After deploying the first version of a forbidden cluster i have come to the point where i would like to move to server-grade psus to take advantage of the pmbus interface as well as have redundant power. The cases i have have a 2U-PSU mount, but i cant find any full high quality (Titanium rating, >1000 watt) kits with two psus and a backplane. The only ones i came up with are gold-fingered (mostly supermicro) single units without a backplane or compatibility info. The only backplane i found for purchase does not have compatibility information - even the supermicro power supply matrix does not feature compatibility information.
This leaves me with the following questions:
Are the Gold-Finger interfaces intercompatible between manufacturers?
Are there any standards to refer to?
How do i get my hands on the corresponding PSU-Backplane?
I think there’s a standard call CRPS (ommon redundant power supply) (but I haven’t looked into it). I think it originally came from Intel, but I don’t know how many manufactures else support it.
FSP Group seem to have both some 2U CRPS backplanes and power modules.
Hey, so this is my first post and I almost made a thread about this! And I don’t have to now, since this is not necroing (I actually read the rules for a change )
Please share your findings lewinernst. I’m very interested in using server grade PSU and adapting them to power my consumer stuff. I do have very clean input power with a 9SX1500IR I got for 200€ on ebay, wich I assumed would be something that server PSU would likely be designed for (pretty sure the usual target audience doesn’t have the kind of crappy household wiring that my sudent budget flat comes with).
I’m a bit sussed out by how cheap the PSUs are on ebay, but I figure with mining on the decline and them generally outlasting the computers they came with, plus pro customers being unwilling to buy anything crucial like that in used condition, oversupply kind of makes sense.
So how bad is the idea? How clean is the Power? How difficult is it to adapt? Are there Pitfalls and easy to make mistakes apart from plugging in the wrong fishy ali-express adapter board?
I feel this is a really really nice thing if it could be made to work. Keep good electronics out of landfills, get better efficiency, and get it cheap. Win win win?
I do realize they are freakishly loud and I assume any cheap adapter board won’t let me interface to the point where I can fan curve it, but I already have a sound absoption treated rack mounted UPS that is loud in a 7U Rack in my living room because I’m kind of a crazy person so I might aswell go all the way.
Another thing would probably be the need to hit the PSU at it’s actual peak efficiency point? That shouldn’t be too difficult.
fishy ali express Backplates without redundancy would probably be cheaper too?
Hi - so i ended up finding that supermicro resellers such as ctt computer in germany actually sell the backplanes as separate parts - you would need to screw them down in your case and align the gold fingers but otherwise they are pretty much perfect (well documented compatibility on the supermicro website, standard connectors etc.). Furthermore, supermicro has one series of somewhat recent but broad used-availability psus identified by ending in -SQ (super quiet), which would be perfect for piecing together on a student budget without causing datacenter-(de)grade levels of sleep.
Hitting the efficiency peak is a noble goal but if you already have a set psu, less is less, even if its more inefficient (unless you have a business-case, ie some income coupled to the amount of computing you do).
Cheap server psus on ebay are a thing independent of mining, no need to be all that suspicious - especially if you go with a certified refurbished seller. Businesses write off their hatdware and at some point 3-5 years after procurement the value of the stuff in the books is zero, which is why the company it departments either trash them (awful move imo) or sell them for cheap as a solid to homelabs (Big W).
)