Bus bar ideas

[jackpilot]

Just got a 1000W PSU for the OVH and map lights
5V and 12V
I would like to make a neat connection , regrouping all the reds (5V) , all the yellows (12V) and all the ground wires from the PSU, each on a bus
From these 3 buses i would feed my components.

I'd like something better than the screw terminals I used for my MIP as the OVH loads are more substantial.
Any ideas?

[jackpilot]

Well I cant start the darn thing!

Cable for motherboard:
Green wire attached  with black one  OK
3 small wires (red, yellow and orange) each attached  to another one same color as per plug.

Nothing happens when powered,
here are the specs
[ebay]180746635539 [/ebay]

??

[Maurice]

Well I cant start the darn thing!

Cable for motherboard:
Green wire attached  with black one  OK
3 small wires (red, yellow and orange) each attached  to another one same color as per plug.

Nothing happens when powered,
here are the specs
[ebay]180746635539 [/ebay]

??

My guess is that you forgot to connect the green wire to black and a thin brown wire to orange. If you still have the original connectors, you can see that the brown wire is connected to the same pin as an orange wire

Maurice

[jackpilot]

If you read carefully the above message ...green and black OK as far the brown with orange , not on this one,  AND THIS IS MY PROB! small red with big red, same with yellow and orange

Now I'm lost...new tech ..missing smth. !!

[Maurice]

Did you try actually connecting a load to it and not just measuring the output voltage. Some power supplies will not show a meter reading until a load is connected. Long shot but worth a try.

Maurice

[tennyson]

Hi Jack.
I'm not sure if this is what you're talking about.

This is called a vellum box, I believe. I bought it from Jaycar (not sure if you have them in Canada?).

Anyway, it is my main power distribution box for the MIP.
I just collected all of the reds, blacks and yellows and ran them to distribution bars from within the vellum box.
I also added the circuit breakers, instead of fuses, and the on/off switch.

The whole thing works a treat.

The box during construction...whoops, forgot the third distribution bar:




And here's the finished item:



I also might do the same for my overhead,



Frank Cooper

[Maurice]

Jack,

Are you sure there isn't one wire somewhere which is thinner than all the other wires? That wire is a voltage sense wire and the PS will not work without the sense wire being connected to either 3.3 V or in some cases to 5 V.

Here is a quote from a web page:
Note that some power supplies may have either a gray or brown wire to represent "power good"/"power ok". (Most PSU's have a smaller orange wire that is used for sensing-- 3.3V- and this wire is usually paired at the connector to another orange wire. Make sure this wire is connected to the other orange wires, otherwise your lab power supply won't stay on.) This wire should be connected to either an orange wire (+3.3V) or a red wire (+5V) for the power supply to function. When in doubt, try the lower voltage first (+3.3V). If a power supply is non ATX or AT compliant, it may have its own color scheme. If yours looks different that the pictures shown here, make sure you reference the position of the wires attached to the AT/ATX connector rather than the colors.


And here is the link to that page:

http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply

Maurice

[jackpilot]

I found the "thin" wires and connected them to their own color "big"wires...to no avail.
We will find out but GRRRRRR why are we going through that aggravation ...lol
TBC

[XOrionFE]

You probably need a load like was mentioned earlier.  On mine I had to put a resistor between one red and black and zip tie to the inside of case.  I don't recall wich I used but in the following they use a 10 ohm >10W resistor which sounds about right.

http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply

Scott

[blueskydriver]

Jack, I know this is not the answer, but don't you have an older version ATX PS laying around? You won't need a 1000 watts for the Overhead And Map Lights. I am using 400 watt and there is more then I'll ever need...

John

[jackpilot]

I sent a message for help to the vendor and he sent me another unit, no questions asked.
The defective one going to the garbage bin,
Nice customer service.

[saabpilot]

Hi Jack,

I agree with John - a 400W ATX old PSU will cater for all your needs and is dirt simple to get working.
+5V and +12V from the "Molexes"
I have mine starting via the OH battery switch  and it runs all backlighting (LED:s) in OH, MIP and Center Pedestal as well as feeds my 2 OC servo cards + FDS SYS1x card.
If you have IBL panels + dual real ACP:s (with integrated bulbs) you might need an extra 400W PSU, but they are cheap stuff.
The ACP:s (GABLES) draws 1 Amp/5V each, the IBL panel requirements I do not now.

Bjorn

[jackpilot]

IBLs are pretty demanding stuff.
FDS advise  700W for OVHs +lighting.
I prefer to spread the load, I have 300W for MIP 250W for pedestal (ACP incl) and 1000W for OVH.and acces.

Too much is never a prob.!

[sagrada737]

The use of ATX power supplies for a Lab Power supply is not a bad idea.  Here is a link to a simple approach that might be helpful:

http://www.wikihow.com/Convert-a-Computer-ATX-Power-Supply-to-a-Lab-Power-Supply

Regarding using such a high wattage power supply, be careful to properly fuse your required outputs, and be especially careful to properly and securely establish a Buss system for power distribution.  For some of the power distribution, you might consider using DIN blocks for some of this routing.  The screw terminals in these kind of blocks offer an easy way to connect your wiring harness.  Such high-density panels like the Overhead system can turn into a rats nest of wiring.  Don't make the mistake thinking you will not have to work on in in the future, so careful and organized wire routing and color coding and labeling is important for modifications, debugging and maintenance.

There are many power distribution approaches, but here is a link to a DIN block system that might give you an idea:

http://www.cooperindustries.com/content/public/en/bussmann/electrical/products/connectors/terminal-blocks/din-rail/ddp30.html

Also, here is a link showing the color coding for the ATX power supply, which might be helpful:

http://pinouts.ru/Power/atxpower_pinout.shtml

Good luck with your setup.

Keep your airspeed up!
Mike