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Neptune5k
09-23-2002, 10:41 AM
Sup everyone, I'm looking for some brainstorming and some links to some special hardware.... I'm sure you guyz can help me.

Here's the scenario. I have a Vapochill cooling system which i've moved to a Lian Li PC-71 Full tower case. My antec 400w PSU worked fine with the AMD setup, but since then I've put P4 guts in the case. Now I'm having really tough 12v problems. The combination between a 12v hungry compressor and a 12v hungry P4 doesn't work to well. With the Antec, my 12v would read about 11.07v with the 5v dialed in at 5.10v.

My first solution was to buy a bigger power supply that could supply more 12v current. I tried an Antec TruePower480. Well, this ended up frying 2 HDDs and a CD-Rom drive. In examining the voltages, the 12v was about 11.5v and the 5v was running about 5.3v, waaay out of spec. I bought the PSU thinking it had pots to adjust, but it didn't. I'm under the impression that the PSU circuit is designed to up its voltage when it reads a low voltage, so in this case, the Vapochill sux all of the 12v down, and the PSU tries to compensate and consequently I've got a dangerously high 5v rail. I tried a 500w PSU of a different make and the exact same thing happened.

So where does this leave me? Well, basically I want to run 2 PSU's and i want to maintain the clean look of the Lian Li. I really dont' want a PSU hanging out the back, and I havn't quite figured out how I could mount one on the inside without interfering....

The way I see it now, I have a couple of options.
1) Use one of the power supplies to power just the vapochill, and another to power the mainboard and drives.
2) Use a power supply to power the Vapo and the Mainboard - but this will result in a low 12v and high 5v to mainboard

2) is ideally the better option in that the vapochill control will handle the resetting and powering of the mainboard. But, I'm concerned that the high 5v could damage components on the mainboard.

Another thing I'd like to see if i could find is a really small (small as in its casing) ATX power supply, something around 200-250 watts which would be easier to mount. Maybe a power supply like the ones they use in those small Shuttle Boxes. If any of you know where I could find something like that relatively inexpensive, I'd like to know.

Any feedback is welcome and appreciated.

TheDude
09-23-2002, 10:50 AM
Some people have solved this by running 2 ps as you suggest. I solved this by buying a TTGI 520w PS. It has adjustable pot for +5 and +12 rail. It was $85 new and built like a tank with triple fans..best PS I have ever had. It now comes in a higher wattage model..not sure what that is. It's rated at 45..highest I have seen.

If you go the other way..try Ebay or even someone here may have a 2nd cheap PS.

Hope that helps:D

JBELL
09-23-2002, 11:02 AM
ttgi is the way to go..... great amp readings on 12v and 5v rails

Neptune5k
09-23-2002, 11:27 AM
Well I found that PSU for about $86.... I'll have to sell one of these others before i can order it tho. Anyone know of anybody who would like either an Antec TruePower 480 or a Raidmax 500?

Neptune5k
09-23-2002, 04:11 PM
Originally posted by TheDude
It has adjustable pot for +5 and +12 rail.
Hope that helps:D

When you say this, do you mean it has a seperate pot for the 5v and the 12v rail, or one pot which controls them both?

TheDude
09-23-2002, 04:15 PM
1 controls both

sysfailur
09-23-2002, 04:43 PM
I would go with option 1 myself. That's just me though. Just let the vapo run all the time, even when you turn the comp off. Use the Green/Black trick on the vapochill psu and make a switch on the front of your case for it. If you want to turn it off you'd have the switch, but I'd just let it run 24/7. Then use your normal switch for the mobo.

Wiggity whack!

Neptune5k
09-23-2002, 07:16 PM
Well Sys, That's what I've been doing this evening and it seems to be working okay - although ghetto-rigged. What I'll probably end up doing is getting one of those real small Micro-ATX PSU's and using it to run just the compressor. Then I'll wire in a switch for the Green wire and Ground