AT power supply

A couple of weeks ago the power supply in my AT based system begun making some nasty noises. This evening I opened up the power supply case and found out that the cooling fan located inside it was the culprit. It is CHEAPLY made. I would like to, if possible, replace just the fan, rather than the whole power supply, however, I am uncertain if the fans are all pretty much a standard size and specs (power consumption, etc), or do they vary based on power supply manufacturer.
Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.

1. RE: AT power supply
lbyard Dec-29-00 05:51 PM
In response to message 0

One normally replaces the power supply. The fan plus the labor to install it usually exceeds or is equal to the cost of a new power supply. Some customers have a problem understanding this fact. There are several standard sizes of muffin fans, several kinds of bearings, and many variations in air flow and mean-time-to failure specifications. If the fan is cheaply made, the rest of the power supply is probably cheaply made as well. Larry

2. RE: AT power supply
sibrag Dec-30-00 03:17 AM
In response to message 1

Thanks Larry.

3. RE: AT power supply
diletante Jan-03-01 02:20 PM
In response to message 2

Are ATX power supplies built with a standard mounting interface? Are the mounting interfaces proprietary? Can a 250W supply be replaced with a 300W supply without mounting problems? (Same questions for AT supplies.)
In my case, Enlight ATX (just out of warranty), the fan moans at start up, so I am thinking about a new power supply. It might be a good idea to get a quality power supply. Any recommendations? Rob

4. RE: AT power supply
lbyard Jan-03-01 02:52 PM
In response to message 3

Rob, Most any ATX supply should do. In both cases (pun…) one can normally upgrade a 250 Watt supply to a 300 Watt supply without difficulty. I normally use Antec and AOpen power supplies. The Antec 300 Watt power supply (http://duxcw.com/digest/Reviews/Cases/antec/ks282.htm) is better than the AOpen supplies I have seen, but you would do well with an AOpen 250-Watt supply (http://duxcw.com/digest/Reviews/Cases/aopen/hx45a/hx45a.htm). AT power supplies with the PS/2 form factor are pretty much interchangeable, but I have had problems finding them. Some AT computers have oddball power switches, but most have round push buttons and most power supplies now come with the power switch soldered-on (and shrink wrapped) to the cable going to the supply. Older ones have four (spade?) clips on the cable that push onto terminals on the switch. I don’t believe these are as safe as those that are soldered on to the cable. Usually, in both cases, the switch is the same and is interchangeable. But there are exceptions; e.g., some Packard Bell supplies/computers. Many of these switches have break-off points on the shaft to which the case plunger attaches, so the length can be adjusted to work properly with plunger. In addition to the motherboard power-off function activated by a front panel switch, many ATX power supplies now come with a power switch on the back of the supply itself. I find this handy for working on computers, but not a major reason to buy or not buy a power supply. The last Antec 300 Watt ATX power supply I saw did not have the switch. I have two more of them on order and they may have the switch. The AOpen supplies I have seen recently have the switch. The length of the power supply cables (a possible indicator of a cheap power supply) may be an issue in large, full tower cases, but a Y cable (splitter) may add enough length to fix that problem. Larry