Originally Posted by
pakk
Thanks! Is there anything wrong with using a pc power supply? I happen to have a lot of those. I was told by someone locally that they use a pc ps.
--pak
Originally Posted by
Duster_360
Basic Eqtn - Power(watts) = volts x amps. With power supplies, need to look at the supply to find actual voltage - my Radio Shack is 13.8v and 25amps, so its rated power - 13.8 x 25 = 337.5watts.
My other PS is a ProPeak 20a supply and its also 13.8v but 20a, so its only 276watts. Both of these are switching type supplies versus transformer based PS and its prob prudent not to push these to 100%. Most I've ever done with these is charging 6S a123 pacs - 21.6volts at 10amps => 216watts. Switching supplies have rep for quiting under high load.
For the PC power supply fans, I believe you will find that PC power supplies are closer to an actual 12 volts. Instead of the typical 13.6-13.8 volts of a bench power supply under load, which are generally made to mimic a car battery, which isn't really 12 volts either.
Something to consider if you're close on power with a PC supply.