parts

Parts & Links

Going to do my best to keep a running list of parts I've used w/ links perhaps with some description. Not entirely sure on the best way to organize it but I'll try and have it make some sense.

ATVs

X96 Mini - Started with this early on. If space is a premium this can be a good way to go; however, there are cheaper, more powerful options available.

U2C Z Turbo - The mythical S912 3GB/16GB combo -- not easy to find stateside. Not much bigger than mini. Not easy to find in stock. Seemingly identical specs to "X Turbo"; however, I've gotten X Turbos that I haven't been able to flash to save my life. I really like these boxes and I wish there was a more steady supply of them so they could get better representation in the MAD community... after the flashing issues with the X Turbo I shied away from trying to bulk order direct from China and have largely given up on trying to implement these into my build.

Tanis TX9S - The ubiquitous dirty pancake. After growing up on x96 minis I laughed out loud the first time I shucked one of these things.... big enough to use as a dinner platter and enough dead space for a billboard or three. That said: They're snappy, and hard to beat price-to-performance wise. I really wish there were an affordable/easy-to-find 3GB RAM version of this board as the U2C boards got me addicted to the extra RAM. Apparently S912 doesn't support more than 3GB of RAM.

Low Voltage

Mean Well 5v Power Supply I went with 60A because I knew I wanted to run a lot of devices. I run 32 on each power supply. It's been demonstrated that (at least for the TX9S) even those shipping with 12v wall warts actually step that 12v down to 5v to run on ... so they all run quite happily on 5v.

I don't understand why so many people are so scared of running their own power connectors. You see peoples' builds where they ardently refuse to run setups like this because it's "unsafe" . . . and then they post pictures of their seven cheap-as-dirt, daisy chained AC strips stacked on top of each other on the floor of their office with 46 factory wall warts tangled up in the mix. What?! That's a helluva lot more high-voltage points of failure than one well-designed DC power supply!

MEAN WELL MHS-012 - Used to mount the power supply. Four per power supply. You'll also want four M4x6 screws to attach each bracket to the PSU. You can get them in kits but way overpriced compared to mouser and just getting some screws if you don't have already have them. (You may want to hold off on ordering these until you get your power supply. I've order three Mean Well power supplies from Amazon -- one of those three included a set of these brackets with screws).

2.1x5.5mm Barrel Connectors - Fits x96 Mini & TX9S. Does not fit U2C (I soldered on my own female connectors to those so I could have the same standard across the board).

22 Gauge Hookup Wire - It's what I used (for distribution block to barrel connector). 200ft is A LOT. Get what you need or get something similar. Not critical. Originally I used 18ga for the hookup wire but thought it was overkill and switched to this. Voltage drop hasn't seemed to be an issue even with ~40" runs. Obviously you'll want to use thicker gauge wire to go from the PSU to the distribution block. I used some 12 gauge that I already had on hand.

Fused Distribution Block - Easiest / safest way to run this many devices to one power supply is a distribution block. Might as well play it safe and go fused if you're going to go to all the trouble. I like these because they have a dedicated ground bus in addition to the positive bus. 12 fuses per block, so rounds out nicely to a 60A PSU w/ three outputs -- one output to each distribution block. I used some 12 gauge wire that I already had on hand to connect PSU to fuse block.

2A Fuses - To go in your fuse block

22-16 AWG Fork Connectors - I use these to connect to the fuse block. Not critical as you can use bare wire but this is cleaner and arguably safer. You'll need a basic crimp tool to use these properly and if you strip your wires correctly you won't need heat shrink.

Fans

Arctic P12 PWM PST CO - PWM meant to be used w/ PWM controller which among other things allows for very low speeds. Arctic is a favorite no-nonsense budget option. Yes, these fans are pressure optimized but they move enough air and I'm using enough of them that I don't think it matters. Avoid the 'FST' models -- tempting because they're cheaper but the motors are not as good. Arctic's 'PST' inclusion on their PWM fans is nice (in a nutshell they're pre-wired for daisy-chaining which is exactly what I needed). I opted for the CO (continuous operation) models which use bearings meant to be operated... well.. continuously.

2020 Corner Bracket for 20mm Aluminum Extrusion Size 20x20x17mm - My budget solution for fan mounting. See Cabinet Build Fans.

PWM Controller - Haven't seen it on Amazon. Can find it on ebay and Ali.

Tools

Assuming you're not already into electronics tinkering and don't have these things, then if you plan to do anything similar to my setup then these are the tools I definitely wouldn't skimp on nor try and go without.

Self adjusting wire stripper - The Klein is only a couple bucks more than the knockoff. If you ever strip more than two wires in one sitting then this is worth the purchase.