Heli Stuff
12V DC Power Supply:
I learned about this from RunRyder Helicopter Forums. THis is a standard ATX style computer power supply. I had a spare one laying around my office and helped myself to the discarded unit. It is a 6amp/ 12volt power supply. Originally it had a lot of wires coming out of the power supply that normally conencted to the motherboard and all the disk drives and CD drives. All I was concerned about were the yellow 12volt wires and the black ground wires and I had to find the one wire that turned the power supply on. The power on wire was on pin number 14 on the main connector that normally plugs into the motherboard. This wire was GREEN. I decided that I had enough room in the power supply case itself to install a surface mount switch and three sets of 12 volt female banana jacks. I can run all three circuits at once provided I limit the overall current to 6 amps or less.
The photo above shows my Sirius Pro Charger connected to one of the three sets of 12v terminals. I installed a single pole switch to turn the power supply on and off. I wired the green wire on one side of the switch and a black ground wire to the other side of the switch. I would like to have an LED surface mounted so I could see a light on when the power supply is turned on, right now I have to notice the fan is either running or it's not.
High current 12V Power Supplys are not cheap if you purchase them specifically for this hobby. I've seen 10 amp systems sell for over $165.00 This power supply didn't cost me anything and I only had to purchase the female jacks and the switch which were under ten bucks total. I like the fact it is rather compact yet has multiple outlets as I have 3 chargers so I can charge all three of my helis at the same time if I want.
