[HELP NEEDED] External PSU project

[rosinbole]

Ok, so I just had something that may have been a brainwave! I was really bummed that I couldn't really afford an HDPLEX or similar device AND a big enough external power brick to power the damn thing, so while laying in my bed last afternoon, I thought something along the lines of: "Wait, why am I bothering searching through the entire internet for some huge AC/DC converter when I have 2 or 3 500-600w PSU's laying around and collecting dust? They are AC/DC converters?" So i thought, to my knowledge, a PC only needs three different voltages, 3.something volts, 5 volts and 12 volts, so if you take the 24 pin cable and splice all 3 volt wires together, all 5 volt wires together and all 12 volt wires together, but left the two "start the PSU" pins out from the splicing and ran all of them into the PC and then had a little circuit board like the HDPLEX which distributed them over all the connectors, would that work? Graphical demonstration:

And oh yeah, of course this is to conserve space inside the case and not just for fun...

 

[rosinbole]

So I just took apart my old PSU, the Be Quiet! Pure power L8 530w and took some pictures. It actually looks really simple to splice all the cables into only the five which I've showed in the graphical demonstration, for there is only actually a couple of paired wires of each sort going into all of the connectors and in the 8 pin EPS and 24 pin ATX cables, all of the different voltage wires seems to be bundled up pretty nicely!

 

[T_Tank]

Been thinking about this myself but using a modular sfx pdu with some ninjaflex bumpers and a fan filter.
But I'm not sure on wiring myself but couldn't you feed a dc/dc with a full power supply to keep things tidy?

 

[rosinbole]

but couldn't you feed a dc/dc with a full power supply to keep things tidy?

Could you explain in greater detail please?

 

[SeñorDonut]

Could you explain in greater detail please?

As in using the power supply only for the 12V line, and an internal converter to provide 3.3 and 5V.

 

[EdZ]

and then had a little circuit board like the HDPLEX which distributed them over all the connectors, would that work?

As long as you 'little circuit board' (AKA DC-ATX power supply) accepts 12V in. HDPLEX's supplies run in 19V, so you'd need Guryhwa's internal PSUs and omit his modified Dell brick for one of your own ATX PSUs supplying 12V.

 

[rosinbole]

As in using the power supply only for the 12V line, and an internal converter to provide 3.3 and 5V.

Yeah... That could actually work now that I think about it... I just looked at the dc output rating of my corsair sf600 and it is actually able to deliver 600 watts on the 12 volt line! Hmmm... Interesting!

 

[rosinbole]

As long as you 'little circuit board' (AKA DC-ATX power supply) accepts 12V in. HDPLEX's supplies run in 19V, so you'd need Guryhwa's internal PSUs and omit his modified Dell brick for one of your own ATX PSUs supplying 12V.

That sure sounds more complicated that I had hoped for... Don't you think that I could just step up the voltage (and thereby lower the amperage which is also a good thing because the cable carrying the power can then be thinner)?

 

[SeñorDonut]

That sure sounds more complicated that I had hoped for... Don't you think that I could just step up the voltage (and thereby lower the amperage which is also a good thing because the cable carrying the power can then be thinner)?

At that point it would probably be cheaper to buy a 19v brick. I wouldn't bother with 19v stuff anyway, considering things get converted 3 to 4 times they're not as efficient as 12v and tend to run hotter.

 

[rosinbole]

At that point it would probably be cheaper to buy a 19v brick. I wouldn't bother with 19v stuff anyway, considering things get converted 3 to 4 times they're not as efficient as 12v and tend to run hotter.

True. That is certainly not efficient... Thanks for the reply though!

 

[Thehack]

What about using 330W adapters (likely only handle 250W nominal)?

Like Dell/Alienware adapters. They seem to be plenty.

Meanwell sells a 280W one that is likely to be good quality for $90. Mouser.

 

[rosinbole]

What about using 330W adapters (likely only handle 250W nominal)?

Like Dell/Alienware adapters. They seem to be plenty.

Meanwell sells a 280W one that is likely to be good quality for $90. Mouser.

Well, that would certainly work, but for my system, I would need two of them and THEN I would need to buy something like the HDPLEX 400 and that is just too much money... That was why I wanted to just splice all of the psu wires of a psu which I already had lying around...

 

[SeñorDonut]

What case are you using?

 

[rosinbole]

What case are you using?

Dan case A4 v1! The reason that I want to "get rid of the psu" is so that I can mount a 120mm radiator where the PSU is normally instead of the PSU

 

[SeñorDonut]

Ah, it would be quite the challenge to simply mount the PSU outside the case seeing as all cables would have to go through the C14 jack. Even using a G-Unique solution may not suffice seeing as only one 8-pin can fit in the C14, which would only allow for 400W of power IIRC.

 

[rosinbole]

Ah, it would be quite the challenge to simply mount the PSU outside the case seeing as all cables would have to go through the C14 jack. Even using a G-Unique solution may not suffice seeing as only one 8-pin can fit in the C14, which would only allow for 400W of power IIRC.

Well, standard components weren't the plan either My plan was actually just to find a couple of thick enough wires to carry the current of the 12 volt line and also a ground wire into the case and then do some magic to make the 12 volts into all of the system power cables... Preferably something along the lines of an hdplex unit! I think that that might be possible if I can just find a way or some very sff product which can convert a 12 v 50 a input to all of the pc connectors

 

[EdZ]

Preferably something along the lines of an hdplex unit! I think that that might be possible if I can just find a way or some very sff product which can convert a 12 v 50 a input to all of the pc connectors

I linked them earlier, but the G-Unique units do exactly this for 12V.

 

[rosinbole]

I linked them earlier, but the G-Unique units do exactly this for 12V.

Oh, thank you! I will certainly look into it now that I know what you meant!

 

[jtd871]

Want to put a rad in place of your PSU? Chop up your PSU and cool it with the rad fan...

http://www.overclock.net/forum/50-s...ring-compact-splash-023-a-4.html#post21606361