Re-purposing server power supplies

[bvolt]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anyone could help me work thru this...

I have some very high wattage/regulated 12v data-center-quality server power supplies (server components require even closer voltage regulation than LEDs).

I figure there must be a way to use a boost converter to take the 12v, to 36 or 50v (or 54 or 72, etc.)...

Not certain how I'd determine - not my Vf, but the Vf the power supply would be capable of so I don't burn up a bunch of diodes.,

I left 'em in the office, so I don't have the specs handy. I'll post 'em soon, but - has anyone considered this successfully?

[LEDG]

Hey guys,

I was wondering if anyone could help me work thru this...

I have some very high wattage/regulated 12v data-center-quality server power supplies (server components require even closer voltage regulation than LEDs).

I figure there must be a way to use a boost converter to take the 12v, to 36 or 50v (or 54 or 72, etc.)...

Not certain how I'd determine - not my Vf, but the Vf the power supply would be capable of so I don't burn up a bunch of diodes.,

I left 'em in the office, so I don't have the specs handy. I'll post 'em soon, but - has anyone considered this successfully?

I have a boost converter and it's actually pretty awesome. I used it to step up my 54V driver to 60V to try and kill a QB288. There is a current-limiting pot and a voltage set pot.

I used this exact one here. It's rated for up to 600W but you have to actively cool it I think if you run it that hard. If your power supplies put out a rock-solid 12V, then you can easily bump it up to whatever you need using a converter like this (up to 80V).

[bvolt]

I used this exact one here. It's rated for up to 600W but you have to actively cool it I think if you run it that hard. If your power supplies put out a rock-solid 12V, then you can easily bump it up to whatever you need using a converter like this (up to 80V).

Nice. So then, I'd treat this like any other CV driver - wire in parallel, zero in on my voltage and crank the amperage?

[Eiktyrner]

Do you guys think this would work fine with a regular ATX PSU? I'd guess the 12V rails aren't that exact but I'm wondering if it's enough to work with the tolerance on LED-strips like the Samsung SI-B8T05128HUS

[Tony]

Do you guys think this would work fine with a regular ATX PSU? I'd guess the 12V rails aren't that exact but I'm wondering if it's enough to work with the tolerance on LED-strips like the Samsung SI-B8T05128HUS

I use them, not for leds but for other duties like charging batteries. Follow this guide.
You have to dial in the correct load to give you the voltage you want.

[LEDG]

Do you guys think this would work fine with a regular ATX PSU? I'd guess the 12V rails aren't that exact but I'm wondering if it's enough to work with the tolerance on LED-strips like the Samsung SI-B8T05128HUS

I use them, not for leds but for other duties like charging batteries. Follow this guide.
You have to dial in the correct load to give you the voltage you want.

That's a great write-up. We could use something like this but with higher voltages.

[bvolt]

This guys, Julian Ilett, does some cool demonstrations.

[hideouspenguinboy]

What are the efficiency ratings on the server PSUs? If this is about getting free PSUs by repurposing, I'm totally into it, but I would still want to know. (I'm way into this idea)

[Eiktyrner]

This is for a single 750W PSU from a Dell R510.

Power Supply Efficiency at Specified Loadings
86.26%@10%, 90.7%@20%, 92.5%@50%, 91.1%@100%

Power Supply Power Factor at Specified Loadings
0.85@10%, 0.95@20%, 0.99@50%, 0.99@100%

[bvolt]

FYI - for a simple 3/-5/+5/-12/+12V - 1 amp PSU, this board takes the Y out of DIY:



Enjoy for only $13.

The ATX has many more orange (3.3V), red (5V) and yellow (12V) wires that can be used to provide additional wattage.