You can achieve the same effect without a relay. But you will need to cut and reconnect some of the ATX's connection wires, which makes the modification permanent. Using the technique I explained previously, you can unplug everything and both power supplies are ready to be used on their own. But if you can't afford a relay or if you don't mind messing up your power supplies, follow the instruction below.

What you have to do is to connect pin 14 from both power supplies together. So whenever pin 14 from the first one is grounded (when turned on) the second power supply will also turn on. You also have to connect a ground from each ATX connector together. Here is a diagram of the circuit you have to do:

I opted for the first option so I don't need to modify the power supplies themselves. But if you don't mind, the second technique also works just as well so it's really up to you, and which method you prefer. I'm sure that there are numerous other techniques you can use to achieve the same goal, drop me a line if you know of any other ways to properly plug two power supplies, I'd like to hear them. Any comments or questions are always welcome.

by Jean-Christophe Turcot

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