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Power Hardware Hacking

The World's Tiniest Power Supply Unit 176

Posted by CmdrTaco from the case-modders-rejoice dept.
An anonymous reader writes "This year at CES members of the press got to grab a glimpse of the world's tiniest power supply. Well actually it is the world's tiniest 12V snap-in ATX DC-to-DC power supply, but you get the idea. This unit produces 120W of power and is about the size of two AA batteries. It is specifically designed for use with Mini-ITX motherboards, but can be used in many other applications."
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The World's Tiniest Power Supply Unit More

The World's Tiniest Power Supply Unit

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  • Will this work off of a car 12V? Some other links (Score:4, Informative)

    by dada21 ( 163177 ) * <adam.dada@gmail.com> on Thursday January 12, 2006 @02:45PM (#14457177) Homepage Journal
    For years I worked on a viable PC-for-the-car. This is before Microsoft had their operating system (failure) for car stereos, and before the CarPC was even a thought by the designer. My biggest problem was finding a cheap, small and capable 12DC-DC power supply. Even a few years ago they were basically impossible to find.

    I'm glad to see there is now a market for these power supplies (although I'm sure this isn't for car applications). I wonder how efficient it is -- and how much heat it gives off. The article was a bit...sparse.

    I miss my old car PC -- 8 years ago it could do so much more than anything else I've seen. Considering how much time I wasted, I wish I kept all the software and code.

    A couple more links to the picoPSU:

    http://www.mini-box.com/s.nl/sc.8/category.13/it.A /id.417/.f [mini-box.com]

    http://www.bit-tech.net/news/2006/01/07/pico_psu/ [bit-tech.net]

    http://www.epiacenter.com/modules.php?name=News&fi le=article&sid=718 [epiacenter.com]

    http://www.realtechnews.com/page/2/ [realtechnews.com]

    And, of course: http://www.digg.com/hardware/World_s_smallest_powe r_supply_-_the_picoPSU [digg.com]

  • $50 + S&H Each & Manual Link (Score:5, Informative)

    by eldavojohn ( 898314 ) * <eldavojohnNO@SPAMgmail.com> on Thursday January 12, 2006 @02:45PM (#14457179) Journal
    They sell them here [mini-box.com] for $50 if you're interested in putting one in your mod or computer.

    You may also be interested in the pdf guide [mini-box.com] for the picoPSU-120.

  • DC-DC, so don't get excited (Score:3, Interesting)

    by chriss ( 26574 ) * <chriss@memomo.net> on Thursday January 12, 2006 @02:45PM (#14457181) Homepage

    Very nice, very small, but only converts DC to DC, so there will still be another brick doing AC-DC conversion beneath your super tiny designer micro case or nanomac. Nice nonetheless, maybe one could fit those to work with existing DC networks for household appliance, so we can finally have a network of toasters, smart Japanese toilets, mirco ovens, light switches and artificial pets. Or maybe we'll just build more efficient computers that run by power over ethernet.

    Chriss

    --
    memomo.net [memomo.net] - brush up your German, French, Spanish or Italian - online and free

  • What input range does it take? (Score:3, Insightful)

    by nweaver ( 113078 ) on Thursday January 12, 2006 @02:45PM (#14457183) Homepage
    What input range does it take? Is it suitable for automotive use?
    • Is it suitable for automotive use?

      Probably not. The data sheet says it's only intended for use with the manufacturer's matching 12V supply. Automotive power is very noisy, drops to around 6V during starting and can show big inductive spikes well above 12V. There are automotive power supplies which handle that just fine, but this isn't one of them.

  • External power brick not shown.... (Score:5, Insightful)

    by Kenja ( 541830 ) on Thursday January 12, 2006 @02:46PM (#14457198)
    " it will have to be used with an external AC-to-DC power converter"So this is just like all the other mini itx adaptors in that it requires an external brick to provide the juice. Who cares how small the internal part is?
    • Yeah, I invented a really sweet, tiny DC-DC power supply the other day. It consists entirely of a (patent pending) straight piece of wire*, and it's 99.96% efficient at full power. Isn't that amazing? * External AC-DC power converter not included.
    • Lots of the people using this would be putting this in their car, or running it off of batteries.

      They probably don't ship with a transformer.
    • I was looking at mini-itx boards the other day and all the power supply information was on DC to DC conversion. I could find nothing on AC to DC conversion. I found this strange. Do you need to buy an AC/DC converter and then a DC/DC converter? Seems to me that you would want one device to do the full conversion, but I can't find one. I know some people might want this in their car, but I just want a small computer for an entertainment appliance like a PVR.
    • I do. I can't fit a "normal" PSU into the mini-itx box that I'm building, nor do I want it outside. But with a laptop brick, I can hide the brick out of sight, while this "PSU" provides the power to the mobo.
    • The function of the DC-DC converter is to take the 12V (+/- some tolerance) input, and turn it into regulated 1.8V, 3.3V, 5V, and -12 Volts (or whatever) at much higher current levels. Since it's 96% efficient at doing that, you'll only generate about 5 watts of heat even when you're pumping 115 watts into the CPU, hard drive, and motherboard. Finding or building a 115VAC to 12VDC power brick is pretty easy by comparison, and it's also subject to a lot of regulatory requirements that the DC to DC converter
    • Well, it could be that you use this to power the computer in your car. Or it could be that you want to home-brew your UPS (charger+battery). Or it could be that you're one of the guys that produces all of their own power, and run off of batteries anyway.

      Or, it could be that you just want to run your Eden-based motherboard off of some AA batteries. :-)

      steve
    • I care.

      For one, I want to see the internal PSU goes the way of Dodo and all replaced by nice fanless noiseless cool (well, warm) laptop power bricks.
  • Great, just great!

    Now we'll NEVER get rid of that friggin' energizer bunny!

  • Perfect for IBM (Score:4, Interesting)

    by digitaldc ( 879047 ) * on Thursday January 12, 2006 @02:52PM (#14457272)
    IBM can incorporate this into the World's Smallest Computer [extremetech.com].
    • While I'm certain that 120W would be sufficient to power their computer, I imagine the electron microscope to read the screen would use up a little more juice.

  • I wouldn't call it a supply exactly (Score:4, Insightful)

    by Weaselmancer ( 533834 ) on Thursday January 12, 2006 @02:56PM (#14457312)

    It takes dc and supplies dc. Doesn't that make it more of a converter?

    And if so, it's no big deal. You can buy decent switched cap converters at Digi-key [digikey.com] for a couple of bucks. I bought one not too long ago to step 14v down to 5 and supply 4 or so amps, and it was about the same size. The small footprint at 120w is fairly nifty, but otherwise I don't see the big deal.

    • Technically that makes it a power supply. The word power supply actually encompasses a few things and is mostly meant to be used to avoid having to explain to those who are not tech literate was an inverter, converter, or a rectifier...well I think most EE's I know even call rectifiers (AC-DC conversion), AC to DC converters, but then again most of us hated power courses.

      Yes, this device boils down to be nothing more then a DC-DC voltage converter, but it is a power supply since its job is to take the in
    • It's probably more correct to call it a "power management system". It takes a single power source in, then redistributes it to various devices at the correct voltages expected along that line. This allows you to power multiple devices (motherboard, harddrive, LCD, etc.) with only a single power cord.
    • It takes dc and supplies dc. Doesn't that make it more of a converter?

      Not really. If TFA hadn't been /.ed, you might have been able to read it and see that it's a full-featured ATX PSU. They don't give many details, but google does [google.com]. From the first hit there gives a nice picture. You can even see the molex connectors out.

      And if so, it's no big deal. You can buy decent switched cap converters at Digi-key for a couple of bucks. I bought one not too long ago to step 14v down to 5 and supply 4 or so a

  • Please (Score:2, Informative)

    by guillebot ( 541194 )
    To the editors: Don't let the words "produce" and "power" be together. You cannot produce power. You can deliver, provide, etc. But definitely you don't produce power in a power supply.
    • Deliver and provide are technically synonyms of produce and the usage isn't totally horrible. The problem is people get stuck on the idea of produce having a more stringent definition then it really does.
    • Sure it produces power. It takes power of one type and produces power of another type out of it. Do manufacturing plants not "produce" anything either because they need raw materials instead of generating matter out of thin air?
  • I'm not an electronics person so bare with me. I thought the main reason of a power suppl y was to convert AC to DC, so basically a rectifier. I guess this is wrong. So the main purpose of a power supply such as this would be to take 12V DC @10 amps.. and offer 5 12VDC power sources running at 2 amps each? Am I on the right track or am I mistaken? I am aware the power supplies use Transformers? Why are these used?
    • You need to convert the AC to DC, but then you also need to output several different DC voltages. Motherboards expect +/-12V, +/-5V, and +3.3V. If you can provide this device with a single, stable 12V source, it will do the rest. That's useful.
    • No, you weren't wrong, just slightly narrow in scope on your definition of a power supply. The purpose of a power supply is take an input power and provide clean output power in the form of AC or DC at one or more voltage levels to an end device. In the case of standard computer supplies that means transforming the 120V AC power coming in (AC being a far more efficient means a long distance power transmission) to a stable 12v/5V/3.3V/-5V DC output for use by the local electronic components.

      A typical switchi
      • Most power supplies these days have no big chunky transformers converting down from line voltage. You just just rectify the line voltage to DC & chop it up from there.
    • One of the primary functions of a power supply is to provide voltage regulated DC to the attached hardware. This can be difficult with modern PC hardware, where the amount of power drawn from the power supply can vary over a large range in a very short period of time. A microprocessor can switch from sleep mode to egg frying mode in a matter of microseconds, with a huge jump in power consumption.
    • "I am aware the power supplies use Transformers? Why are these used?"

      Because Morgan meets T-I. Decepticons and all that.
  • Please note that the voltage your car delivers through its cigarette lighter is about 14VDC while the engine is running instead of the 12VDC that you might expect.

    That's quite a bit out of spec for the average hardware.
    • Wow you are way off. Vehicle voltage can vary all over the road from 16V to 10V depending on the load on the electrical system and other factors. A vehicle voltage system needs to be treated as unregulated power. Hell switching HID headlamps off can cause a spike well over 50 volts.

      Sit down with a recording voltmeter and drive to work and back and you will see the nasty amount of fluctuations and noise that is present on your power in the car.

  • Smallest (Score:4, Informative)

    by Nom du Keyboard ( 633989 ) on Thursday January 12, 2006 @03:14PM (#14457484)
    This unit produces 120W of power

    That wouldn't even power my video card.

  • This is great if your house has a 12V solar installation. Do all of your computing off the grid. :)

  • I would wait (Score:3, Insightful)

    by RickPartin ( 892479 ) * on Thursday January 12, 2006 @03:28PM (#14457618) Homepage
    Every time a new device comes out, especially consumer electronics like the PSP and iPod I give people the same advice: wait. The early adopters are beta testers. Wait a year or so for people's computers to blow up from this new power supply and then buy your bug-free version for cheaper.

    Please note I have never used this power supply before and have no idea how well it's made. I'm just making a general statement on electronics.
  • The XBox 360's.

  • DC/DC Converter not a Power Supply (Score:3, Informative)

    by Wansu ( 846 ) on Thursday January 12, 2006 @03:39PM (#14457743)


    This is a DC-to-DC Converter, not a Power Supply. Nonetheless, the power density is impressive. Point of load regulation is better anyway. You can get by with a single output power supply and simpify the wiring. Just use converters where you need the lower voltage.

  • Nice Nice (Score:2, Informative)

    by jrmiller84 ( 927224 )
    It's nice to see these start getting some more attention. I've been a long fan of the works of the people over at http://www.mp3car.com/ [mp3car.com] and they use these quite extensively. Any tech savy person will love the things these people are doing. It's quite amazing. Needless to say when Im out of college this will be one of my first projects.

  • Why bother? (Score:2, Insightful)

    by futurekill ( 745161 )
    Isn't this just a passthrough at this point? If you have to have an external AC->DC converter, then why not just stick the how PSU outside the box...
    • It's not just a passthrough. The external adapter produces 12 VDC, which only requires two wires. The internal bits convert this into +5 V, +3.3 V, -12 V and whatever else the computer needs -- a mess of more wires, which you can see in the size of an ATX motherboard power connecor.

      I have a similar system, though the internal part takes up somewhat more space than this one, and I think it's a great idea. For one thing, there are no fans, which I believe is partly due to distributing the PSU between extern

  • Great! Now I can finally make that shoe computer I've wanted all my life.
  • I though it was a 110-240v AC input PSU. That would be impressive. But a 12v DC input? Doesn't seem very impressive to me. My RC heli's speed controller takes a ~12v input and puts out 4.8v aswell as being an efficiant MOSFET speed controller and it's about the size of 2 AAA batteries. An ATX PSU doesn't strike me as being that much more complex. I could be wrong.
  • See the shapes on that power supply? The ones that say "pat. pend" on them? Look at your computer motherboard, right next to the CPU. You'll see those same shapes on there (they're wound inductors).

    This is a 120W DC-DC power supply. If you have a 120W CPU, you already have a 120W DC-DC power supply on your motherboard. A very sophisticated one, too, as the supplies to your processor have to be digitally adjustable and hold their voltage very accurately at very high currents.

    So it isn't really odd to see thi
  • I've been looking for a DC->DC converter so I can remove my inverter from my battery backup power to my servers. But I have yet to find an inexpensive DC/DC. Most are over $50 and I need six or more to do my rack. Is there anything out there for around $25?

    Going from:
    Charger 12v -> Batteries 12v -> Inverter 120v -> Power Supply 12v -> MB
    To:
    Charger 12v -> Batteries 12v -> DC/DC 12v -> MB

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