Hello Everyone Once Again!
I am on a new quest to put a Car Head Unit in a computer for looks and for coolness. So, I was wondering if it is possible to rig up a computer power supply, which can do up to 34 amps at +12V.
I have no doubt I could hook up the deck to the power supply and it would be able to run it, I am just unsure of how to hook up certain things.
1. How do I connect the PS turn on lead? On the majority of power supplies, the power supply doesn't turn fully on until the computer power switch is turned on, problem is why? I think the switch completes the circuit from the PS On to ground, and once the current flow is sensed, the PS turns fully on.
2. What is the best way to connect the ignition, or turn on lead of the amp? I was thinking a simple switch from the PS +12v to the Deck's ignition wire. Once flipped, the deck would get some voltage, and turn on completely.
3. If my thinking above is correct, where should all the grounds be connected? A CP PS has several grounds that come out of it. SHould I connect them all together to one point? Or are they all connected inside the PS already?
Basically I was guessing at this to work:
Flip the two switches, and whammo it all lights up and plays some tunes.
Also, what do you think of this supply to run a deck (10 Amps Max) and a small amp (20 Amps Max)?
http://3btech.net/chdufan600wa.html
Thanks for taking the time to read this and perhaps help me out!
Have a good one!
I am on a new quest to put a Car Head Unit in a computer for looks and for coolness. So, I was wondering if it is possible to rig up a computer power supply, which can do up to 34 amps at +12V.
I have no doubt I could hook up the deck to the power supply and it would be able to run it, I am just unsure of how to hook up certain things.
1. How do I connect the PS turn on lead? On the majority of power supplies, the power supply doesn't turn fully on until the computer power switch is turned on, problem is why? I think the switch completes the circuit from the PS On to ground, and once the current flow is sensed, the PS turns fully on.
2. What is the best way to connect the ignition, or turn on lead of the amp? I was thinking a simple switch from the PS +12v to the Deck's ignition wire. Once flipped, the deck would get some voltage, and turn on completely.
3. If my thinking above is correct, where should all the grounds be connected? A CP PS has several grounds that come out of it. SHould I connect them all together to one point? Or are they all connected inside the PS already?
Basically I was guessing at this to work:
Flip the two switches, and whammo it all lights up and plays some tunes.
Also, what do you think of this supply to run a deck (10 Amps Max) and a small amp (20 Amps Max)?
http://3btech.net/chdufan600wa.html
Thanks for taking the time to read this and perhaps help me out!
Have a good one!
In the ATX power supplies the motherboard tells the PSU to turn on/off, any switch on the case just runs to a header on the motherboard, so that physical switch is useless (it's a momentary switch).
the big problem is that you actually need some constant power to the head unit so it keeps its memory, but the PSU wont supply any power constantly - and you can't just use a small plug pack or similar to give it constant power because that same wire from the head unit is also the one which draws the big power when it's on - the ignition wire for the head unit is just a switching wire.
hence i guess something like the battery in parallel with the supply voltage was suggested - provide sufficient power for memory when it's turned off, and have both the power and iginition wire connected to +12v of the PSU.
whether the battery thing works i'm not sure, problems i can forsee is how the battery will deal with "copping" the PSU voltage, and whether the PSU grounds the +12v line when it's turned off.
the big problem is that you actually need some constant power to the head unit so it keeps its memory, but the PSU wont supply any power constantly - and you can't just use a small plug pack or similar to give it constant power because that same wire from the head unit is also the one which draws the big power when it's on - the ignition wire for the head unit is just a switching wire.
hence i guess something like the battery in parallel with the supply voltage was suggested - provide sufficient power for memory when it's turned off, and have both the power and iginition wire connected to +12v of the PSU.
whether the battery thing works i'm not sure, problems i can forsee is how the battery will deal with "copping" the PSU voltage, and whether the PSU grounds the +12v line when it's turned off.
ican say that there are computer PSU capable of 2 times 18A continous on 12V.
650W cooler master psu
http://www.coolermaster-europe.com/...P&other_title=+RP-650-PCAP+eXtreme Power 650W
and there are more brands out there... find one that suits your needs on power.
one more thing is.
the psu's available today have an output of 12V 2A (SB)
when the pc is in stand by it uzes that.
if the head unit has an separate output try to connect it that way.
i hope you understand this ^^
650W cooler master psu
http://www.coolermaster-europe.com/...P&other_title=+RP-650-PCAP+eXtreme Power 650W
and there are more brands out there... find one that suits your needs on power.
one more thing is.
the psu's available today have an output of 12V 2A (SB)
when the pc is in stand by it uzes that.
if the head unit has an separate output try to connect it that way.
i hope you understand this ^^
this one has 29A on the 12V out and only has one.
ultra 600W ATX Power Supply ( ULT31638 )
from http://www.ultraproducts.com/
search on google
the battery on paralel is good for the voltage drop when deep bass comes up. and when these PSU's arent pushing power from 3.3V and 5V they dont make much heat.
i uzed 2. one is fanless. the other it with a smal fan and on low voltage i'm taking 8A continous from the second one. it does not heat much...
ultra 600W ATX Power Supply ( ULT31638 )
from http://www.ultraproducts.com/
search on google
the battery on paralel is good for the voltage drop when deep bass comes up. and when these PSU's arent pushing power from 3.3V and 5V they dont make much heat.
i uzed 2. one is fanless. the other it with a smal fan and on low voltage i'm taking 8A continous from the second one. it does not heat much...
well, i learned several things. First off, the ATX pinout allows for a simple switch from PS-ON to ground to turn the supply on and off, so in that regards my plan is correct.
The closest voltage to 12 + for a constant is the 5 volt VSB. Will this be sufficient to maintain the memory of the deck? If not, perhaps a voltage doubling circuit or an op amp would allow me to ramp it up to 12 volt?
I tested shorting the PS On to ground, and it does indeed turn the power supply on till it is disconnected.
As far as amperes, the power supply I posted is of lower quality, but will give out 34 amps at 12v. I think for these purposes, it will be sufficient. If it isn't, It is not that big of a loss anyways. Same thing if the power supply craps out on me.
So only problem I have now is finding a way to maintain the HU's memory when the PS is turned off.
Here is the pinout of ATX12V power supplies:
http://pinouts.ru/Power/atx_v2_pinout.shtml
thanks!
The closest voltage to 12 + for a constant is the 5 volt VSB. Will this be sufficient to maintain the memory of the deck? If not, perhaps a voltage doubling circuit or an op amp would allow me to ramp it up to 12 volt?
I tested shorting the PS On to ground, and it does indeed turn the power supply on till it is disconnected.
As far as amperes, the power supply I posted is of lower quality, but will give out 34 amps at 12v. I think for these purposes, it will be sufficient. If it isn't, It is not that big of a loss anyways. Same thing if the power supply craps out on me.
So only problem I have now is finding a way to maintain the HU's memory when the PS is turned off.
Here is the pinout of ATX12V power supplies:
http://pinouts.ru/Power/atx_v2_pinout.shtml
thanks!
like i said earlier though not only must you get 12v constant (so lets assume you solve that issue), this power feed must also be the primary power supply for the head unit.
a reasonable size cap just before the head unit and switching via a relay when powered on might be fine to solve that issue (cap to give a solid supply of power for the split second the relay flicks, if it's even needed at all)
also take into a account that car audio components like head units deal very well with varying voltages, probably fine anywhere from 10v to 15v
a reasonable size cap just before the head unit and switching via a relay when powered on might be fine to solve that issue (cap to give a solid supply of power for the split second the relay flicks, if it's even needed at all)
also take into a account that car audio components like head units deal very well with varying voltages, probably fine anywhere from 10v to 15v
ahh, I see now.
I was kind of flipped around. SO how about a DPDT switch, once flipped it would connect the doubled 5VSB (say around 12v now) to the Car's ignition, and at the same time connect the 12v+ (the main circuit so 34 amps) to the HU Constant and main draw. All of this done after the PS has been turned on by shorting the PS On to the ground. Then with a simple Cap like you suggested to hold the voltage for that instant.
Or maybe that switch won't work and a simple relay to do all that would be necessary.
I was kind of flipped around. SO how about a DPDT switch, once flipped it would connect the doubled 5VSB (say around 12v now) to the Car's ignition, and at the same time connect the 12v+ (the main circuit so 34 amps) to the HU Constant and main draw. All of this done after the PS has been turned on by shorting the PS On to the ground. Then with a simple Cap like you suggested to hold the voltage for that instant.
Or maybe that switch won't work and a simple relay to do all that would be necessary.
You can use a small 9.6V NimH battery (8 cells) and run the memory wire from that. You will need a diode from the +12V line, and also a 100 ohm resistor in series with the diode, and run it to the + battery terminal. That will trickle charge the battery with about 20mA while the computer is on, and when the computer is off, the battery will keep your memory. The diode is very important so the battery does not drain through the computer PSU when it's turned off.
I'd also HIGHLY recommend building a filter for the +12V to the Head Unit, because the power is NOISY in a computer due to the different devices inside the computer. I'd recommend a toroid filter or two with at least 10000uf or better of capacitors after it.
The power inside a computer is nowhere near as clean as the power in a car, it has to be filtered if running some type of amp from that source, or you will hear noises in your speakers from typing, moving the mouse, disk access, etc.
I'd also HIGHLY recommend building a filter for the +12V to the Head Unit, because the power is NOISY in a computer due to the different devices inside the computer. I'd recommend a toroid filter or two with at least 10000uf or better of capacitors after it.
The power inside a computer is nowhere near as clean as the power in a car, it has to be filtered if running some type of amp from that source, or you will hear noises in your speakers from typing, moving the mouse, disk access, etc.
Well, first off, thanks!
Next, the PS is connected only to the HU, no other devices installed. Also, Computer Power Supplies are arguably the cleanest DC power I can purchase. So I am not sure any filtration is necessary. Especially considering Car's are often argued to have horrible DC. I mean, other than the regulator on the alternator, while the car is running no other filtration is put on the power being pulled. (This is what I have learned, and could very well be completely wrong)
As far as the memory goes, I think a simple 5 volt doubleing circuit will do the trick. I tested with a friends voltage supply, it has a digital read out and variable voltage output, the HU turned on around 8-9 volts, 10 volts consistantly. Tomorrow night I hope to check the amperage being pulled at 10v.
If the 5V VSB can be doubled to 10v and keep the memory, a simple DPDT switch can switch the 10v from constant on the HU to the ignition, while at the same time switch the 12v from the PS to the constant on the HU.
I am going to have to see if a simple rocker will be fast enough. Perhaps a small capacitor will be needed. If so, would I need to parallel the capacitor across the switch, or put it in series in the 10v VSB?
Thanks once again for your help.
ALso, an update, I was able to turn everything on tonight and listen to some CDs on my Tang Band W3-871s fullrangers. The sound was easily comparable to My Parental Units' all-in-one HT reciever. (No surprise there I guess)
Next, the PS is connected only to the HU, no other devices installed. Also, Computer Power Supplies are arguably the cleanest DC power I can purchase. So I am not sure any filtration is necessary. Especially considering Car's are often argued to have horrible DC. I mean, other than the regulator on the alternator, while the car is running no other filtration is put on the power being pulled. (This is what I have learned, and could very well be completely wrong)
As far as the memory goes, I think a simple 5 volt doubleing circuit will do the trick. I tested with a friends voltage supply, it has a digital read out and variable voltage output, the HU turned on around 8-9 volts, 10 volts consistantly. Tomorrow night I hope to check the amperage being pulled at 10v.
If the 5V VSB can be doubled to 10v and keep the memory, a simple DPDT switch can switch the 10v from constant on the HU to the ignition, while at the same time switch the 12v from the PS to the constant on the HU.
I am going to have to see if a simple rocker will be fast enough. Perhaps a small capacitor will be needed. If so, would I need to parallel the capacitor across the switch, or put it in series in the 10v VSB?
Thanks once again for your help.
ALso, an update, I was able to turn everything on tonight and listen to some CDs on my Tang Band W3-871s fullrangers. The sound was easily comparable to My Parental Units' all-in-one HT reciever. (No surprise there I guess)
i suggest trying without the extra filtering first either way
having played with auto electronics a fair bit from time to time it is certainly not clean power, especially with the motor actually running. with crappy car audio gear you can sometimes hear noise from the revs increasing (like a high pitched whine increasing with revs) and stuff like that - good quality car audio gear filters that out perfectly as it is.
having played with auto electronics a fair bit from time to time it is certainly not clean power, especially with the motor actually running. with crappy car audio gear you can sometimes hear noise from the revs increasing (like a high pitched whine increasing with revs) and stuff like that - good quality car audio gear filters that out perfectly as it is.
like i said before i had make somethng like this.
and ive cleaned up the noises from power supply with ans choke and an cap ( i guess it wass 10000uF but o dont remenber)
its not to filtrate the noises like a car make. is that theses power supplys have high frequence noises.
there is no hum on my amp. but there was something like a white noise on it. before the choke and the cap.
i alsow have insulated the fan from the 12V cos it makes a rathle on the sound. try out with noting if you like. but if you see that you need filtering. Do it
and ive cleaned up the noises from power supply with ans choke and an cap ( i guess it wass 10000uF but o dont remenber)
its not to filtrate the noises like a car make. is that theses power supplys have high frequence noises.
there is no hum on my amp. but there was something like a white noise on it. before the choke and the cap.
i alsow have insulated the fan from the 12V cos it makes a rathle on the sound. try out with noting if you like. but if you see that you need filtering. Do it
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