Meanwell PSU Accessories

[Thehack]

Here's a couple images of a mockup of what I imagine a product could look like which combines a shroud, case, and hookup kit. This is a case with 0.5mm metal plating on all sides of the PSU to reduce ESD, two 40x15mm fans, a C6 inlet, two PCIe 8pin outputs, a power switch, and a power LED. I just made a bunch of 3mm acrylic panels, but I imagine something thinner should work too. Those things that look like dust filters are dust filters, because I like dust filters. I don't know if they are necessary for a PSU though. I know the fans look like they're in a weird spot, but that's what the spec sheet says to do :/

Anyways, that's just my two cents. I can't wait to see your project take off, I think it'll do really well!

Got some good ideas there. I was thinking more of a top-down 92mm fan, as 40mm aren't fun noise wise. The fan position is just recommended afterall, since these PSU are built for passive cooling as well. 2x 8PCIe is a bit much, as you're looking about 300W power just for the GPUs, and you're not left a lot for CPU + headroom and transient spikes. At most, it'd be design for single 8pin, or 8+6 pin on the high end of the 400W EPP.

I'm still brainstorming, but I got a couple good ideas to put down on CAD.

For materials, i'm thinking of 3mm and 1.5 mm acrylic for low orders. If I can get about 15+ pledges, then maybe we can look at a sheet metal solution.

What are your expectations for the cost of the shroud?

 

[SeñorDonut]

Got some good ideas there. I was thinking more of a top-down 92mm fan, as 40mm aren't fun noise wise. The fan position is just recommended afterall, since these PSU are built for passive cooling as well. 2x 8PCIe is a bit much, as you're looking about 300W power just for the GPUs, and you're not left a lot for CPU + headroom and transient spikes. At most, it'd be design for single 8pin, or 8+6 pin on the high end of the 400W EPP.

I'm still brainstorming, but I got a couple good ideas to put down on CAD.

For materials, i'm thinking of 3mm and 1.5 mm acrylic for low orders. If I can get about 15+ pledges, then maybe we can look at a sheet metal solution.

What are your expectations for the cost of the shroud?

Thanks! I didn't even think about a top-down fan, that's a really good idea! The only reason I put 2x 8pin connectors is because that's what the modded Dell brick that G-Unique sells has.

I don't really know what to expect it to cost, but I doubt it'll be unreasonable.

 

[Kmpkt]

What I would really love to see in terms of design would be one that doesn't make the PSU into a big square. If you're going to do that and put a 92mm fan on top, I don't think this solution has any major advantages over SFX. The spec says the unit needs 25 CFM of air to operate. Perhaps putting one of these directly on top of the EPP-400 would be good:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2..._x_10mm_PWM_Fan_AK-FN076.html?tl=g36c365s2247

26.5 CFM is above minimum spec for the unit and if you added a C8 plug behind the fan you could have the entire unit inside of a 127mm x 80mm x 45mm envelope (ie. still 1U height).

 

[SeñorDonut]

What I would really love to see in terms of design would be one that doesn't make the PSU into a big square. If you're going to do that and put a 92mm fan on top, I don't think this solution has any major advantages over SFX. The spec says the unit needs 25 CFM of air to operate. Perhaps putting one of these directly on top of the EPP-400 would be good:

http://www.frozencpu.com/products/2..._x_10mm_PWM_Fan_AK-FN076.html?tl=g36c365s2247

26.5 CFM is above minimum spec for the unit and if you added a C8 plug behind the fan you could have the entire unit inside of a 127mm x 80mm x 45mm envelope (ie. still 1U height).

EPP-400 is only 76.2mm wide so this, while being better than a 92mm fan still has a bit of overhang. I found this one on Mouser, it's a 70mm fan with 10.6mm thickness.

 

[Kmpkt]

True, but if you're making an enclosure out of say 1.5mm aluminum, now it's 80mm wide.

 

[buLL]

I dont think making an enclosure for the EPP300 and EPP400 will give a big advantage. I mean, its size, even unframed, is already almost the size of FlexATX. I think @Thehack should focus on the EPP-200, which is much smaller than FlexATX, and would work for a lot of systems (up to GTX1060, maybe even GTX1070 with low powered CPU). I dunno, that's just my thought.

 

[buLL]

26.5 CFM is above minimum spec for the unit and if you added a C8 plug behind the fan you could have the entire unit inside of a 127mm x 80mm x 45mm envelope (ie. still 1U height).

Just look at this specs. In the best case possible, the final frame would still be bigger than FlexATX. Cause you still have to put a power plug while using Meanwell. If the power plug was put in parallel to the EPP300/400, it would end taking about 17 x 8 x 4,5cm of space, which is bigger than FlexATX. That's why I think you should focus on the EPP-200, with a power plug inserted in the frame.

 

[Thehack]

For the EPP-300 series, I would want to use the larger C13 plug. The C6 power entry plug can only handle up to 275W on 110V side, but would be fine on the 220-240V side.

I think I'll be tackling the EPP-200 series first.

There are going to be two train of thoughts when we are designing the enclosure:

1. Maximum compatibility with current platforms, as in try to fit into FLEX/SFX/ATX mounting points.

2. Maximum smallness.

Those two ideas will sometimes be at odds with each other.

What are your guys thought on that? Should we aim for as small as possible, or should we aim for compatibility?

 

[buLL]

What are your guys thought on that? Should we aim for as small as possible, or should we aim for compatibility?

I think you should go with "as small as possible". I mean, why would people buy a Meanwell compatible with FlexATX for example, if FlexATX is much cheaper, easier, and takes the same space? Makes no sense. You should go with smallest possible, aimed for people that are designing cases like us in the forum.

That's my thought, but i would like to hear other people's opinion too.

 

[jeshikat]

I agree, if it's too big then it's a harder sell compared to just using FlexATX, SFX, TFX, etc.

 

[SeñorDonut]

I dont think making an enclosure for the EPP300 and EPP400 will give a big advantage. I mean, its size, even unframed, is already almost the size of FlexATX. I think @Thehack should focus on the EPP-200, which is much smaller than FlexATX, and would work for a lot of systems (up to GTX1060, maybe even GTX1070 with low powered CPU). I dunno, that's just my thought.

FlexATX can't really be used as an external brick though. I mean it can, but there'd be a lot of extra clutter. Here's a comparison of a standard FlexATX PSU to the brick I posted earlier.

 

[CC Ricers]

I will be purchasing a EPP-200 and using it fanless since I don't need all the power. A 75w GPU and 35w CPU system will run comfortably within 140 watts. But it may not be to everyone's configuration and we'd need more collective experience to see how well these PSUs can be pushed passively before shutdowns become a regular problem.

My ideal enclosure will be just barely bigger than what is required for mounting the PSU. 40mm height will allow 6mm standoffs for the PSU board, and 53 mm width from exterior side to side.

 

[Thehack]

Meanwell does offer enclosed versions of their EPP series, it is labeled as RPS , RPS-200-12 for example. It is still fairly open, but if you want, you can easily paint it black to improve how it looks.

This is a quick color replace, so i did grab some of the nearby grays, but you kind of get the gist of what it'd look like if you colored it black.

----

The solution we want though, is an enclosed shroud with hooks up for our wires.

@Aibohphobia, how much do you think it would cost to do a 10 qty run of two piece sheet metal enclosure with bends, no assembly? Includes cutout for a fan, C6 hook up, and a molex mini fit plug. For EPP-200 size.

 

[jeshikat]

It really depends, depending on complexity, labor cost (China vs USA for example), material, and order quantity, it could be anywhere from $10/ea to $100/ea.

For 50 units in aluminum, with relatively low complexity, made in the USA, it'd probably be around $30-$40.

 

[Thehack]

It really depends, depending on complexity, labor cost (China vs USA for example), material, and order quantity, it could be anywhere from $10/ea to $100/ea.

For 50 units in aluminum, with relatively low complexity, made in the USA, it'd probably be around $30-$40.

I doubt we'd get up into 50 units. Maybe 20. So it'd probably won't be cheap if we go for sheet metal. But it's a good learning project.

 

[buLL]

I doubt we'd get up into 50 units. Maybe 20. So it'd probably won't be cheap if we go for sheet metal. But it's a good learning project.

I dont think laser cut acrylic is a bad choice for this project. I mean, being such a small enclosure, it doesnt need too much resistance as sheet metal. And you have to consider it as being a prototype too, if people like the design, you can go metal later. And it would get much cheaper too with acrylic. I dont know.

 

[CC Ricers]

I just received my S4 mini but haven't bought any other parts yet. I am definitely interested in 12V meanwell options rather than using a cheap brick. i also ordered one of the G-Unique direct plug. @Thehack your threads are awesome by the way!

Dooo eet! You could be the first one on here to use a Meanwell unit inside of the S4 as opposed to outside of it. It should fit perfectly well, if the builds with HD-Plex 250W are any indication.

Meanwell does offer enclosed versions of their EPP series, it is labeled as RPS , RPS-200-12 for example. It is still fairly open, but if you want, you can easily paint it black to improve how it looks.

This is a quick color replace, so i did grab some of the nearby grays, but you kind of get the gist of what it'd look like if you colored it black.

That mockup actually looks pretty good I would just need to attach another panel on the back to screw on the C8 connector for AC input, and spray paint the whole enclosure black.

The end with the JST 12V/24V connectors can remain open but that's just my preference. Once the cable is hooked up I don't expect to disconnect it from the PSU much- I'd only need to disconnect the end that goes to the plug-in DC board.

 

[Kooki]

Meanwell does offer enclosed versions of their EPP series, it is labeled as RPS , RPS-200-12 for example. It is still fairly open, but if you want, you can easily paint it black to improve how it looks.

This is a quick color replace, so i did grab some of the nearby grays, but you kind of get the gist of what it'd look like if you colored it black.

----

The solution we want though, is an enclosed shroud with hooks up for our wires.

@Aibohphobia, how much do you think it would cost to do a 10 qty run of two piece sheet metal enclosure with bends, no assembly? Includes cutout for a fan, C6 hook up, and a molex mini fit plug. For EPP-200 size.

Do you have any mock up of how the wire hooks up would look like? I thought you had in mind using the default ones which you "screw" the wires in place, similar to the new HDplex160 dc-atx.

I also think an acrylic solution would look just as fine.

 

[Thehack]

I dont think laser cut acrylic is a bad choice for this project. I mean, being such a small enclosure, it doesnt need too much resistance as sheet metal. And you have to consider it as being a prototype too, if people like the design, you can go metal later. And it would get much cheaper too with acrylic. I dont know.

Laser cut acrylic is a good idea. The issue is starting at what features to design for, and what feature to through away.

SO Let's start at the EPP-200.

I'm thinking of the following features:
- Enclosed on 5 sides, bottom side of PSU is left for mounting to chassis.
- Mount points for a 40mm fan
- Ventilations
- Large slots for wires to come out of.

Unfortunately the acrylic is 3mm thick so it'll add a decent bit of size. I'll try to make it where you can choose which panels to put on.

 

[Thehack]

Do you have any mock up of how the wire hooks up would look like? I thought you had in mind using the default ones which you "screw" the wires in place, similar to the new HDplex160 dc-atx.

I also think an acrylic solution would look just as fine.

The acrylic would look much better.

The wires hook ups are different depending which wattage model you can get. The 300/400 uses the screw type terminals, while the 100/200 uses JST connectors.