Thread: Power USB Hub with M2?

Just what I would do:
Stick an ampmeter between your M2 and your mobo (probably going to have to cut something) and see how much your pulling with every thing on and running. If you have less than 3A draw on the +5v you can make the call to run it off the power supply or not, its your choice to live with.

If I were in your situation (I will be when I get back to my truck), I would look around here in the hardware fourms and see if you can find a simple +5v power supply. If you can build it, it may be your best option.

+5v is your normal +5v rail. +5vSB is your +5 stand by voltage, it is what powers your computer so that a PSON signal can be applied. Dont draw anything off of that, probably not a wise idea.

And your device will only pull as many Amps as it needs, the M2 can supply up to 8A continuous, but depending what you have on it, it may only be pushing 3A to power those devices.

Originally Posted by Arty13

I will be installing my CarPC within the next month.
Currently I have a
voomPC Case
M2-ATX
Via MII-10000
1Gb Ram
80 Gb HD
Holux 271 (GPS)
Lilliput 7" touchscreen
USB WiFi
USB Bluetooth
USB to HU (Car2PC adapter)
USB External HD 2.5"
7 Port DLink USB Hub

I know I will power the LIlliput off the 12V Rail of the M2-Atx power supply. But I also want to power the USB Hub.
The USB Hub has a 5V 3A Requirement to power. So If I connect the 5V from the M2-Atx, will this work? or will it fry the USB Hub?

According to M2-Atx

Maximum Power Characteristics
Output Rail - Current (Max) - Current Peak (<60 seconds) - Regulation
5V 8A 12A 1.5%
3.3V 8A 12A 1.5%
5VSB 1.5A 2A 1.5%
-12V 0.15A 0.2A 5-%
12V 8A 9A 2 %

It says the 5V rail has 8A, will that be too many amps?
on a side note what is the difference of 5V and 5VSB? Besides the obvious difference in Amps.
Thanks.

Arty

Why would it fry the usb hub?

Michael

My USB hub is powered directly from the 5v rail on the M2atx. Works fine here... Dont know if it is supposed to work though!

I was thinking along the same lines except that the M2 would fry (if overloaded) as opposed to the hub. That's why i bought a AC powered USB hub and will power it with an inverter that i already have.

Would I be able to add a resister to the 5V rail to bring down the Amps to 3?

Also what harms can come out of running the 5V with the max 8Amps to the hub?

But otherwise my main/real option should be finding/building an external 5V/3A powersupply to power the usb hub?

Thanks again.

Arty

Originally Posted by Arty13

Would I be able to add a resister to the 5V rail to bring down the Amps to 3?

Also what harms can come out of running the 5V with the max 8Amps to the hub?

But otherwise my main/real option should be finding/building an external 5V/3A powersupply to power the usb hub?

Thanks again.

Arty

ONCE AGAIN, why would the HUB fry.

Think of it. If, as you seem to think, that ANY device taking power from the M2 will EAT UP/TAKE/CONSUME/USE ALL of the available amps the M2 has, then as soon as you connect a Hardrive, or MB, or Screen, to the M2, NOTHING ELSE WOULD WORK, BECAUSE THERE IS NO MORE AMPS TO TAKE. Or better yet, if you power your home computer with a 350 watt, or 500 watt PS, UNLESS THE SYSTEM IS EXACTLY 500 watts, then poof, your system is toast cause the M2 is gonna FORCE ALL THAT AMPERAGE into the system

Come on man, think a little.

Better yet, READ THE DAMN FAQ, cause I explain this myself in the faq section.

Michael

Sorry if my questions come out stupid, I did read the faq, but I have other people telling me different things. Maybe they dont know what they are talking about.
And I should of stated my 'Frying' more clear. I didn't mean the USB Hub alone, I was trying to state that what could "fry" by hooking all the stuff together.

Here's a different question regarding M2 and max Amps.
When it says 12V 8Amps Max and 5V 8Amps Max, does that mean each rail has a max of 8Amps, or is that saying the M2 only produces a max of 8Amps total?

Originally Posted by Arty13

Sorry if my questions come out stupid, I did read the faq, but I have other people telling me different things. Maybe they dont know what they are talking about.
...
Here's a different question regarding M2 and max Amps.
When it says 12V 8Amps Max and 5V 8Amps Max, does that mean each rail has a max of 8Amps, or is that saying the M2 only produces a max of 8Amps total?

First, DON'T LISTEN TO OTHER PEOPLE. The FAQ is correct, that is why it is a FAQ. If it changes, the FAQ will change. I hope you wouldn't ask a lawyer for advice, and then listen to your friends about the law, or speak to a doctor about a medical condition, but listen to your neighbor about it because "he knows these things" The Faqs were created by "experts", no need to listen to anyone else.

You are obviously new to this stuff, and should have posted in the newbie section. I am generally "easier" when people post in the Newbie section.

Now, lets look at things logically, when was the last time you saw a Powerr Supply rated by AMPs. Probably never, hell, the M2 says it is 160watts, and most desktop PS are like 350 watts. So, I know that the M2 is 160 watts, and it has 8 amps, what does that all mean? Well, I go to and put in "amps watts", and the first thing that comes up is http://www.powerstream.com/Amps-Watts.htm Of course, you could search THIS forum and find the same thing, but google is easier to use. You would now know that amps*volts=watts So, (12*8)+(5*8)+(3.3*8)=VOILA, 160 watts. Go ahead, if you can find the amp specs for your PS (it is usually on a sticker on the side of the unit, though you might need to open the case to see it) see how the math works out.

Now, you said you read the FAQs, and first, well, I don't think ANYONE has actually read all the Faqs, which means you have to search them. I KNOW there is a FAQ about this stuff because I wrote part of the faq. Can you link me to the faq that you felt was relevant to your question but did not actually have the information.

To make it easy, I have searched the FAQs and found the relevant posts in the Faq Emporium.

First, lets start here Attention Newbies! A FAQ to the FAQs

We then see
"Powering A Car PC
1. Power supplies for car PC's EXPLAINED includes description of the most popular power supplies for car PC use.
2. Will {insert power supply here} this power supply work with my car PC? An excellent writeup by member Darque Pervert to help demystify the power supply world.
3. How to choose a power supply - a writeup at the Carnetix web site. Vendor writeup that includes discussion about the challenges of powering a PC in the automobile.
4. How to keep your car from bursting into flames because you picked the wrong size cables: Ensuring you use the proper size cables, Choosing the proper gauge wires
5. How to wire an Opus
6. How to fix your Opus
7. Tips and pitfalls to avoid with your M1-ATX power supply
8. How to power your CarPC when it is NOT in the car."

All you could ever want to know about carPC power supplies.

Then, the thread with the specifics about your question,
FAQ: Power Supplies Explained (Part 1) FAQ: Power Supplies Explained (Part 1), In particular, this post FAQ: Power Supplies Explained (Part 1)

Originally Posted by Arty13

And I should of stated my 'Frying' more clear. I didn't mean the USB Hub alone, I was trying to state that what could "fry" by hooking all the stuff together.

HUH? Stating means making a statement, usually of fact. "What" implies a question, and is not "compatible" with a statement. Assuming what you mean is "what could "fry" by hooking all the stuff together" Why would something fry because you hooked them all together? I guess maybe the PS could be overloaded and ruined if you tried to pull too much power from it with your system, BUT, that is why you newed to read the faqs, and figure out how to determine what PS you can run on what system. It is called a power calculator, and I can assure you, there is information about power calculators in the FAQ Emporium.

Michael

I didn't read all the posts (kind of in a hurry ) but here's my 2 cents. (sorry if someone already explained this)

It's more or less like this:

If you're lookingt at a pipe containig water, the Amps are the size of the pipe the Volts are the pressure in the pipe (more or less, the speed of the water inside the pipe)

so...

you can have issues if the voltage is not correct but
for the Amps, as long as you need less than what you have, you're fine:
in other words 5v 8A out of the M2 and you need 5v 3A for the hub. The hub will only take what it needs.

The M2 is not gonna "force" 8A inside the hub it's just gonna have 8A available to anything you plug in the M2.

If the sum of all the devices using the M2 for power is more than 8A, then be careful the M2 is gona overheat and the devices will run on less power tan they require.

as I said....my 2 cents...hope it helped

JP