually to shut down. the keybaord type cable you are talking about might be a cable that tells the computer to shutdown which is pretty handy. it will automatically save any windows open and shutsdown teh computer safely.

no it doesn't say anything like UPS on it.
it looks similar to what would power a laptop but the box is thicker.
and no there are no power cables that the computer could plug into!
thanks for the sugestions though