RE: How to convert an ATX power supply to rc use
I converted an Antec SL300S for field use. I only used the 12V and 5V outs since my use will be my charger and for bench testing my receiver and servos.
I did find one glitch. I hooked up the 3.3 sense to the 3.3v out and the 5v sense to the 5v. In this configuration I had voltage but no current. I removed the 5v sense and it latched on perfectly. I also found that if you hook the 3.3v sense to the 5v out the 12v out will put out about 14.6v. However I just removed the 5v sense wire and left it undone. I placed a 12V marker light as a power on indicator on the 5v terminals.
I now have 13.8v - 13.9 at the terminals. The rating for this PS is 15A at 12V. However I have been running it under an 18A load and it performed perfectly with a 13.11V output.
I loaded it up with two beacon rotating lights (6.2A each) in parallel. As you can see in the picture the voltage never fell below 13.18V and it ran for over 3 hours and the fan voltage never went above 6.17. The fan is controlled by the PS circuit and will speed the fan up if the heat sinks start warming up, however it never got warm or sped up.
The lights will peak at 15A when first turned on and settle in about 13.4-13.6A. My field charger (Triton) uses a max of 13A. That should be quite good. I did load it up to over 20A for about 15 minutes with no problems and no overheating. Seems like a good project.
I also converted a newer style AT that works well also. However it was only rated at 8A at 12V but it will put out 15A with no problem.
Pictures are inclosed. The only thing I spent money on were the terminals and the $1.00 marker light. The PS was a pull out of my computer when I upgraded to a larger supply.
Thanks for looking.
Any questions please ask!