Got a question on pelts

[Tacoman667]

I just got my very first ever pelt from DangerDen. It's the 156W one. I would like to know what I should get to make sure it has the power to run effectively. I tried hooking it up to an old Deer 250W PSU I have. I hooked it to the 12V and ground but I got hotter temps then just straight water. What should I do?

 

[Colin]

You need a pretty hefty PSU. Imax = 16.1 Amps, Vmax = 15.8 Volts The pelt will probably be more efficient at around 75% of it’s rated voltage. You don’t want to short it on current. There are plenty of 12 volt (really 13.8 volt) PSUs on the market. The Astron line for HAM use is a bit pricey. You might want to check here: www.mpja.com for a switching PSU.

 

[Tacoman667]

Is there a way to do it with stuff around the house? I really don't want to have to go out and get ANOTHER PSU. I already bought 2 in the last 3 months.

 

[Colin]

There was an article linked to on the home page about how to connect two or more computer PSUs. I don't have the link. You may want to check the home page or just do a search on pelts and power supplys in this forum. I know the link has been posted and discussed here.

 

[It_The_Cow]

Here is a site for combining two ATX PSUs. I'm not sure if its what you're looking for, though

 

[Tacoman667]

Next wuestion is how do I find the specs on my 156W pelt? There were no instructions with mine and few numbers on the dangerden site on this. And, if I were to link 2 PSU's, I would need MORE then 12V for the pelt. Could I wossibly get this by linking the 5V and the 12V connectors to the red wire on the pelt and then ground the black wire? Would this even work?

 

[Tacoman667]

*Bump*

 

[LimeyGreg]

I assume you are looking for 17v. So your +5v of one psu is ground and the black wire is now -5v. The other psu is using the black as ground and the red +12v to give you 17v differential - BUT, and it's a biggie, you'd better isolate those supplies and keep the chassis of both apart from each other, unless you like sparks n' stuff. It can be done but it needs thought and care.

 

[Tacoman667]

God, this is such a pain in the butt. Might as well hook up 2 12V batteries in a series circuit and run it off those. Waaiitt.....