Is it safe?

[Roswell_NX]

Is it safe to run a 90W PSU uncovered? not the whole thing, but just two sides.

i need more airflow...

the case will be closed, so people's fingers won't be anywhere near it.

will it be a problem for the MoBo? Will there be a possibility of electricity "jumping" out (like lightning)?

Roswell

[sharder8]

Good questions . . . .

Personally, I believe there is a good reason for them to have completely covered it. Also, I'm sure they have good reasons for putting "Caution" or "Warning" stickers on the covers.

Harder

[mickwish]

AFAIK, the covers are not insulated, so leaving them off shouldn't cause any "jumps" of electricity.

BUT.... if anything should come into contact with one oif the capacitors in there (like a loose lead).....



BAM!!! :eek: :eek: :o :eek:

That's why they have covers on them with warnings.

I wouldn't do it myself, even though I have used a PSU without a cover on an open bench for testing. Very carefully, though. ;)

Stay safe, Little Alien. :)

Cheers
Mick

[Win2Kuser]

Wise words indeed Mick...

Ros, it can be done and I have done it (for testing purposes), but for long term use, you have to think of the risks involved.

240v (in the UK) won't arc across gaps, you need thousands of volts to do that, but suppose this;

It works, you are happy and you fix the case in place, a few months down the road, you decide for whatever reason to open the case with the machine on (I do it all the time), your Mum then comes in just as you remove the top, and you loose concentration, the case slips and you place your fingers inside the psu and BANG!...

...or you sell the machine on and someone else does it!

...or everything is fine for a while, then a wire works it's way loose, gets frayed by the cpu fan or whatever, that wire then flips round and shorts something in the psu, and your house burns down in the middle of the night when your all asleep!

OK on a test bench, NOT ok for a permanent solution.

Also remember that the capacitors in a psu stay live for a fair while, even if you disconnect the power, you still run the risk of getting a FATAL shock from it, or a screwdriver that slips and touches something etc etc etc...

[Roswell_NX]

well, it's a PC with a 333Mhz ZIF-card Celeron, and the only way it can be cooled is to have the PSU fan pull the air towards the heatsink, and there isn't enough airflow, causing the thing to run hot all the time. Looking for a cheap performance gain, I cut out the fan grille, but it didn't help that much. Taking the sides off the PSU allowed in more air.

I'm not gonna sell the thing...and who's gonna buy it anyway:rolleyes:
There is a cover on the side that is facing me when i open the case, and there is only two sides open when i take the cover off the PSU. I can install chesecloth-like material to keep stuff from falling inside

Roswell:)