Your Hacked charger PSU's.

[Former Member]

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[FlyinBrian]

I have one of these HP server PSUs converted as per the "other forum" it is superb, It is my second as the other died in a flood. IIRC the PSU cost c15.00 inc P&P they can be found on ebay. search for HP proliant server PSU.

[Geoff S]

Here's mine. I originally said it was capable of sourcing 24 amps; I was wrong; it's 47 amps, so more thgan capable of powering both my chargers even though my icharger is a double. The output cables don't need to be as thick as these as the most current they're likely to pass is around 10 amps but bigger is always better

The 4mm socket brackets are actually cut from an old SLEC glow fuel tank.

The links are all low voltage and the links in the centre are just made from servo plug sockets.

The 'dangerous' (ie 240v ac mains ) end is a perfectly standard euro mains lead as used on (say) PCs. I have a drawer crammed full of the things - I can't bear to throw them out!.

Before I did this conversion years ago I bought a purpose made bench power source s/h from a club member. It cost more than this when it was new. It lasted about a year before it failed IIRC. Ones supplied by the model trade are of far lower quality than these professional power supplies.

I've been joining up bits of wire to make things since I was at Junior school. In fact one of the first 'jobs' my dad gave me was to tke old radios to pieces when I was about 5 - of course they were all pre-war valve radios. I managed to earn a living doing similar things until I retired at 55 so I not a total novice - just a bit out of practice. However there's nothing super difficult about the conversion and it's arguably safer than any cheap bench supply and definitely safer than bodging a PC one.

Geoff

[Former Member]

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[Geoff Gardiner]

Here is mine, good for 12V 32A

[MattyB]

Posted by Geoff S on 04/08/2020 21:38:50:

...Before I did this conversion years ago I bought a purpose made bench power source s/h from a club member. It cost more than this when it was new. It lasted about a year before it failed IIRC. Ones supplied by the model trade are of far lower quality than these professional power supplies.

...However there's nothing super difficult about the conversion and it's arguably safer than any cheap bench supply and definitely safer than bodging a PC one.

Couldn’t agree more. My dual HP Proliant 24V conversion cost ~£60 (the servers were much cheaper, but I added one of the anti-surge switch units to protect my iCharger in the unlikely event the PSU were to have an issue) and has run problem free for ~3 years. Prior to that no commercial PSU designed for model use has lasted more than 18 months, and on taking them apart after failure it was clear they were very poorly made. There is no doubt in my mind that when it comes to PSUs server conversions are absolutely the best option for both reliability and output power.

[Craig Carr]

Here’s mine, same unit as Brian and Geoff. I’ve just checked and I actually modified it 4 year ago and it’s in constant use. A proper workhorse. Charging some hefty sized packs as well!

we seem to have a common thread here regarding the commercial psu for model use. Mine also failed in under a year which is why I made this one.

ive used a one of those logic rc tx cases to keep it all together, i put 3 sets of output via a project box as I have a couple of these chargers.

Now if someone could tell me the pins to jump to make the fan run less noisy my wife would be a happy bunny

[Former Member]

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[Former Member]

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[leccyflyer]

I bought one of those units in Geoff's post some years ago and it's still sat under the bench, as I also have a Simprop 20amp PSU and another similar unit bought at a clubmate's estate garage sale. These are all rather under-used, since I rarely charge Lipos at home. With the imminent move to my new workshop it would be a good time to build a bespoke charging station and maybe change my protocols to charge at home, rather than at the field. I like some of the very neat solutions to utilise these units and can see the possibilities in building one into a suitable enclosure.

[Craig Carr]

Posted by Doc Marten on 04/08/2020 23:53:36:

If this is the PSU you have Craig then the note at the the bottom of This page states that shorting pins 4 & 8 will reduce fan speed but the PSU will still self regulate if it needs too, an indication of how clever and safe these things are.

Edited By Doc Marten on 04/08/2020 23:57:33

excellent thanks Doc

[Tim C]

This is my PSU, it’s a 400w ATX computer psu liberated from an old tower pc, I have added a volt/ amp display, not very accurate though, and replaced the fan with one with a blue led, gives an earie glow And acts as an on/off Indicator, stickers and paint optional. It’s given 6 years service so far.

[Redex]

I too use an ATX computer PSU. The beauty of which has its own wiring loom and connectors already attached to the loom. I just pick out the 12v rail and connect to my charger.

[Martin Harris - Moderator]

Rather unhelpfully for a "show and tell" thread, the PSU is rather well concealed in its housing on the left hand side but this is my charging case, originally built a good 10 years or more ago, which holds several chargers and a myriad of adapters and leads. It's in its second iteration after substituting the original server PSU with a more powerful one - which was a bit longer hence having to delete the car accessory socket that was mounted at the front - seldom used, but I made up one on a flying lead with 4mm banana plugs for if the occasion arises.

You'll note that I resisted the temptation to say "just in case"!

P.S. To save anyone pointing out the obvious, it's easy to transport to a safer location for charging LiPos...

Edited By Martin Harris on 05/08/2020 12:48:36

[Pete B]

I've edited out part of the unnecessarily challenging thread sub-title - it's not needed here. Please confine this thread to the subject matter, not opinions about the wisdom of doing it or not, ta....

Pete

[Mike T]

I have two of the HP Proliant PSUs and the 'conversion' process is ridiculously simple. Like others, the only reason I tried them (and ATXs) was because I was fed up forking out 20-30 quid for 'commercial' items which failed...

Here's a few pics and a diagram. I'll also throw in an ATX conversion schematic 'for free':

NB - AFAIAC, the pin-out schematic is only good for the PSU in the top pic.  Some posts above show a 'blade' type power connection which I'm not familiar with.  E&OE, etc.

Edited By Mike T on 05/08/2020 13:29:42

[PeterF]

When I got really serious with electric flight I bought an iCharger 4010 Duo which when flat out on both channels can operate at 2kW so something serious was required. Additionally, the 4010 Duo has an input current limit of 65A, so to get full output power, the input voltage needs to be at least 31V under load. Looking around on various RC forums the HP ESP120 was mentioned, which is a nominal 3kW, delivering nominally 60A at 50V. An internal hack is needed to replace a small potentiometer with a fixed resistor as the off load voltage is above 50V and the 4010 Due has a max input voltage of 50V. This trims the output voltage of the HP ESP120 down below 50V. You also need to short out 3 of the pins on the outside as well as connecting the mains input and the 50V output. I will not repeat this as the best write up of this is by someone on various forums, see Wattflyer or Helifreak or Giant Scale News, but if you have problems ask and I can repeat the info here.

I bought mine in Dec 2016 and it has worked faultlessly since then, as has the 4010 Duo, it cost me £80 brand new off ebay and value for money wise it has been excellent for a 3kW power supply. On mine, the off load voltage is about 48.9V and when the 4010 Duo is at full chat taking 2kW, the voltage drops to 48.4V.

HP ESP120 3kW server power supply

Label

Rear connections, main supply is insulated then silicone tube adds a second layer

Charger at rest, input voltage 48.9V

Charger flat out 967W on both channels, 48.4V and 41.3A input = 2000W. Target output for both channels was 40A, but this was not achieved because the charger had reached maximum input power.

[Craig Carr]

Mike thanks for the wiring diagram to help others

ive followed the info to quieten / slow down the fan and jumped the necessary pins.

im now in “whisper mode” as they used to say on Blue Thunder

Craig

[Mike T]

Nice one! Note that if the PSU decides it needs more air, it will override the 'hack', so it's all good! As I said on the other thread, the adjustable pot can up the voltage but above 13.5v I found it tripped quite often. I believe this is something to do with the over-voltage protection. I've seen references to disabling this, but as that would require internal work, I'm not going there...

[Former Member]

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[Former Member]

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[Former Member]

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[Peter Christy]

No pictures, because it is buried under a lot of other stuff on my "charging" bench, but I too am running one of the HP Proliant server supplies.

Initially it sounded like a Harrier Jump Jet at take-off, but then I found the "whisper mode" mod, and now all is peaceful again!

In fairness to commercial products, I have to say that I have a Graupner 12V power supply that I bought many moons ago, which still works well. IIRC it cost the sharp end of £100, but is only 10 A (120 watts) max!

Makes the Proliant seem exceptional value!

And remember that server supplies are designed to run in a hostile environment 24/7 for years, and if they do fail, to do so gracefully, so as not to damage the equipment they are supplying!

--

Pete

[Former Member]

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[Jeffrey Cottrell 2]

Hi Guys

I have an led power supply very similar to the one linked to in the original thread which has worked fine for some years, but being a born tinkerer I thought I would try one of these server psu's as a back up.
So, a few basic questions.
I am going with HP Proliant. Seems to be the most popular. Quick look on e-bay has quite a range of prices and power outputs.
If it's listed as, say, 460w can I assume that is the output power, so the available current would be 460/12 or 38a?
That would be plenty for my needs.
I see these as cheap as £6.59. Would it be advisable to avoid the really cheap ones, or would that not be an issue?
Finally, in the thread someone linked to this one for instructions for the conversion. This dates back to pre-2011. Is it still a good one to follow, or is there something more modern?

Thanks

Jeff