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HX850 re-wiring advice

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skorpien

Member
Joined
May 9, 2011
Location
Alberta, Canada
I'm just about to start re-sleeving my PSU and got to thinking what if I re-wired it instead? I was looking at some neat UV reactive 18 AWG wire and was wondering if this would be a good idea. How difficult would it be to remove the old non-modular wires and solder the new ones, and what problems would I have to anticipate/avoid? Thanks in advance!
 
Don't you need special solder to solder on the new wires because of the AMPS that might go through it???
 
Time is not an issue, that is something I'm willing to put into this project. I'm more worried about frying my PSU or motherboard, or worse yet myself. If it's as simple as soldering on the new wires, I'd definitely do it.

If however it would cause issues to solder it if done incorrectly, it might not be worth the risk.

Does anyone know if it can be done? Has it ever been attempted? Would I be better off cutting the existing wires as close to the PSU as I can, crimping new ends, then connecting the new wires and sleeving the crimped ends?
 
I'm just about to start re-sleeving my PSU and got to thinking what if I re-wired it instead? I was looking at some neat UV reactive 18 AWG wire and was wondering if this would be a good idea. How difficult would it be to remove the old non-modular wires and solder the new ones, and what problems would I have to anticipate/avoid? Thanks in advance!

Two items:

  • If you need to ask about possible issues, perhaps you shouldn't do it.
  • You're obviously not concerned about Corsair's warranty.
 
If that is the modular unit, you can do custom wiring.

I agree with RollingThunder, though. If you don't know what you are doing, I would suggest staying away from it. I've killed three hard drives because I got my 5v and 12v wires backwards. It is very easy to do when the wires are the same color and they are in a harness. If you are changing out the 24/8 pin cables, it would require re-soldering inside the power supply. I wouldn't even do this.

I've rewired my HX620w, except the 24/8 pin cables. Everything else is completely custom tailored to my system and setup. Here is a link to my project, which includes details on the cables I made. "The Dragon Case"
 
Well that's kind of why I was asking the community, to see if it's feasible or even worth it. I've never soldered before so it would be a pretty big risk. I like to challenge myself but this may be a bit too ambitious for my first time. I've been doing some reading and I think I'm better off going with one of the fully modular PSUs. Should have done that from the start but I really didn't think I'd be modding it when I first built my system.

And I knew I'd be voiding the warranty when I made the decision to sleeve it. I've never been one to let that stop me though. I've already come to terms with the fact that my hobbies are going to bankrupt me eventually.

Thank you for your replies. You've all raised excellent points and helped me in my decision. I'll probably go with the Corsair AX1200 or 850 and just mod the cables. I think as long as I don't open the PSU the warranty will still be valid, right?

Edit: thideras, I didn't see your post initially, my apologies. Mine is the same as yours but higher wattage. It's the 24 and 8 pin ATX wires that I'm wondering about. I think I'm just going to sleeve those ones on the HX850 and get the AX series PSU for the custom wires :) it's always good to have a spare PSU anyway. And btw, that is an awesome mod! I can't wait to be posting my own thread in here one day. Thanks again!
 
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I jumped into a similar project with a Corsair AX850. I wasn't replacing the wires, just individually sleeving every single wire that came out of my PSU. The wiring makes no sense. Anyway, if you do get the AX, I found this pretty useful in my project, a pin-out diagram direct from Corsair.

Edit: Fixed my link.
 
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Thanks for that JonSimonzi! I decided to go for the AX1200 and searched for the pinout diagram on Corsair's site. Although I think I'm going to put this project on hold and just re-sleeve the wires individually instead. I don't think I'm comfortable enough in my modding to try something that extensive.

By the way, I noticed on my HX850 that the wires weren't all 18 AWG and actually ranged from around 22 to 16? (the wire didn't say on it but it was thicker than the 18) AWG. Would there be any harm in using only 18 AWG for all the wires?
 
Well that's kind of why I was asking the community, to see if it's feasible or even worth it. I've never soldered before so it would be a pretty big risk. I like to challenge myself but this may be a bit too ambitious for my first time.

This is not a good first soldering project. You need to practice a bit to do a decent job on any project, and soldering around a PC ranges from moderately delicate (PSU) to excruciatingly difficult (SMT). You must not only make good joints, but you must not short conductors which are often very close together, or overheat fragile bits. I am pretty bad at it myself, but I know enough to know what I cannot do.

If you are serious about this, you are going to need a good iron: one that heats fast and is temperature regulated. ESD protection is a plus, though I understand people get by without it. I use a Xytronic 137ESD.
 
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