Lone Industries L3: Plain and Simple

[iFreilicht]

That's only 80Plus Bronze, though. The FSP300-60FAG or FSP250-60FAG would've been a better choice at 80Plus Gold, but I don't know whether they are available to you.

If you're used to a passive PSU, though, there's no way you'll get down to those noise levels.

 

[Lone]

I was just looking for something cheap to hold in my hands and get a feel for space needed for wires, etc. I guess I shouldn't complain too much about the noise, but Seasonic advertises "Smart & Silent Fan Control"! haha

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

I received a Seasonic SS-250SU Flex ATX PSU. Initial thoughts are: Fan is way too loud at idle. Wires are very plentiful, and long.

I think I'll buy a Noctua 40 mm fan to try. That's about this little PSU's only hope.

That's rather disappointing. Maybe not surprising, but still

I'll be curious as to how large an improvement you see.

 

[Lone]

Ya, I know what you mean.

The Noctua's acoustical noise specs for the NF-A4x10 are the same as the NF-B9, but it spins much faster. I'm not sure about that.

I have one on the way, so we'll see. Not a cheap fan.

 

[pazoo]

That's too bad... They advertise 25dBA but they don't say at which distance.
Thanks for experimenting.

 

[Lone]

Well, the Noctua NF-A4x10 doesn't want to spin unless I give it a little help to get started. I'm running Prime95 to bring the temps up, but still no go unless I help it get started.

When it does spin, it's silent, but obviously spinning slow. Stock fan is a Jamicon KF0420B1H-SR 12V 1.6W .13A.

 

[iFreilicht]

Aww, too bad. Before doing such a mod, though, it's helpful to take a look at the PSU specs and check whether the minimum CFM is specified. That can keep you from accidentially frying your unit.

 

[Lone]

Aww, too bad. Before doing such a mod, though, it's helpful to take a look at the PSU specs and check whether the minimum CFM is specified. That can keep you from accidentially frying your unit.

Thanks. This little fan definitely isn't pushing enough air as-is to keep the PSU cool. I'm not going to pursue Flex ATX any further at this time.

 

[pazoo]

Ok, so flexATX, not good...
I will still get an L3 if you make a new run, and I'll see what I can do with a TFX psu.

 

[iFreilicht]

Keep in mind that this Seasonic PSU only has 80Plus bronze rated efficiency, there are better FlexATX PSUs out there. But yes, if you can fit TFX, you will be happier in terms of noise.

 

[pazoo]

For a 300w psu I am not that concerned even if it is only bronze rated, I'm more worried about noise.
I have nothing against picopsu, I use one with my s4mini, but the L3 in comparison is just large enough that I feel there must be a way to use it without an external brick. It's a shame to complicate its minimalist esthetics with an extra box hanging outside the case.

 

[Josh | NFC]

For a 300w psu I am not that concerned even if it is only bronze rated, I'm more worried about noise.
I have nothing against picopsu, I use one with my s4mini, but the L3 in comparison is just large enough that I feel there must be a way to use it without an external brick. It's a shame to complicate its minimalist esthetics with an extra box hanging outside the case.

I think I would use something like this. Two of them if I needed it for 12v

 

[iFreilicht]

For a 300w psu I am not that concerned even if it is only bronze rated, I'm more worried about noise.
I have nothing against picopsu, I use one with my s4mini, but the L3 in comparison is just large enough that I feel there must be a way to use it without an external brick. It's a shame to complicate its minimalist esthetics with an extra box hanging outside the case.

The point I was trying to make was that it might be built down to a price and puts out more heat than a better unit.

The nanoATX PSU Josh is mentioning is actually a nice idea, I still haven't seen a build using it.

Maybe you could also try to mount your power brick with heat conductive tape to the front of the case, that might work as well.

 

[Lone]

Ok, so flexATX, not good...
I will still get an L3 if you make a new run, and I'll see what I can do with a TFX psu.

Thank you for the suppport. Besides the noisy fan, and trying to find a quiet replacement, there's also the issue of wire management. If Flex ATX could be silent, I could see making more room behind the motherboard for all the wires. This would reduce CPU cooler clearance, but could open up other options as a result.

On the other hand, other cases that support SFX/SFX-L are actually very small. In use they probably don't feel too much larger than the L3. IMO, if you want to have an internal PSU, then I would recommend a case that supports an SFX/SFX-L PSU. I have to seriously ask myself if it's really worth producing more L-series cases.

I think I would use something like this. Two of them if I needed it for 12v

That's a great suggestion, thanks for the reminder that this even exists.

The point I was trying to make was that it might be built down to a price and puts out more heat than a better unit.

The nanoATX PSU Josh is mentioning is actually a nice idea, I still haven't seen a build using it.

Maybe you could also try to mount your power brick with heat conductive tape to the front of the case, that might work as well.

It was just a noisy fan, right from idle. I think the most reliable option would be to find a quiet replacement fan, if that exists.

Mounting the brick inside is an interesting idea. You could use a right angle connector to save room.​

 

[pazoo]

Thank you for the suppport. Besides the noisy fan, and trying to find a quiet replacement, there's also the issue of wire management. If Flex ATX could be silent, I could see making more room behind the motherboard for all the wires. This would reduce CPU cooler clearance, but could open up other options as a result.

On the other hand, other cases that support SFX/SFX-L are actually very small. In use they probably don't feel too much larger than the L3. IMO, if you want to have an internal PSU, then I would recommend a case that supports an SFX/SFX-L PSU. I have to seriously ask myself if it's really worth producing more L-series cases.
​

Small but not small as the L3.
How's the waiting list? Is there one particular color that has most of the votes?

 

[Lone]

Small but not small as the L3.
How's the waiting list? Is there one particular color that has most of the votes?

I still get people subscribing to the waiting list, but not very often. I'm pretty sure the only way people find out about me are through the forums. Currently 75% want black, the other 25% is split between silver and grey. The new anodizer I have been planning to use has a slightly different grey (they call it pewter), and has a bit of a blue to it.

In other news, I have received quotes from two new potential and promising manufacturers. One has a hefty one time setup fee (about $1000 CAD or $712 USD). The other has no setup fee (worked into unit price), but says their CNC punch (Amada) may leave a ring mark around the countersink holes I use. Hoping to receive some countersink samples to see what this ring looks like.

 

[iFreilicht]

Don't you think it would be possible to partner with a retailer? I mean you've sold quite a few units, but Canada really isn't the best place to sell from internationally, so maybe you could reach more people if you could find a partner in Europe that can distribute there.

 

[PlayfulPhoenix]

Don't you think it would be possible to partner with a retailer? I mean you've sold quite a few units, but Canada really isn't the best place to sell from internationally, so maybe you could reach more people if you could find a partner in Europe that can distribute there.

Retailers are very, very hard for small shops to work with - the price markup is significant, and their MOQ tends to be very large. I'm not sure that even a super-successful project like the NCASE M1 would have enough scale to make that sort of partnership viable, especially since it's only getting easier (and comparatively way less expensive) to just tackle distribution directly.

 

[Josh | NFC]

Retailers are very, very hard for small shops to work with - the price markup is significant, and their MOQ tends to be very large. I'm not sure that even a super-successful project like the NCASE M1 would have enough scale to make that sort of partnership viable, especially since it's only getting easier (and comparatively way less expensive) to just tackle distribution directly.

Retail margins kill small business. Distributor takes %, retailer takes %, payment company takes %, and by the time you've paid your shipping expenses there isn't a penny more to go into your account.

 

[iFreilicht]

I see, thanks for clearing that up.