Re: [Emc-users] psu for atom boards

[Ted H. <las...@gm...>]

dave wrote:
>> Hi all,
>>
>> Sometime ago I bought a D510MO to replace my aging 1.2 GHz Duron. I'm
>> finally frustrated enough with the present cpu, etc. to actually
>> upgrade. ;-)
>>
>> http://www.logicsupply.com/categories/power_supplies/dc_converters?gclid=COeJt5m4_q8CFSIHRQodoQGGHA
>>
>> I've been looking at the power supplies in the above link. Does anyone
>> have experience, recommendations, etc. Further what are people using
>> for the 12 VDC source; or is the preferred method to use a battery
>> charger and go with one of the supplies that will tolerate>= 14 V?
>>
Dave - I have a handful of the older units in service (of both the 
standard and wide-input variety) and the standard 12v units would 
literally shut down at 13.0v input as "overvoltage" - and that 
protection spec was clearly listed in the datasheet with the units. If a 
brick (other than theirs - I never tried their versions) went slightly 
out of compliance, which could be common, the unit would shut down 
often, and tough to trace. How the CarPC guys got these to work 
reliably, is beyond my guess. It was a little bit of a challenge in many 
cases trying to use an existing DC buss (utility 12v) that wasn't 
tightly regulated. If it was close to 12v, the wide input wouldn't work 
(14-35v), if it went slightly over 12, the standard wouldn't work. I 
eventually started feeding them with a dedicated DIN-mount adjustable 
power supply (the typical MeanWell style, 12 or 24v), adjusted slightly 
under, and then monitored to give a good average based upon the load. 
Spike draws (such as hard drive spindle motors) were eliminated as much 
as possible (by using CF card storage, etc) and fans were placed on 
their own alternate buss. I've noticed that the current online spec 
sheet for the standard PicoPSU says PG is acceptable between 10.5 and 
13.5 vdc. It's not a "bold statement spec" - you have to hunt for it. 
However, I'd believe it in that if you fed 13.6, it would shut down.....

Cheers,
Ted.