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Running other things off the PC power supply. Where do you draw the line?

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AlanS17:

What about using an arcade machine power supply? All of the individual voltages are already broken out and there's really no modification. Just screw down to the 12v terminals. Plus, you have all the other voltages in case you find a use for them in the future.

Did I mention I have 3 or 4 brand new arcade power supplies that I'd be willing to let go for cheap?  >:D

darthpaul:

I am currently up to 4 separate power supplies, one for my servos and LED lighting one for the monitor rotation motor, one for the CP rotation motor and one for my 3 actuators. Like others have said they are pretty cheap on ebay or if you have some old PCs laying around you could pull the power supplies out of them.

TopJimmyCooks:

Due to switchcade having a small form factor pc power supply, I got a separate atx power supply for the rotation motor, marquee and cabinet fans.  $15 from newegg. 

Vigo:

I never thought much into using the PS unit until recently when I acquired an old LCD monitor that was missing it's 12v 3a power supply. Sounds as simple as wiring a DC socket to a yellow and black wire. If I figure correctly, I wouldn't need to buy a smart strip either if I have nothing else that would plug into an AC outlet.

BadMouth:


--- Quote from: darthpaul on April 27, 2012, 11:16:16 am ---I am currently up to 4 separate power supplies, one for my servos and LED lighting one for the monitor rotation motor, one for the CP rotation motor and one for my 3 actuators. Like others have said they are pretty cheap on ebay or if you have some old PCs laying around you could pull the power supplies out of them.

--- End quote ---

Yeah, it's not about the money or the modding.  It's that I'd get a certain amount of satisfaction from the simplicity of running everything off a single supply. I was even looking at line filters (which would cost more than a power supply), but don't know enough about these things to be confident that the PC would be safe.

The actuator is only drawing around 1A with no weight on it, so I'll probably end up running it off a laptop block.
I'll most likely mount it to the bracket that I'm building the rotating mechanism onto.
That way, the rotating mechanism/monitor mount will be a self contained unit with just a power plug and signal plug to connect inside the cab.

I plan to sit down and carefully read your build thread before getting too far into this.  :cheers:

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