Power Brick Consolidation

[tdunmore2]

Hey all!
I'm in the midst of planning a new build which should get off the ground shortly. One of the issues I'm running in to is what to do with all of the power bricks that are part of the equipment. I'm using the wet side/dry side arrangement, however, due to space limitations, the dry side isn't as large as one would like it. My goal is to keep everything contained within the stand or behind the stand.

I'm struggling with what to do about the power bricks. The radions run at 36V, apex has 12V and 24V, vortech is 24V. Its a mess. I'm hoping to run some of the 24V stuff (lighting and such) off the Apex 832, but its limited to 1.25 watts.

I've considered putting in a din rail with a 24V power supply and fusing every 24V item off of it. But then I still have the 12V and 36V issues. Haven't written it off yet, but am worried about how to keep the stuff from getting wet.

I've also considered using a box with a fan to stack the bricks up in behind the stand. It's not elegant, but it could work.

Any thoughts, comments, ideas, etc would be more than welcome!

 

[Ocelaris]

The din rail seems like a cool idea, but I think it'd be a lot of work to get all the pigtails made for the equipment. I'm not sure where you would get the connectors? Otherwise cannabalizing the existing connectors seems like it'd kill resale value on the expensive equipment. If you can do some fancy cable tie work, I would think you could keep them in the wet side where they get a little air flow. A fan over the sump isn't a bad idea anyways.

 

[tdunmore2]

@Ocelaris - Agree on retail value as well as warranty implications.

I am not against keeping it on the wet side. The dry side will also get air flow as both sides share the same port hole through the back of the stand.

Once the tank and overflow are in I will see what the dimensions are. It may workout that I can keep a stack of them between the wall and the stand.

 

[Makers Marc]

Curious what solution you came up with OP? I was also thinking of that shoebox idea...

 

[tdunmore2]

Curious what solution you came up with OP? I was also thinking of that shoebox idea...

Sorry it took me a while, busy time! Working on a new build. I ended up using DIN rail mounted backward with industrial hook and loop (Velcro) lining it all the way down. I then attached the velcro to the power bricks and snapped them into place. Still have some cable management to do, but it got them off the ground and out of the way and didn't require a ton of wiring in and out of the stand so they can be removed quickly if needed.
Thoughts?

 

[niQo]

Good idea, I need to figure something out as well. Currently they are just laying down on the bottom of my "dry side cabinet"

 

[AcanthurusRex]

I found some Mean Well 160W 24VDC supplies in Mouser for about $60. Should be trivial to use a project box and find/make some cables with the proper barrel connectors. Only helpful for the always powered devices.
The supplies that are provided are usually of low quality.