PSU Mod question

[Pabz0r545]

HI all. I am looking into modding my PSU. I have got a small mATX case that is really cramped inside. My power supply seems like it has a bzillion cords that I am not using and are just taking up valuable space.

Is it possible for me to open up the psu, cut the cables I don't need, and heatshrink or electrical tape them up. Is this safe or is it really dangerous idea? I would just like to make extra room in the case with very little room as it is. It's impossible to tuck all those cords/cables away.

I have thought about purchasing a modular PSU but this is my old pc and I would rather not spend any extra money on it if I don't have to.

[supaflyx3]

If you're asking if it's safe.. then you shouldn't be doing it in the first place. :P
I'd advise against it and buy a modular PSU.

[lowfat]

If you don't care about warranty then by all means do so. I use to do it to all my power supplies before modular power supplies become commonplace.

[Pabz0r545]

I've already broken the seal quite some time ago to open it up and give a really good dusting.

Any other opinions? I've got 2 conflicting opinions here stuck in the middle. :P

[SugarJ]

Yes, you can. But make sure you cap off the wires properly. One bare connection, and you can possibly wreck your PSU and everything attached to it too.

[Pabz0r545]

Any idea of where I can read up on properly capping the wires? Would a simple "capping electrical wires" google search be sufficient?

[SugarJ]

By capping them, I mean insulating them after cutting. This can be done by using tape or heatshrink as previously suggested. If you are comfortable taking the cover off the PSU, you could just cut them off at the terminal or de-solder them from the PCB.

Be very cautious taking apart a PSU though, as those capacitors can still hold a big charge for quite a while.

[Pabz0r545]

Looks like I have some good research ahead of me and a fun project. Good time killer. :)

Thanks for the advice guys, off to researching!