Electrical – Using a 19v power brick on a 12v pico power supply

powerpower supplyvoltage

I was reading this review http://www.jonnyguru.com/modules.php?name=NDReviews&op=Story&reid=207

and it gears us towards an FSP 19v power supply, but the pico units are only 12v

http://www.amazon.com/Mini-Box-picoPSU-160-XT-Power-Mini-ITX-Supply/dp/B005TWE6B8

160 watts 12V DC output

According to this link Choosing power supply, how to get the voltage and current ratings?

Higher than specified voltage is definitely bad. Electrical components all have voltages above which they fail. Components rated for higher voltage generally cost more or have less desirable characteristics, so picking the right voltage tolerance for the components in the device probably got significant design attention. Applying too much voltage violates the design assumptions. Some level of too much voltage will damage something, but you don't know where that level is. Take what a device says on its nameplate seriously and don't give it more voltage than that.

This leads me to ask why exactly the ratings for the FSP 19v power block are so high, compared to the other units, when it's voltage is a decent amount higher?

This review leads us to believe that this power supply would be the "best" choice, but the above link to this website mentions that it would be a bad idea, so I'm confused which is correct, and if this pairing "pico 160w, with a 180w FSP 19v adapter" would work, or if I should find a better power supply?

Also, if the 19v is a bad idea, then what should we look for in a power supply? JohnnyGuru gives not so good ratings on the other units, so if we aren't discrediting their info about the 19v, then what do we actually look for?

Not too sure if this is the right place, but I figured that this would be the best place to talk about voltage with these units, and the power supplies… Thanks.

Best Answer

Wide input range PicoPSU 120W, model number 120-WI-25.

Considerably more [expensive] than the regular PicoPSU 120, but you may save money on the power brick used to power this unit due to the availability of a wider range of power bricks.

This PSU differs from the previous in that you can use any kind of DC input from 12V to 25V. This can be convenient when shopping for a capable power brick as most notebook power bricks on the market are 19VDC.

They are describing the Wide Input range Pico-PSUs, which down convert/Regulate to 12V as well as the other voltages. The regular Pico-PSUs are pass through for the 12V input, no regulation provided.

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