Simple Dual Pico PSU Set Up

[Phuncz]

If all it did was turn both PSUs on and off at the same time, then why do the EPS connectors also plug in to it? The only wire really needed for that is the PSON signal, which, as I said, has already been provided by other adapters in a much smaller package.
If it were supposed to be some sort of board for consolidating power for redundancy purposes, then it would need to have sockets for the PEG and SATA connectors.

Indeed, it only allows redundancy for the board, not the storage or externally powered cards. So theoretically (lets not include modding) you could use it for redundancy if you use only M.2 storage and slot-powered GPUs. You could just as well get a real workstation with redundant PSUs and not have this limitation.

 

[michaelmitchell]

Looks like Pico Box released a replacement for the Z3-ATX-200 very recently with heat spreaders provided. My Z3 just arrived but I haven't had a chance to test it yet.

http://www.aliexpress.com/store/pro...supply-board-with-12V/211500_32651583399.html

I also I finally got a message back from Pico Box and it seems like they still might make the X3-ATX-300 on the smaller PCB which would be a cheaper and more powerful alternative to the HDPLEX 250W, I have a direct email contact now so I will find out more.

 

[iFreilicht]

You gotta love the combined research power of this forum, nice find!
One of my biggest gripes with these DC-DC boards was the directly soldered output, this unit seems like a really interesting alternative.

 

[michaelmitchell]

You gotta love the combined research power of this forum, nice find!
One of my biggest gripes with these DC-DC boards was the directly soldered output, this unit seems like a really interesting alternative.

I've just emailed Frank at Pico Box to see if they will commit to a future supply chain of the X3-ATX-300 on a smaller PCB as a cheaper & more powerful replacement for the HDPLEX 250W, this would big news if they do because the X3-ATX-300 has a much higher max load & peak load on the 12v rail.

By the looks of the recent addition of custom head spreaders for the Z4 they are proactive about improving their products too, they look much better than my custom job on the Z3.

 

[CC Ricers]

That Z4 with heat spreaders looks damn slick! And much cheaper than the HD PLEX 250w too. However it still has no PCI express power connectors, plus the title says "200w high power" but in the product details it says "< 150w" for the power rating... I guess 200w is only the limit for peak power loads? Confused here.

But if it's safe to use with a 90w graphics card then I'll grab this. I have a Pentium G3258 which is 55w but as I have it overclocked to 4.0Ghz it's probably using past 60w.

Also, the bench rig in their photos demos a GPU running Furmark, and with 150w worth of PEG connectors- wut They must have some additional power source to manage the power that is measured in that watt meter.

EDIT: A closer look at the bottom photos, it doesn't appear that way. They really are daisy-chaining the CPU 8-pin connector to the PEG connectors and running everything from that single Z4. That's impressive.

 

[michaelmitchell]

That Z4 with heat spreaders looks damn slick! And much cheaper than the HD PLEX 250w too. However it still has no PCI express power connectors, plus the title says "200w high power" but in the product details it says "< 150w" for the power rating... I guess 200w is only the limit for peak power loads? Confused here. But if it's safe to use with a 90w graphics card then I'll grab this.

Also, the bench rig in their photos demos a GPU running Furmark, and with 150w worth of PEG connectors- wut They must have some additional power source to manage the power that is measured in that watt meter.

EDIT: A closer look at the bottom photos, it doesn't appear that way. They really are daisy-chaining the CPU 8-pin connector to the PEG connectors and running everything from that single Z4. That's impressive.

I've just been emailing back and forth with Frank from Pico Box who designs these in his spare time and he told me the Z4 is a complete redesign and upgrade from the Z3 with increased power efficiency and a stronger 12v rail but he has not given me numbers yet. He is very open to feedback and suggestions, I mentioned the PCI-E connectors and he is going to discuss it with his team, I suggested at minimum he provide a custom 4pin molex to PCI-E connector as an option to make using a discrete cards easy without modding the cables. He is also discussing a new version of the X3-ATX-300 with dimensions closer to the HDPLEX with his team now that he knows a market exists for them. He also mentioned he has recently been contacted by some investors and that his product line will be expanding in the future and he is exploring a web cloud platform and the mobile apps which have been used by thermaltake DPS G cloud power management.

The Z3 units were 200W with a 240W peak and the Z4 is the same, but what really counts is the 12V rail since both GPU and CPU primarily draw from there. The Z3 has 144W peak 12v rail, and we can assume the Z4 is at least the same but probably a little higher, the HDPLEX has 228W peak 12V rail and the X3-ATX-300 has 288W 12v rail. So systems with smaller requirements like you suggest would make the Z4 a much cheaper alternative to the HDPLEX without being limited to 12v power bricks like the PicoPSU.

You can see in the background of the photos that the bench rig is running about 210-220W at the wall but if you consider about 80% efficiency of the power brick then in reality the system is only using about 170W at most.

When I get some time to mod my Z3 cables with PCI-E I will see just how much I can run with it and see if I can get a Z4 to test as well.

 

[CC Ricers]

You can see in the background of the photos that the bench rig is running about 210-220W at the wall but if you consider about 80% efficiency of the power brick then in reality the system is only using about 170W at most.

Good point. Also I think the heat spreaders will also add to the longevity of running the DC-DC under those loads. My system probably comes just short of 170w (I really need to get a watt-meter, just to make sure). And yeah, a molex to PCI-E adapter would be nice too. Better than running extra wires across the motherboard from the CPU connector.

 

[michaelmitchell]

Good point. Also I think the heat spreaders will also add to the longevity of running the DC-DC under those loads. My system probably comes just short of 170w (I really need to get a watt-meter, just to make sure). And yeah, a molex to PCI-E adapter would be nice too. Better than running extra wires across the motherboard from the CPU connector.

What components are you running? I am going to give my i5-4590 + GTX960 a go on my Z3 and see how it goes, I won't be holding my breath to have both fully loaded at the same time but I can estimate things by watching the CPU power draw in Core Temp.

I also just got some exciting news from Frank at Pico Box, they are going to make a version of the X3 with the same dimensions and mounting as the HDPLEX 250W as a cheaper and more powerful drop in replacement!!! It will take them about 3 weeks to finish and he will be sending me a prototype to test and review as soon as its done.

 

[CC Ricers]

What components are you running? I am going to give my i5-4590 + GTX960 a go on my Z3 and see how it goes, I won't be holding my breath to have both fully loaded at the same time but I can estimate things by watching the CPU power draw in Core Temp.

I have a Pentium G3528 overclocked to 4.0Ghz and a GTX 950, plus one 3.5" hard drive. I think it would be tough to push power consumption past 200w with this setup, at least continuously.

I also just got some exciting news from Frank at Pico Box, they are going to make a version of the X3 with the same dimensions and mounting as the HDPLEX 250W as a cheaper and more powerful drop in replacement!!! It will take them about 3 weeks to finish and he will be sending me a prototype to test and review as soon as its done.

Honestly I would prefer the Z4 if the power output can handle my setup, as it would occupy less space. I feel good getting that one.

 

[aquelito]

I have been using a Z3-ATX-200 to power an A8 7600 rig and some 8Gb 2133 DDR3.
Works like a charm with a 60 € Asrock A68 board.

However, as I am using an Antec ISK 110 case, the Z3-ATX-200 is not ventilated and is getting very hot, even while seating idle.
After 30 minutes or so browsing and finishing Windows 7 installation, the PSU would just shut down itself, its blue LED blincking.

I had such heat issues in mind well before building the PC and added the following modifications :

- use a 24P ATX extension cable to move the PSU away from both RAM sticks.
- add 4 heatsinks (cut to fit - 2 on each side) covering the board Mosfets, to help dissipate the heat.

Results : the PSU does not shut down anymore, but heatsinks are quite hot to touch.

What I will try next is to place an intake 40 mm fan cooling the PSU, plugged straight into the MOBO this time.
I am indeed a bit worried that the extension cable spcket might "melt" when system is under load.

OR, best solution, use a HDPLEX 160W PSU. I have a very good experience with HDPLEX and will remain a faithfull customer !

EDIT : I just noticed the HDPLEX 160W price has been lowered to 31 € ! A no-brainer, just purchased a unit.
It will replace the original Antec 90W DC-DC board perfectly !

 

[aquelito]

This kinda stuff is super fun. Question for those of you who might have tried it or want to run a dual setup (I think its crazy other than for S&Gs), could you not just use the Pico for the motherboard, and then use one of these with a jumped 24 pin? You know, connect the power sense to the ground? Its not like the GPU will draw much while the system is off anyways, and it would save a HECKUVA lot of power cable mess!

I have no idea if it works with DC-DC PSUs, but I employed the same system concept years ago in a huge system I built with separate power supplies for GPUs. I would think might work!

In conclusion, if I have an HDPLEX 250W and and HDPLEX 160W, would it be possible to :

- use the 160W to power the system through 24Pin, 4Pin CPU... cables
- use the 250W unit to power the sole GPU, through the sole 8Pin cable (no other cable) ?

 

[Josh | NFC]

In conclusion, if I have an HDPLEX 250W and and HDPLEX 160W, would it be possible to :

- use the 160W to power the system through 24Pin, 4Pin CPU... cables
- use the 250W unit to power the sole GPU, through the sole 8Pin cable (no other cable) ?

With two bricks? Absolutely.

 

[CC Ricers]

Anyone tried daisy chaining two DC units and running off a single brick? Should be possible similar to how that Add2PSU circuit is done. For me as I own a HD-PLEX 160w already it would be more cost effective for me to just buy another one and use both instead of buying the 250w variant (I am not planning on using a super high-end GPU)

 

[Josh | NFC]

Anyone tried daisy chaining two DC units and running off a single brick? Should be possible similar to how that Add2PSU circuit is done. For me as I own a HD-PLEX 160w already it would be more cost effective for me to just buy another one and use both instead of buying the 250w variant (I am not planning on using a super high-end GPU)

Yeah it is totally possible with the Pico..just need to jump it. I don't think that is the bottleneck or the best solution though...

 

[Hahutzy]

I also just got some exciting news from Frank at Pico Box, they are going to make a version of the X3 with the same dimensions and mounting as the HDPLEX 250W as a cheaper and more powerful drop in replacement!!! It will take them about 3 weeks to finish and he will be sending me a prototype to test and review as soon as its done.

Any news on that and/or where can I contact them? I'm looking to source a DC-DC board right now in preparation for test fitting my case..

 

[aquelito]

With two bricks? Absolutely.

Thanks ! At the end of the video, he's talking about "jumping" the HDPLEX 250W.
Can you explain a bit more what is about ? Does it have to do with the fact that both ATX and CPU cables are not connected to the mobo ?

EDIT : you have to use something like this jumper on the PSU powering the sole GPU ?

 

[iFreilicht]

Any news on that and/or where can I contact them? I'm looking to source a DC-DC board right now in preparation for test fitting my case..

Why don't you ask @hdplex about their PSU? That's probably the one that will be used the most in your case anyway.

EDIT: Actually, if you're interested in the alternative one, there's a thread here if you didn't already know.

 

[Josh | NFC]

Thanks ! At the end of the video, he's talking about "jumping" the HDPLEX 250W.
Can you explain a bit more what is about ? Does it have to do with the fact that both ATX and CPU cables are not connected to the mobo ?

EDIT : you have to use something like this jumper on the PSU powering the sole GPU ?

You just stick a wire touching a ground (where a black cable would go) in the 24 pin to the PWR_ON pin (where the green cable would go). You don't need anything fancy or to buy anything.

Peace!

 

[Hahutzy]

Why don't you ask @hdplex about their PSU? That's probably the one that will be used the most in your case anyway.

Will need to test that too, yea. But it's more of a solved case, was more interested in the untested

Okay I just read through that thread. Boy was I wrong about the "solved case" part.

 

[Zackmd1]

Is it possible to have 2 power bricks powering one pico? I'm currently deciding how I want to power my 960 + i5 6500. I originally tried a "500 watt" flex atx psu.... Very noisy and actually crashed in game because it could not provide enough power. So I want to try silent, and minimize wiring in the case. The pico fits the bill perfectly but 12v ac adapters are difficult to find over 220 watt. The idea was to use two Xbox one power bricks in parallel to power one pico and retain the on/off function of the power bricks. Is this possible or should I go for 2 160 picos with two bricks?