Sunday, 31 August 2014

Does an ATX power supply have any isolated outputs?


I am working on an application that requires isolated power inputs.


Wondering if the standard ATX PSU has any isolated outputs?



Why are we having multiple ground pins on the Connector?



Answer



The outputs of the ATX power supply are isolated from the mains. The outputs of the ATX power supply are not isolated from each-other. In other words, +5V and +12V output "share" the same ground.


Multiple ground pins increase current carrying capacity. I bet, you will see continuity between them if you check with a meter.


My information comes from several ATX power supply reference designs that can be found on the web (such as this one). Such reference designs contain detailed schematics. A complete schematic would be a bit too detailed for the purposes of this conversation. But here's a block diagram.


enter image description here


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