If this is your first visit, be sure to check out the FAQ by clicking the link above. You may have to register before you can post: click the register link above to proceed. To start viewing messages, select the forum that you want to visit from the selection below. |
|
|
Thread Tools | Display Modes |
#1
|
|||
|
|||
Power suppy that runs several motherboards
We are trying to find a motherboard that will run multiple
motherboards, we essentially want to stack garden variety motherboards in a tight rack, and run as many as we can off of one power supply. The motherboards have a IDE HDD, all-in-one motherboard and a stick of memory in them. Right now, we have 1 Power supply running off of each one... not very power efficient. Anyone ever see anything like this? We're making a cluster, but want to fit more machines in a tighter space... Cases take up a lot of space, as well... hoping to save on power. |
#2
|
|||
|
|||
Power suppy that runs several motherboards
In article .com, "Mike
Curry" wrote: We are trying to find a motherboard that will run multiple motherboards, we essentially want to stack garden variety motherboards in a tight rack, and run as many as we can off of one power supply. The motherboards have a IDE HDD, all-in-one motherboard and a stick of memory in them. Right now, we have 1 Power supply running off of each one... not very power efficient. Anyone ever see anything like this? We're making a cluster, but want to fit more machines in a tighter space... Cases take up a lot of space, as well... hoping to save on power. I can see some counter-arguments to your premise. Having one PSU per motherboard limits the fault group to the one board. Using central power for a whole bunch of boards means a PSU failure ends up disabling the lot. A PSU failure that delivers high voltage to any one of its DC outputs, would damage the whole lot of boards as well, and perhaps fry all the hard drives if it happened to be the +12V that failed high. Another way of looking at the problem, is to find a compact power supply with just enough juice to power one module. Look for a supplier that makes power efficient designs. Seasonic does some ATX supplies that are pretty efficient for example (forward converters, whatever those are). You could also consider two stage DC-DC conversion. Power a rack from a kilowatt level 48VDC power supply. Equip each compute module with quarter or half brick DC-DC power converters. That is a scheme that is used in the telecom world. But you'll need some custom design to tie a scheme like that together (power_good and the like), and the mechanical packaging details are a PITA. Using 1+1 redundant AC power supplies, to improve the reliability of your central supply scheme, would improve some of the faults with your idea. Another issue you might not have thought about, is the distribution of high currents down a backplane. You'll need some decent bus bars to carry enough amps for a rack full of computers. Remote sense signals connected near the load might help compensate for losses in the bus bars, but those are not a typical feature of an ordinary ATX power supply. (ATX power supplies do in fact have remote sense, but it is not in a convenient form, like a pair of screw terminals for connecting up the wires etc.) Have a look here, and see if a supply from this page could be packaged inside your compute module. I think having a small PSU per module will take much less engineering and analysis. http://www.seasonic.com/product/ipc_1u.jsp I don't know the genesis of your cluster concept, but who ever made the compute modules must have had a powering scheme in mind when they made them. What packaging concept did they have in mind ? HTH, Paul |
#3
|
|||
|
|||
Power suppy that runs several motherboards
On 2 Jan 2006 21:58:46 -0800, "Mike Curry"
wrote: We are trying to find a motherboard that will run multiple motherboards, we essentially want to stack garden variety motherboards in a tight rack, and run as many as we can off of one power supply. The motherboards have a IDE HDD, all-in-one motherboard and a stick of memory in them. Right now, we have 1 Power supply running off of each one... not very power efficient. Anyone ever see anything like this? We're making a cluster, but want to fit more machines in a tighter space... Cases take up a lot of space, as well... hoping to save on power. You might save a dozen % efficiency, but this will be offsest by the cost of such specialized power and custom wiring harness for the whole thing. Additionally, it means if the lone PSU goes down, so do all systems (unless you want a second redundant unit too and then efficiency drifts back towards current levels). First you will need a power estimate for the entire thing. Next you'll need know if you have anything using the less common power rails or only 3.3V, 5V, 12V, and 5VSB. Since there is no 5VSB needed per sleep modes (presumably, these will always be "on" or full-off for maintenance?) you might be able to use a single 5V rail for both. Without the various power management states you have a simplier need. Down to 3 power rails, you'd seek an industrial supply or supplies that can output all 3 and a central power switch/breaker. Next you'd have a central distribution board in a start configuration with the inputs from the single or multiple PSU and outputs (probably ATX connector so std ATX extension cords are used) to each board, or a bus configuration with heavier bus wiring and taps along the length of it corresponding to each board rack position. |
#4
|
|||
|
|||
Power suppy that runs several motherboards
Not manufactured, that I'm aware of.
-- DaveW ---------------- "Mike Curry" wrote in message oups.com... We are trying to find a motherboard that will run multiple motherboards, we essentially want to stack garden variety motherboards in a tight rack, and run as many as we can off of one power supply. The motherboards have a IDE HDD, all-in-one motherboard and a stick of memory in them. Right now, we have 1 Power supply running off of each one... not very power efficient. Anyone ever see anything like this? We're making a cluster, but want to fit more machines in a tighter space... Cases take up a lot of space, as well... hoping to save on power. |
#5
|
|||
|
|||
Power suppy that runs several motherboards
DaveW wrote:
Not manufactured, that I'm aware of. I had 4 p104 pentiums with a number of p104 interface cards running of 1 75 Watt powersupply (12 V in) in an instrumented car. |
#6
|
|||
|
|||
Power suppy that runs several motherboards
Where can I buy p104 interface cards?
|
#7
|
|||
|
|||
Power suppy that runs several motherboards
Mike Curry wrote:
Where can I buy p104 interface cards? Just google for it, all my docs are located at my former employer(am retired). -)-)-) |
Thread Tools | |
Display Modes | |
|
|
Similar Threads | ||||
Thread | Thread Starter | Forum | Replies | Last Post |
x800xl and Far Cry, disasterous! | AAvK | Ati Videocards | 44 | October 14th 05 01:42 PM |
P4P800-E Deluxe - saga continues - this time no video post on power-up + different BIOS full screen logos... | Technik | Asus Motherboards | 2 | August 28th 05 06:36 AM |
Wise to use HDD as offline storage? | Columbus | Storage (alternative) | 76 | August 26th 05 10:43 PM |
Repair solution: VIA EPIA-V motherboards fail to POST on power up. | Jay Walling | Intel | 2 | March 14th 05 08:22 PM |
Happy Birthday America | SST | Ati Videocards | 336 | November 27th 03 07:54 PM |