LCD Power Supply Tester PS-228

I purchased this because I was having some strange computer problems and suspected the power supply. I got this one through Amazon.com because it was half the price of the identical unit at the local branch of a major computer parts chain. I won't go into operation and use of the unit because other reviewers (especially P.S. and R.W.) have already provided great detail. If you are troubleshooting a modern desktop computer power supply (ATX style) or an older AT style, you must have one of these. It is about as easy as it can get to operate: connect the motherboard and CPU power plugs to the tool, and disk drive and SATA power plugs if you want to test power for those as well. Then press and hold the button and read the display.One thing that is rarely mentioned is that the power supply must have correct load impedances attached before it can operate at all. That is a characteristic of all switching power supplies, not just these. A switching power supply is not like an older analog power supply. If you disconnect it from the motherboard and try to measure output voltages, the power supply probably will not be operating. This tester provides the correct loads and makes the measurements for you. Another set of measurements it makes are critical time intervals during start-up, and the regular "power OK" signal that has timing and level requirements. Without this tool, you would also need an oscilloscope for those measurements.I have not had any physical problems such as those shown in user photos (end caps coming off, for example.)The only complaint I gave is the labeling. The case is black plastic, and all of the legends and markings are just raised black-on-black lettering. (User photos here show white lettering, but mine looks like the primary product photo - just all black.) It makes things hard to read, especially for eyes that are more than six decades old. I know there are ways to make the letters more visible, but a brighter light was more convenient.I highly recommend this if you are working on desktop computer equipment.

I needed this to check a down computer to verify PS functioning. When it arrived I read the instructions (which are relatively clearly stated) and attempted to run the tests on the suspect failed power supply. The screen of the tester lights up but there is no digital display. Then I hooked up other connectors to the unit, one at a time as noted and got the LED lights on tester but no display data. Then I used the tester on a known working PS and received the same results. Immediately submitted a return request to Amazon and was advised that the return had to come from the shipper not Amazon and would take up to 48 hours for any answer. In the mean time I still have no way to test a PS other than the multi-ohm meter. This really looks like it has the potential to be a viable product and I was excited to add it to my box. But now I have wasted the shipping time and the return time, realizing I would have been better off buying from a local supplier.

Delivered in a timely manner, professionally packaged and in perfect condition. A real time saver and at a very reasonable rate. Priced one similar on another web site and it was almost 5 times higher and couldn't as much as the PC-228 can. It would a mistake to pass this merchant up when shopping, their merchandise is the very top end and the cutting edge of technology. No cheap stuff at this merchants site, a sure enough addition for your "favorites"Will be back every time I log on.Dana Gillespie

I'm not a computer novice, I'm a software engineer actually. However, this is the first time I've used a power supply tester. This is the first one I've used, and aside from being very confusing, it did what it was supposed to do. It diagnosed a broken supply and verified the warranty replacement.Here is my shot at the instructions:1. Power and turn on your PSU2. Attach the main ATX 22/24 pin cable to the right side of the tester (where it fits). Leave this connected for the rest of the steps.3. Attach ONE of any of the following to the left side of the tester: CPU (4 or 6 pin), PCI-E (6 or 8 pin)4. Press and hold the ON/OFF button for at least 4 seconds. The PSU should start up, the display should light up and show you some numbers, and it should beep once or twice. If you see anything other than numbers on the screen (i.e. LL, HH, PG) then something is wrong. IMPORTANT NOTE: if you don't have something plugged into both the left and right side plugs, something will display "LL" and it will continue to beep. None of the green LEDs will be lit.5. Release the On/Off button, and remove whatever you plugged into the left side plug in step 36. Repeat steps 3, 4, and 5 for the other CPU (4 or 6 pin) and PCI-E (6 or 8 pin) connectors7. Select one of the connectors from step 3 that you confirmed is working in step 4 and plug it back into the left side. Leave this connected for the rest of the steps. This will prevent it from registering "LL" under the +12V2 display and continuing to beep at you. The following tests might still work for you without doing this, but you'll have the annoying beeping and flashing to deal with.8. Select any of the remaining untested FDD, HD, or SATA connectors and plug ONE of them in to the appropriate connector.Note: At this point you'll have 3 things connected. The ATX on the right, one of the CPU or PCI-E plugs on the left, and the connector you just selected.9. Press and hold the ON/OFF button. If the thing you just plugged in was the FDD or HD connector then both the 12V and 5V green LED lights should come on. If the thing you plugged in was the SATA plug, then all 3 green LEDs should be lit. The big blue display will also light as it did in step 4, but it shouldn't tell you anything new.10. Release the On/Off button, and remove whatever you plugged into the tester during step 811. Repeat steps 8, 9, and 10 for the other untested FDD, HD, and SATA connectors.12. You are finished. Turn off your PSU, unplug everything from the tester. If everything went as expected, you are good to go. If not then you have hopefully identified the problem.These instructions make more sense to me, and would have been easier for me to follow if I had them before I started. To get to this point I had to pull together information I gathered from other reviews (from amazon and other sites) that included instructions, and the product's support site. None of the places I looked gave me a complete set of unambiguous instructions. If you are as lost as I was, then hopefully this review/instructions will help you get there a little faster than I did.Here is the products support site:[...]This picture was very helpful:[...]it came from this review: [...]Side Commentary/Rant: What's the deal with failing hardware these days. This is a new thing for me. I used to keep computers for 4+ years before replacing them and ALL of the hardware lasted until I decided to stop using them. Some I even transplanted into new computers and it just kept going. I am moving through computers faster now, maybe a new one every 2-3 years, but hardware is still failing before I finish using it. Come on manufacturers, get it together.