Title says most of it...

Anyone done this? I certainly know it can be done- I've used an old PC PSU to run my battery chargers for RC stuff for years.

Knowing that PC PSUs provide pos and neg, 12 and 5 volts, at typically around 10 amps each- and that most PC external peripherals run off of 5 or 12 VDC- and hating that there's an absolute rat's nest of walwarts, cords, cables, and so on under my desk- an idea formed.

(of course it goes without saying we leave the 5 and 12 volt NEG leads out of this- we want positive..)

So my thought is- take an old PC PSU, strap all the +5 volt leads together and solder to a banana jack, or a DC axial power jack of appropriate size. Likewise, the 12 volt leads (get all clever about it, and make them a different size/type of connector so you can't confuse them. I use DC axials for 5 volt, and Anderson Powerpoles for 12 volt, in accordance with old HAM practice). Bolt the PSU under the desk and run just a few custom-length cables atop the desk for whatever yoou need.

Advantage: less cable clutter, one switch to turn off everything (I've even attached some of them to the back of a computer so I turn off the external drives with one switch when I turn off the computer). MUCH more efficient, less waste heat. Also, rock-solid voltage output, since PSUs are switching power supplies.

This is pretty much a solution in search of a problem for most users- but then, we're not most users. I would bet most of us have multiple computers/monitors/devices we're dealing with.

I even just snagged an old ATX PSU to hack along these lines, for use at work.

Note, the +5 volt rail would work for charging USB items. Sure, it has many times the ampacity that USB calls for- but an electrical device is only going to take what it needs. Some devices which require software USB negotiation before charging is enabled wouldn't work in this case, of course...

(EDIT: I pulled the voltages from memory. There's no negative 5 or neg 12, they reference to "ground"... so that's easier. Also, there's need to put a resistor in the circuit to run the show, and there's also 3.3VDC)

Go and look on instructables and you will find lots of people doing this.
I've not got round to it yet but I was going to build one with variable output, volt gauges, etc. but been too busy. It was going to have two psu in it so I could output a range of voltages

#edit# various corrections, I hate auto-correct

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Networking is much like making love to a beautiful woman
Slide your equipment in to the rack, Stick your plug in the socket, and if you have done it right at the end everyone is happy

only sort of related, but posting this anyways

http://blog.brokennetwork.ca/2011/09/in ... -hack.html

Mobile Post

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blog.brokennetwork.ca

Yes, I know you can build them as benchtop PSUs. I've got at least one at the house I did exactly that to...

I was just wondering if anyone had used them as a way to clean up the cable clutter and (drastically) lower the waste-heat from the walwarts under the desk?

My office at home constantly runs at 20 degrees above the rest of the house's temp- I did some experiments and it turns out it was due largely to the walwarts under the desk.

On 12SEP01 (day after the attacks) the bank I was outsourced to experienced a PSU failure on their ATM router (not ATM as in "frame Relay"... ATM as in "cash machine"). They had warranty on the PSU, but there was no way to claim said warranty, as all air traffic was grounded (and thus, all courier services). I kludged together something very similar after a trip home to grab my RC toolbox (to grab my strippers and soldering station), stole a PSU out of a brand-new Dell (not even bothering to ask- the headshed of the bank was losing their collective minds over this- apparently it loses a lot of money for them on the front end, and incurs fees and fines on the back end.. .so I was in "Fix it, get the mission DONE!" mode)

They loved me, needless to say.

Interesting! I think i might check into this

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http://blog.movingonesandzeros.net/

But once you have converted it in to something else, like a bench top psu, I see no reason why you can't run other stuff from it all the time. It's pretty much designed for that anyway and you will probably be putting less load on it then in normal pc operation

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Networking is much like making love to a beautiful woman
Slide your equipment in to the rack, Stick your plug in the socket, and if you have done it right at the end everyone is happy

:nods: prezactly.

Just figured surely I'm not the only one ever had this idea, so wondered if anyone had some additional input/ideas.

I've seen quite a few ham setups and other project type stuff using old PC power supplies.

So what other stuff can you run off it? I'm struggling to think. Looking around my desk, I see an IP phone, wired keyboard and mouse and two monitors.

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"Right actions in the future are the best apologies for bad actions in the past."

Anything that you charge via USB. Most desktop routers. Most external drive enclosures. Most SATA docks, consumer-level routers and switches, etc...,