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Tapping off the power supply for a LCD

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cigardude:
Has anyone ever tapped off the PC power supply to power a LCD? I am making a small bar top and using a mini-itx board with this power solution: http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-160-XT-192W-Adapter-Power-Kit. Just wondering if it is possible.

Thanks!

BadMouth:
linky no worky.

I'm running a little 12v 12" LCD touchscreen off of an old 250w AT power supply that is also powering a megatouch mobo and drive.
Been at least a couple years and haven't had any issues with it.

Just as long as it is putting out enough power for everything.
An online PSU calculator should tell you if it has the power to spare.

Nephasth:
I've used a PC power supply to run my 7" Panasonic LCDs. Works like a charm.

Nephasth:

--- Quote from: BadMouth on January 16, 2013, 05:05:41 pm ---linky no worky.

--- End quote ---

Had a period at the end of the url. This one works: http://www.mini-box.com/picoPSU-160-XT-192W-Adapter-Power-Kit

To me, it seems expensive for a power supply, but I usually snag my spare power supplies out of free computers listed on CL...

RyoriNoTetsujin:

--- Quote from: Nephasth on January 16, 2013, 05:14:01 pm ---To me, it seems expensive for a power supply, but I usually snag my spare power supplies out of free computers listed on CL...

--- End quote ---

It's expensive because it's really tiny, passively cooled, and designed to work with low-to-moderately powered systems in very small cases.

I don't see any immediate reason why you couldn't tap a picoPSU if you have a spare connector to draw your power from and you're able to provide the proper voltage to the monitor. The fact that others have done so with normal PSUs is proof of that, naturally.

The first question I have regards the power draw. How much does the LCD draw when powered on? (and at what voltage maybe? see below regarding "rails")  How much does the mobo/cpu and whatever else is attached to it (HDD, ROM drives, whatever) draw when at full load?  If all of those numbers add up to less than 160w (I wouldn't push a picoPSU beyond it's rated use,) then yeah, maybe you're in business.

I'm not confident with the whole "rails" concept when it comes to PSU power distribution ("how much power is available on the 12v rail, how much on the 5v rail, etc.") so I can't speak to that. Maybe someone more familiar with the picoPSU can break that down and explain if that might be a factor in this case... ?

An interesting idea, nonetheless! I'm interested in seeing where this goes.  :cheers:

EDIT: I'm posting this without reading it fully, so it may or may not be interesting/useful: http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=207

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