Abstract: The invention provides a system and method for generating a short circuit in a power supply during power supply reliability testing, where the short circuit generation system may be positioned internal to the computer chassis, and more particularly, may be connected to a computer bus system. The system uses the energy stored in a backup power supply to power the circuitry during the generation of the short circuit. That is, the energy is provided to a shorting circuitry connected to the output of the power supply, such that, the shorting circuitry is driven into linear mode for a predetermined duration roughly equal to the time required for the capacitors to discharge.