My DSATX 220w experience

tj!2k4 · 10-23-2005, 07:00 PM

I guess it's about time I made a quick post about my experience with the DSATX 220W thus far.

Unfortunately my home PC's motherboard recently fried, so I can't access all the photos I wanted to post as part of my un-scientific review. I wonder what it means when the CarPC runs better than the home computer.

I'd just like to mention now that this PSU gets a big thumbs-up for its performance so far.

In any case, here goes:

System specs:
motherboard: Insight P4-ITX
CPU: P4 2.0GHz
RAM: 512MB
HD: 80GB 2.5"
PSU: DSATX 220W
(Previous PSU: Opus 150W)

Shipping:
The DSATX shipping was fast, and the unit was shipped via USPS Priority Mail. The unit was packed decently, and no parts were missing. As with another DSATX tester, I also had a loose jumper floating around in the box that I didn't discover until I was ready to discard the empty box.

Installation:
Installation of the DSATX was delayed for a week or two due to extreme amounts of precipitation in NY (I have to work on the car in the street as I don't have a garage close-by).

Since the DSATX is smaller than the Opus 150 I was previously using, and the screw holes did not align, my case required some slight modifications in order to house this PSU. Also, since I really liked the Opus' molex-type power connector, zootjeff tracked down the part numbers for me so that I was able to keep the wiring in my dash, and add the same type of connector to the DSATX.

Running the DSATX 220:
I've been running the DSATX 220W for a week or two now, and it is working flawlessly. Startup is about 1 second after turning the key, and shutdown (as it turns out) is set for 10 minutes after ignition turn-off, and both automatic startup and shutdown work flawlessly.

One thing I did notice, however, and brought to Jeff's attention is that if shutdown/hibernate/whatever is initiated via the computer (not via ingition sense), after the PC shuts down, one cannot immediately turn it back on. As Jeff explained it to me, this is because the PSU's shutdown timer is still counting down, and only after it reaches 0 and resets itself, can one turn the computer back on.

Jeff has stated that he will look into this, and appears confident that he can create a "fix" for this in software.

Console:
I made a VERY short (2") serial cable to connect from the Acroname Brainstem serial connector to the serial port, and am thusly able to use Hyperterminal to monitor the PSU/power status, etc. I didn't have any documentation with me out in the car when I attempted to get it up and running, and had to play with the serial port settings for a couple of minutes in order to get HT to connect to the DSATX, but once properly configured it works like a charm.

The connection settings are as follows:

Bits per second: 9600
Data Bits: 8
Parity: None
Stop Bits: 1
Flow Control: None

Further testing:
One of the reasons I more or less had to upgrade from the Opus 150 to the DSATX 220 is that the Opus was pretty much maxed out. Sometimes the PC would hang on boot, and aside from that, one of the things I would like to be able to do is power my 7-port USB hub from the PSU, and when I attempted to do this with the Opus, the PC would no longer power on.

I haven't been able to test whether or not I'm able to run the USB hub with the DSATX just yet, but I will post back in this thread once I'm able to test this.

Image:
DSATX installed with Opus-style power connector.

The mounting points you see around the edge of the DSATX give an idea of how much larger the Opus 150 is.

tj!2k4 · 10-23-2005, 07:06 PM

Just a photo of HT connected to the DSATX, displaying the diagnostic data on-screen.

The following chart info is taken from zootjeff's site, and will aid in interpreting the data from my photo..

Serial Port Diagnostic data takes this form (Data will flow out every 200ms):

A : B : C : D : E : F : G : H : I : K
A: Temperature in Degrees C
B: Input voltage at VIN
C: 12 Volt Rail Output
D: 5 Volt Rail Output
E: 3.3 Volt Rail Output
F: Low Voltage Threshold (P2 Adjusts this)
G: Number of Seconds for main Shutdown Timer (P1 Adjusts this)
H: Y/N Good/Bad(Vin Voltage Good, Acc Pin High, Temp Good)
I: State of SDC : (0: off, 1:Pulse, 2: Running, 3: Cnt Down, 4: Shut Down)
K: Count value for Shutdown Counter (seconds)

-

jschrauwen · 09-29-2006, 01:00 PM

Request schematic diagram for Brainstem.
OR
Pin-out layout for connection PSU to serial.

LV675D MB is not getting a long enough triggering signal from DSATX to start up. A split second start of the fans is is triggered but that is all. Need a way to get DSATX to generate a longer triggering signal to MB - BUT HOW????

DarquePervert · 09-29-2006, 01:02 PM

What pin layout?
The brainstem connects to a serial port.

You can communicate w/ the brainstem from a laptop or something to see what's going on to troubleshoot.

jschrauwen · 09-29-2006, 01:06 PM

Thanks DP. I know that.
I need the pin layout from the serial to the J2 (Comm). I need to make my own serial cable to try and correct the defficit triggering timing as mentioned previously.

evandude · 09-29-2006, 01:34 PM

do yourself a favor, and google "brainstem schematic", and look at the 2nd or so result

because the manufacturer of the brainstem serial adapter (acroname.com) provides the schematic on their website :P
and as you can see, it's not just a passthrough cable, it's an RS232-TTL level shifter, to turn the +/-12v RS232 signals to 0-5v for the DSATX.

http://www.acroname.com/brainstem/ha...schematic.html

in all honesty, having built a number of RS232-TTL serial adapters just like it, $11.75 really isn't a bad deal for a MAX232-based "true" level shifter like that. but if you really want to do it cheaply, perhaps you could check out:
http://www.sparkfun.com/commerce/pro...roducts_id=133 which is a different level shifter (schematic available); not quite as fancy, but it's built with cheap parts (resistors, transistors, caps, and diodes) and no specialty chips... and if you're decent with electronics, you should have no trouble putting one together in 10 minutes on a breadboard, or solder it up on a piece of perfboard.

but you might want to double-check the manual, or ask zootjeff, if the duration of the startup pulse is even something you can adjust via the serial interface...

jschrauwen · 10-25-2006, 11:09 PM

Quote: Originally Posted by jschrauwen

LV675D MB is not getting a long enough triggering signal from DSATX to start up. A split second start of the fans is is triggered but that is all. Need a way to get DSATX to generate a longer triggering signal to MB - BUT HOW????

Solution found through the use of a small relay like this to generate a longer (perhaps stronger) triggering pulse.
http://www.thesourcecc.com/estore/Pr...roduct=2750249

Cheekz185 · 11-16-2006, 06:34 PM

Hey Tj what gauge wiring did you use to connect the molex to the DSATX?

Iceman_jkh · 11-16-2006, 09:47 PM

You can adjust the pulse duration with the brainstem.

I didnt get the brainstem with my unit, so I just built one myself. Instructions are available on the net (http://www.acroname.com/brainstem/ha...schematic.html)

Easy as!

And then you also have the added benefit of having access to all the other programming features of the DSATX.

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