my way of pump control..

BadPenguin · 03-04-2004, 11:13 PM

I was wanting a way to turn my pump on and off, but I didnt want to edit my already installed psu, nor did I want buy a relay of any sort. So I improvised. I took an old power supply swich and hook up, and Im going to mount them on teh bottom of my case, so I can turn the pump on and off with a swich, and not worry about unplugging it from the wall. The swich looks as follows:

what do you guys think? on the inside of the case, I want to put the live connestions in a small box, and put one of those yellow triangle high voltage stickers on it (hey, i think it would be nifty)

bigben2k · 03-08-2004, 06:40 AM

That should work fine.

If possible, check that the amp rating of the switch isn't exceeded by the pump. I think it should be OK.

BadPenguin · 03-08-2004, 06:46 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bigben2k

That should work fine.

If possible, check that the amp rating of the switch isn't exceeded by the pump. I think it should be OK.

would the amp rate be on the back of the switch? because this came from a 2 or 3 year old powersupply.

BadPenguin · 03-08-2004, 06:47 AM

also, would the amp rate even matter? eather way... there is still the same voltage comming from the wall, the pump (or anything for that matter) is after the swich. So Its going to have the same amont of amperage through it even when it was part of a psu. But please correct me if im wrong.

iroc409 · 03-08-2004, 07:34 AM

YES, the amperage rating makes a difference! even if the voltage is the same (mains voltage), devices still require different amounts of power (amperage), so it is possible that a pump could pull more juice than the switch can handle.

you could think of amperage in the same way as watts, everything has different wattage ratings, as they do amps.

pdf27 · 03-08-2004, 08:52 AM

Yes, but power = volts x amps. If both are running off the mains supply, you'll be fine so long as the power supply it came from has a higher wattage rating than the pump you're using...

bigben2k · 03-08-2004, 07:10 PM

The switch is probably fine.

It's just a good idea to check, because sometimes you never know quite for sure: maybe the switch drives another switch, in which case it could be severely under-rated.

Amps do matter, as well as volts, and quite seperately. A high voltage will spark easier, wearing the switch contacts prematurely. A high amp load, above the rating, will overheat and melt the switch, regardless of voltage.

As a fun exercise, look around your house, and try to find a switch that can handle a 15 amp load: other than the one in the wall, you're not likely to find one, and while they're relatively "common", they're actually a bit hard to find, sometimes.

edit: BTW, there are also a few other factors to consider, when selecting a switch, such as the number of times it's rated to be flipped ON and OFF.

03-04-2004, 11:13 PM	#1
BadPenguin Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: USA Posts: 41	my way of pump control.. I was wanting a way to turn my pump on and off, but I didnt want to edit my already installed psu, nor did I want buy a relay of any sort. So I improvised. I took an old power supply swich and hook up, and Im going to mount them on teh bottom of my case, so I can turn the pump on and off with a swich, and not worry about unplugging it from the wall. The swich looks as follows: what do you guys think? on the inside of the case, I want to put the live connestions in a small box, and put one of those yellow triangle high voltage stickers on it (hey, i think it would be nifty)

03-08-2004, 06:40 AM	#2
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	That should work fine. If possible, check that the amp rating of the switch isn't exceeded by the pump. I think it should be OK. __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101

03-08-2004, 07:34 AM	#5
iroc409 Cooling Savant Join Date: Oct 2002 Location: midwest side, yo Posts: 596	YES, the amperage rating makes a difference! even if the voltage is the same (mains voltage), devices still require different amounts of power (amperage), so it is possible that a pump could pull more juice than the switch can handle. you could think of amperage in the same way as watts, everything has different wattage ratings, as they do amps. __________________ :shrug:

03-08-2004, 08:52 AM	#6
pdf27 Cooling Savant Join Date: Jan 2004 Location: Horsham, UK Posts: 140	Yes, but power = volts x amps. If both are running off the mains supply, you'll be fine so long as the power supply it came from has a higher wattage rating than the pump you're using... __________________ Member of the paramilitary wing of CAMRA

03-08-2004, 07:10 PM	#7
bigben2k Responsible for 2% of all the posts here. Join Date: May 2002 Location: Texas, U.S.A. Posts: 8,302	The switch is probably fine. It's just a good idea to check, because sometimes you never know quite for sure: maybe the switch drives another switch, in which case it could be severely under-rated. Amps do matter, as well as volts, and quite seperately. A high voltage will spark easier, wearing the switch contacts prematurely. A high amp load, above the rating, will overheat and melt the switch, regardless of voltage. As a fun exercise, look around your house, and try to find a switch that can handle a 15 amp load: other than the one in the wall, you're not likely to find one, and while they're relatively "common", they're actually a bit hard to find, sometimes. edit: BTW, there are also a few other factors to consider, when selecting a switch, such as the number of times it's rated to be flipped ON and OFF. __________________ WBTA (Water Block Testing Alliance) Nordic Hardware WC 101 Last edited by bigben2k; 03-08-2004 at 07:29 PM.

03-08-2004, 06:47 AM	#4
BadPenguin Cooling Neophyte Join Date: Feb 2004 Location: USA Posts: 41	also, would the amp rate even matter? eather way... there is still the same voltage comming from the wall, the pump (or anything for that matter) is after the swich. So Its going to have the same amont of amperage through it even when it was part of a psu. But please correct me if im wrong.

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