How to Make Custom PSU Cables in Easy Steps?

PSU is the short form of the power supply unit. It is responsible for providing power to the motherboard via a connector. The connector can have twenty or twenty-four pins. 

There is a wide range of options available for power supply cables available in the market. Some PSU cables are simple, some are sleeved whereas some PSU cables come with RGB lights. However, the best thing about them is their design. All of those connectors are designed in such a way that it is a handy task to install them. The cable with the wrong header will never get fixed in the connector slot, and in this way, you will get to know it is not the right cable for the task. 

This is how you can make custom PSU cables at your home

Today, our focus in this article is on multiple aspects of PSU cables. For the ease of our readers, we have divided the article into the following sections:

  • Multiple types of power supply cables and connectors
  • Testing of PSU 
  • Custom making of PSU cables

Multiple types of power connectors

Connectors can be used to connect PSU to the motherboard of the system. Following are some common types of power connectors:

ATX connector

ATX connector can have twenty or twenty-four pins. Many users are confused about the fact that how they can connect twenty-four pins connector cable with twenty pins of the motherboard. Well, you must get surprised by knowing that a twenty-four pins connector can be split into twenty and four pins so that you can connect the twenty pins part to the motherboard. 

EPS connector

There are times when alone motherboard pins are not enough to provide power to the CPU. It is when an EPS connector can be used. The additional pins four or eight pins on the motherboard ensure to connect EPS connector so that the CPU won’t have any power supply issues in any case. 

PCI-E connector

When users are in search of faster dedicated graphic cards for their system, the motherboard alone can never provide enough supply through the PCI-E slot. It is when users can connect the PCI-E connector with six pins to get an additional power of 75W per cable. Isn’t it something really amazing?

Molex four pin peripheral connector

If you are in this field for a long time then you might have heard about Molex connectors that are generally responsible for delivering power supply to hardware devices. However, these connectors have a limited power draw but are easy to attach, and extremely difficult to detach. 

SATA connector

The purpose that is responsible for making Molex obsolete is the SATA connector. Today, the modern DVD players, hard disk drives, and SSD’s all use SATA connectors. Another best thing about these connectors is, they are very easy to connect. 

Floppy connector

As the name says, these connectors are responsible for powering the floppy disk drives. Floppy disks are not so common these days but back in the time, they were used to store data up to 1.44 MB. However, USB drives have now made them obsolete. 

Testing of PSU 

PSU or power supply unit is responsible for turning on your system so if you are facing any issues regarding turning on your system then you must test your PSU by the following method:

  • First of all, you need to shut off your power supply unit. 
  • In the next step, you have to unplug it. However, make sure to not unplug the main AC cable and twenty-four-pin cable.
  • After that, with the pins facing downward, find pins four and five by counting from the left side. 
  • Insert the ends of a paper clip into the pin four and five.
  • At last, turn on the PSU, and if the fan turns on, your PSU is functioning right. 

DIY Custom making of PSU cables

Is it really possible to make your own power supply unit cables? You might get surprised to know but yes, it is definitely possible. We will guide you through each step so that you can make custom PSU cables without any confusion. Follow the steps below for making custom PSU cables:

  • You will need 16 gauge wire, sleeves for the wire to bind and hold the wire to the shape, heat shrink for binding the sleeve, some ATX terminal pins, and PCIe plugs both for plugging into the component and power supply. 
  • For the tools, you will need wire strippers, a solid wire crimp part, some side cutters, scissors, and a lighter.
  • Start with picking the gauge wire, and choose the length that you require, and then cut the gauge wire to that length using the wire cutters. After that, crimp the ends about three to four millimeters to expose the wire for ATX terminals.
  • Take the ATX pins and then the wings on the pin closest to the middle will be crimping down on the exposed part of the wire, and the wings at the back will be crimped to the insulation of the wire. In the end, use the crimping tool and crimp down the wire and tool until you hear one click. 
  • After that, cut the sleeves according to the length of the wire then sleeve it over the wire until it meets the start of the ATX terminal. 
  • Next, bind the sleeves to the wire by melting it and then pinching it. 
  • In the end, you can slide the cable into the plug, and then you can repeat the process with all the cables you want to.

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