Is this what I need for the Hub power supply?

[ILOVETOTRYDIY]

Scored this off of Craigslist for free today, is this what I need for the SS Hub?



-Rebecca

[chrisatpsu]

post the model number if you can find it.

[ILOVETOTRYDIY]

It says:

Bestec

Model: ATX - 300 -12E        REV: D

Input: 100 - 127V -6A , 200 - 240V ~3A 60/50 HZ

Output  +12V  / 15A,  -12V / 0.8A

300W Max. +5V / 30A, +5VSB /2A
                   +3.3V / 28A,


+5V & 3.3V   180W MAX
+5V & +12V & 3.3V 288W MAX

[chrisatpsu]

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Is the power requirements documentation for pixelnet. 

the Bestec ATX-300-12e   specs  show it to have a 20pin atx connector. Rj mentions supplies with the 24pin.
I'm not sure how important that missing would be, but I think it also depends on the number of pixels you plan to use with the Hub.

[dmaccole]

the Bestec ATX-300-12e   specs  show it to have a 20pin atx connector. Rj mentions supplies with the 24pin.
I'm not sure how important that missing would be, but I think it also depends on the number of pixels you plan to use with the Hub.

The extra four pins are pretty important -- they include an extra 12v connection.

I'm pretty sure the supply illustrated has what is called a 20+4 connector ... on the picture, see the strand that reaches down toward the bottom (looks to be orangy in the picture)? I think that's the +4 part of the connector. The 20 and the +4 slide together to become a 24-pin connector.

Whether this is enough power for your Smart Strings is an open question -- how many pixels are you intending to power?

Oh, I just ran across your posting saying you want 800 nodes. My little calculator says that would run about 284.8 watts, which when we add in the draw of the board of itself, it's probably getting to be too little headroom for a 300 watt power supply.

Which is to say that for 800 nodes, I'd want a 400-watt supply, if it were mine to do.

Also, if I were using a freebie from Craigslist in my show, I'd have a spare or two lying around just in case the freebie took a swan dive.*

\dmc

*BTW -- I *did* use cheap ($5-$10) computer power supplies in my 2010 show and I *did* have spares available.

[Trepidati0n]

As per usual, stay awayfrom cheap supplies if you plan on pushing their rated current.  You might get them to work a bit better if they are out in the cold. However, the cheap ones tend not work at their rated levels continuously and do have a habbit of letting smoke out.  If you plan on hookig up a $1000+ worth of pixels/controllers to a hub, to cheap out on the supply is not a wise choice.

[ILOVETOTRYDIY]

Good to know, i'll just keep this for the servo drivers that power my diy animatronics.

[chrisatpsu]

the power cable reaching towards the bottom in the picture is the +12v connector  (black and yellow wires) that goes to the center of a p4 motherboard for example.  even though it's carrying 12v (yellow insulation) , it wont plug into the hub (unlesss a change has been made.) those connectors wont physically plug into the last 4 pins of 24pin connector. it's designned that way to keep people from plugging in the power supply incorrectly when building a computer.

[deplanche]

Don't some PC power supplies need a load on them to run, or at least run properly?  Is there a minimum number of nodes we should be using per hub to make sure we aren't going to overload anything?

[dmaccole]

Don't some PC power supplies need a load on them to run, or at least run properly?

Yes, but RJ has side-stepped that issue by using the ATX-24 connector on the hub board -- the power requirements of the hub board provides the load to keep the PS running.

Is there a minimum number of nodes we should be using per hub to make sure we aren't going to overload anything?

Did you mean "maximum" instead of "minimum"?

\dmc

[CaptKirk]

There are extra 12V lines on the other 4 pins of a 24pin ATX, but they are redundant to existing 12V connections on the 20 pin.  I use 20 pin power supplies on boards with 24 pins all the time with no issues.  It will work but you are probably best to get the "kit #3" in the coop and plug in the disk drive connectors also to the hub just to get all you need to get out of the power supply to the hub.

Kirk

[tbone321]

That is not what kit 3 is for.  If you are using a computer power suplly, kit 3 is not needed and you can and should plug in the drive connectors as well.  That is what the jacks are there for.  Kit three is used if you are going to connect the hub to a 12V only supply to supply the also needed 5V

[wbuehler]

Kit #3 is not for use along side a PC power supply, If you use Kit #3 to supply 12VDC do not use the ATX or other PC power supply connectors.

Bill

[hbomb341]

Kit #3 is not for use along side a PC power supply, If you use Kit #3 to supply 12VDC do not use the ATX or other PC power supply connectors.

Bill

Bill can you have Kit 3 installed but use the ATX supply? (Flexibility / future use)

Harrison

[tbone321]

I would think so since the 12V only uses a dfferent input.  For the price it really makes sense to order them anyway just in case.