Can you piggy back two ATX PC power supplies?

[Martinedwards]

so a typical ATX has maybe 12A at 12v.

to feed a FT 757GX I need more than that.

funds are tight.

can I simply double up, (in parallel not series) to get 24A..... like I would with two batteries?

Thanks!

[sureshot]

Not a good idea

http://jumperone.com/2011/06/atx-power-supply-tutorial/ worth a watch if you've not seen it before.

[ChrisCSL]

It can get silly. The two voltage regulators start fighting each other ... one wants it a bit higher and the other wants it a bit lower.

A PSU across a deep leisure battery would be better.

[MrWeetabix]

It can get silly. The two voltage regulators start fighting each other ... one wants it a bit higher and the other wants it a bit lower.

A PSU across a deep leisure battery would be better.

No..... an actual 30amp PSU would be better..... IMHO.

why mess about with this? Mains is dodgy area, just get the right bit of kit for the job or run the radio at half power.

Just my 2p's worth.....

[Martinedwards]

yup, 1/2 power it will be till I get the pennies together for a bigger power pack

and I agree on the battery idea..... a used 30A transformer would be cheaper than a Leisure battery and charger.

[kr0ne]

An old server PSU can be had for next to nothing on eBay and will be quiet, stable and have oodles of current:

http://www.ebay.co.uk/sch/i.html?_odkw= ... u&_sacat=0

These can be a bit fiddly to get powered up though as they are normally controlled by the motherboard. A lot of the R/C crowd use these for charging Li-polys etc. and you can often find out what you need to know online with a bit of Googling.

For a simpler, but much more expensive, option one of these would make an excellent power supply for around £50 new and would give you two 25A 12V rails:

http://www.antec.com/pdf/flyers/EA430_G ... yer_EN.pdf

[Martinedwards]

THAT looks good.......

hmmm....

right, next mission!

[kr0ne]

By the way, when I said quiet - I meant electrically...

One thing about server PSUs is they are designed to be crammed into tiny spaces in places where people don't generally hang out. End result, acoustically noisy as hell!

Nothing a bigger, slower fan won't cure though...

[Martinedwards]

found a how to do it site for a HP PROLIANT DL380

ordered one off ebay for £14 inc post.

progress will be reported!

[kr0ne]

Banging!

[FakeJake]

Banging!

Well hopefully the PSU won't be going bang

[Martinedwards]

all sorted and running very nicely.

details and tutorial on my blog. follow the link in my sig.

[kr0ne]

Nice job Martine!