Jim Adney wrote:
On 03 Jan 2004 18:54:41 GMT (Quadrajet1) wrote:
What's everybody's opinion on my splicing a couple of device power
cables onto one of the lines that comes out of my 300-W power supply, so
as to let me have up to 5-6 IDE devices (with added controller, of
course; my power supply has only 4 + FDD).
I've secured the splice with twist ties.
Personally, I think it was a waste of time. They sell power splitters that
split 1 drive power connection into 2. Would've saved you lots of time.
I have added output power lines to several PC power supplies over the
years, for exactly the same reasons. In my case, I opened the PS and
found that the PC board inside had many more wire holes than were
used. I just soldered the new ones directly into the board.
I realize that one can add splitters (the price varies) but that can
double the current thru one of those molex connectors, and I don't
know how close they are to their current ratings. It also adds
compound voltage drops on a single wire, which might cause problems in
some hardware.
Off hand, I'd guess that my way was the most reliable, which was part
of the reason I picked it. The splice method would be my second
choice, as long as the splice was done well. And the splitter would be
the least reliable.
OTOH, I've never heard of any such reliability problems like these
actually occurring, so maybe it's a complete red herring. This might
give the advantage to the splitters if you can get them for cheap.
The first time I did mine, I actually went out to buy splitters, but I
needed 3 and the place I went to wanted $10 apiece for them. When I
asked if they had any dead PSs, they gave me one for free and I
scavenged the extra wires from it for nothing. Yes, I spent a lot more
time, but it cost me nothing and I think I got a super end result.
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Jim Adney
Madison, WI 53711 USA
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I agree with you completely. The most reliable way was the way that you
did it. by adding more wires to the power supply, you lessened the risk
of overloading the capacity of the existing wiring and connectors. The
only worry is overloading the total capacity of the power supply.
The least reliable of these methods is the splitter, for the very
reasons you specified, plus they tend to come loose at the worst
possible times.