Coolmax PS-224 LCD Power Supply Tester

[Fitseries3]

The Coolmax PS-224 Power Supply Tester is a great little gadget to have handy to take a quick look at any power supply when troubleshooting a PC. It takes the guesswork out of the equation and hits you with the hard cold facts, to show you if your PSU is still up for the job or not.

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[Sasqui]

Nice job on the review Fits. Pretty cool for what it does, but too bad that's not much like you say. If only there was a version that measured everything while live, including currents!

 

[Major_A]

Seems like you'd be better off buying a $10 multimeter from Harbor Freight and calling it a day.

 

[newtekie1]

I have a similar unit, but without the on/off button, the unit just powers on the moment you plug the power supply in.

It's great for testing power supplies that you might think are faulty.

Seems like you'd be better off buying a $10 multimeter from Harbor Freight and calling it a day.

A multimeter has its advantages, but for quick testing this is far more practical.

 

[Scrizz]

i have the same exact one, cost me alot less than $30
it's great for quick testing, plus i like the on/off button.

GJ on the Review Fits

 

[dr emulator (madmax)]

hi guys can you use this to bypass having to have a pc
i'e use it to power things like 12 volt fans cold fluorescents
reason i ask is someone said atx powerpacks need loading properly
or they can get funny ,in other words
i can't see this been safe to have switched on for long periods of time
outside of a pc
anyone got any ideas?

 

[Fitseries3]

you have to hold the power button to keep it on.

i jumped the green and black to keep it on for the pic.

 

[dr emulator (madmax)]

you have to hold the power button to keep it on.

i jumped the green and black to keep it on for the pic.

so it's only got a push to make switch
shame shame
well my mate sir_real uses a power pack to power things by connecting
the green and black together
although as i've said before with the more powerfull versions of power packs
surely they will need loading so as not to make things blow ?

just a crazy thought
i wonder if the push to make switch
joins to the same points on the green and black wires input?
i bet if you put a continuity meter/buzzer on it , it would indicate that
anyway enough waffle

brilliant article on it

 

[Gam'ster]

What a cool gadget to have, Nice review Fits. I may just pick one up.
For quick testing its more than ample.

 

[Polaris573]

Why is it not a scientific instrument and are other PSU testers considered scientific instruments? What would make it a scientific instrument and what defines a scientific instrument. Mainly I'm curious as to why that was listed as a drawback because I couldn't find any explanation for it.

 

[Fitseries3]

now i see why w1zz said for me to go all out and put everything i would expect to see in a review.

for one,

this psu tester ISNT very accurate. YES it does its job and i do reccomend it to you guys but its not as accurate as SOME people would like to see. when testing side by side with a digital multi meter, i saw up to 0.17v of difference from the ps-224 to the actual voltage reported by the DMM. the DMM i have is a VERY high quality Fluke model that is presumably quite accurate. i would trust it over a $30 psu tester any day. i SHOULD HAVE put that in the review but i didnt. i thought that it may be too much info or too far over some peoples heads and might possibly lead to the confusion that the ps-224 appearing crappy which its not. the ps-224 does its job as intended. if you want advanced readings then get a good DMM and be happy. it wont be as easy to use but it would be more accurate and you could monitor real time voltages while the pc is in use.

i took the ps-224 to a local computer shop that my friend owns and we went through a pile of over 200 possibly non working psu's pulled from various different computers and it took a matter of 45mins to test them all. it was WAY easier to use the ps-224 than a DMM or a mobo. THAT is what the ps-224 was intended for and it performs very well.

as to your reference to "scientific instruments" as i said it was not....

i consider scientific instruments to be very accurate. like i sad, the ps-224 performs its job well but its not entirely accurate. if it was close down to .001 or even .01 i would not have said that but its pretty far off. 0.17v is quite a bit off and that will make a difference in such low voltages that computer psu's provide. a 3.3v rail thats running 3.13v would most likely cause sata devices to "act up" or might also put strain on motherboard components as well.

 

[Polaris573]

I think the measurement difference between the tester and a DMM is useful and important information and you should include it in the review. If you're purchasing an instrument that claims to measure a value then it is good to know what the accuracy is even if that is not its main purpose. You said you are concerned that you'll make the item look bad, but you're not trying to sell it to anyone. You should objectively present its good qualities and possible bad qualities and let the readers decide what they think of the item based on the provided information. If you think the inaccuracy isn't a big deal you can de-emphasize it in your conclusion, but I would still provide the information especially since you went to the trouble of getting it. I wouldn't worry about not including something because you think it is over peoples head. Your target audience here is technicians and computer hardware/electronics enthusiasts. The vast majority will understand any relevant information you present about an item and those that do not can make a post asking about it and let the community help them understand.

I'm not trying to be a jerk. I think you did a good job, that's just something that popped out to me for some reason.

 

[Steevo]

I wil have to get one for work instead of a multi and the old trial and blow things up method.

 

[dr emulator (madmax)]

i agree with Polaris573 on many points that you should've included mutimeter readings aswell
as some of us do have to work with these things from time to time
(personaly i usually throw them out and get people to get a new one)
as tracing faults on them is not only dangerous but a real pain in the ar** ,
sometimes though it's something as simple as a broken tl431.
also don't be afraid of overloading peoples brains with technological jargon
(there's always google)
well i still liked your review keep up the good work

p's senior moderator can we have some more smilies please like a thanks and a thumbs up

 

[Fragnasty]

I have the version of this tester that does not have a power button.

I found the instruction manual by unfolding the cardboard cover at the back of the blister pack. O.K. it's not exactly complex but does provide details of how to perform tests.

Also I believe you are mistaken in saying that there is no 8 pin pcie tester, I presume you are talking about power supply to graphics cards which on my tester is next to the 6 pin socket and seems to be pictured on your model also. (the 4pin or 8 pin connectors can only be tested seperately)

Finally this is a nice simple piece of hardware that takes the guesswork out when deciding if the mainboard or PSU are at fault when troubleshooting dead PC's. No fiddly multimeters wedged into molex connectors or 24 pin mobo connectors. After checking the fuse this is the very next test I perform when diagnosing dead machines, it can easily be done with everything left in situ.

Sorry to nitpick.