Mini ATX Benchtop Power Supply

Running 1W LED with power supply

As my apatite for electronic projects is growing and with each project I feel the need for a bench top power supply even more. So I started looking for a power supply but was not satisfied with the options available so I decided to make my own power supply. Building a power supply from scratch would have required a great deal of time and effort. A computer ATX can be easily modified into a bench top power supply.

I was able to find 2 power supply form my office scrap yard. I liked the design of the small power supply to make a nice compact power supply.

ATX Power Supply

This power supply can deliver total of 140W, with 6A on 3.3V, 6A on 5V and 8A on 12V rails.

For small projects this power supply will be enough.
Also this power supply is passively cooled and does not have a cooling fan inside so one should
keep in mind that this not for heavy usage.

Mini ATX Power Supply Specification 

After cleaning and testing this power supply I noticed that this power supply had some problem as it did not start immediately as switched on it used to start up only after some time. On opening and examining the internals if the power supply I noticed that the main capacitor has leaking and needed replacement.

Faulty Capacitor in Power Supply

I got the new capacitor I was not a able to find the exact same size so I got the one which was as close as possible.

Replacement capacitor left 450V vs old 420V 120uF capacitor

Putting this new capacitor inside the small case was a bit tricky. After moving some components  I was  able to fit the new capacitor inside the case somehow. After this the power supply started working properly.

Capacitor replaced

I kept this power supply simple as there is almost no space inside it to add components.  I was able to cramp  4 banana posts and power switch inside the small casing. I have big plans for the other power supply, waiting for some parts for it.

Added rubber pads on bottom to prevent sliding and scratching the table top

Mini ATX Bench top power supply

As mentioned earlier this will come handy for small electronic projects. I am working on a bigger one as well which can support heavy gadgets waiting for some parts for the same will share soon.

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