500W Platinum FSP FlexATX PSU >1000w/Litre

Ok, things seem to be going well, both Sliger and Fortron are cooperative on this. So the only thing that's left to decide on now is how many SATA connectors the PSU should have and how long the cables should be, then we can get a quote on the price.

For the SATA connectors, I added a poll to the posts on OCN and SFN, not sure if those exist on [H]. I don't suspect anyone really needs more than two, and if they do, there's always the option of using splitters. In theory, one connector on a very short cable could even be enough.

So, let's talk cables. We need to find out what lengths the different connectors should have, so it would be nice if some of you could draw up their potential setups with this PSU and try to figure out what sort of length you'd need in order for it to work out.

For a bit of orientation, these are the possible locations for the ATX12V (4pin or 8pin) and 24pin ATX connectors on all currently available 1150 mITX boards.

1000
 
In my case, I would not use any sata connectors. I have a single 512gb crucial m550 m.2 SSD. At most, I could attach one extra SSD or HDD.

I think 2 connectors will be plenty.

An alternative is including one sata cable and 1-2 short molex. The end user can source their own molex to sata cables or have it bundled with the PSU at a small cost if this is possible at all.

I wouldn't expect this from an off-the-shelf PSU but this is obviously not that kind of PSU. This allows the end user to choose how long or short the sata cable is.

In my case, one possible SSD mounting spot will require a 6-8cm sata cable.

Short molex cables could be one way to make it 'semi modular'. Less cable clutter for people who don't need long sata cables or any at all like me. Without taking away the ability to connect multiple drives to molex.
 
I would suggest sata ends only, and no molex. Sata power splitters exist, the connector is physically smaller, and the cables could be directly attached if a splitter isn't needed.
 
In my case, I would not use any sata connectors. I have a single 512gb crucial m550 m.2 SSD. At most, I could attach one extra SSD or HDD.

I think 2 connectors will be plenty.

An alternative is including one sata cable and 1-2 short molex. The end user can source their own molex to sata cables or have it bundled with the PSU at a small cost if this is possible at all.

I wouldn't expect this from an off-the-shelf PSU but this is obviously not that kind of PSU. This allows the end user to choose how long or short the sata cable is.

In my case, one possible SSD mounting spot will require a 6-8cm sata cable.

Short molex cables could be one way to make it 'semi modular'. Less cable clutter for people who don't need long sata cables or any at all like me. Without taking away the ability to connect multiple drives to molex.

Yeah that's a discussion worth having. I guess some people would want to mount a 2.5" drive atop the PSU, so a single 6-8cm cable would be ideal. Everyone who needs more could use splitters, everyone who doesn't isn't really hurt by that little bit of wasted space.

Someone suggested that we could do a similar thing with the PEG and ATX12V connectors to let people change the cable lengths without modifying the PSU, which would be really awesome. Maybe one or two of those modular connectors could even be embedded in the casing of the PSU, as the cutout for the cable assembly is quite large:

33c2f3b4_FSP500_backdrawing.PNG


I would suggest sata ends only, and no molex. Sata power splitters exist, the connector is physically smaller, and the cables could be directly attached if a splitter isn't needed.

Yeah we got a dead no on the IDE and floppy power, for all the reasons you just mentioned. Additionally, adapters from SATA to IDE work perfectly well while adapters from IDE to SATA are missing the 3.3V lane that the SATA power connector can carry.
IDE power is not going to be part of this PSU.

BTW, quite a few PSU manufacturers use SATA power connectors from molex, so it's always a bit confusing to call the IDE power connectors molex connectors ;)
 
Someone suggested that we could do a similar thing with the PEG and ATX12V connectors to let people change the cable lengths without modifying the PSU, which would be really awesome.

I don't think this is a good idea. It means the PSU wont be ready to use out of the box.
 
I don't think this is a good idea. It means the PSU wont be ready to use out of the box.

This PSU if delivered, would not be the same class as a retail PSU so not being 'ready out of the box' is not an issue imo.

It's for people who want a bit more space in a small case or designing their own cases. I don't see the benefit of going to all this trouble to get this form factor PSU when SFX exists (with more SFX PSUs coming out in the near future).



Maybe one or two of those modular connectors could even be embedded in the casing of the PSU, as the cutout for the cable assembly is quite large:


This sounds good. Modular cables are even more useful in this case. I am assuming people who get such a small PSU will be using all the space they can, and modular cables allow them to reduce cable mass.

Modders can also reduce the length of cables themselves as well, to suit their exact needs.
 
I don't think this is a good idea. It means the PSU wont be ready to use out of the box.

I didn't say that those cables wouldn't be included. The question is whether FSP would do those for us or not, but if we found a solution there, it would significantly increase the value of the PSU for a lot of people.

This PSU if delivered, would not be the same class as a retail PSU so not being 'ready out of the box' is not an issue imo.

It's for people who want a bit more space in a small case or designing their own cases. I don't see the benefit of going to all this trouble to get this form factor PSU when SFX exists (with more SFX PSUs coming out in the near future).

Not sure whether I agree with you here. I would like this to work out of the box and I think it would increase the amount of people that would try it out. There's significant effort in making your own cables if you just want to see if something works for you.


This sounds good. Modular cables are even more useful in this case. I am assuming people who get such a small PSU will be using all the space they can, and modular cables allow them to reduce cable mass.

Modders can also reduce the length of cables themselves as well, to suit their exact needs.

The thing is, modular connectors will take up more space, so the question is whether having very long cables that users can shorten themselves is a better option.
 
Last edited:
The polls all overwhelmingly show that two SATA ports are the golden middle, so we'll go with that. Question is: Should they be very close (10-20mm) to allow for clean stacked HDD configurations? Or should they be more spaced out?

From what I can tell, 30cm for the ATX 24pin and ATX12V cable, and 20cm for the PEG and SATA connectors seem to cover most use cases. Does anyone think that those are too log or too short? If not, I'll start the drawings for the Fortron guy to ask FSP for an estimate.
 
As there are conflicting opinions on whether the wires for non-modular connectors should be black or colour-coded, I've made a strawpoll.

Current Poll: Black or colour-coded wires for non-modular connectors?

The advantage of all black wires are of course the looks, and there isn't really a disadvantage in having them on the modular cables, because they are easy to shorten, but the ATX 24pin connector is complicated and its cable will come out of the PSU directly, there's no chance it will be modular. So if it was colour coded, that would make it a lot easier to shorten the cable. And if someone really wanted all cables to have the same colour, they could still dye, paint or replace them all.
 
I think all black is better. It far outweighs the convenience to people who want to mod that cable, which would be a small percentage in any case.

I actually got a reply from FSP and replied with a brief explaination of the current situation.
 
I think all black is better. It far outweighs the convenience to people who want to mod that cable, which would be a small percentage in any case.

I actually got a reply from FSP and replied with a brief explaination of the current situation.

I personally think a lot of people would like to shorten those cables, but that's what the poll will show. I mean, it's not impossible to shorten them once their all black, you can still mark the wires and everything.
So far I don't know whether FSP would actually be willing to do all black cables, though. Those units are at least partially manufactured by humans, so they have to make sure those don't make mistakes either, I'd think.
 
I'm not fussed either way really, SFF builds usually don't show off internals as much as a windowed tower.

If they will charge more to adapt for black cables then it's not worth it.
 
I'm not fussed either way really, SFF builds usually don't show off internals as much as a windowed tower.

If they will charge more to adapt for black cables then it's not worth it.

Yeah that's what I thought. If you go for a PSU this small your main goal is to save space so I see a lot of people shortening that ATX 24pin cable. Looks are a secondary goal, especially for the internals.

Good point about cost, I don't know whether that would make a difference. Will ask.
 
Made an account just because i NEED THIS PSU!!!!11
So hereby, my interest. Let me know when / how to group buy!! I also noticed your project on some other forums iFreilicht! Interesting case designs you have.

ot/ What program do you use to create them? I am working on a case which will contain the same PSU, Mini itx mobo and cpu cooler!
 
Made an account just because i NEED THIS PSU!!!!11
So hereby, my interest. Let me know when / how to group buy!! I also noticed your project on some other forums iFreilicht! Interesting case designs you have.

ot/ What program do you use to create them? I am working on a case which will contain the same PSU, Mini itx mobo and cpu cooler!

HI Alphanes, welcome to [H]! I'll make sure to keep you updated. You can also subscribe to the thread or just check this forum from time to time to make sure you don't miss anything. :)

Thank you very much! I personally use SketchUp and Autodesk Inventor. SketchUp is free and is a great tool if you plan to do all the metalwork yourself for a scratchbuild or if you just want to try out whether your layout would actually work, but if you want to get the case produced by a metalworking company, you'll have to use something like Inventor or Solidworks. I know Inventor has an educational version which is free, but their license agreement explicitly states that you are not allowed to use it for professional work.
If you want to get a few other opinions, you can also check out this thread.

Oh and don't hesitate to comment on the thread for my case directly if you've got any feedback for me. ;)
 
Any news on this? Sorry to bring the thread back from the dead. I found it as I was looking into the Hutzy XS case which uses FlexATX. He's considering this PSU. I honestly think with very little work this can be made into a very quiet unit. There is plenty of surface area on top, all it needs is a couple of fans -- an 80mm and a 60mm would fit, or ideally some proprietary duo of 75mm for a total fan coverage and a more aesthetically pleasing look, and this PSU can kick SFX's ass. When you think about it, it's actually optimized for cooling, as it is long and flat allowing for more fan surface area. I don't quite understand the economics of manufacturing, but it's an extremely easy change to add the fans and have a passive exhaust...
 
Back
Top