Found in PC Extreme Issue #20

Modify your computer’s power supply with this quick and easy changeover kit.

Parts Needed:

• PSU Changeover Kit

Tools Needed:

• Small Needle Nose Pliers (optional)
• Micro Screwdriver (optional)
• CaseArts PSU Modding Toolkit (optional)

Intro:

Power supplies have gone the way of the motherboard without a doubt. A few short years ago every motherboard on the market was the same with white PCI slots a drab brown AGP slot and a extra bland green printed circuit board. It wasn’t long until motherboard manufactures saw the opportunity that adding color and UV sensitivity to their products made. Pretty soon we were plagued with loads of new products from DFI, Abit, Gigabyte, Asus and the lot; all with flashy new colors and lime green components and PCBs.

It wasn’t long until the rest of the PC component world caught up with the trend. Cases are getting flashier and so are parts contained within. The mods now available for power supplies are becoming main stream since people like to show off their hard work and expensive parts by way of their extravagant case lighting and acrylic windows.

Here we have an interesting spin on the PSU mod. In issue 13 we explored modding our PSU with a clear, UV reactive housing. This mod accentuates that, and hand in hand with cable sleeving, makes for a pretty tricked out power supply.

Essentially all we are trying to accomplish here is to remove every last dull boring molex and power connector on our power supply and replace it with the new ones in our PSU changeover kit we got from a site in the UK. Our new molex and power connectors are red and UV reactive to go with everything else in our computer case. In addition to this we have found similar kits on other sites as well.

If you have always wanted to sleeve your power supply to cover up some of those ugly wires then this will be the perfect opportunity. A couple things to know before we begin though: this mod can either be really easy and quick or really painful and long, requiring many choice four-letter words. The determining factor of the latter is a very special tool kit from a company called CaseArts called the PSU Modding Tool Kit.

This tool kit contains four PSU modding tools; the typical molex pin extractor tool, a molex extractor for floppy and fan connectors, a molex extractor for the 6-pin auxiliary connector, and lastly the molex extractor tool for P4 4-pin style connectors and the 20-pin ATX connector block. This kit is a life saver for modding power supplies. It is fairly cheap and will save you oodles of time and frustration, so GET IT.

This mod will, all in, take you about an hour in actual time. The biggest hurdle is undoubtedly the large 20-pin ATX connector. Even with the special tool it still becomes time consuming; begging the question of how long it would take without the tool. Everything else is a snap. The mod is fairly inexpensive and, under the glow of a UV CCFL or two, can be very striking.

Guide:

Step 1: (photo / Step1_Kit)
The PSU Changeover kit that we got for our Antec 500 Watt PSU came with ten 4-pin molex connectors, a 6-pin auxiliary power connector, two 4-pin fan or floppy connector, a 4-pin P4 power connector and a 20-pin ATX power connector. All of them are UV sensitive in a multitude of colors.

Step 2: (photo / Step2_PSUkit)
What will make you or break you in this mod is the CaseArts PSU Modding Tool Kit like the one shown here. This is a 4-piece kit that you can find at a number of sites. We got ours from fleetwoodcomputers.co.uk. The tools are well made and work for all of the applications we will require.

Step 3: (photo / Step3_ Fanconnector)
If you have wanted to sleeve your PSU cables as well then this would be the perfect opportunity to kill two birds with one stone. We started with the small stuff first, removing our 4-pin fan/floppy connectors with the CaseArts tool.

Step 4: (photo / Step4_4pinmolex)
Now this tool is utter genius! With this CaseArts tool we could have replaced fifty 4-pin molex connectors in under five minutes, we suspect. If you opt out on buying a tool kit like this for this job then expect to take at least twice as long to finish up with the mod.

Step 5: (photo / Step5_4pinP4)
When replacing the pins and wires of the P4 power connector and the 20-pin ATX connector, go one at a time and move the wire you’ve just removed to its new position on the new connector piece. This removes any confusion of putting a pin to a wrong connector which could end up having terrible consequences.

Step 6: (photo / Step6_20pinATX)
This is most easily the part of the mod that will require the most attention and time. The 20-pin connector looks small but the 20+ wires that run to it are difficult to remove even with the tools provided. Your results may vary depending on the brand of PSU you own, but expect this step to take about 20-30 minutes.

Step 7: (photo / Step7_Results)
The results are what you would expect under UV case lighting but are impressive nonetheless. If you have a UV sensitive board like those provided from DFI then this PSU mod is a must.