If you think that troubleshooting switching power supplies is difficult…think again!
See, fact of the matter is troubleshooting them is fairly easy and  jolly fun too! You just need to follow a set of proven guidelines.
Now, let me reveal to you the 5 effective guidelines for troubleshooting switching power supplies. So read on…
Guideline 1
You must be well verse in reading and understanding schematic diagram of a switching power supply unit! And that's not all…
You  must learn as much as possible about every single component, how each  one works, how each one affects the other, output voltages etc.
Also  learn by heart about the 11 circuit functions in switching power supply  along with voltages and critical waveforms. If you know all these  things, then you'll be able to locate the exact problems fast!
Guideline 2
Examine the components in the primary and secondary area in great detail. Trust me; it doesn't take long once you get the hang of it. 
Be  on the lookout for typical failure issues like dried up main filter  capacitors, faulty schottky diodes, displaced connection, decayed glue,  faulty zener diode etc. Speaking of zener diode, you can assess its  condition with a zener tester.
You know, you can actually build  this powerful tester yourself on the cheap PLUS… it can be used to  assess other components such as LED, schottky diodes and more!
Guideline 3
Sharpen your electronic testing skill as much as possible. I know, troubleshooting switching power supplies can be quite hassling…
For  example, if you're not familiar with a particular design, then you  would need to take out every single component for testing purposes.
But if you're highly skilled in testing electronic components, you will be able to complete the testing work much faster.
Guideline 4
If you need a reference repairing guide, then I suggest you get one that takes you step-by-step on  how to repair switching power supplies including detailed description  of each repairing process, full color pictures explaining the steps plus  email support in case you have any difficulties.
You know, you  can actually DOWNLOAD a step-by-step guide for troubleshooting switching  power supplies and how to fix them using 5 highly proven methods.
The  guide is over 200 pages long! However it contains plenty of pictures  and also has support from the author who is a highly experienced  electronic engineer.
Follow this link for download information.
