12V DC/DC for Casetronic & Morex PSU's (ditch the brick!)

**MikeH** · 12-23-2003, 06:53 PM

I finally found a reliable (ie, it meets the required specs) solution for replacing the AC/DC 12V external converter (aka, the brick) on Casetronic C134 & Morex power supplies.....

I have been looking for a way to get rid of the AC/DC converter that came with my Casetronic C134 case (since I needed a DC/AC inverter to power it from my car battery...very inefficient and noisy). I found something that works and actually publishes a spec that meets the input requirement that Casetronics publishes (12V@+/-5%). It's the Radio Shack "Notebook PC Universal DC Power Adapter "Notebook PC Universal DC Power Adapter. It puts out a voltage selectable from 12v to 27v, with an input range of 11v-16v. Unfortunately it's $60, but it was worth it to me to get rid of the AC/DC+brick.

I've actually cranked it's output up to 14v and put it in front of the ITPS. The ITPS regulates back down to 12v and provides turn-on/turn-off control over the carputer (I had to bring my PWRON control from the MOBO out to the front panel of my case to connect it to the ITPS). So now I have a DC/DC solution with turn-on/shut-down control and was able to keep my Casetronics C134 case & internal PSU.

No, it does not survive a crank (yet) but I'm going to experiment with an external SLA (sealed lead-acid) battery ($27 from Radio Shack) to see if I can keep the carputer from resetting.

You may ask...... why not use and Opus? Well, I like the Casetronics case. It's mounted in my glove box. And the connection to the Opus is an ATX PS cable. I didn't have room (or want to ) mount the Opus in the glove box and I didn't want to extend the cable ..... So the best solution (for me) is an external 12v "pre-regulator"... The Radio Shack gizmo seems to work. In the mean time, I'll let you know if something smokes....

Anyway, I know some of you guys are in the same position with Morex/Casetronics supplies...I thought this might help.

Good luck!

**jjh221** · 12-23-2003, 07:49 PM

id look again... 60watt ?

**shakes** · 12-23-2003, 08:34 PM

actuallt ... i won't ask why not get an opus ... but i will ask ... why not just use the ITPS??? you can input straight off your battery into the ITPS and it will regulate it down to 12v ... spending $60 on some car adapter seems a bit over-kill ...

and jjh221 ... if you're using the ITPS all you can get is 60watt anyway ... the regulator it uses passes a max of 5A at 12v.

**MikeH** · 12-23-2003, 08:49 PM

Shakes,

why not just use the ITPS

As you remember, the ITPS has a "dropout voltage" of 1.3V, which means it needs a 12v+1.3v=13.3v input to provide a regulated 12v output. When my engine is off, my battery supplys 11.9v, at best. Which means the ITPS won't be able to regulate to 12v out. If I bypass the regulator on the ITPS, the alternator can peak at 14+ volts (with the engine running), which would be bad news for my mobo. I NEED some sort of regulation feeding the mobo. The Radio Shack gizmo provides the regulation.

Also, JJH21, I've measured the actual current consumption of the M10000+HDD+DVD/CD drive. It's 3.2A max, under all conditions (startup, spinup etc). This is well within the tolerance of the RS regulator.

Anyway, I just finished the install today. I'll let you guys know if anyting smokes. But at this point, all is well.

**jjh221** · 12-28-2003, 04:45 PM

ok thank you i dont know much of n e thing of what you guys do. this site is a really awesome help and great people supply great info. thank you
jjh
peace

**MikeH** · 12-28-2003, 05:14 PM

all is still well... no smoke. However, I've cranked the RS regulator back down to 12v and bypassed the linear regulator on the ITPS...

**Falken** · 01-04-2004, 01:55 AM

I don't suppose there's a manufacturers name on it is there? I'm currently selling the Vanson dc-dc adapter. That one doesn't do 12v so I'd like to find a reasonably priced alternative that does.

**chut** · 01-04-2004, 07:01 PM

yea, my power supply is adjustable but only down to 15 volts. I wonder if I can use my power adapter inline with the ITPS?

**MikeH** · 01-05-2004, 04:14 PM

Falken

I don't suppose there's a manufacturers name on it is there? I'm currently selling the Vanson dc-dc adapter. That one doesn't do 12v so I'd like to find a reasonably priced alternative that does

I'll have to dig it out from behind my dash. You should be able to see it at any Radio Shack. I'll let you know what I find.....

**chut** · 01-06-2004, 10:01 AM

I contacted the fellow selling the ITPS and he let me know that it would be problematic to attach a 15 volt power supply to the device. The input voltage range on the ITPS cuts off at 15 volts, so he didn't think it a good idea to use my current adapter for power. Im gonna buy a RS 12 volt adapter today and buy the ITPS when I get tired of starting/shutting down the PC.
Peter