Planning a power supply mod - any advice?

C

Creeperman

Veteran X
I'm building a new computer now, and I plan to run the electrical along the edges and sides of the case, out of view. I don't plan on using all the molex connectors that come with the supply, so I want to shorten or remove the excess ones.

Additionally, I'm installing an Eheim S600 pump for the watercooling system. This pump runs on 110 volts AC, so I want to add a pass-through or something on the power supply, to avoid having to run extra wires outside the case.

I don't expect the first part to be hard at all, but I wonder about the second. Any advice or tips from anyone out there with experience?
 
I set up a wiring block to run all my fans & stuff off off one molex, and used CAT5 pairs to go from the block to wherever I needed them, hiding wherever possible.
 
Actually, the one molex goes to my babybus, then a full Cat5 cable to the wiring block, out to the accessories.

mod11.jpg
 
Creeperman said:
I don't plan on using all the molex connectors that come with the supply, so I want to shorten or remove the excess ones.
Click to expand...
Bad idea. You're probably just going to end wanting them at some point. Just hide them behind the motherboard tray.
Additionally, I'm installing an Eheim S600 pump for the watercooling system. This pump runs on 110 volts AC, so I want to add a pass-through or something on the power supply, to avoid having to run extra wires outside the case.

I don't expect the first part to be hard at all, but I wonder about the second. Any advice or tips from anyone out there with experience?
Click to expand...
I wouldn't recommend this either. I'd mount a plug up on the back of my case, and run a line, before I'd passthru AC off my power supply.
 
KellyMonaco said:
Bad idea. You're probably just going to end wanting them at some point. Just hide them behind the motherboard tray.
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I'm wiring up this case pretty much from scratch, and plan to build in sufficent connectors to handle pretty much anything I need. I don't want any visible wires to be more than a few inches long if at all possible. All the permanent wiring will be hidden inside wiremold conduit attached to the case.

KellyMonaco said:
I wouldn't recommend this either. I'd mount a plug up on the back of my case, and run a line, before I'd passthru AC off my power supply.
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I don't have much of a choice here, unless I put the plug on a side panel or up top. Otherwise, it needs to go on the (removable) motherboard tray, which may cause problems if I ever need to take it out. What's so terrible about a pass-through?
 
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And what do you get?
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This powerful... >> Electricity, electricity!

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Most all use fire
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And using steam
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By any means.
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Flyin' his kite
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With wool or fur
Will give you a charge of...
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Electricty! >> [Electricity, electricity!]
 
1. Get an old, thick extension cable and clip it in half, keeping the female end.

2. Drill a hole in the side of your power supply case (preferably the exact size of your thick cable). Stick the skinny end inside so the outside connector dangles however far out you want it. Clip the inside half of the cable till there's not too much extra.

Then you can:

3a. Just pass through: solder the hot, neutral, and the third ground wire to their matching tabs on the back of the AC socket. I doubt you can twist the wires onto the wires already there, you can always unscrew the socket from the power supply so you can play with it better and perhaps desolder and resolder the old wires + new wires onto the metal connectors. You better remember which wires go where if you do take it apart.

3b. Use the power switch to control both the power supply and your extra power socket. Solder the hot and neutral wires to the switch instead (probably four connectors on the back, two wires to the AC socket and two wires to the circuit board) then solder your wires onto the circuit-side of the switch. Solder the third ground wire to wherever the power supply manufacturer attached it too (easiest, probably a screw on the case) or onto the ground tab of the AC socket.

Voila, dangling AC outlet from the side of your power supply.



Or just do something else a little more safe or less ghetto. :-| Like use an actual, plastic AC socket (scavenged?) and attach it to the side of the power supply instead of having the dangly thing.
 
NAT Mav said:
and used CAT5 pairs to go from the block to wherever I needed them, hiding wherever possible.
Click to expand...

You used Cat5 for power connections? I know a computer doesn't draw alot of current, but cat5 is what 26 guage or something like that? Personally If I was to ever do a custom power mod, i would go heavier wit the wire rather than lighter so i wouldn't have to worry about my votages loading down.


let me use an example that everyone who owns a home should know:

ever notice in old houses where alot of ckts are on one breaker you get lights dimming when something like a power tool is used? If you used 12 guage wire on that 15amp instead of the 14 guage which is acceptable by code, you will never see them dimm again.

another example is when you use extension cords, if they are too long and too small, they actually heat up enough to melt right through the snow.


(yes, i have worked in construction, i gots mad housebuilding skills)



Just my opinion, i have know idea what kind of a load a pc can put on cat5. you may know something i don't, but i wouldn't do it.
 
The amps that fans are drawing is like nothing...the CAT5 works just fine and doesn't even get warm (indicating resistance), not to mention the solid copper is a better conductor than the cheap stranded wire that fans are generally connected to. If you ohm them out with a multimeter, you'll see they'll work just fine.
 
NAT Mav said:
The amps that fans are drawing is like nothing...the CAT5 works just fine and doesn't even get warm (indicating resistance), not to mention the solid copper is a better conductor than the cheap stranded wire that fans are generally connected to. If you ohm them out with a multimeter, you'll see they'll work just fine.
Click to expand...


i hope you know i wasn't critising you, it just set of my electrical spider sense, i like the idea of solid copper because electricity definetely carries better in solid than stranded, and flat conductors better still. I just don't like the idea of undersizing cable. again, i do not know the actual loads a PC draws.


I think if I ever go that route, i would go to an electrical supplier, pick up a couple of rolls of some pretty colored 14 guage that is used in conduit. it would be nice to work with because it is stiff enough to bend however you wanted too and wouldn't ned zip ties.


can you get a higher grade connector than those cheesy molex ones that would have gold contacts and fit into the drives and mobo?
 
hey copperman

what are the specs for your new computer?

I'm about to buy a new computer too...building it actually...
I'm finalizing the parts I want...maybe yours can give me some more incite

My budget can up to $2000
What you people recommend?
 
Anti-Lyfe said:
hey copperman

what are the specs for your new computer?

I'm about to buy a new computer too...building it actually...
I'm finalizing the parts I want...maybe yours can give me some more incite

My budget can up to $2000
What you people recommend?
Click to expand...
Here's my NewEgg wishlist, where I bought most of my stuff.
 
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