How do I find out how many amps my PC power supply really puts out?

[rackoon]

I bought a really cheap 550 watt PC power supply to run my 100 LEDs and 300 watt car amp for my cabinets sound system. It arrived today and weighs about 1/2 a pound. I read somewhere that many of these power supplies exaggerate their output and this is especially true if they are light. The article went on to state that a 400 watt power supply should weigh at least 4 pounds. (Any one out there find this to be true?)

    Is there a way to measure the amps that this thing puts out on its 12 volt line?
    I have a digital multimeter, yet don't know how to use it very well.

[SirPeale]

Is there a label on it giving the rating for each line? 

[rackoon]

Yea there is:
+3.3===32A
+5====40A
+12===12A
                          Does this help?

[SirPeale]

Yea there is:
+3.3===32A
+5====40A
+12===12A
                          Does this help?

Uh...yeah...you just answered your own question.  Puts out 32A on the 3.3 line, 40A on the 5v line, and 12A on your 12v line.

[SirPeale]

Also note this: amps is how much an item *draws*, not how much your supply puts out. 

For example: you could have a part that draws five amps, and you're using a 1A supply.  It'll likely work - for a very little while.  But because the draw is so high it'll burn itself out.

[Luckydevil]

What brand of amp is it? Depending on whether or not it actually puts out anywhere near 300watts... I would highly recomend not hooking this up to your pc power supply and buying a seperate ps for it.

[rackoon]

Whoops! I was drinking when I posted and typed 12A when I meant to type 24A on 12V line.

This PC power supply is just for my LEDs and car amp.

On another tread about 2 weeks ago we figured out that a 300watt amp would draw about 25A and my LEDs would draw about 3A from the 5V line. Yet i was told that all amp makers over exaggerate the watts that their amps put out and so do the PC power supplies.

If I want to find out how many amps my amplifier draws I guess I could hook it up to a small stereo and the two 6x9s I am going to use and see what happens Yet I don't know how to measure the amps its drawing.

Isn't there another way?

[Luckydevil]

Not all of the manufacturers overrate their amps, some even underrate them. All depends on the quality of the brand.

What size fuse does this amp have on it? The fuse size will be slightly more than the max amount of power that the amp will draw.

[ChadTower]

Also note this: amps is how much an item *draws*, not how much your supply puts out. 

If you read nothing else on this whole damn forum, read this 50 times. 

This means something.  This is important. 

[rackoon]

The amp is made by pyramid and is a 300watt amp/equalizer, model 808.  The cheapest I could find.

The 550watt PC power supply is made by Okia and is the cheapest I could find. Model okia550atx

The red power lead on the amp has a inline fuse in some kind of white palstic case. Should I open it and look at the fuse. I cant figure out ....I got it.

It says on 6A 32V on one end of the fuse.  The other side jsut has the name jasco.

[cosmic frog]

Try this- http://www.iceteks.com/articles.php/pcwattage/2

[Major Rock Hardy]

why didn't you bump one of your previous threads on this exact same issue?

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=50139.0

http://forum.arcadecontrols.com/index.php?topic=50096.0

I for one suggested a few things on one of these...

[rackoon]

Dude, that's a great idea but I just don't know how to do that Rock. How is it done?
   I have also wondered how folks do that quote thing. Hell, I cant figure out how to put a pic by my nickname on the left of this screen. I build houses and furniture for a living and although I was a electrician for a year I wonder if I will be able to finish the electronic part of my project.

I was a straight A student in collage (I'm not dumb) butt I know little of electronics. For example I know that Amps are related to how much a devise draws, yet I worded my post wrong. What I wanted to say is how much amps will this support. I usually make my posts at night in west coast time in the evening after a few drinks and my nomenclature is off quite a bit.

Yo CHADTOWER,
    I will be respectfull due to the amount of time and posts that you have posted on this forum so I will only state this " I am right handed and eating my mash potatoes with my left hand is unthinkable( yea I know its a mirror). Second, I will learn quickly with the support of people of knowledge like yourself, So don't be to hard on me unless you were being totally sarcastic than I totally support that.

[Major Rock Hardy]

Dude, that's a great idea but I just don't know how to do that Rock. How is it done?

ASSuming this is an honest question, to find your previous threads you could:

a) on the Main Forum (or any other forum) there are several pages of threads since people start lots of threads... anyway you will see:

Pages: [1] 2 3  ... 438

in the upper left area of this page.  To go to page 2, you'd click on the 2, 3 for page three, and so on.  You could look through these pages one by one until you found your old post, then just post a reply to it...

b) you could go to the very top of the web page where there are buttons for: home help search profile calendar and logout.  Click the profile one - it will take you to your profile (where you could add a picture to your nickname FYI).  On the left of your profile page you will see:

Profile Info
Summary
Show Stats
Show Posts

... click on the Show Posts.  That will take you to a list of all the stuff you've posted.  This is how I found your old thread.  To find out how to do stuff on the forum, like changing your picture or quoting others, there is the "Board Discussion" forum where you can ask away.

Cheers,
Rock